Thursday 4 April 2030
26 Baramhat 1746
Readings for Thursday of of the Great Lent
Prophecy
From the Book of Isaiah , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Isaiah 42 : 5 - 16
| 5 | Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: |
| 6 | "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, |
| 7 | To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. |
| 8 | I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. |
| 9 | Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them." |
| 10 | Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! |
| 11 | Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. |
| 12 | Let them give glory to the LORD, And declare His praise in the coastlands. |
| 13 | The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. |
| 14 | "I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once. |
| 15 | I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools. |
| 16 | I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
From the Book of Proverbs , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Proverbs 4 : 20 - 27
| 20 | My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. |
| 21 | Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; |
| 22 | For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. |
| 23 | Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. |
| 24 | Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. |
| 25 | Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. |
| 26 | Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. |
| 27 | Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
From the Book of Job , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Job 29 : 2 - 20
| 2 | "Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me; |
| 3 | When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; |
| 4 | Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; |
| 5 | When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me; |
| 6 | When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me! |
| 7 | "When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square, |
| 8 | The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood; |
| 9 | The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; |
| 10 | The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. |
| 11 | When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; |
| 12 | Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. |
| 13 | The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. |
| 14 | I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. |
| 15 | I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. |
| 16 | I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. |
| 17 | I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. |
| 18 | "Then I said, "I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. |
| 19 | My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. |
| 20 | My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.' |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
From the Book of 1 Samuel , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
1 Samuel 3 : 1 - 20
| 1 | Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. |
| 2 | And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, |
| 3 | and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, |
| 4 | that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" |
| 5 | So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down. |
| 6 | Then the LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." |
| 7 | (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.) |
| 8 | And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy. |
| 9 | Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, "Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears."' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. |
| 10 | Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." |
| 11 | Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. |
| 12 | In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. |
| 13 | For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. |
| 14 | And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." |
| 15 | So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. |
| 16 | Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!" He answered, "Here I am." |
| 17 | And he said, "What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you." |
| 18 | Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." |
| 19 | So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. |
| 20 | And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. |
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 86 : 14 - 14
| 14 | O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them. |
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 9 : 37 - 43
| 37 | Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. |
| 38 | Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. |
| 39 | And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. |
| 40 | So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." |
| 41 | Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." |
| 42 | And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. |
| 43 | And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, |
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 10:14-33 1 Corinthians 11:1
| 14 | Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. |
| 15 | I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. |
| 16 | The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? |
| 17 | For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. |
| 18 | Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? |
| 19 | What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? |
| 20 | Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. |
| 21 | You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. |
| 22 | Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? |
| 23 | All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. |
| 24 | Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. |
| 25 | Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake; |
| 26 | for "the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness." |
| 27 | If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience' sake. |
| 28 | But if anyone says to you, "This was offered to idols," do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience' sake; for "the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness." |
| 29 | "Conscience," I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man's conscience? |
| 30 | But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks? |
| 31 | Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. |
| 32 | Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, |
| 33 | just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. |
| 1 | Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 1 : 2 - 8
| 2 | elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. |
| 3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, |
| 4 | to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, |
| 5 | who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
| 6 | In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, |
| 7 | that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, |
| 8 | whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, |
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 21 : 5 - 14
| 5 | When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. |
| 6 | When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home. |
| 7 | And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. |
| 8 | On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. |
| 9 | Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. |
| 10 | And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. |
| 11 | When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."' |
| 12 | Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. |
| 13 | Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." |
| 14 | So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done." |
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 Baramhat.
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 Baramhat
Departure of St.Euphrasia (Eupraxia),
the virgin
On this day the blessed
St. Euphrasia (Eupraxia) the virgin departed. She was the daughter of a
noble family in the city of Rome, who was related to Emperor Honorius.
Before her father's departure, he asked the Emperor to care for her. Her
mother went to Egypt to collect the revenues and rent of her estates and
orchards, which her husband had left her. She took her daughter, who was
nine years of age, with her, and they lodged in one of the houses of virgins.
