Wednesday 5 April 2023
27 Baramhat 1739
Readings for Wednesday of of the Great Lent
Prophecy
From the Book of Proverbs , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Proverbs 10 : 32 - 32
| 32 | The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. |
Proverbs 11 : 1 - 13
| 1 | Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight. |
| 2 | When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. |
| 3 | The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. |
| 4 | Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. |
| 5 | The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. |
| 6 | The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust. |
| 7 | When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of the unjust perishes. |
| 8 | The righteous is delivered from trouble, And it comes to the wicked instead. |
| 9 | The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. |
| 10 | When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. |
| 11 | By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. |
| 12 | He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace. |
| 13 | A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. |
Glory be to the Holy Trinity, our God, forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.
From the Book of Isaiah , may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen
Isaiah 58 : 1 - 11
| 1 | "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. |
| 2 | Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. |
| 3 | "Why have we fasted,' they say, "and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?'"In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. |
| 4 | Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. |
| 5 | Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? |
| 6 | "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? |
| 7 | Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? |
| 8 | Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. |
| 9 | Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, "Here I am.'"If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, |
| 10 | If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. |
| 11 | The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. |
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 40 : 1 - 24
| 1 | Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: |
| 2 | "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." |
| 3 | Then Job answered the LORD and said: |
| 4 | "Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. |
| 5 | Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further." |
| 6 | Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: |
| 7 | "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: |
| 8 | "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? |
| 9 | Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? |
| 10 | Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. |
| 11 | Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. |
| 12 | Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. |
| 13 | Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness. |
| 14 | Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you. |
| 15 | "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. |
| 16 | See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. |
| 17 | He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. |
| 18 | His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. |
| 19 | He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. |
| 20 | Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there. |
| 21 | He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh. |
| 22 | The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. |
| 23 | Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, |
| 24 | Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare. |
Job 41 : 1 - 34
| 1 | "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? |
| 2 | Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? |
| 3 | Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? |
| 4 | Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? |
| 5 | Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? |
| 6 | Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? |
| 7 | Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? |
| 8 | Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle--Never do it again! |
| 9 | Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? |
| 10 | No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? |
| 11 | Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. |
| 12 | "I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. |
| 13 | Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? |
| 14 | Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? |
| 15 | His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; |
| 16 | One is so near another That no air can come between them; |
| 17 | They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. |
| 18 | His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. |
| 19 | Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. |
| 20 | Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. |
| 21 | His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. |
| 22 | Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. |
| 23 | The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. |
| 24 | His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. |
| 25 | When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. |
| 26 | Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. |
| 27 | He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. |
| 28 | The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. |
| 29 | Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. |
| 30 | His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. |
| 31 | He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. |
| 32 | He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. |
| 33 | On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. |
| 34 | He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride." |
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 57 : 1 - 1
| 1 | Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. |
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 14 : 28 - 35
| 28 | For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- |
| 29 | lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, |
| 30 | saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.' |
| 31 | Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? |
| 32 | Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. |
| 33 | So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. |
| 34 | "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? |
| 35 | It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" |
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 10 : 4 - 13
| 4 | For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. |
| 5 | For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." |
| 6 | But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) |
| 7 | or, Who will descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). |
| 8 | But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): |
| 9 | that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. |
| 10 | For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. |
| 11 | For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." |
| 12 | For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. |
| 13 | For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
James 1 : 13 - 21
| 13 | Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. |
| 14 | But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. |
| 15 | Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. |
| 16 | Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. |
| 17 | Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. |
| 18 | Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. |
| 19 | So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; |
| 20 | for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. |
| 21 | Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. |
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 19 : 23 - 26
| 23 | And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. |
| 24 | For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. |
| 25 | He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. |
| 26 | Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. |
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 27 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-Seventh Day of the Blessed Month of Baramhat
Commemoration of the Crucifixion of Our
Lord Jesus Christ
On this day is the commemoration of the Crucifixion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ Incarnate, to Him is the Glory, for the salvation
of the world. The Holy Bible mentioned that: "From the sixth hour until
the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land."
