Readings for Sunday 3 June 2029
26 Bashans 1745
Fourth Sunday of Bashans
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 46 : 10 - 11
| 10 | Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! |
| 11 | The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.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 Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 22 : 41 - 46
| 41 | While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, |
| 42 | saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David." |
| 43 | He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord,' saying: |
| 44 | "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'? |
| 45 | If David then calls Him "Lord,' how is He his Son?" |
| 46 | And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. |
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 47 : 6 - 7
| 6 | Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! |
| 7 | For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. |
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 20 : 1 - 18
| 1 | Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| 2 | Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 3 | Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. |
| 4 | So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. |
| 5 | And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. |
| 6 | Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, |
| 7 | and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. |
| 8 | Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. |
| 9 | For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. |
| 10 | Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. |
| 11 | But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. |
| 12 | And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. |
| 13 | Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 14 | Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. |
| 15 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." |
| 16 | Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). |
| 17 | Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."' |
| 18 | Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. |
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 Corinthians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14 : 18 - 33
| 18 | I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; |
| 19 | yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. |
| 20 | Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. |
| 21 | In the law it is written: "With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me," says the Lord. |
| 22 | Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. |
| 23 | Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? |
| 24 | But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. |
| 25 | And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. |
| 26 | How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. |
| 27 | If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. |
| 28 | But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. |
| 29 | Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. |
| 30 | But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. |
| 31 | For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. |
| 32 | And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. |
| 33 | For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. |
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 11 : 2 - 18
| 2 | And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, |
| 3 | saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!" |
| 4 | But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: |
| 5 | "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. |
| 6 | When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. |
| 7 | And I heard a voice saying to me, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' |
| 8 | But I said, "Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.' |
| 9 | But the voice answered me again from heaven, "What God has cleansed you must not call common.' |
| 10 | Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. |
| 11 | At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. |
| 12 | Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. |
| 13 | And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, "Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, |
| 14 | who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' |
| 15 | And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. |
| 16 | Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, "John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' |
| 17 | If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" |
| 18 | When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." |
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 26 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 Twenty-Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Martyrdom of St.Thomas, the Apostle
On this day St. Thomas the apostle
was martyred. He was born in Galilee, and the Lord chose him among the
twelve disciples
(Mathew 10:3). When the Lord wanted to go to raise Lazarus
from the dead, Thomas said to the other disciples: "
(John 11:16). He also
asked the Lord at the supper: "
(John 14:5-6). When the Lord Christ appeared
to the disciples after the resurrection, and said to them "Receive the
Holy Spirit", Thomas was absent. On his return, the disciples told him,
"We have seen the Lord." He said to them: "
(John 20:19-29). After the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in the Upper room
in Zion, the apostles dispersed everywhere to preach the Gospel, Thomas
went to India. He worked there as a slave at one of the friends of the
king, whose name was Lukios, who brought him to the king who inquired about
his profession. Thomas said: "I am builder, carpenter and a physician.
He preached in his master's palace, and Lukios' wife believed and all his
household. The king asked him about his achievements, and he said: "The
palaces that I built were the souls that have become the temples of the
King of Glory; the carpentry that I did was the Gospel that removes the
thorns of sin; and the medicines I practiced are the Holy Mysteries which
heal the poison of the evil one. The king became angry and tortured him,
and bound him among four poles, cut off his skin and rubbed his wounds
with salt and lime. The apostle Thomas endured the pains. Lukios' wife
saw him suffering, and she fell from the window and died. Lukios came to
him and said: "If you raise my wife from the dead, I believe in your God."
Thomas went to the room where the dead body was, and said: "Arsabona (Arsonia),
rise up in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ." She rose instantly and bowed
to the Saint. When her husband saw that, he believed and many more with
him from the people of the city, and Thomas baptized them. Once the sea
drove a huge tree to the shore that no one could lift it up. St. Thomas
asked the king for permission to lift it up and to use its wood in building
a church. He got the permission, he made the sign of the cross, and he
raised it and later he built the church, to which he ordained a bishop
and priests.
St. Thomas left and went
to a city called "Kantoura" (Kontaria), where he found an old man weeping
bitterly because the king killed his six children. The Saint prayed over
them, and the Lord raised them up. The idol priests were angry, and wanted
to stone him. The first raised a stone to throw it at him, and his hand
was paralyzed. The Saint prayed over his hand, he was healed instantly,
and all the idol priests believed in the Lord Christ. Then St. Thomas went
to the city of "Parkenas" and other cities, where he preached in the Name
of Jesus Christ. The king heard about him, and he put him in prison. When
he found out that he was teaching the prisoners the way of God, he tortured
him, and at last he cut his head off, and he received the crown of martyrdom.
He was buried in "Melibar", then his body was relocated to El-Raha.
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 66 : 4,1,2
| 4 | All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name."Selah |
| 1 | Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! |
| 2 | Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. |
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 4 : 1 - 13
| 1 | Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, |
| 2 | being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. |
| 3 | And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." |
| 4 | But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."' |
| 5 | Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. |
| 6 | And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. |
| 7 | Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." |
| 8 | And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."' |
| 9 | Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. |
| 10 | For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,' |
| 11 | and, "In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone."' |
| 12 | And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."' |
| 13 | Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. |
Glory be to God forever.
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