Readings for Thursday 26 September 2024
16 Tut 1741
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 84 : 3 - 4
| 3 | Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young--Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. |
| 4 | Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You.Selah |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Luke 7 : 1 - 10
| 1 | Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. |
| 2 | And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. |
| 3 | So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. |
| 4 | And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, |
| 5 | "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue." |
| 6 | Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. |
| 7 | Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. |
| 8 | For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it." |
| 9 | When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" |
| 10 | And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick. |
Glory be to God forever.
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Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 26 : 8,7
| 8 | LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells. |
| 7 | That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works. |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Luke 19 : 1 - 10
| 1 | Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. |
| 2 | Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. |
| 3 | And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. |
| 4 | So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. |
| 5 | And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." |
| 6 | So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. |
| 7 | But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." |
| 8 | Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." |
| 9 | And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; |
| 10 | for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." |
Glory be to God forever.
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Divine Liturgy
Pauline Epistle
Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God. A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Hebrews.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Hebrews 9 : 1 - 10
| 1 | Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. |
| 2 | For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; |
| 3 | and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, |
| 4 | which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; |
| 5 | and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. |
| 6 | Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. |
| 7 | But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; |
| 8 | the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. |
| 9 | It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience-- |
| 10 | concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 2 : 1 - 10
| 1 | Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, |
| 2 | as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, |
| 3 | if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. |
| 4 | Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, |
| 5 | you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
| 6 | Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." |
| 7 | Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," |
| 8 | and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. |
| 9 | But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; |
| 10 | who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. |
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Amen.
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Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 9 : 31 - 43
| 31 | Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. |
| 32 | Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. |
| 33 | There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. |
| 34 | And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately. |
| 35 | So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. |
| 36 | At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. |
| 37 | But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. |
| 38 | And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. |
| 39 | Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. |
| 40 | But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. |
| 41 | Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. |
| 42 | And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. |
| 43 | So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. Amen.
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Synaxarium
Day 16 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tut.
May God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins are forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers. Amen.
The Sixteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tut
Commemoration of the Consecration of
the Sanctuaries of the Resurrection
Today
we celebrate the consecration of the sanctuaries of the Resurrection in
Jerusalem in the year 326 A.D. In the twentieth year of the reign of Emperor
Constantine and after the meeting of the Holy Council at Nicea, Quee Helena
told her son Constantine that she had vowed to go to Jerusalem to get the
blessings of the holy places and to search for the wood of the life giving
Cross. He rejoiced at this and gave her much money, and he sent with her
a large number of soldiers. When she arrived there and received the blessings
of the holy places, she searched for the wood of the Cross and found it
after much toil. She praised it with great praises and paid to it much
reverance and honor. She commanded the building of the sanctuaries of the
Resurrection - the Golgotha, Bethlehem and the manger, the fortress of
Zion, Gethsemane and the sanctuaries, and other holy places - and that
they be inlaid with pearl and covered with gold and silver.
There was in Jerusalem a
saintly bishop who advised her not to do that saying, "For after a while
foreign people will come and seize this place and destroy it and take the
precious stones and the silver and the gold. But is preferable to build
good and strong buildings and the remainder of the money be given to the
poor and the needy." She accepted his words and gave him the money and
set him in charge of the work. When she returned back to her son and told
him what she had done, he rejoiced, and sent large sums of money and commanded
to pay the workers their wages in full so they would not complain. When
the building of the holy places was finished in the thirtieth year of the
reign of Emperor Constantine, he sent vessels and precious vestments for
the altars. He sent word to the Archbishop of Constantinople and to St.Athanasius,
the Pope of Alexandria to take their bishops and to go to Jerusalem where
they would meet the Archbishop of Antioch and the Bishop of Jerusalem.
They tarried there until
the sixteenth of the month of Tut, when they consecrated all the altars
that had been built. On the seventeenth day they marched with the Honorable
Cross around all the holy places and they worshipped God therein, and gave
offerings, and they glorified the Cross and honored it. Then they returned
to their chairs.
May their prayers be with us all. Amen.
Transfer of the Relics of St.Chrysostom
(of the Golden Mouth)
On this day also the church
commemorates the transfer of the relics of St.John Chrysostom (of the Golden
Mouth) from the city of Komanah, where he died in exile, to Constantinople
thirty years after his departure, which was in the year 437 A.D. during
the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Small.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God
forever. Amen.
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Divine Liturgy Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 65 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. |
| 2 | O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 16 : 13 - 19
| 13 | When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" |
| 14 | So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." |
| 15 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
| 16 | Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." |
| 17 | Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. |
| 18 | And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. |
| 19 | And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." |
Glory be to God forever.
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