Saturday 9 March 2030
30 Amshir 1746
Readings for Saturday of of the Great Lent
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 : 57 - 58
| 57 | You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words. |
| 58 | I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word. |
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 5 : 25 - 37
| 25 | Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. |
| 26 | Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. |
| 27 | "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery.' |
| 28 | But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. |
| 29 | If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. |
| 30 | And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. |
| 31 | "Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' |
| 32 | But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. |
| 33 | "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' |
| 34 | But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; |
| 35 | nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. |
| 36 | Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. |
| 37 | But let your "Yes' be "Yes,' and your "No,'"No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. |
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 12 : 1 - 21
| 1 | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. |
| 2 | And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. |
| 3 | For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. |
| 4 | For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, |
| 5 | so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. |
| 6 | Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; |
| 7 | or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; |
| 8 | he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. |
| 9 | Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. |
| 10 | Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; |
| 11 | not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; |
| 12 | rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; |
| 13 | distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. |
| 14 | Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. |
| 15 | Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. |
| 16 | Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. |
| 17 | Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. |
| 18 | If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. |
| 19 | Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. |
| 20 | Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." |
| 21 | Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. |
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 : 1 - 12
| 1 | James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. |
| 2 | My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, |
| 3 | knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. |
| 4 | But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. |
| 5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. |
| 6 | But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. |
| 7 | For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; |
| 8 | he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. |
| 9 | Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, |
| 10 | but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. |
| 11 | For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. |
| 12 | Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. |
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 : 27 - 39
| 27 | Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, |
| 28 | crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." |
| 29 | (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) |
| 30 | And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. |
| 31 | Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. |
| 32 | He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. |
| 33 | Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. |
| 34 | And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. |
| 35 | When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. |
| 36 | For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!" |
| 37 | Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek? |
| 38 | Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" |
| 39 | But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people." |
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 5 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. |
| 2 | Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. |
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 5 : 38 - 48
| 38 | "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' |
| 39 | But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. |
| 40 | If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. |
| 41 | And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. |
| 42 | Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. |
| 43 | "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' |
| 44 | But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, |
| 45 | that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. |
| 46 | For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? |
| 47 | And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? |
| 48 | Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. |
Glory be to God forever.
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