Victory! Ultimate Victory!! If you don't have the answer for life's biggest test, death, then you have no victory. The Super Bowl and World Series are played every year. The champion is a victor for only one year. But a Christian is a champion forever because in Jesus, a Christian has victory over death.
Day 3 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramoudah, 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 Third Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Departure of St.John, Bishop of Jerusalem
On this day Anba John, Bishop of Jerusalem, departed. He was born to Jewish parents, who kept the Law of the Torah. They instructed and taught him well and he excelled in the Law of Moses. He argued and disputed with the Christians until he became convinced of the coming of the Lord Christ, and that He was the true God. He believed on the hand of St. Justus, Bishop of Jerusalem, who baptized and ordained him a deacon. Because of his knowledge, and virtues they chose him a bishop of Jerusalem after the departure of St. Justus. When Andrianus reigned, he commanded to rebuild the ruined parts of the city, he built a tower on the western gate (The gate of the Jewish temple) and he hanged an engraved tablet with his name on the door of that gate. He prevented the Christians from praying at the Golgotha and even passing through it. The Jews and the Gentiles became powerful and troubled the Christians much. Because of that many tribulations and sorrows befell this father, so he asked God that He might receive him. His supplication was accepted and he departed in peace after he stayed on the Episcopal Chair for two years.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of the Holy Father Anba Michael, the Seventy-First Pope of the See of St.Mark
On this day also of the year 862 A.M. (March 29th. 1146 A.D.) the holy father Pope Michael, the seventy first Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, departed. He longed to the pure life since his young age so he became a monk in the monastery of St. Macarius. He lived in the desert until he was an old man, in a good pleasing life to God. When Pope Gabriel (70) departed, the bishops, the priests and the lay leaders spent three month searching for who was best suited to succeed him. A monk from the monastery of St. Macarius, called Yoannis Ebn Kedran, came forward nominating himself supported in that by Anba Yacoub, bishop of Lekanah, Anba Christodolus, bishop of Fowa, and Anba Michael, bishop of Tanta. Nevertheless, the bishops of Upper Egypt, the priests of Alexandria and the lay leaders of Cairo did not accept that choice. Finally they all agreed to choose three of the monks and those were: Yoannis Abu El-Fatah, Michael of St. Macarius monastery, and Soliman El-Dekhiary of El-Baramous monastery. They cast a lot among them, and the lot fell on the monk Michael, and they ordained him a Patriarch on the 5th of Mesra, 861 A.M. (July 29th, year 1145 A.D.). He was an honorable old man loving for the poor and the needy. He took for himself a scribe to write his sermons and teachings that he sent to the bishops and priests. When he fell sick, he went to the monastery of St. Macarius, where he departed in peace, after he stayed on the Chair for eight month.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Proverbs 10 : 1 - 16 Isaiah 48 : 17 - end Isaiah 49 : 1 - 4 Job 38 : 1 - 36
Proverbs 10 : 1 - 16
Chapter 10
| 1 | The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, But a foolish son is the grief of his mother. |
| 2 | Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, But righteousness delivers from death. |
| 3 | The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked. |
| 4 | He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. |
| 5 | He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. |
| 6 | Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked. |
| 7 | The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot. |
| 8 | The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall. |
| 9 | He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known. |
| 10 | He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall. |
| 11 | The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked. |
| 12 | Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. |
| 13 | Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding. |
| 14 | Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. |
| 15 | The rich man's wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is their poverty. |
| 16 | The labor of the righteous leads to life, The wages of the wicked to sin. |
Isaiah 48 : 17 - end
Chapter 48
| 17 | Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. |
| 18 | Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. |
| 19 | Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me." |
| 20 | Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, "The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!" |
| 21 | And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out. |
| 22 | "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." |
Isaiah 49 : 1 - 4
Chapter 49
| 1 | "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. |
| 2 | And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me." |
| 3 | "And He said to me, "You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.' |
| 4 | Then I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, And my work with my God."' |
Job 38 : 1 - 36
Chapter 38
| 1 | Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: |
| 2 | "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? |
| 3 | Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. |
| 4 | "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. |
| 5 | Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? |
| 6 | To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, |
| 7 | When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? |
| 8 | "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; |
| 9 | When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; |
| 10 | When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; |
| 11 | When I said, "This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!' |
| 12 | "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, |
| 13 | That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? |
| 14 | It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. |
| 15 | From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken. |
| 16 | "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? |
| 17 | Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? |
| 18 | Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. |
| 19 | "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, |
| 20 | That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? |
| 21 | Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great? |
| 22 | "Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, |
| 23 | Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? |
| 24 | By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth? |
| 25 | "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, |
| 26 | To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; |
| 27 | To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? |
| 28 | Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? |
| 29 | From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? |
| 30 | The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. |
| 31 | "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? |
| 32 | Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? |
| 33 | Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? |
| 34 | "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? |
| 35 | Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, "Here we are!'? |
| 36 | Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? |
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 32 : 10 - 11
Chapter 32
| 10 | Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. |
| 11 | Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in 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.