(Matthew 27:45) The
sun had hidden its light when it saw its creator incarnated, hanging with
His own free will on the wood of the Cross, inclined His head, and yielded
up His spirit. The Holy Church teaches us that: " His Divinity parted not
from His Humanity for a single moment, nor a twinkle of an eye, and He
descended to the hades from the cross to save those in bondage therein."
St. Peter also said: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just
for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to
the spirits in prison."
(1 Peter 3:18-19) In the heavens He was in His
might, and on earth He was a savior. Praise the Lord, the omnipotent God,
Who is in every place, He saved us by giving Himself up, and opened to
us the door of His kingdom.
To Him is the Glory, Power and Dominion forever. Amen.
Departure of St.Macarius the Great
On this day also, of the year 392 A.D. the blessed
father, the lamp of the wilderness and the father of all the monks the
great saint Anba Macarius, departed. This Saint was born in the village
of Shabsheer - Menuf, from good and righteous parents. His father's name
was Abraham and his mother's name was Sarah and they had no son. In a vision
at night he saw the angel of the Lord and told him that God was about to
give him a son, and his name will be known all over the earth, and he will
have a multitude of spiritual sons. Shortly after, this holy man had a
son and called him Macarius which means "Blessed." He was obedient to his
parents, and the grace of God was upon him since his young age. When he
grew up his father forced him to get married against his will, so he pretended
that he was sick for several days. Then he asked his father if he might
go to the wilderness to relax and that may make him recover from his illness
speedily. He went to the wilderness and prayed to the Lord Christ to direct
him to do what is pleasing to Him. While he was in the wilderness he saw
a vision, and it seemed that one of the Cherubim, with wings, took his
hands, and ascended up to the top of the mountain, and showed him all the
desert, east and west, and north and south. The Cherub told him: "God has
given this desert to you and your sons for an inheritance." When he returned
from the wilderness he found that his wife, who was still virgin, had died,
and Macarius thanked the Lord Christ. Shortly after, his parents departed,
and he gave all what they had left to the poor and the needy. When the
people of Shabsheer saw his chastity and purity, they took him to the bishop
of Ashmoun who ordained him a priest for them. They built a place for him
outside the city, and they went to him to confess and to partake from the
Holy Mysteries. They appointed a servant to take care of his needs and
to sell for him the work of his hands.
When Satan saw St. Macarius growth in virtues, he
brought on him a severe temptation. He inspired a girl that had defiled
herself with a man to claim that St. Macarius is the one who had defiled
her. When her family heard that, they went to him, insulted and beat him
severely, inflicting much pain on him, which he endured silently. Macarius
reproached himself saying "O Macarius now you have a wife and a child,
and it is meet for you to work day and night for your own food and for
that of your child and your wife." He worked continually at weaving mats
and baskets, and he gave them to the man who ministered unto him; and he
sold them and gave the money to the woman. When the day of her delivery
drew near her labor was exceedingly difficult, she continued to suffer
for four days and did not deliver until she confessed her false accusation
against the Saint and named the man that defiled her. When the family of
the girl heard that, they decided to go to ask for his forgiveness for
what happened from them. When St. Macarius heard that, he fled away from
them running from the vain glory of this world.
At that time he was 30 years old, and the angel
of the Lord appeared to him and walked with him for two days until they
came to Wadi El-Natroun and the Saint asked the angel: "Appoint for me
O master a place to live in." The angel replied: "I have not marked out
a place for you to live, lest you leave it in the future and transgress
the commandment of God. Behold all the wilderness is yours, so wheresoever
you wish, live there." St. Macarius dwelt in the Inner Desert, in the place
of the monastery of Sts. Maximus and Domadius which is known now by the
monastery of El-Baramous. He went to visit St. Antonios, who said about
St. Macarius when he saw him: "This is an Israelite in whom there is no
guile." St. Antonios put on him the Holy Eskeem, then St. Macarius returned
to his place. When the number of monks increased around him he built a
church for them. His fame was known all over the country and many kings
and Emperors heard about the miracles that God performed on his hands.
