Friday 28 February 2025
21 Amshir 1741
Readings for Friday of of the Great Lent
Prophecy
From the Book of Deuteronomy of Moses, may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Deuteronomy 6 : 3 - 25
| 3 | Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you--"a land flowing with milk and honey.' |
| 4 | "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! |
| 5 | You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. |
| 6 | "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. |
| 7 | You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. |
| 8 | You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. |
| 9 | You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. |
| 10 | "So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, |
| 11 | houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full-- |
| 12 | then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. |
| 13 | You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. |
| 14 | You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you |
| 15 | (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. |
| 16 | "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. |
| 17 | You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. |
| 18 | And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, |
| 19 | to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken. |
| 20 | "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?' |
| 21 | then you shall say to your son: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; |
| 22 | and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. |
| 23 | Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. |
| 24 | And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. |
| 25 | Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.' |
Deuteronomy 7 : 1 - 26
| 1 | "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, |
| 2 | and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. |
| 3 | Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. |
| 4 | For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. |
| 5 | But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire. |
| 6 | "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. |
| 7 | The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; |
| 8 | but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. |
| 9 | "Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; |
| 10 | and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. |
| 11 | Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them. |
| 12 | "Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. |
| 13 | And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. |
| 14 | You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. |
| 15 | And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. |
| 16 | Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the LORD your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. |
| 17 | "If you should say in your heart, "These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?'-- |
| 18 | you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: |
| 19 | the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. |
| 20 | Moreover the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. |
| 21 | You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. |
| 22 | And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. |
| 23 | But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed. |
| 24 | And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. |
| 25 | You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. |
| 26 | Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
From the Book of Isaiah , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Isaiah 3 : 1 - 14
| 1 | For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah The stock and the store, The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water; |
| 2 | The mighty man and the man of war, The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder; |
| 3 | The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the skillful artisan, And the expert enchanter. |
| 4 | "I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them. |
| 5 | The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder, And the base toward the honorable." |
| 6 | When a man takes hold of his brother In the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing; You be our ruler, And let these ruins be under your power," |
| 7 | In that day he will protest, saying, "I cannot cure your ills, For in my house is neither food nor clothing; Do not make me a ruler of the people." |
| 8 | For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against the LORD, To provoke the eyes of His glory. |
| 9 | The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. |
| 10 | "Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. |
| 11 | Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. |
| 12 | As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths." |
| 13 | The LORD stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people. |
| 14 | The LORD will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: "For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
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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 30 : 1 - 2
| 1 | I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. |
| 2 | O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. |
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 5 : 12 - 16
| 12 | And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." |
| 13 | Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. |
| 14 | And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded." |
| 15 | However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. |
| 16 | So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. |
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 Romans.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Romans 12 : 6 - 21
| 6 | Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; |
| 7 | or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; |
| 8 | he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. |
| 9 | Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. |
| 10 | Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; |
| 11 | not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; |
| 12 | rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; |
| 13 | distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. |
| 14 | Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. |
| 15 | Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. |
| 16 | Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. |
| 17 | Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. |
| 18 | If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. |
| 19 | Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. |
| 20 | Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." |
| 21 | Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. John . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
3 John 1 : 1 - 14
| 1 | The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: |
| 2 | Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. |
| 3 | For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. |
| 4 | I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. |
| 5 | Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, |
| 6 | who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, |
| 7 | because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. |
| 8 | We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. |
| 9 | I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. |
| 10 | Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. |
| 11 | Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. |
| 12 | Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true. |
| 13 | I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; |
| 14 | but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. |
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 2 : 42 - 3 : 9
| 42 | And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. |
| 43 | Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. |
| 44 | Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, |
| 45 | and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. |
| 46 | So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, |
| 47 | praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. |
| 1 | Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. |
| 2 | And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; |
| 3 | who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. |
| 4 | And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." |
| 5 | So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. |
| 6 | Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." |
| 7 | And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. |
| 8 | So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. |
| 9 | And all the people saw him walking and praising God. |
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 21 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir.
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 Twenty-First Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Commemoration of the Virgin St.Mary
We celebrate on this day the commemoration
of the pure Lady St. Mary the Virgin, the Mother of God, the Word, through
whom was the salvation of Adam and his offspring.
May her intercession be for us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Onesimus, the Disciple
of St.Paul
On this day also St. Onesimus,
the disciple of St. Paul, was martyred. This saint was a slave for a man
from Rome called Philemon who believed at the hands of St.Paul, when he
heard his preaching in Rome. Philemon departed from Rome on a business
trip and took with him Onesimus among others of his servants. There the
devil enticed Onesimus, so he stole money from his master and fled to Rome.
