Saturday 9 March 2024
30 Amshir 1740
Readings for Preparation Saturday
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 17 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. |
| 2 | Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. |
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 17 : 3 - 6
| 3 | Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. |
| 4 | And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him." |
| 5 | And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." |
| 6 | So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. |
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 119 : 49,52
| 49 | Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. |
| 52 | I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD, And have comforted myself. |
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 13 : 33 - 37
| 33 | Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. |
| 34 | It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. |
| 35 | Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-- |
| 36 | lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. |
| 37 | And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" |
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.
2 Corinthians 6 : 14 - 7 : 16
| 14 | Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? |
| 15 | And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? |
| 16 | And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." |
| 17 | Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." |
| 18 | "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty." |
| 1 | Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
| 2 | Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. |
| 3 | I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. |
| 4 | Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. |
| 5 | For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. |
| 6 | Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, |
| 7 | and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. |
| 8 | For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. |
| 9 | Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. |
| 10 | For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. |
| 11 | For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. |
| 12 | Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you. |
| 13 | Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. |
| 14 | For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. |
| 15 | And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. |
| 16 | Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything. |
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 : 1 - 12
| 1 | Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, |
| 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, |
| 9 | receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls. |
| 10 | Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, |
| 11 | searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. |
| 12 | To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into. |
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 : 1 - 14
| 1 | Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. |
| 2 | And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. |
| 3 | When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. |
| 4 | And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. |
| 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 30 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir.
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 Thirtieth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Appearance of the Head of St.John the
Baptist
On this day we celebrate the commemoration of the appearance
of the head of St. John the Baptist. Herod commanded his head to be cut
off and brought on a platter and given to Herodias, according to her request.
(Mark 6:7-28) It was said that after the feast he regretted the slaying
of St. John so he kept the head in his house. Aritas, the Arabic King,
Herod's father-in-law, was enraged because Herod banished his daughter
and married the wife of his brother, while his brother was still alive.
Aritas instigated a war against Herod in revenge for his daughter. He overcame
Herod, dispersed his army and destroyed the cities of Galilee. When Tiberius
Caesar learned that the reason for these wars was the slaying of a prophet,
who was great among his people, by Herod, who banished his wife, the daughter
of Aritas, the Arabian king, and married his brother's wife, he summoned
Herod and Herodias to Rome. Herod hid the head of St. John in his palace
and went to Rome. When he arrived there, Tiberius removed him from his
position and stripped him of all his possessions and exiled him to Spain
where he died. Herod's palace was ruined and became an example for those
who might think of following in his footsteps.
A few years later, two believing men from Homs went to
Jerusalem to spend the holy fast (Lent) there. Night fell on them while
passing by the ruins of Herod's palace, so they spent the night there.
St. John appeared to one of them and told him about his name and the whereabouts
of his head and ordered him to take it to his house. When he woke up, the
man told this to his friend and they went to the place where the head was
buried. They dug and found a sealed pottery vessel. When they opened that
vessel, a sweet aroma spread out of it. They found the holy head, took
its blessing and placed it back in the vessel. The man that saw the vision
took it to his house. He put it in a safe place and put a candle in front
of it. Before his departure, he told his sister about it and she went on
doing the same thing. The head was handed from one person to another until
it came to the hand of a follower of Arius who attributed the wonders and
miracles that happened through the holy head to the heresy of Arius. The
Lord commanded someone to force him out of his house. The place of the
head remained unknown until the time of St. Cyril (Kyrillos), Bishop of
Jerusalem. St. John appeared to Abba Martianus, Bishop of Homs, in his
sleep and told him about the place of the head. He went there and found
the head and that was on the thirtieth of the month of Amshir.
May The prayers of this saint be with us and Glory be to our God
forever. Amen.
Departure of Abba Kyrillos the Sixth.
On this day also of the year 1971 A.D., the holy and righteous father
Abba Kyrillos the Sixth, the one hundred and sixteenth Pope of Alexandria,
departed. God has accorded this pure father the gift of working great miracles
even after his departure.
May His prayers and blessings be with us. 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 95 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. |
| 2 | Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. |
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 : 1 - 5
| 1 | There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. |
| 2 | And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? |
| 3 | I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. |
| 4 | Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? |
| 5 | I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." |
Glory be to God forever.
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