Readings for Sunday 31 October 2032
21 Babah 1749
Third Sunday of Babah
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 71 : 5 - 7
| 5 | For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth. |
| 6 | By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. |
| 7 | I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge. |
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 Mark the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Mark 4 : 35 - 41
| 35 | On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." |
| 36 | Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. |
| 37 | And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. |
| 38 | But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" |
| 39 | Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. |
| 40 | But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" |
| 41 | And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 57 : 9 - 10
| 9 | I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. |
| 10 | For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. |
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 24 : 1 - 12
| 1 | Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. |
| 2 | But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. |
| 3 | Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. |
| 4 | And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. |
| 5 | Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? |
| 6 | He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, |
| 7 | saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."' |
| 8 | And they remembered His words. |
| 9 | Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. |
| 10 | It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. |
| 11 | And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. |
| 12 | But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 16 : 12 - 24
| 12 | Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time. |
| 13 | Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. |
| 14 | Let all that you do be done with love. |
| 15 | I urge you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints-- |
| 16 | that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us. |
| 17 | I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. |
| 18 | For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. |
| 19 | The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. |
| 20 | All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. |
| 21 | The salutation with my own hand--Paul's. |
| 22 | If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! |
| 23 | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. |
| 24 | My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
James 4 : 7 - 17
| 7 | Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. |
| 8 | Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. |
| 9 | Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. |
| 10 | Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. |
| 11 | Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. |
| 12 | There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? |
| 13 | Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; |
| 14 | whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. |
| 15 | Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." |
| 16 | But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. |
| 17 | Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. |
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.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 15 : 4 - 12
| 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. |
| 10 | Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? |
| 11 | But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." |
| 12 | Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Synaxarium
Day 21 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah.
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 Babah
Commemoration of the Mother of God
On this
day we celebrate the commemoration of our holy lady, the Mother of Light,
the Virgin St. Mary. Salutation to you 0 Mary, the Mother of God, the eternal
Word, because through you was the salvation of the human race.
May her intercession be for us all. Amen.
Commemoration of the Relocation of the
Body of Lazarus
On
this day also we celebrate the commemoration of the relocation of the body
of Lazarus, whom our Lord raised from the dead. It was relocated by one
of the Christian Emperors to Constantinople. When he heard that the body
was on the island of Cyprus, he sent some of the trusted bishops to the
island where they found the holy body laid in a sarcophagus buried under
ground. The inscription on the coffin read, "This is the body of Lazarus,
the friend of the Lord Christ, whom He raised from the dead, after he had
been buried for four days." They rejoiced at it and carried it to the city
of Constantinople. The priests went out and received the body with great
honor and veneration, and with prayers and incense. They laid it in a sanctuary
until they built a church for it and then relocated the body to the church
where they celebrated a holy day for him.
May his intercession be for us. Amen.
Departure of Joel the Prophet
On
this day also, the great Prophet Joel, the
son of Pe-thu-el, from the tribe of Reuben, departed. He prophesied in
the days of Abya the son of Jeroboam the son of Solomon the King. He taught
the people and admonished them and prophesied concerning the dwelling of
God in Zion, His passion, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the comforter
upon the holy Apostles on the day of Pentecost. He prophesied that their
sons and daughters will prophesy and their young men will see visions and
their old men will dream dreams. This prophet prophesied also concerning
the going forth of the law of the Gospel from Zion when he said, "A fountain
shall flow from the house of the Lord and water the valley of Shittim."
(Joel 3:18) And he revealed that wars will break out on the earth after
the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke also concerning the day of
Resurrection more than a thousand years before the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He said, "The sun and the moon will grow dark and the stars will
diminish their brightness." (Joel 3:15) He pleased God and departed in eace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Freig
On
this day also in the year 1405 A.D. (1121 of martyrs) St. Freig, who is
known as Abba Roweiss, departed. This saint was from a village called Miniet-Yamin
(about 130 kilometers north of Cairo). His father's name was Isaac and
his mother's name was Sarah. When he was born, they called him Freig. He
worked with his father in farming and he had a small camel on which he
carried salt and sold it. He called the camel "Roweiss" (i.e. small head).
The camel used to put his head against his cheek as if he was kissing him.
Because of his humility, he called himself after his camel. Persecutions
befell the Christians, so he came to Cairo and not having a house or shelter,
he went from one place to another. He spent most of his nights in prayers
and wailing. He did not own a coat or any clothes or a cover for his head.
He was naked except for that with which he covered his loins, and his head
was uncovered. He looked like the hermits of the desert; his eyes were
red because of much weeping and he never cut the hair of his head. He was
a man of few words -once an evil man smote him severely but he did not
open his mouth. St. Marcus El-Antoni was present at that time and he rebuked
the evil man. During the later part of his life, he used to say, "O Virgin,
take me because my burden is heavy." He meant the burden of carrying the
sin of the people for which he often rebuked them though they did not listen
to him. He lived in the days of the holy father Pope Mattheos, 87th Patriarch,
and St. Marcus El-Antoni, in the days of the Sultan El-Zaher Barkuk. He
shut himself up in a small storeroom at the place of his disciple Michael
the builder, in Meniet Syreg. He stayed in that place for 9 years until
his departure on the twenty-first of Babah of the year 1121 of the martyrs.
He was buried in the church of the Virgin, in Deir El-Khandaq. He performed
many wonders such as healing the sick, prophesying and saving many from
their troubles.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be
to God, forever. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 71 : 7 - 8
| 7 | I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge. |
| 8 | Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day. |
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 : 22 - 28
| 22 | Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. |
| 23 | And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" |
| 24 | Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." |
| 25 | But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. |
| 26 | If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? |
| 27 | And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. |
| 28 | But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