From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. —Psalm 3:8
From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Day 30 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Hatour, 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 Thirtieth Day of the Blessed Month of Hatour
Departure of St.Akakios, Patriarch of Constantinople
On this day, St. Akakios, Patriarch of the city of Constantinople, departed. He was knowledgeable and well informed about the Holy Books and was an expert in explaining their mysteries. So, he was ordained a priest over the church of Constantinople. When the council of Chalcedone convened, he refused to attend its meeting and when they called on him to hear his opinion, he refused, claiming he was sick. He was exceedingly sorrowful for the tribulations that befell St. Dioscurus and he made that known to his companions and those he trusted: the Governors, Christians and ministers whom he knew to be dedicated and faithful Orthodox. He thanked the Lord that he did not participate in the works of this council. When Anatolius, the Patriarch of Constantinople departed, this father was chosen by the believing ministers and the enlightened government officials to be successor. St. Akakios strove diligently to eliminate the division and enmity that dwelled in the church. When he found that the spiritual ailment was deep-rooted and difficult to overcome, he believed that the proper thing to do was to devote his efforts to the salvation of his own soul. He sent a letter to the holy father, Abba Peter, the Pope of Alexandria, confessing the true faith which he had learned and received from the holy fathers, Abba Cyril and Abba Dioscorus. He followed that letter with many others, asking the Pope of Alexandria to accept him in the fellowship. The Pope of Alexandria answered all his letters, then he wrote him a Catholic letter and sent it with three bishops. They went disguised until they entered Constantinople and there they met Akakios, who treated them with great honor and received the letter from them. He read the letter to his friends, the Orthodox nobles of the city and they all agreed on it and with him, and confessed the True Faith. Then he wrote a letter before them, accepting the faith of Abba Dioscorus, Abba Timothy and Abba Peter and confessing the soundness of their faith. Afterwards, he accompanied the three bishops to some monasteries and he took part with them in the celebration of the liturgy and the partaking of the Holy Communion. The bishops then exchanged the blessings with him, took the letter and returned it to Abba Peter. The Bishops informed Abba Peter about their fellowship with Abba Akakios and that they had taken part in the liturgy with him. Abba Peter accepted the letter and ordered that Abba Acacius be mentioned in the liturgies and the prayers of the Coptic church. When the news reached the bishops of Rome, they exiled St. Akakios from Constantinople. He remained in exile until he departed in peace, all the while remaining firm in his Orthodox Faith.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Macarius
On this day also is the commemoration of St. Macarius, the martyr.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Consecration of the Church of Saints Cosmas, Damian, Their Brothers and Their Mother
On this day, we also commemorate the consecration of the church of the Saints Cosmas and Damian; their brothers, Anthimus, Leontius (Londius) and Euprepius (Abrabius); and their mother Theodata.
May Their prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 15 : 1 - 2
Chapter 15
| 1 | LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? |
| 2 | He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; |
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 John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 4 : 46 - 53
Chapter 4
| 46 | So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. |
| 47 | When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. |
| 48 | Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." |
| 49 | The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" |
| 50 | Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. |
| 51 | And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" |
| 52 | Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." |
| 53 | So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. |
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 24 : 3 - 4
Chapter 24
| 3 | Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? |
| 4 | He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. |
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 3 : 17 - 21
Chapter 3
| 17 | For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. |
| 18 | "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. |
| 19 | And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. |
| 20 | For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. |
| 21 | But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." |
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 Hebrews .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Hebrews 7 : 1 - 17
Chapter 7
| 1 | For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, |
| 2 | to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," |
| 3 | without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. |
| 4 | Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. |
| 5 | And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; |
| 6 | but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. |
| 7 | Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. |
| 8 | Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. |
| 9 | Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, |
| 10 | for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. |
| 11 | Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? |
| 12 | For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. |
| 13 | For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. |
| 14 | For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. |
| 15 | And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest |
| 16 | who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. |
| 17 | For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 2 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
2 John 1 : 1 - 13
Chapter 1
| 1 | The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, |
| 2 | because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: |
| 3 | Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. |
| 4 | I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. |
| 5 | And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. |
| 6 | This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. |
| 7 | For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. |
| 8 | Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. |
| 9 | Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. |
| 10 | If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; |
| 11 | for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. |
| 12 | Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. |
| 13 | The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen. |
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 18 : 9 - 21
Chapter 18
| 9 | Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; |
| 10 | for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." |
| 11 | And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. |
| 12 | When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, |
| 13 | saying, "This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law." |
| 14 | And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. |
| 15 | But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters." |
| 16 | And he drove them from the judgment seat. |
| 17 | Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things. |
| 18 | So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. |
| 19 | And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. |
| 20 | When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, |
| 21 | but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus. |
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 96 : 7,9
Chapter 96
| 7 | Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. |
| 9 | Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. |
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 6 : 5 - 14
Chapter 6
| 5 | Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" |
| 6 | But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. |
| 7 | Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." |
| 8 | One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, |
| 9 | "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" |
| 10 | Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. |
| 11 | And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. |
| 12 | So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." |
| 13 | Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. |
| 14 | Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Chapter 48.— The Purpose of Rebuke.
Although, therefore, even while the faith of some is subverted, the foundation of God stands sure, since the Lord knows them that are His, still, we ought not on that account to be indolent and negligent in rebuking those who should be rebuked. For not for nothing was it said, Evil communications corrupt good manners;
1 Corinthians 15:33 and, The weak brother shall perish in your knowledge , on account of whom Christ died.
1 Corinthians 8:11 Let us not, in opposition to these precepts, and to a wholesome fear , pretend to argue, saying, Well, let evil communications corrupt good manners, and let the weak brother perish. What is that to us? The foundation of God stands sure, and no one perishes but the son of perdition.
[XVI.] Be it far from us to babble in this wise, and think that we ought to be secure in this negligence. For it is true that no one perishes except the son of perdition, but God says by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel: Ezekiel 3:18 He shall surely die in his sin , but his blood will I require at the hand of the watchman.