Readings for Fourth Sunday of Misra
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 119 : 170,176
Chapter 119
| 170 |
Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word. |
| 176 |
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Vespers Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 17 : 20 - 37
Chapter 17
| 20 |
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; |
| 21 |
nor will they say, "See here!' or "See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." |
| 22 |
Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. |
| 23 |
And they will say to you, "Look here!' or "Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. |
| 24 |
For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. |
| 25 |
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. |
| 26 |
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: |
| 27 |
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. |
| 28 |
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; |
| 29 |
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. |
| 30 |
Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. |
| 31 |
"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. |
| 33 |
Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. |
| 34 |
I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. |
| 35 |
Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. |
| 36 |
Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." |
| 37 |
And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 90 : 1 - 2
Chapter 90
| 1 |
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. |
| 2 |
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matins Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 20 : 1 - 18
Chapter 20
| 1 |
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| 2 |
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 3 |
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. |
| 4 |
So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. |
| 5 |
And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. |
| 6 |
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, |
| 7 |
and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. |
| 8 |
Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. |
| 9 |
For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. |
| 10 |
Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. |
| 11 |
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. |
| 12 |
And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. |
| 13 |
Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 14 |
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. |
| 15 |
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." |
| 16 |
Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). |
| 17 |
Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."' |
| 18 |
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. |
And Glory be to God forever.
Liturgy Gospel
Paulines 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 Thessalonians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Thessalonians 2 : 13 - 3 : 13
Chapter 2
| 13 |
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. |
| 14 |
For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, |
| 15 |
who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, |
| 16 |
forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. |
| 17 |
But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. |
| 18 |
Therefore we wanted to come to you--even I, Paul, time and again--but Satan hindered us. |
| 19 |
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? |
| 20 |
For you are our glory and joy. |
Chapter 3
| 1 |
Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, |
| 2 |
and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, |
| 3 |
that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. |
| 4 |
For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. |
| 5 |
For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. |
| 6 |
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you-- |
| 7 |
therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. |
| 8 |
For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. |
| 9 |
For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, |
| 10 |
night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith? |
| 11 |
Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. |
| 12 |
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, |
| 13 |
so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
James 4 : 7 - 5 : 5
Chapter 4
| 7 |
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. |
| 8 |
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. |
| 9 |
Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. |
| 10 |
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. |
| 11 |
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. |
| 12 |
There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? |
| 13 |
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; |
| 14 |
whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. |
| 15 |
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." |
| 16 |
But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. |
| 17 |
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. |
Chapter 5
| 1 |
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! |
| 2 |
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. |
| 3 |
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. |
| 4 |
Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. |
| 5 |
You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. |
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.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 11 : 19 - 30
Chapter 11
| 19 |
Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. |
| 20 |
But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. |
| 21 |
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. |
| 22 |
Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. |
| 23 |
When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. |
| 24 |
For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. |
| 25 |
Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. |
| 26 |
And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. |
| 27 |
And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. |
| 28 |
Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. |
| 29 |
Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. |
| 30 |
This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 28 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Misra, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins after forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers.
Amen.
