God's voice is always speaking. His witnesses give testimony to his glory, majesty, and creative grace. The universe shouts with joy that behind its intricate beauty and paralyzing powers is the One who gave it life, purpose, and intention.
Day 5 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 Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Baounah
Departure of St.James of the East
On this day, St. James of the East (Oriental), the confessor, departed. He lived and worshipped in one of the monasteries of the East. He was a contemporary of Emperor Constantine the Great, Julian the Infidel, and Jovianus the Believer. When the latter was killed, Valens, his brother, reigned in his stead. He was an arian and he closed the Orthodox churches and allowed the Arians to open their churches. The grace of God moved this Saint and he went to the city of Constantinia. He met the Emperor on his way to war. He stood before the Emperor and said, "I ask you to open the churches of the believers, that they may pray for you, so may God make you victorious against your enemies, otherwise God will forsake you and you will be defeated before your enemies." The Emperor became angry at what St. James said and commanded to beat and imprison him. The Saint told him; "Know that you shall be defeated before your enemies, and you shall die by burning." The Emperor became enraged and ordered to keep him under guard until he should return from war. The Saint told him, "If you return safely, then God has not spoken by my mouth."
The Emperor went on to fight his enemies. When the two armies faced each other, the Lord forsake him, so he was defeated before his enemies. They pursued him until he came to a certain village to which they set fire. Its people escaped, but he and some of his men remained and they were burned. Those of his soldiers who returned to the city of Constantinia told the believers what had happened. Thus the prophecy of the holy man was fulfilled. The believers assembled, and brought him out of prison with great honor. The Arians knew that the divine grace and the spirit of prophecy dwelt in him, as they believed in the accuracy of his faith. Many turned from their error, confessing that the Son of God is equal with the Father in essence. This saint spent the rest of the days of his life in devotion to the ascetic life, and in fighting the spiritual fight until he departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of Saints Anba Bshay (Ebshoy) and Anba Botros (Peter)
On this day also, the two great Sts. Anba Bshay (Ebsoy) and Anba Botros (Peter) were martyred. Their relics are located in Sedfah, the governorate of Asyut.
May their prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of St.Boctor (Victor) in the region of Sho
This day also, marks the commemoration of the consecration of the church of the great saint Anba Boctor (Victor) in the region of Sho, east of El-Khesous.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Readings for Wednesday of sixth week of fifty Joyous Days
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 23 : 5
Chapter 23
| 5 | You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. |
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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 9 : 33 - 37
Chapter 9
| 33 | Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?" |
| 34 | But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. |
| 35 | And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." |
| 36 | Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, |
| 37 | "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." |
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 23 : 1 - 3
Chapter 23
| 1 | The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. |
| 2 | He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. |
| 3 | He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. |
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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 9 : 38 - 42
Chapter 9
| 38 | Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." |
| 39 | But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. |
| 40 | For he who is not against us is on our side. |
| 41 | For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. |
| 42 | "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. |
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 7 : 1 - 8
Chapter 7
| 1 | Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? |
| 2 | For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. |
| 3 | So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. |
| 4 | Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. |
| 5 | For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. |
| 6 | But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. |
| 7 | What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." |
| 8 | But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 5 : 13 - 18
Chapter 5
| 13 | These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. |
| 14 | Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. |
| 15 | And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. |
| 16 | If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. |
| 17 | All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. |
| 18 | We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. |
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 : 6 - 10
Chapter 19
| 6 | And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. |
| 7 | Now the men were about twelve in all. |
| 8 | And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. |
| 9 | But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. |
| 10 | And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. |
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 40 : 13,17
Chapter 40
| 13 | Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me! |
| 17 | But I am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. |
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 17 : 1 - 9
Chapter 17
| 1 | Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, |
| 2 | as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. |
| 3 | And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. |
| 4 | I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. |
| 5 | And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. |
| 6 | "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. |
| 7 | Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. |
| 8 | For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. |
| 9 | "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. |
And Glory be to God forever.
Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 5 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 Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Baounah
Departure of St.James of the East
On this day, St. James of the East (Oriental), the confessor, departed. He lived and worshipped in one of the monasteries of the East. He was a contemporary of Emperor Constantine the Great, Julian the Infidel, and Jovianus the Believer. When the latter was killed, Valens, his brother, reigned in his stead. He was an arian and he closed the Orthodox churches and allowed the Arians to open their churches. The grace of God moved this Saint and he went to the city of Constantinia. He met the Emperor on his way to war. He stood before the Emperor and said, "I ask you to open the churches of the believers, that they may pray for you, so may God make you victorious against your enemies, otherwise God will forsake you and you will be defeated before your enemies." The Emperor became angry at what St. James said and commanded to beat and imprison him. The Saint told him; "Know that you shall be defeated before your enemies, and you shall die by burning." The Emperor became enraged and ordered to keep him under guard until he should return from war. The Saint told him, "If you return safely, then God has not spoken by my mouth."
The Emperor went on to fight his enemies. When the two armies faced each other, the Lord forsake him, so he was defeated before his enemies. They pursued him until he came to a certain village to which they set fire. Its people escaped, but he and some of his men remained and they were burned. Those of his soldiers who returned to the city of Constantinia told the believers what had happened. Thus the prophecy of the holy man was fulfilled. The believers assembled, and brought him out of prison with great honor. The Arians knew that the divine grace and the spirit of prophecy dwelt in him, as they believed in the accuracy of his faith. Many turned from their error, confessing that the Son of God is equal with the Father in essence. This saint spent the rest of the days of his life in devotion to the ascetic life, and in fighting the spiritual fight until he departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of Saints Anba Bshay (Ebshoy) and Anba Botros (Peter)
On this day also, the two great Sts. Anba Bshay (Ebsoy) and Anba Botros (Peter) were martyred. Their relics are located in Sedfah, the governorate of Asyut.
May their prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church of St.Boctor (Victor) in the region of Sho
This day also, marks the commemoration of the consecration of the church of the great saint Anba Boctor (Victor) in the region of Sho, east of El-Khesous.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Chapter 4— The Children of God are Led by the Spirit of God.
Let those, therefore, not deceive themselves who ask, Wherefore is it preached and prescribed to us that we should turn away from evil and do good, if it is not we that do this, but 'God who works in us to will and to do it'?
Philippians 2:13