My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Day 22 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tute, 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-Second Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and Aksu, his Sister, and Tatos, his Friend.
On this day was the martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and his sister, Aksu, the children of Sapor the King of Persia and Kobtlas' friend, Tatos. Safor was a worshipper of fire and of the sun. He inflicted many tortures on the believers, and no man throughout the country dared to mention the Name of Christ. His Son, Kobtlas, had a friend named Tatos who was a ruler over the country of Maydasayeen. Certain people laid an accusation against him that he was a Christian. The king sent a governor named Tumakher to find out the truth about what was said and if it was true, to torture him. When Kobtlas the son of the king, heard that, he too went to that country to his friend Tatos. When the governor arrived and found that he was a Christian, he ordered his men to cast him in a furnace. St.Tatos made the sign of the Cross over the fire and the fire died out. Kobtlas marvelled and asked him, "How did you learn this magic, O my brother?" He replied, "This is not magic, but it is through faith in the Lord Christ." Kobtlas asked, "If I believed, would I be able to do this?" Tatos answered him that with faith you can do more than this. Kobtlas, the son of the king, believed in the Lord Christ, then drew near the fire and made the sign of the Cross over it, and the fire backed a distance of twelve cubits. The governor sent to the king to inform him what had happened, and the king had them brought to him. He ordered his men to cut off the head of Tatos who thus received the crown of martyrdom. But his son, Kobtlas, was tortured by him in different ways. He delivered him to the warden to torture him. He cast them in prison and sent for his sister Aksu, so she might persuade him to return to his father's belief. Saint Kobtlas preached to her and turned her heart to the belief in the Lord Christ, then he sent her to a priest who baptized her secretly. She returned to her father saying it would be a good thing if he had what she and her brother had, for there is no other but Jesus Christ. The king became angry and commanded to torture her, and they did so, until she yielded up her soul in the hand of the Lord Christ.
Then they tied Kobtlas to the tails of horses and dragged him over the mountains until he yielded up his spirit and then they cut his body and they cast it out for the birds of heaven to consume it. When the soldiers departed, the Lord commanded saintly priests and deacons to bury Kobtlas, and they went secretly at night and took the holy body which was shining as snow. They hid it in a place until the end of the days of persecution.
May their intercession be for us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the Writer of the Biography of Martyrs
On this day also was the martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the writer of the biography of the martyrs. The Lord Christ set him up to care for the bodies of the holy martyrs, to shroud them and to send them to their homes. The Lord brought blindness into the hearts of the governors, and no one objected to him. They never forced him to worship idols. The Lord protected him to care for the martyrs. He used three hundred young men for this purpose. They wrote the biography of the holy martyrs and sent it to their homes. But Julius used to minister to the holy martyrs by himself and dress their wounds. The martyrs blessed him, saying, "You must shed your blood in the Name of our Lord Christ, so you can be counted among the martyrs."
When the reign of Diocletian the infidel came to an end, Constantine the righteous reigned. The Lord Christ wished to fulfill what the saints had prophesied about him to be counted among the martyrs. The Lord commanded him to go to Arkanius, the governor of Samanoud, and to confess the Lord Christ. He went there where the governor tortured him many times, but the Lord strengthened him. When the governor ordered to bring him to worship the idols, this saint prayed and the earth opened and swallowed up the seventy idols and the one hundred and forty priests who were serving them. When the governor beheld the destruction of his idols and their priests, he believed in the Lord Christ. The governor went with the Saint to the governor of Athribis who tortured Saint Julius with great severity, but the Lord Christ strengthened him.
One day there was to be a festival for the idols and they decorated the temple with ornaments and lamps and with palm branches. They closed the gates till the following day to start celebrating the festival. The saint asked the Lord to blot out their idols and the Lord sent his angel who but the heads of the idols and blackened their faces with ashes and burnt up all the palms, and all the idols in the temple. On the following morning when the people came dressed to celebrate the feast and saw what had happened to their gods, they recognized their weakness. The governor of Athribis and a large number of people believed in the Lord Christ. From there, the Saint went to the city of Towa and with him were the governor of Samanoud and the governor of Athribis, and they met with Iskandros its governor. First he refrained from torturing them, but later he ordered his men to cut off their heads. Julius and his two sons, Tadros and Yunias, his slaves, and the governors of Samanoud and Athribis and a great many people were martyred. They numbered fifteen hundred. They took his body with the bodies of his sons to Alexandria for it was there that they used to live.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 4 : 6 - 8
Chapter 4
| 6 | There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. |
| 7 | You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. |
| 8 | I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. |
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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 16 : 24 - 28
Chapter 16
| 24 | Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. |
| 25 | For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 26 | For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? |
| 27 | For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. |
| 28 | Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." |
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 5 : 11 - 12
Chapter 5
| 11 | But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. |
| 12 | For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. |
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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 10 : 34 - 42
Chapter 10
| 34 | "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. |
| 35 | For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; |
| 36 | and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' |
| 37 | He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 38 | And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 39 | He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 40 | "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. |
| 41 | He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. |
| 42 | And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." |
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 Romans .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Romans 8 : 18 - 30
Chapter 8
| 18 | For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. |
| 19 | For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. |
| 20 | For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; |
| 21 | because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. |
| 22 | For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. |
| 23 | Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. |
| 24 | For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? |
| 25 | But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. |
| 26 | Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. |
| 27 | Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. |
| 28 | And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. |
| 29 | For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. |
| 30 | Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 Peter 3 : 8 - 15
Chapter 3
| 8 | Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; |
| 9 | not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. |
| 10 | For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. |
| 11 | Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. |
| 12 | For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." |
| 13 | And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? |
| 14 | But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." |
| 15 | But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; |
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 19 : 23 - 41
Chapter 19
| 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. |
| 27 | So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." |
| 28 | Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 29 | So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions. |
| 30 | And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. |
| 31 | Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. |
| 32 | Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. |
| 33 | And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. |
| 34 | But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 35 | And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? |
| 36 | Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. |
| 37 | For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. |
| 38 | Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. |
| 39 | But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. |
| 40 | For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering." |
| 41 | And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 22 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tute, 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-Second Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and Aksu, his Sister, and Tatos, his Friend.