The nuns of that convent were on high degree of asceticism, piety and devoutness,
they never ate food with meat, oil, fruits, at no time drank wine and slept
on the floor. Eupraxia loved the life in that convent, and she was pleased
with the nun that served her. That nun told her: "Promise me that you will
not leave this convent"; and she promised her that. When her mother finished
her work that she came to achieve, her daughter refused to return with
her and she said to her mother: "I have vowed myself to Christ, and I have
no need for this world, for my true Bridegroom is the Lord Christ." When
her mother knew that, she gave all her money and goods to the poor and
needy, and she lived with her daughter in the convent for many years, then
departed in peace.
When Emperor Honorius heard
that, he sent asking for her. She answered back saying that she had vowed
her self to the Lord Christ, and she can not break her covenant. The Emperor
marvelled at her wisdom and righteousness and allowed her to stay. Eupraxia
contended strenuously in the ascetic life, she fasted two days at a time,
then three, then four, and afterwards she fasted for a week at a time,
and during the Holy Lent she did not eat anything which was cooked. Satan
was jealous of her, and he smote her with an illness in her feet, gave
her pain for a long time, until God had compassion on her and healed her.
God granted her the gift of healing the sick, and she was beloved by all
the sisters and the abbess for her humility and obedience to them. One
night the abbess saw in a vision crowns which had been prepared, and she
asked: "Who are these for?", and she was told: "These crowns for your daughter
Eupraxia, she will be coming to us after a short while." The abbess told
the nuns of the vision which she had seen, and commanded them not to tell
Eupraxia about it. When her time came to depart of this world, she fell
sick of a slight fever. The abbess and the nuns gathered around St. Eupraxia
and asked her to remember them before the Divine Throne, then she departed
in peace. Then right after her departure the nun her friend departed, and
shortly after, the abbess fell sick, so she gathered the nuns and told
them: "Choose whom will be abbess over you, for I am going to the Lord."
When they came on the following morning to visit her, they found that she
had departed.
May Their prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Pope Peter VI, the One Hundred
and Fourth Pope of Alexandria
On this day also the church
commemorates the departure of Pope Peter VI (Petros), the one hundred and
fourth Patriarch in the year 1442 A.M. (April 2nd., 1726 A.D.). This blessed
father and spiritual angel was the son of pure and Christian parents from
the city of Assiut. They raised him well, educated him with ecclesiastic
subjects and manners and he excelled in them. His name was Mourgan, but
later on he became known by the name Peter El-Assuity. The grace of God
was on him since his young age, and when he came to the age of maturity,
he forsook the world and what in it, and longed to the monastic life. He
went to the monastery of the great St.Antonios in the mount of El-Arabah,
he dwelt there, became a monk and put on the monastic garb. He exerted
himself in worship, and when he achieved the ascetic life, purity, righteousness,
and humility, the fathers the monks chose him to be a priest. They took
him against his will to Cairo, and he was ordained a priest, for the monastery
of the great Saint Anba Paula the first hermit, among others, by the hand
of Pope Yoannis El-Toukhy (103), in the church of the Lady the Virgin in
Haret El-Roum. He increased in virtues and he became well known among the
people.
When Pope Yoannis, the above
mentioned, departed, the Chair became vacant after him for two month and
six days. They went on looking for whom was fit for this honorable rank
so they chose some priests and monks. They wrote their names on pieces
of papers, placed them over the alter and celebrated the Divine Liturgy.
