Readings for Wednesday 4 December 2024
25 Hatur 1741
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 18 : 34,39
| 34 | He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. |
| 39 | For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against 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 Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 8 : 5 - 13
| 5 | Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, |
| 6 | saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." |
| 7 | And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." |
| 8 | The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. |
| 9 | For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it." |
| 10 | When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! |
| 11 | And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. |
| 12 | But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." |
| 13 | Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. |
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 68 : 35,3
| 35 | O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! |
| 3 | But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. |
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 12 : 4 - 12
| 4 | "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. |
| 5 | But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! |
| 6 | "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. |
| 7 | But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. |
| 8 | "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. |
| 9 | But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. |
| 10 | "And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. |
| 11 | "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. |
| 12 | For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." |
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.
2 Corinthians 10 : 1 - 18
| 1 | Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. |
| 2 | But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. |
| 3 | For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. |
| 4 | For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, |
| 5 | casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, |
| 6 | and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. |
| 7 | Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's. |
| 8 | For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed-- |
| 9 | lest I seem to terrify you by letters. |
| 10 | "For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." |
| 11 | Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. |
| 12 | For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. |
| 13 | We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us--a sphere which especially includes you. |
| 14 | For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; |
| 15 | not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, |
| 16 | to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment. |
| 17 | But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD." |
| 18 | For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 4 : 1 - 11
| 1 | Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, |
| 2 | that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. |
| 3 | For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. |
| 4 | In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. |
| 5 | They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. |
| 6 | For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. |
| 7 | But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. |
| 8 | And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." |
| 9 | Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. |
| 10 | As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. |
| 11 | If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. |
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 12:25 Acts 13:1-12
| 25 | And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark. |
| 1 | Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. |
| 2 | As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." |
| 3 | Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. |
| 4 | So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. |
| 5 | And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. |
| 6 | Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, |
| 7 | who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. |
| 8 | But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. |
| 9 | Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him |
| 10 | and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? |
| 11 | And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. |
| 12 | Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. |
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 25 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Hatur.
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-Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Hatur
Martyrdom of St.
Mercurius
known as the Saint with Two Swords
On this day, St. Mercurius, known as the saint
with the two swords (Abu-Saifain), was martyred. He was born in the city
of Rome. His parents were Christians and they called him Philopateer (which
means "Lover of the Father"). They reared him in a Christian manner. When
he grew, he enlisted in the army during the days of Emperor Decius, the
pagan. The Lord gave Philopateer the strength and the courage, for which
he earned the satisfaction of his superiors. They called him Mercurius
and he grew very close to the Emperor. When the berbers rose up against
Rome, Decius went out to fight them, but when he saw how many they were,
he became terrified. St. Mercurius assured him saying, "Do not be afraid,
because God will destroy our enemies and will bring us victory." When he
left the Emperor, an angel appeared to him in the shape of a human being,
dressed in white apparel. The angel gave him a sword saying, "When you
overcome your enemies, remember the Lord your God." (That is why he is
called, "of the two swords", "Abu-Saifain", one is the military sword and
the other is the sword of the divine power).
When Emperor Decius conquered his enemies and Mercurius
came back victorious, the angel appeared to him and reminded him of what
he told him previously, that is, to remember the Lord his God. Decius,
and his soldiers with him, wanted to offer up incense to his idols and
St. Mercurius tarried behind. When they informed the Emperor of what had
happened, he called St. Mercurius and expressed his amazement at his abandoning
of his loyalty to him. The Emperor reprimanded him for refusing to come
and offer incense to the idols. The Saint cast his girdle and his military
attire down before the Emperor and said to him, "I do not worship anyone
except my Lord and my God Jesus Christ." The Emperor became angry and ordered
him to be beaten with whips and stalks. When the Emperor saw how the people
of the city and the soldiers were attached to St.Mercurius, the Emperor
feared that they might revolt. So instead, he bound him in iron fetters
and sent him to Caesarea where they cut off his head. He thus completed
his holy fight and received the crown of life in the kingdom of heaven.
May His intercession be for us and Glory be to our 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 45 : 3 - 4
| 3 | Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. |
| 4 | And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. |
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 : 9 - 23
| 9 | Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. |
| 10 | And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. |
| 11 | Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? |
| 12 | Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." |
| 13 | Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. |
| 14 | Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. |
| 15 | But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. |
| 16 | Yet He warned them not to make Him known, |
| 17 | that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: |
| 18 | "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. |
| 19 | He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. |
| 20 | A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; |
| 21 | And in His name Gentiles will trust." |
| 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?" |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