The Twenty-Eighth Day of the Blessed Month of Misra
Commemoration of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
On this day, the church celebrates the holy Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1. Our father Abraham:
Who can describe the virtues of he who became father to many nations? He believed in God, obeyed Him, and did not doubt His promises. The Lord appeared to him in a vision at night and told him, "Get out of your country, away from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2) Then the Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men. He welcomed them, for they were strangers, and God promised him the birth of Isaac. Abraham was then one hundred years old; Sarah, his wife, was advanced in age, and they believed the promise of God. When Isaac was born, Abraham, his father, circumcised him on the eighth day of his birth. Although he was sure that through his procreation all the nations of the earth would be blessed, God told him, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him there as a burnt offering." He did not doubt the promise of God. He began to offer his son as a sacrifice, confident that God would raise him, and raise offspring through him. When he fulfilled the sacrifice of Isaac by intention, God revealed his virtues to the generations to come by saying, "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven." (Genesis 22:1-18) That was fulfilled and he was called the father of Christ in flesh. (Luke 3:34) He departed in peace when he was one hundred seventy-five years old.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
2. Our father Isaac:
He was born by a divine promise, and he was perfect in piety and obedience to God and to his father. He was willing to be sacrificed by his father as an offering to God, although he was the son of the promise, and his father begot him when he was one hundred years old. Isaac was not a child then, for the Bible said, "So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and went to the place which was afar off." Some historians say that Isaac's age then was about thirty-seven years old. He obeyed his father, and laid down his neck for slaying, but the angel of the Lord ordered his father not to lay his hand on the lad. As it was considered that Abraham had fulfilled the sacrifice of his son by intention, it was also considered that Isaac was sacrificed by intention. He suffered many tribulations and sorrows. God gave him two sons, Esau and Jacob. Isaac loved Esau for his bravery. When Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, "My son ... behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please ... go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food ... that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die." Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. She spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "... Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves ... that he may bless you before his death." Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing." But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son." (Genesis 27:1-29) She did that by a divine inspiration. Jacob did as his mother ordered him, and his father ate and blessed him. Isaac departed in peace when he was one hundred eighty years old.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
3. The father of the Tribes Jacob:
Esau, his brother, hated him for he took the blessing of their father from him. Jacob feared Esau, and fled to Laban, his uncle. He shepherded Laban's sheep for seven years and Laban gave Jacob his daughter, Leah, in marriage. Then Jacob served another seven years, and Laban gave him his second daughter, Rachel, in marriage. (Genesis 29:15-30) Then Laban, his uncle, told him, "The sheep that are streaked shall be your wages, then all the flocks bore streaked." (Genesis 31:4-8) God made him exceedingly wealthy. He returned with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and God blessed him with twelve sons. He saw God face to face and wrestled with him until the breaking of day, and God called him Israel. He suffered many sorrows and tribulations, such as the selling of Joseph his son as a servant to the Egyptians, the loss of his sight, the severe famine, and others as mentioned in the Holy Bible. His son Joseph then rose to power and became the second man in Egypt after the Pharaoh, and he tried until he was able to bring his father Jacob to Egypt, where he stayed for seventeen years. When his departure drew near he called his twelve sons and blessed them. When he blessed Judah, he said, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people." That was a prophesy about the coming of the Lord Christ from his seed. When he was one hundred forty-seven years, he departed in peace, after commanding that he be buried in the tomb of his fathers. Joseph carried him in the chariot of Pharaoh, brought him to the land of Canaan, where he was buried with his fathers
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Divine Psalm
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 89 : 11 - 12
Chapter 89
| 11 |
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. |
| 12 |
The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name. |
Hallelujah.
Divine Gospel
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Mark 13 : 3 - 37
Chapter 13
| 3 |
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, |
| 4 |
"Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?" |
| 5 |
And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. |
| 6 |
For many will come in My name, saying, "I am He,' and will deceive many. |
| 7 |
But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. |
| 8 |
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. |
| 9 |
"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. |
| 10 |
And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. |
| 11 |
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. |
| 12 |
Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. |
| 13 |
And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. |
| 14 |
"So when you see the "abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. |
| 15 |
Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. |
| 16 |
And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. |
| 17 |
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! |
| 18 |
And pray that your flight may not be in winter. |
| 19 |
For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. |
| 20 |
And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. |
| 21 |
"Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!' or, "Look, He is there!' do not believe it. |
| 22 |
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. |
| 23 |
But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. |
| 24 |
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; |
| 25 |
the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. |
| 26 |
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. |
| 27 |
And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. |
| 28 |
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. |
| 29 |
So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near--at the doors! |
| 30 |
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. |
| 31 |
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. |
| 32 |
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. |
| 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!" |
And Glory be to God forever.