According to the Divine Will, Onesimus attended the preaching of St. Paul,
which he kept in his heart. He believed at the hand of St. Paul and his
heart was filled with the grace and the fear of God. He remembered what
he stole from his master and from others and since he did not have anything
left from the stolen money to return to its rightful owners, he was sorrowful
and told St.Paul about that. St. Paul comforted him and wrote an epistle
to Onesimus' master, Philemon, informing him in it, that Onesimus became
a follower of Christ saying, "I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom
I have begotten while in my chains." St. Paul asked him to treat him gently
and not to mind what he did but to consider what he lost as owed by the
apostle. When Onesimus took the epistle to his master Philemon, he was
pleased by his faith and repentance and treated him as the apostle commanded.
Furthermore, he offered him more money but St. Onesimus refused saying,
"I am rich with Christ." Then he bid Philemon farewell and returned to
Rome. St. Onesimus continued to serve St. Paul until his martyrdom and
deserved to be ordained a priest. After the martyrdom of St. Paul, the
governor of Rome seized him and exiled him to one of the islands. He remained
there preaching and baptizing the people of the island. When the governor
came to the island, he found him guiding the people to the belief in the
Lord Christ. He was beaten severely and his legs were broken. He departed
in peace.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Gabriel, the Fifty-Seventh
Pope of Alexandria
On this day also of the
year 911 A.D., the great father St. Gabriel, 57th Pope of Alexandria, departed.
This saint became a monk at a young age, practicing many worships. He loved
solitary life and wept much while praying, asking the Lord to save him
from the snares of the devil. When Pope Mikhael, 56th Pope, departed, they
chose this father to be the Pope in his place. He was ordained in the year
900 A.D. against his will. He cared for the church affairs well, and the
duties of the patriarchate did not prevent him from his worship and asceticism.
He spent most of his days in the wilderness and whenever he had some affairs
to take care of in Cairo or Alexandria, he would leave and then return
back to the wilderness. He fought against the flesh and the devil by increasing
fasting, watching, prayers and humility. He used to wake up in the night,
put on a ragged garment, take a metal shovel and go around the bathrooms
of the monks' cells, washing and cleaning them. He did the same for many
years until the Lord looked upon his humility and humble heart, so He relieved
his pains and gave him the grace of victory over sin and the body. This
father was a worshipper, fighter and a preacher for 11 years, then he departed
in peace.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Zacharias, Bishop of
Sakha
On this day also St. Zacharias,
Bishop of Sakha, departed. He was the son of a scribe called John who left
his job and was chosen to be a priest. His son Zacharias was raised on
studying literary and religious subjects. When he grew up, El-Wazeer appointed
him as a scribe in his court. Afterward he agreed with a friend called
Ptolemy who was the prefect of the town of Sakha, to leave their work and
go to the wilderness to become monks. That coincided with the coming of
a monk from the monastery of St. John the Short, so they decided to go
with him to the monastery. When the ruler (El-Wazeer) knew about that,
he prevented them from going to the monastery. A few days later, they saw
a vision as if someone was asking them, "Why did you not fulfill your vow?"
Immediately, they left in secret, walking to the wilderness, without knowing
their way. They met on their way, by the will of God, a monk who took them
to the monastery of St. John the Short (Colobos). When their friends knew
about that, they took a letter from the Governor to bring them back, but
the Lord defeated their counsel. As for Zacharias and his friend, they
put on the garb of the monks and exerted themselves in many worships. That
was during the time of the saints Abba Gawargah and Abba Abraham who were
the best guides for them. When the Bishop of Sakha departed, the people
wrote to the father, the Patriarch, asking for Zacharias to be their bishop.
The Patriarch brought him and ordained him against his will. At the time
of the ordination, when the Pope was about to put his hands on Zacharias'
head, a light shined in the church and his face appeared as a bright star.
When he arrived to his diocese, the people rejoiced and went out to meet
him with great honor. The church was illumined with his teachings. St.
Zacharias was eloquent and filled with grace and he wrote many articles,
sermons and discourses. He stayed on his chair for 30 years, then departed
in peace.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our 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 13 : 5 - 6
| 5 | But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. |
| 6 | I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me. |
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 11 : 1 - 10
| 1 | Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." |
| 2 | So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. |
| 3 | Give us day by day our daily bread. |
| 4 | And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." |
| 5 | And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves; |
| 6 | for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; |
| 7 | and he will answer from within and say, "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? |
| 8 | I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. |
| 9 | "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. |
| 10 | For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. |
Glory be to God forever.
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