Matins 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 16 : 19 - 31
Chapter 16
| 19 | "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. |
| 20 | But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, |
| 21 | desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. |
| 22 | 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. |
| 23 | And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. |
| 24 | "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.' |
| 25 | 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. |
| 26 | 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.' |
| 27 | "Then he said, "I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, |
| 28 | for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' |
| 29 | Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' |
| 30 | And he said, "No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' |
| 31 | 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."' |
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 14 : 10 - end
Chapter 14
| 10 | But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. |
| 11 | For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." |
| 12 | So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. |
| 13 | Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. |
| 14 | I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. |
| 15 | Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. |
| 16 | Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; |
| 17 | for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. |
| 18 | For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. |
| 19 | Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. |
| 20 | Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. |
| 21 | It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. |
| 22 | Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. |
| 23 | But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. |
Romans 15 : 1 - 2
Chapter 15
| 1 | We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. |
| 2 | Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. |
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 2 : 5 - 13
Chapter 2
| 5 | Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? |
| 6 | But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? |
| 7 | Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? |
| 8 | If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; |
| 9 | but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. |
| 10 | For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. |
| 11 | For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. |
| 12 | So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. |
| 13 | For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
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 9 : 22 - 31
Chapter 9
| 22 | But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. |
| 23 | Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. |
| 24 | But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. |
| 25 | Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. |
| 26 | And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. |
| 27 | But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. |
| 28 | So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. |
| 29 | And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. |
| 30 | When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. |
| 31 | Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. |
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 86 : 12 - 13
Chapter 86
| 12 | I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. |
| 13 | For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. |
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 5 : 31 - 47
Chapter 5
| 31 | "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. |
| 32 | There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. |
| 33 | You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. |
| 34 | Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. |
| 35 | He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. |
| 36 | But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. |
| 37 | And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. |
| 38 | But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. |
| 39 | You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. |
| 40 | But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. |
| 41 | "I do not receive honor from men. |
| 42 | But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. |
| 43 | I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. |
| 44 | How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? |
| 45 | Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you--Moses, in whom you trust. |
| 46 | For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. |
| 47 | But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" |
And Glory be to God forever.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at the table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of scent of the ointment. —John 12:1-3
Cynthia Bourgeault continues reflecting on Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ experiences of anointing.
While the anointing at Bethany, taken in isolation, may strike the modern reader as an exceptional and even exotic event, . . . ritual anointing figured prominently in [Jesus’] work. . . . In the healings of both the deaf man in Mark 7:33 and the blind man in John 9:6, he is depicted as performing this anointing using his own spittle. . . . If scriptural tradition remembers correctly that Mary Magdalene received a healing at his hands, it is likely that anointing figured in this as well.
In fact, claims the historian Bruce Chilton, Jesus may actually have learned the art of ritual anointing from Mary Magdalene! . . . Chilton speculates that her struggles with demons may have brought her into the healing and shamanic circles for which her region of Galilee was well known. [1] Anointing may have been a core piece of the healing arts with which she gifted [Jesus], accounting for his increasing divergence from the Nazirite path to which he was originally consecrated. . . .
From an interior stance based initially on judgment and renunciation, [Jesus] threw himself headlong in the direction of inclusivity and wholeness: toward a purity of heart that comes not from withholding, but from letting everything flow. The fact that he may have discovered this truth in the context of a deeply flowing and intimate relationship with the person whom biblical tradition overwhelmingly remembers as his koinonos, his companion, makes a good deal of sense—at least, to anyone who has ever been in love.
For we know that that’s what real love does: it changes outcomes and creates whole new people. Whether or not Mary Magdalene and Jesus shared an outward ministry of anointing (and there is a good likelihood that they did), inwardly their life together was a continuous, mutual anointing. The specific incident at Bethany when she ritually bathed his head and feet in perfume was merely the outer sign of the inner fragrance of their love. . . . In this mutual sealing of love, the two become a new reality, and old habits and self-definitions are sprung loose. For Magdalene, the anointing of Jesus’s love freed her from “seven demons” and launched her on the path toward inner integration. For Jesus, the anointing of Mary Magdalene’s love freed him from his self-identification with the Nazirite role and allowed him to trust his heart.