Monday 29 January 2029
21 Tubah 1745
Readings for Monday of The Fast of Ninevah
Prophecy
From the Book of Jonah , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Jonah 1 : 1 - 17
| 1 | Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, |
| 2 | "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." |
| 3 | But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. |
| 4 | But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. |
| 5 | Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. |
| 6 | So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish." |
| 7 | And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. |
| 8 | Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?" |
| 9 | So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." |
| 10 | Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. |
| 11 | Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?"--for the sea was growing more tempestuous. |
| 12 | And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me." |
| 13 | Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. |
| 14 | Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You." |
| 15 | So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. |
| 16 | Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows. |
| 17 | Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
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Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 95 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. |
| 2 | Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. |
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 13 : 1 - 5
| 1 | There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. |
| 2 | And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? |
| 3 | I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. |
| 4 | Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? |
| 5 | I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." |
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 103 : 1,8
| 1 | Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! |
| 8 | The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. |
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 7 : 6 - 12
| 6 | "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. |
| 7 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. |
| 8 | For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. |
| 9 | Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? |
| 10 | Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? |
| 11 | If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! |
| 12 | Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. |
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 6 : 17 - 23
| 17 | But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. |
| 18 | And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. |
| 19 | I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. |
| 20 | For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. |
| 21 | What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. |
| 22 | But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. |
| 23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life 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. Jude . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
Jude 1 : 1 - 13
| 1 | Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: |
| 2 | Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. |
| 3 | Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. |
| 4 | For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 5 | But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. |
| 6 | And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; |
| 7 | as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. |
| 8 | Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. |
| 9 | Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" |
| 10 | But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. |
| 11 | Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. |
| 12 | These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; |
| 13 | raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. |
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 : 38 - 47
| 38 | Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
| 39 | For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." |
| 40 | And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." |
| 41 | Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. |
| 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. |
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 Tubah.
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 Tubah
Departure of Our Lady,the Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God
On this day, Our Lady, the all pure,
Virgin St. Mary, the Mother of God, departed. As she was always praying
in the holy sepulchre, the Holy Spirit informed her that she was about
to depart from this temporal world. When the time of her departure arrived,
the virgins of the Mount of Olives came to her, with the apostles, who
were still alive, and they surrounded her bed. The Lord Jesus Christ, to
Whom is the glory, with a host of thousands and thousands of angels came
to her and comforted her and told her about the eternal joy that was prepared
for her, and she rejoiced. The apostles and the virgins asked her to bless
them. She stretched her hand and blessed them all, and she gave up her
pure spirit in the hand of her Son and God, and He took her spirit to the
heavenly mansions. The apostles prepared the body in a fitting manner and
carried it to Gethsemane. Some of the Jews blocked their way to prevent
them from burying the body. One of the Jews seized the coffin with his
hands, which were separated instantly from his body and they remained attached
to the coffin. He regretted his evil deed and wept bitterly. Through the
supplications of the saintly apostles, his hands were reattached to his
body, and he believed in the Lord Christ. When they placed the body in
the tomb, the Lord hid it from them.
St. Thomas the Apostle was not present
at the time of St. Mary's departure. He wanted to go to Jerusalem and a
cloud carried him there. On his way, he saw the pure body of St. Mary carried
by the angels and ascended to heaven with it. One of the angels told him,
"Make haste and kiss the pure body of St. Mary," and he did. When St. Thomas
arrived where the disciples were, they told him about St. Mary's departure
and he said to them, "You know how I conducted myself at the resurrection
of the Lord Christ, and I will not believe unless I see her body." They
went with him to the tomb, and uncovered the place of the body but they
did not find it, and everyone was perplexed and surprised. St. Thomas told
them how he saw the holy body and the angels that were ascending with it.
They heard the Holy Spirit saying to them, "The Lord did not will to leave
her body on earth." The Lord had promised his pure apostles to let them
see her in the flesh once again. They were waiting for this promise to
be fulfilled, until the 16th day of the month of Misra, when the promise
was fulfilled and they saw her. The years of her life on earth were 60
years. She was 12 years old when she left the temple. She spent 34 years
in Joseph's house, until the Ascension of the Lord, and 14 years with St.
John the Evangelist, according to the commandment of the Lord which he
told her at the cross, "Behold, this is your son," and to St. John, "Behold,
this is your mother."
May her intercession be for us all. Amen.
Departure of St.Hilaria, the Daughter
of Emperor Zeno
On this day also, St. Hilaria,
daughter of Emperor Zeno, departed. Emperor Zeno was an Orthodox believer,
who loved the church. He had only two daughters, Hilaria and her sister,
Thaopesta. Their father brought them up and taught them the fundamentals
of the Orthodox faith. Hilaria, since her young age, loved to live a solitary
life, and she thought about the monastic life. When she was 18 years old,
she left the court of her father and travelled to Egypt, disguised in men's
clothing. She went to the wilderness of St. Macarius, where she met a holy
man by the name of Anba Pemwah. She told him about her desire to become
a monk and she was ordained a monk under the name of Hilary. Three years
later, Anba Pemwah found out that she was Hilaria, the daughter of Emperor
Zeno. He kept her secret, and placed her in a cave, and visited her from
time to time. She stayed there for fifteen years. When she did not grow
a beard, the monks thought that she was an eunuch, and they called her
"Hilary, the eunuch".