He healed the daughter of the king of Antioch that was possessed by an
unclean spirit. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and took him to a
place and told him to make this place his abode, for many people will come
to him in that place. He built a cell for himself and a church. He thought
one day that the world had no more righteous people, so a voice came to
him from heaven saying: "In the city of Alexandria there are two women
who feared God." He took his staff, his provisions, and went to Alexandria
and he asked around until he reached their house. When he entered, they
welcomed him, washed his feet with warm water, and when he asked them about
their life, one of them told him: "There is no kinship between us and when
we married these two brothers we asked them to leave us to be nuns but
they refused. So we committed ourself to spent our life fasting till evening
with often prayers. When each of us had a son, whenever one of them cry,
any one of us would carry and nurse him even if he was not her own son.
We are in one living arrangement, the unity in opinion is our model, and
our husbands work is shepherding sheep, we are poor and only have our daily
bread and what is left over we give it to the poor and the needy." When
the Saint heard these words he cried saying: "Indeed God looks to the readiness
of the heart and grant the grace of His Holy Spirit for all those who wish
to worship him." He bade them farewell and left returning to the wilderness.
There was an erring monk who strayed many by his saying that there was
no resurrection of the dead. The bishop of the city of Osseem went to St.Macarius
and told him about that monk. Abba Macarius went to that monk and stayed
with him until the monk believed and returned from his error.
On the day of his departure, he saw Sts. Antonios
and Pachomius, and a company of the saints, and he delivered up his soul.
He was ninety-seven years old. St.Macarius had commanded his disciples
to hid his body, but some of the natives of the city of Shabsheer came
and stole his body, built a church for him and placed the body in it for
around one hundred and sixty years until the Arab conquest and the rebuilding
of his monastery, they returned the body to it. In a manuscript in Shebeen
El-Koum, was mentioned that St. Babnuda, his disciple, saw the soul of
St. Macarius ascending to heaven, and he heard the devils crying out and
calling after him, "You have conquered us O Macarius." The Saint replied
"I have not conquered you yet." When they came to the gates of heaven they
cried again saying "You have conquered us", and he replied as the first
time. When he entered the gate of heaven they cried "You have overcome
us O Macarius." He replied "Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ who has delivered
me from your hands."
May his blessing be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Domicos
On this day also St. Domicos was martyred during
the reign of the infidel Emperor Julian. Sapor (Shapur) Arsakis II king
of Persia was in peace with the Roman Empire, and he paid tribute to the
lover of God Emperor Constantine. A dispute took place between Emperor
Julian and Sapor king of Persia, and the later prepared an army to fight
the Romans. Julian offered the sacrifices to his idols in the city of Casius
which was about six miles from Antioch where was the idol Apollon. The
enemy of God went along with the magicians, sorcerers, and the army to
meet the Persians. On his way he passed by an isolated place, where he
saw a multitude of men, women, and children. When he asked about this multitudes
they told him: "A monk who live in a cave in this place, perform miracles
and heal the sick, and the multitudes that you see are the Christians that
came to get his blessing and be cured from their illnesses." Julian became
raged and sent a soldier to St.Domicos who talked to him in a threatening
way saying: "If you are living in this cave to please God so why you are
seeking the gratitude of men? and why don't you hide your self from them?"
The Saint replied saying: "I have given my soul and body to the hands of
God, the God of heaven and earth the Lord Jesus Christ, and spent many
years in seclusion in this cave, as for those who come to me with a strong
faith, I can not dismiss them." When the Emperor heard his answer, he ordered
his soldiers to seal the mouth of the cave with a wall and the Saint was
inside where he delivered his soul therein. Thus this Saint ended his pure
life and received the crown of martyrdom on the 27th. of Baramhat, year
78 A.M. (March 23rd., year 362 A.D.).
May his prayers be with us 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 51 : 2 - 3
| 2 | Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. |
| 3 | For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before 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 John the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
John 6 : 35 - 45
| 35 | And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. |
| 36 | But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. |
| 37 | All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. |
| 38 | For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. |
| 39 | This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. |
| 40 | And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." |
| 41 | The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." |
| 42 | And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, "I have come down from heaven'?" |
| 43 | Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. |
| 44 | No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. |
| 45 | It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. |
Glory be to God forever.
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