I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

تذكار الاباء إبراهيم واسحق ويعقوب في هذا اليوم نعيد لآبائنا القديسين إبراهيم واسحق ويعقوب + أما عن أبينا إبراهيم : فمن من البشر يستطيع أن يصف فضائله هذا الذي صار أبا لأمم كثيرة وآمن بالله وأطاع وصدق مواعيده ولم يشك فيها فقد ظهر له الرب في رؤيا الليل وقال له " اخرج من أرضك ومن بيت أبيك وتعال إلى الأرض التي بحاران " ثم ظهر له الرب في شبه ثلاثة رجال فظنهم أناسا عابرين فاستضافهم ، ووعده الله بولادة اسحق وكان حينئذ ابن مائة سنة وسارة زوجته تقدمت في أيامها فآمن الاثنان بقول الله . ولما ولد اسحق ختنه في اليوم الثامن لولادته . ومع أنه كان واثقا من أن بنسله تتبارك جميع أمم الأرض فقد قال له الله علي سبيل الامتحان : " خذ أبنك وحيدك الذي تحبه اسحق وقدمه لي محرقة " فلم يشك في قوله تعالي بل قدمه للذبح واثقا أن الله قادر أن يقيمه ويقيم به النسل . ولما أكمل ذبحه بالنية اظهر الله فضله للأجيال الآتية بقوله له : " بذاتي أقسمت يقول الرب : أني من أجل أنك فعلت هذا الأمر ولم تمسك أبنك وحيدك . أباركك مباركة وأكثر نسلك تكثيرا كنجوم السماء (تك 22 : 1 – 18 ) وقد تم له ذلك ، ودعي أبا للمسيح بالجسد (لو 3 : 34 ) وبعد أن بلغ مائة وخمسا وسبعين سنة انتقل بسلام . صلاته تكون معنا . آمين + أما أبونا اسحق فقد ولد بوعد الهي وكمل في البر والطاعة لله ولأبيه حتى رضي أن يذبحه قربانا لله وهو أبن الوعد الذي رزق به أبوه وعمره مائة سنة . ولم يكن اسحق صغيرا لأن الكتاب يقول : " أنه حمل الحطب مسافة بعيدة إلى أن صعد علي رأس الجبل " . ويقول بعض المؤرخين أن عمره وقتئذ كان يبلغ سبعا وثلاثين سنة ، فأطاع أباه ومد عنقه للذبح إلى أن أمر الملاك أباه برفع يده فكما دعي أبوه ذابح أبنه بالنية هكذا دعي هو أيضا ذبيحا بالنية وقد قاسي شدائد كثيرة وأحزان وتغرب ورزقه الله ولدين هما يعقوب وعيسو وكان اسحق يحب عيسو لشجاعته ولما شاخ وضعف بصره استدعي عيسو وقال له " أنا قد شخت يا ابني ولست أعرف يوم وفاتي . أذهب تصيد لي صيدا واصنع لي طعاما لآكل حتى تباركك نفسي " . وكانت رفقة تسمع هذا الكلام فاستدعت ابنها يعقوب وقالت له : " يا ابني اذبح صيدا وقدمه لأبيك ليأكل ويباركك قبل أن يموت " فقال يعقوب لأمه : " هوذا عيسو أخي رجل أشعر وأنا أملس ربما يجسني أبي فأكون في عينيه كمتهاون وأجلب علي نفسي لعنة لا بركة " قالت له أمه : " لعنتك علي يا ابني " وكان هذا منها بإيعاز الهي . فصنع يعقوب ما أمرته به وأكل أبوه وباركه (تك 27 : 1 – 29) ولما بلغ عمره مائة وثمانين سنة تنيح بسلام . صلاته تكون معنا . آمين + أما أب الأسباط يعقوب فقد دعاه الله إسرائيل كان أخوه عيسو يبغضه لأنه أخذ بركه أبيه ولهذا خاف منه ومضي إلى لابان خاله ورعي له غنمه سبع سنين فزوجه ابنته ليئة ثم رعي الغنم سبع سنين أخري فزوجه ابنته الثانية راحيل (تك 29 : 15 – 30) وكان إذا قال له خاله : " أن أجرتك كل الغنم الرقطاء ولدت الغنم رقطاء " وإذا قال له : " أن آجرتك كل الغنم المخططة ولدت الغنم مخططة " (تك 31 : 4 – 8) وقد أغناه الله جدا وعاد بامرأتيه ليئة وراحيل ورزقه الله اثني عشر أبنا ورأي الله وجها لوجه وصارعه حتى طلوع الفجر ودعاه الله إسرائيل وقد قاسي أحزانا وشدائد كثيرة مثل بيع ابنه يوسف كعبد للمصريين وفقده بصره وحدوث الغلاء الشديد وغير ذلك كما جاء بالكتاب المقدس ثم صار أبنه يوسف وزيرا لملك مصر وسعي حتى أحضره إليه فأقام بمصر سبع عشرة سنة ولما دنت أيام وفاته استدعي بنيه الأثنى عشر وباركهم وخص يهوذا بالملك وقال : أن السيد المسيح سيظهر من نسله وبعد ما بلغ عمره مائة وسبعا وأربعين سنة تنيح بسلام بعد أن أوصي أن يدفن في مقبرة آبائه وحمله يوسف علي مركبة فرعون وأتي به إلى أرض كنعان حيث دفن مع آبائه . صلواتهم تكون معنا ولربنا المجد دائما . آمين

Vespers

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 47:8-9

God reigns over the nations;
        God sits on His holy throne.
        The princes of the people have gathered together,
        The people of the God of Abraham.
        For the shields of the earth belong to God;
        He is greatly exalted.

Gospel

Jn 15:7-16

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Matins

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 105:3-4

Glory in His holy name;
        Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
        Seek the LORD and His strength;
        Seek His face evermore!

Gospel

Lk 16:19-31

"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
"Then he cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham said, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
"Then he said, "I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, "No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."'

Liturgy

Pauline Epistle

From the epistle of teacher St. Paul the apostle to the (...), may his blessings be with us Amen.

Heb 11:1-10

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.

Catholic Epistle

The catholic epistle from the epistle of our teacher St. (...), may his blessings be with us Amen. My beloved.

Jm 2:14-23

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Amen.

Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of our fathers the Apostles, may their holy blessings be with us all. Amen.

Acts 7:20-34

At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
"Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, "Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
"And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, "I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. "Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."'

The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed in the holy Church of God. Amen

Stand up in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A chapter according to St. (...) may his blessing be with us all amen.

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 105:8-10

He remembers His covenant forever,
        The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
        The covenant which He made with Abraham,
        And His oath to Isaac,
        And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
        To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

Gospel

Mk 12:18-27

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."
Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

But by a spiritual body is meant one which has been made subject to spirit in such wise that it is adapted to a heavenly habitation, all frailty and every earthly blemish having been changed and convertedinto heavenly purity and stability. This is the change concerning which the apostle likewise speaks thus: We shall all rise, but we shall not all be changed.