Meanwhile, her sister Thaopesta became
possessed with an unclean spirit, and her father spent on her a great deal
of money in vain. The men of his court advised the Emperor to send her
to the elders of Sheheat (Scetis), for the fame of their holiness had spread
to all the Roman districts. The Emperor sent her with one of the noble
men in the empire, accompanied by many soldiers and several servants. He
sent a letter with the nobleman to the elders of the wilderness telling
them about his pain and grief. The Emperor told them that God had given
him two daughters: one departed and did not return and he did not know
where she was, and the other became possessed with an evil spirit who tormented
her often. He asked them to pray for her, so that the Lord might heal her
from what was ailing her, so that she would be a comfort to him in place
of his disappeared daughter. When the princess arrived at the wilderness
of Sheheat (Scetis) with her entourage, and the elders read the emperor's
letter, they prayed for her for many days, but she was not healed. At the
end, the fathers decided that St. Hilary the eunuch (Hilaria, her sister)
should take her and pray for her healing. St. Hilary refused, but the elders
obliged her to take her. St. Hilary knew that she was her sister but her
sister did not recognize her. St. Hilaria embraced and kissed her sister
often then left to weep outside. A few days later, Thaopesta, her sister,
was healed from her illness, and St.Hilaria took her to the elders and
said to them, "Through your prayers, God has granted her healing." The
elders sent Thaopesta back to her father in peace.
When Thaopesta arrived to her father,
he and all those who were in the palace rejoiced for her safe return, and
offered many thanks to the Lord Christ. Her father asked her about her
stay in Sheheat (Scetis), and she said that St. Hilary, the eunuch who
healed her by his prayers, embraced her and kissed her often. When the
Emperor heard this, he had some doubts about this monk. He sent to the
elders asking them to send St. Hilary, who healed his daughter, in order
to receive his blessings. When the elders ordered "him" to go to the Emperor,
"he" wept bitterly before the elders, pleading with them to spare "him"
from the trip. They told "him" that the emperor was a righteous man who
loved the holy church and that it was only proper not to disobey him according
to the Holy Scriptures. After a great effort, St. Hilaria went to the Emperor,
who saluted "him" and all those who were with "him". Then, he had a private
meeting with Hilaria together with the Empress. They asked "him", "How
did you "the holy man" embrace and kiss the princess?" Then Hilaria asked
them to bring the Bible and to pledge to "him" not to prevent "him" from
going back to the wilderness after answering their inquiry. They brought
the Bible and pledged to "him" as he wished. Then "he" made "himself" known
to them saying, "I am your daughter Hilaria," and she told them all that
had happened to her. Her parents wept with a loud voice and all the people
in the palace were in confusion. She remained three months, then she wanted
to return, and when her parents refused, she reminded them of their oath.
Then the Emperor wrote to the Governor of Egypt, demanding him to send
a hundred bushels of wheat every year and six hundred measures of oil and
all that the monks needed in the wilderness, on a yearly basis. The Emperor
saw to it also that many cells were built for the monks. He also built
a beautiful palace in the monastery of St. Macarius. From that time on,
the number of monks increased in the wilderness. St. Hilaria stayed five
years after her return to the wilderness, then departed in peace. No one
knew that she was a woman until after her death.
May Her prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Gregorius (Gregory of
Nyssa), the Brother of St.Basil the Great
On this day also, of the
year 396 A.D., St. Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of St. Basil the Great,
departed. This great father of the church was virtuous and so were his
brothers. He was very well versed in the art of discourse and in the Greek
language. He was also strongly zealous in his Orthodox faith. When these
good characteristics were known about him, he was chosen bishop against
his will, and was ordained over the city of Nyssa. He shepherded the flock
of Christ, that was entrusted to him, very well. He illumined the souls
with his sermons and discourses. He interpreted many books of the Holy
Bible. He was exiled at the time of Emperor Valens, but returned to Nyssa
by the order of Emperor Theodosius the Great, in 378 A.D. When the one
hundred and fifty fathers gathered together in the second Universal Council
in Constantinople, in 381 A.D., because of the heresy of Macedonius, the
archbishop of the city, at the order of Emperor Theodosius, St. Gregory,
was one of the fathers present. He silenced Sabilius, Macedonius, and Apolinarus,
arguing their heretic opinions and exposing the fallacies of their heresies.
It was said about him, that while he was celebrating the divine liturgy,
he saw the cherubim on the altar. After thirty-three years as the bishop
of Nyssa, his brother St. Basil came to visit him, for St. Gregory was
sick as a result of his austere ascetic life. St. Gregory received his
brother with joy. Once, when St. Gregory was about to start the holy mass,
he fell into a trance, and the Virgin St.Mary appeared to him and said,
"Today, you will come to us." He departed the same day, and St.Basil, his
brother, prayed over him, and he was buried with great honors.
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 130 : 3 - 4
| 3 | If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? |
| 4 | But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. |
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 12 : 35 - 45
| 35 | A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. |
| 36 | But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. |
| 37 | For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." |
| 38 | Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." |
| 39 | But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. |
| 40 | For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. |
| 41 | The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. |
| 42 | The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. |
| 43 | "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. |
| 44 | Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. |
| 45 | Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation." |
Glory be to God forever.
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