We are righteous because of God's grace. We are remembered because of God's faithfulness. We are heard because of God's faithfulness. We are blessed because God is God.
Day 4 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah, 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 Fourth Day of the Blessed Month of Babah
The Martyrdom of St. Bacchus the Companion of St. Serguis
On this day was the martyrdom of St. Bacchus the companion of St. Serguis. When the Emperor Maximianus seized these saints, he tortured them with severe tortures after having stripped them from their army ranks. After this he sent them to Antiochus, King of Syria, who imprisoned St. Serguis, but ordered that St. Bacchus be stoned and slain, then cast into the river of Euphrates. God protected the body and the water waves brought it to the coast near two anchorites, ascetic holy men who were brothers. The angel of the Lord appeared and commanded them to go and carry away the body of the Saint. When they came to where the body was, they found an eagle and a lion protecting it, having spent the whole day and night guarding it without harming it although they were flesh eating beasts, for they had been commanded by God to protect the body. The two holy men took the body with great honor, singing hymns until they came to their cave where they buried it.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Readings for First Sunday of Babah
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 66 : 1 - 2
Chapter 66
| 1 | Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! |
| 2 | Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. |
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 14 : 15 - 21
Chapter 14
| 15 | When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." |
| 16 | But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." |
| 17 | And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." |
| 18 | He said, "Bring them here to Me." |
| 19 | Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. |
| 20 | So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. |
| 21 | Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. |
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 62 : 1 - 2
Chapter 62
| 1 | Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. |
| 2 | He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. |
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 28 : 1 - 20
Chapter 28
| 1 | Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| 2 | And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. |
| 3 | His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. |
| 4 | And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. |
| 5 | But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. |
| 6 | He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. |
| 7 | And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." |
| 8 | So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. |
| 9 | And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. |
| 10 | Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." |
| 11 | Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. |
| 12 | When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, |
| 13 | saying, "Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' |
| 14 | And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." |
| 15 | So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. |
| 16 | Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. |
| 17 | When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. |
| 18 | And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. |
| 19 | Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
| 20 | teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. |
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 2 : 12 - 3 : 6
Chapter 2
| 12 | Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, |
| 13 | I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. |
| 14 | Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. |
| 15 | For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. |
| 16 | To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? |
| 17 | For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. |
Chapter 3
| 1 | Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? |
| 2 | You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; |
| 3 | clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. |
| 4 | And we have such trust through Christ toward God. |
| 5 | Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, |
| 6 | who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. |
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 1 : 22 - 2 : 5
Chapter 1
| 22 | Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, |
| 23 | having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, |
| 24 | because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, |
| 25 | But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. |
Chapter 2
| 1 | Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, |
| 2 | as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, |
| 3 | if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. |
| 4 | Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, |
| 5 | you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
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 13 : 36 - 43
Chapter 13
| 36 | "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; |
| 37 | but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. |
| 38 | Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; |
| 39 | and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. |
| 40 | Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: |
| 41 | "Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you."' |
| 42 | So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. |
| 43 | Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 6 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah, 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 Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Babah
The Departure of the Righteous Hannah, the Prophetess and Mother of Samuel, the Prophet
On this day was the departure of the righteous Hannah, the prophetess, and mother of Samuel the prophet. This just woman was of the tribe of Levi, and Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, married her. He also had another wife whose name was Peninnah. Hannah had no children because she was barren. Peninnah was always reviling her because of her failing to have children, so Hannah wept and would not eat. Elkanah, her husband, comforted her saying, "Why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee then ten sons?" (1 Samuel 1:8) She did not accept his comfort and went up to the house of the Lord during the days of Eli the priest. She prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. She vowed a vow, and said, "If Thou wilt give unto Thine handmaiden a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life." (1 Samuel 1:11) Eli the priest was watching her as she stood praying silently, for she was praying in her heart. Eli thought that she was drunk and he rebuked her but she told him, "I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but I am grieved in my heart." He answered her saying, "Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition." She believed his word and went home.
Then she conceived and brought forth a son, and she called him Samuel which is, interpreted, "Being asked for" because she said, 'I have asked him of the Lord." When she weaned him, she took him to the house of the Lord, as she had vowed, and she brought him to Eli the priest, and made him know that she was the woman that had stood before him praying to God. "For this child I prayed and behold God has heard my petition and has given me my heart's desire, and behold I have brought him to God so that he may minister in His house all the days of his life." Then she praised God with that well-known praise attributed to her. She lived happily after this and was well-pleasing to God, and departed in peace.
May her 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 33 : 1 - 2
Chapter 33
| 1 | Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. |
| 2 | Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. |
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.
Mark 2 : 1 - 12
Chapter 2
| 1 | And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. |
| 2 | Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. |
| 3 | Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. |
| 4 | And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. |
| 5 | When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." |
| 6 | And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, |
| 7 | "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" |
| 8 | But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? |
| 9 | Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk'? |
| 10 | But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic, |
| 11 | "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." |
| 12 | Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" |
And Glory be to God forever.
But food does not of necessity cause a man to live, and yet without it he cannot live. Therefore to the first man, who, in that good in which he had been made upright, had received the ability not to sin, the ability not to die, the ability not to forsake that good itself, was given the aid of perseverance,— not that by which it should be brought about that he should persevere, but that without which he could not of free willpersevere. But now to the saints predestinated to the kingdom of God by God's grace, the aid of perseverance that is given is not such as the former, but such that to them perseverance itself is bestowed; not only so that without that gift they cannot persevere, but, moreover, so that by means of this gift they cannot help persevering.