On this day was the martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and his sister, Aksu, the children of Sapor the King of Persia and Kobtlas' friend, Tatos. Safor was a worshipper of fire and of the sun. He inflicted many tortures on the believers, and no man throughout the country dared to mention the Name of Christ. His Son, Kobtlas, had a friend named Tatos who was a ruler over the country of Maydasayeen. Certain people laid an accusation against him that he was a Christian. The king sent a governor named Tumakher to find out the truth about what was said and if it was true, to torture him. When Kobtlas the son of the king, heard that, he too went to that country to his friend Tatos. When the governor arrived and found that he was a Christian, he ordered his men to cast him in a furnace. St.Tatos made the sign of the Cross over the fire and the fire died out. Kobtlas marvelled and asked him, "How did you learn this magic, O my brother?" He replied, "This is not magic, but it is through faith in the Lord Christ." Kobtlas asked, "If I believed, would I be able to do this?" Tatos answered him that with faith you can do more than this. Kobtlas, the son of the king, believed in the Lord Christ, then drew near the fire and made the sign of the Cross over it, and the fire backed a distance of twelve cubits. The governor sent to the king to inform him what had happened, and the king had them brought to him. He ordered his men to cut off the head of Tatos who thus received the crown of martyrdom. But his son, Kobtlas, was tortured by him in different ways. He delivered him to the warden to torture him. He cast them in prison and sent for his sister Aksu, so she might persuade him to return to his father's belief. Saint Kobtlas preached to her and turned her heart to the belief in the Lord Christ, then he sent her to a priest who baptized her secretly. She returned to her father saying it would be a good thing if he had what she and her brother had, for there is no other but Jesus Christ. The king became angry and commanded to torture her, and they did so, until she yielded up her soul in the hand of the Lord Christ.
Then they tied Kobtlas to the tails of horses and dragged him over the mountains until he yielded up his spirit and then they cut his body and they cast it out for the birds of heaven to consume it. When the soldiers departed, the Lord commanded saintly priests and deacons to bury Kobtlas, and they went secretly at night and took the holy body which was shining as snow. They hid it in a place until the end of the days of persecution.
May their intercession be for us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the Writer of the Biography of Martyrs
On this day also was the martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the writer of the biography of the martyrs. The Lord Christ set him up to care for the bodies of the holy martyrs, to shroud them and to send them to their homes. The Lord brought blindness into the hearts of the governors, and no one objected to him. They never forced him to worship idols. The Lord protected him to care for the martyrs. He used three hundred young men for this purpose. They wrote the biography of the holy martyrs and sent it to their homes. But Julius used to minister to the holy martyrs by himself and dress their wounds. The martyrs blessed him, saying, "You must shed your blood in the Name of our Lord Christ, so you can be counted among the martyrs."
When the reign of Diocletian the infidel came to an end, Constantine the righteous reigned. The Lord Christ wished to fulfill what the saints had prophesied about him to be counted among the martyrs. The Lord commanded him to go to Arkanius, the governor of Samanoud, and to confess the Lord Christ. He went there where the governor tortured him many times, but the Lord strengthened him. When the governor ordered to bring him to worship the idols, this saint prayed and the earth opened and swallowed up the seventy idols and the one hundred and forty priests who were serving them. When the governor beheld the destruction of his idols and their priests, he believed in the Lord Christ. The governor went with the Saint to the governor of Athribis who tortured Saint Julius with great severity, but the Lord Christ strengthened him.
One day there was to be a festival for the idols and they decorated the temple with ornaments and lamps and with palm branches. They closed the gates till the following day to start celebrating the festival. The saint asked the Lord to blot out their idols and the Lord sent his angel who but the heads of the idols and blackened their faces with ashes and burnt up all the palms, and all the idols in the temple. On the following morning when the people came dressed to celebrate the feast and saw what had happened to their gods, they recognized their weakness. The governor of Athribis and a large number of people believed in the Lord Christ. From there, the Saint went to the city of Towa and with him were the governor of Samanoud and the governor of Athribis, and they met with Iskandros its governor. First he refrained from torturing them, but later he ordered his men to cut off their heads. Julius and his two sons, Tadros and Yunias, his slaves, and the governors of Samanoud and Athribis and a great many people were martyred. They numbered fifteen hundred. They took his body with the bodies of his sons to Alexandria for it was there that they used to live.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to 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 68 : 35,3
Chapter 68
| 35 | O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! |
| 3 | But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. |
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.
Luke 12 : 4 - 12
Chapter 12
| 4 | "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. |
| 5 | But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! |
| 6 | "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. |
| 7 | But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. |
| 8 | "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. |
| 9 | But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. |
| 10 | "And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. |
| 11 | "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. |
| 12 | For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Nor was that, indeed, a small grace by which was demonstrated even the power of free will, because man was so assisted that without this assistance he could not continue in good, but could forsake this assistance if he would. But this latter grace is by so much the greater, that it is too little for a man by its means to regain his lost freedom; it is too little, finally, not to be able without it either to apprehend the good or to continue in good if he will, unless he is also made to will.