It is wrong to think God's love for the nations began only with Jesus and the Great Commission. Remember Jonah's preaching to save Israel's great enemy, Nineveh? Remember the precious story of Ruth, a foreigner grafted into the lineage of King David and ultimately Jesus the Messiah? God loves all people and wants them to come to share in his grace. As Christians, we are his salt and light. We are here to touch all the peoples of the world and beckon them to come back to the one Father who truly loves them.
Day 28 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baounah, 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 Baounah
Departure of St.Theodosius, the 33rd Pope of Alexandria
On this day, of the year 283 A.M. (June 22nd, 567 A.D.) St. Theodosius, the thirty-third Pope of Alexandria, departed. After the departure of Pope Timothy, the bishops and the Orthodox Christians gathered and ordained this father a patriarch. He was a learned man, and well rehearsed in the church books. Soon after, the enemy of the good enticed some evil men from the city of Alexandria, to take Acacius, Archdeacon of the churches of the city of Alexandria, and appoint him a patriarch. That happened with the help of Julian, who was excommunicated by Pope Timothy for his approval of the council of Chalcedon. When they appointed Acacius, they exiled Pope Theodosius to the city of Germanos. St. Severus, the Antiochian Patriarch, who was residing in Sakha, in the Egyptian land, comforted and strengthened him. He reminded him of the tribulation that came upon the apostles, and John Chrysostom (of the golden mouth). Six month after the exile of Pope Theodosius, he went to the city of Malig, and dwelt there for two years. Afterwards, the people of the city of Alexandria went to the governor and demanded from him the return of their legitimate shepherd, and the expulsion of Acacius the Fraudulent. When the news reached Emperor Justinian and the God-loving
Empress Theodora, she sent a letter to the church in Alexandria to ask about the legitimacy of the ordination of Pope Theodosius, for if it was according to the canon of the church he should be reinstated on his chair. A council of lay people and one hundred twenty priests convened and unanimously agreed that Theodosius was ordained with the consent of the bishops and the people and according to the canons of the church. Acacius was present in this council; he rose up confessing that he had transgressed. He asked for forgiveness and to remain as archdeacon as he was before. They sent these facts to the Empress. Since the Emperor was in agreement with the faith of the council of Chalcedon, he wanted to attract the Pope to this erroneous faith. He wrote to his representative in Alexandria saying, "If the Patriarch Theodosius agreed with us in faith, along with his papacy, add the governorship of the city of Alexandria, but if he did not agree, he should be expelled from the city." When the Patriarch heard that, he said, "That what the devil had told the Lord Christ after he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 'All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me'". The Patriarch then left the city and went to Upper Egypt and stayed there confirming the believers.
Later on, the Emperor called St. Theodosius to Constantinople, so he went with some of the learned priests. The Emperor received him with great honor, and seated him in a distinguished place. He tried to flatter him, and talk gently to him, to persuade him to agree on the faith of the council of Chalcedon. When he did not yield, he exiled him to Upper Egypt, and appointed in his place a person called Paul. When this Paul arrived to Alexandria, its people did not receive him. He remained there for a year and only few followed him. When the Emperor heard of this, he commanded to shut the churches until the people submitted to the patriarch he appointed. The believers built a church in the name of St. Mark and another on the name of Sts. Cosmas and Damian outside the city where they were able to receive the Holy Mysteries and baptize their children. When the Emperor heard that, he had the churches opened. Pope Theodosius, when he heard this, feared that the Emperor might have intended to lure the people by that act. He wrote a letter to the believers to confirm them in the Orthodox faith and to warn them from the deception of this infidel. He lived four years in Alexandria, and remained in exile in Upper Egypt for twenty-eight years. He spent thirty-one years, four months, and fifteen days in the patriarchate. This Pope wrote many discourses and useful teachings.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of Anba Sarabamoun, Bishop of Nikios
On this day also, the church celebrates the Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of Anba Sarabamoun, the martyr, Bishop of Nikios.
May his prayers be with us 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 110 : 4,5,7
Chapter 110
| 4 | The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
| 5 | The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. |
| 7 | He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head. |
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 : 13 - 19
Chapter 16
| 13 | When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" |
| 14 | So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." |
| 15 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
| 16 | Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." |
| 17 | Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. |
| 18 | And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. |
| 19 | And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." |
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 73 : 23 - 24
Chapter 73
| 23 | Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. |
| 24 | You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. |
Psalms 73 : 28
Chapter 73
| 28 | But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works. |
Psalms 9 : 14
Chapter 9
| 14 | That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. |
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 15 : 17 - 25
Chapter 15
| 17 | These things I command you, that you love one another. |
| 18 | "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. |
| 19 | If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. |
| 20 | Remember the word that I said to you, "A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. |
| 21 | But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. |
| 22 | If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. |
| 23 | He who hates Me hates My Father also. |
| 24 | If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. |
| 25 | But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, "They hated Me without a cause.' |
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 Corinthians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
2 Corinthians 4 : 5 - 5 : 11
Chapter 4
| 5 | For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. |
| 6 | For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. |
| 7 | But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. |
| 8 | We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; |
| 9 | persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- |
| 10 | always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. |
| 11 | For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. |
| 12 | So then death is working in us, but life in you. |
| 13 | And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, |
| 14 | knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. |
| 15 | For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. |
| 16 | Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. |
| 17 | For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, |
| 18 | while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. |
Chapter 5
| 1 | For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. |
| 2 | For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, |
| 3 | if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. |
| 4 | For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. |
| 5 | Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. |
| 6 | So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. |
| 7 | For we walk by faith, not by sight. |
| 8 | We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. |
| 9 | Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. |
| 10 | For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. |
| 11 | Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. |
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 2 : 18 - 3 : 7
Chapter 2
| 18 | Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. |
| 19 | For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. |
| 20 | For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. |
| 21 | For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: |
| 22 | "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; |
| 23 | who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; |
| 24 | who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. |
| 25 | For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. |
Chapter 3
| 1 | Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, |
| 2 | when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. |
| 3 | Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- |
| 4 | rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. |
| 5 | For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, |
| 6 | as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. |
| 7 | Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. |
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 20 : 17 - 38
Chapter 20
| 17 | From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. |
| 18 | And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, |
| 19 | serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; |
| 20 | how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, |
| 21 | testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 22 | And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, |
| 23 | except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. |
| 24 | But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. |
| 25 | "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. |
| 26 | Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. |
| 27 | For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. |
| 28 | Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. |
| 29 | For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. |
| 30 | Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. |
| 31 | Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. |
| 32 | "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. |
| 33 | I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. |
| 34 | Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. |
| 35 | I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."' |
| 36 | And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. |
| 37 | Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, |
| 38 | sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
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 107 : 32,41,42
Chapter 107
| 32 | Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. |
| 41 | Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. |
| 42 | The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. |
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.
John 10 : 1 - 16
Chapter 10
| 1 | "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. |
| 2 | But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. |
| 3 | To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. |
| 4 | And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. |
| 5 | Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." |
| 6 | Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. |
| 7 | Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. |
| 8 | All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. |
| 9 | I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. |
| 10 | The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. |
| 11 | "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. |
| 12 | But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. |
| 13 | The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. |
| 14 | I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. |
| 15 | As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. |
| 16 | And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. |
And Glory be to God forever.