Wednesday 28 May 2031
20 Bashans 1747
Readings for Wednesday of seventh of of the Holy Fifty Days
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 19 : 8,7
| 8 | The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; |
| 7 | The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; |
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 : 18 - 23
| 18 | Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. |
| 19 | And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" |
| 20 | When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"' |
| 21 | And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. |
| 22 | Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. |
| 23 | And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." |
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 12 : 6
| 6 | The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. |
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 : 24 - 28
| 24 | When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? |
| 25 | But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts. |
| 26 | But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. |
| 27 | This is he of whom it is written: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' |
| 28 | For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." |
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 8 : 28 - 39
| 28 | And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. |
| 29 | For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. |
| 30 | Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. |
| 31 | What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? |
| 32 | He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? |
| 33 | Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. |
| 34 | Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. |
| 35 | Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? |
| 36 | As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." |
| 37 | Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. |
| 38 | For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, |
| 39 | nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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 - 8
| 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. |
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 15 : 4 - 9
| 4 | And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. |
| 5 | But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." |
| 6 | Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. |
| 7 | And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. |
| 8 | So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, |
| 9 | and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. 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 89 : 52,49
| 52 | Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen. |
| 49 | Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses, Which You swore to David in Your truth? |
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 John the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
John 15 : 12 - 16
| 12 | This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. |
| 13 | Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. |
| 14 | You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. |
| 15 | No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. |
| 16 | You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. |
Glory be to God forever.
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Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 20 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Bashans.
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 Twentieth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Departure of St.Ammonius the Hermit
On this day, of the year 73 A.M. (357 A.D.), the holy
father Abba Ammonius departed. He was born in 294 A.D., in a village near
Mariot. He was, as St. Antony was, born to a righteous and rich Christian
family. He lost his parents while he was young and became under the guardianship
of his uncle. He longed for the life of purity, chastity, and holiness.
Nevertheless, his uncle forced him to be engaged to a rich girl against
his will. Since he could not disobey his uncle, he talked to his bride
to be, with a spiritual dialogue and through his holy life, he was able
to have a good influence on her. He made her long to the life of purity
and planted in her heart the desire to consecrate her self a bride for
the True Bridegroom Jesus Christ. Thus they decided to accept the marriage
but decided to live as a brother and sister. They remained like this for
seventeen years, keeping themselves pure and chaste, after which his wife
departed to the eternal bliss. The Saint saw in a vision St. Antonios calling
him to put on the monastic garb. When he woke from his sleep, he rose up
and went to St. Isidore, who put on him the holy Eskeem. He dwelt with
him for some time, after which he went to mount Tounah, where was St. Antonios.
St. Ammonius remained with St. Antonios for a while
and became his disciple, and studied on his hands the cannons of the holy
monasticism. He built for himself a cell in mount Tounah. He fervently
worshipped God there, and the devil envied him. He came to him in the form
of a nun and knocked his door. When he opened and asked the devil to pray
with him, the devil became like a flame of fire. Then the devil went and
dwelt in a woman and moved her to entice the Saint to fall in sin with
her. She wore the best of her clothing and came to him at dusk, and knocked
the door of his cell, saying: "I am a traveling woman, and I had lost my
way, and it is dark now. Please do not let me stay outside lest the wild
beasts kill me, and you become responsible for my blood." When he opened
the door and knew the snare of the devil who sent her, he started to preach
her and put the fear in her heart of the tortures of hell which is awaiting
the sinners, and indicated to her the delight and the bliss which is awaiting
the righteous. God opened her heart, and she understood what he said to
her. She knelt to his feet weeping and asked him to accept her and assist
her in saving her soul. She took off her apparel and he put on her a sackcloth
of hair. He cut off her hair and called her "The simple minded or the naive".
He taught her the way to righteousness and she excelled through many prayers
and fasting, and surpassed many saints by her fasting and perpetual prayers.
The devil tried to snare him again. This time in
the form of a monk who went around in the monasteries weeping and saying:
"Abba Ammonius the hermit had married and he kept the woman with him in
his cell. He had put the monks to shame and disgraced the monastic garb."
When Abba Apollo (Ebelo), who was like the angels, heard of that, he took
with him Abba Yousab and Abba Nohi (Bohi), and came to mount Tounah to
the cell of Abba Ammonius. They knocked on the door of the cell, and when
she opened to them they realized the matter. They entered and prayed together
as the custom and sat to talk about the greatness of God. At the end of
the day, Abba Ammonius told them, let us go to see the "Naive" for she
was baking some bread. When they went out to where she was, they saw her
standing in the midst of a great fire, and her hands were stretched out
towards heaven praying. They marvelled exceedingly and glorified God. After
they had eaten the bread, everyone went separately to sleep and the angel
of the Lord revealed the story of the "Naive" with St. Ammonius to Abba
Apollo, and that God brought them there to be present at the time of her
departure. About the third hour of the night, she became sick with fever.
She knelt down and delivered up her soul at the hand of the Lord. They
swathed her, and after praying over her, they buried her. Then Abba Ammonius
told them about her virtues, and that for the eighteen years that she stayed
with him, she never raised her face to look at him, and that her food was
bread and salt. After this, St. Antonios sent him to El-Natroun valley
to establish there new monasteries, and many believers followed him. He
organized for them their livelihood and directed them with excellence.
Soon after, this holy father departed in peace.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
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