On the third day after asking and supplicating God to raise the one He
chooses, the lot fell on this father, so they realized that he was the
chosen one by God. He was ordained Patriarch for the See of St. Mark on
sunday the 17th. of Misra 1434 A.M. (August 21st., year 1718 A.D.) at the
church of St. Marcurius in Old Cairo. It was a great joy for his enthronement,
which was attended by the Christian mass, foreign dignitaries, Catholics,
Greeks, Armenians, and the military. Afterwards, Pope Peter went to visit
the cities of Lower Egypt, visited the churches, and at the end he arrived
to Alexandria to visit the church of St. Mark the evangelist in the 11th.
of Baramouda year 1438 A.M. He kissed the pure holy head of St. Mark, and
he did extensive renovation inside the church. When he was about to return
he was informed that a group in Alexandria planning to steal the holy head
so he hid it in the monastery since that time. Then he gave a lamb made
of silver as a gift and lit it over the tomb of the Evangelist, and he
encircled it by a partition with windows looking inside. He went to Lower
and Upper Egypt and the people of Egypt rejoiced.
During the days of this
father, a group of priests and deacons came, delegated by the Emperor of
Ethiopia, with extravagant gifts and a letter from the Emperor, asking
for a Metropolitan. He deliberated the subject with Mr. Lotf-Allah Abu-Yousif
a prominent notable of Cairo and others, and they all agreed on the honorable
father Khristozolo bishop of Jerusalem. He was a blessed father, and knowledgeable
teacher, so Pope Peter ordained him Metropolitan, and called him Khristozolo
III. They went with him to Ethiopia happy and joyful, and he cared for
that parish from 1720 - 1742 A.D. Pope Peter ordained Anba Athanasius bishop
for Jerusalem. During the papacy of this Pope many churches were built
and consecrated with his blessed hand. Among those churches, the church
of St. Mary on the Nile in the district of El-Maady, the church of Michael
the archangel in Babylon, and the church of St. Mina the wonder worker
in Fum El-Khalig - Cairo. The last two churches were built by the noble
and charitable Mr. Lotf-Allah Abu-Yousif by his private funds, also he
built the church of the Apostles in the monastery of St.Antonios, and also
assumed and paid the cost of the enthronement festivals of the Patriarch.
The days of this Pope were peaceful and tranquil, and he worked on implementing
the church cannons especially he stopped the divorce, for whatever the
reason. For that purpose he went to the Governor Ebn-Eiwaz and discussed
the subject with the Muslim scholars, so they gave him a formal legal opinion
and a decree that the No Divorce only apply to the Christians, and no one
can object him for that in courts. He ordered the priests not to wed except
in his presence. That was because a man, who was the son of a priest, protested
against him. The man had divorced his wife and married another without
the Patriarch's knowledge in the church. He ordered them to come before
him so he might dissolve the illegal marriage, but the man refused and
did not come. The Pope excommunicated the man, his wife and his father
the priest for he had married them. This man died after sever illness in
his mouth, and his father the priest went to the Pope, asked for his forgiveness,
the Pope absolved him and shortly after he died. This pope shepherded the
flock of Christ with the best of care, and when he completed his strife,
he fell sick for a short sickness and departed on the 26th. of Baramhat,
year 1442 A.M. in the Holy Lent. His body was placed in the tomb of the
Patriarchs in the church of St. Marcurius in Old Cairo. He remained on
the Chair for 7 years, 7 month and 11 days. He was charitable, generous
and merciful to his people as his predecessor. Pope Peter (Petros) El-Assuity
was approximately forty six years old, and he was a contemporary of Sultan
Ahmed III the Ottoman.
The Chair remained vacant for 9 month and 11 days after him. The year
this pope departed, there was an outbreak of Plaque in the land along with
severe drought, many bishops and priests departed and death befell the
people from Alexandria to Aswan.
May the lord have mercy on his people and benefit us with the prayers
and blessings of Pope Petros El-Asuity, and Glory be to 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 86 : 17 - 17
| 17 | Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted 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 13 : 10 - 17
| 10 | Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. |
| 11 | And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. |
| 12 | But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." |
| 13 | And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. |
| 14 | But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." |
| 15 | The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? |
| 16 | So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" |
| 17 | And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. |
Glory be to God forever.
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