So often we let personal preference, peer pressure, and concerns about the celebration of certain days, especially holidays, have a divisive effect on our Christian relationships. Bottom line, we're not to try to press our opinion or position on anyone else. We're not to judge another because he doesn't celebrate a special day to the Lord and we're not to judge another because she does celebrate special days. This is a matter of personal conviction that revolves around our desire to please the Lord and to honor him in ways we feel are appropriate. Let's not be so insecure that we have to do what everyone else does or force anyone else to do as we prefer. Instead, let's remember the right angle to take with all things: honor God with everything we are and to consider the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Day 5 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Kiahk, 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 Kiahk
Departure of the Holy Prophet Nahum
On this day is the commemoration of the righteous Prophet Nahum, one of the minor 12 prophets. He was born in the village of El-Kosh, one of the villages of Galilee. He was of the tribe of Simeon, among the prophets, he was the 16th from Moses down. He prophesied in the days of Amaziah the son of Joash, and in the days of Azariah, his son. He rebuked the children of Israel because of their worship of idols and he revealed to them that although God, the most High, is compassionate and abundant in mercy, yet He is a jealous God Who will take vengeance on His adversaries. He prophesied concerning the preaching of the Gospel and the apostles who should preach it, saying, "Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace..." (Nahum 1:15) Nahum prophesied about the destruction that would come upon Ninevah. That was fulfilled since God had sent an earthquake and a fire which destroyed and burnt up the people that returned from the way of righteousness and committed the sin. As for those who were straight in their ways, no evil nor harm befell them. When he completed his days in a life pleasing to God, he departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Victor (Boctor)
On this day also St. Victor (Boctor) was martyred. He was born in a town, in the province of Assiut, east of the Nile. He was appointed a soldier in the city of Shaou (Shaw). During that time the Edict of Diocletian was issued to worship and raise incense to the idols. When St. Victor refused to worship the idols, the Governor of Shaou called him and tried to befriended him, but when he failed to persuade him, the Governor finally cast him into prison. His parents came and encouraged him to face martyrdom. Once again the Governor brought him from prison and ordered him to worship the idols, but St.Victor refused. When the Governor of Shaou failed to make him renounce his faith in the Lord Christ, he was enraged. He sent him to the Governor of the province of Assiut, along with some soldiers, and a message informing him of what had happened. When the Governor of Assiut read the message, he summoned Victor. When Victor came before him, the Governor asked him, "Why did you disobey the Governor of Shaw? Know, if you listen to me, I shall place you in a high honor, and I shall write to the Emperor to appoint you as governor over one of the cities." The saint shouted with a loud voice, saying, "The kingdoms of the world vanish, the gold perishes, the cloth wears out, the beauty of the body will corrupt and be eaten by worms and will disappear in graves, therefore I would not forsake my Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and the Provider for everyone, to worship idols made of stone which are inhabited by devils." The Governor was enraged and ordered him to be tied to the tails of horses and be dragged to the village of Ebesidia. There, they asked him again to worship the idols, but he refused. The Governor ordered him to be killed by throwing him in boiling water in the village of Mosha (Monshah), east of the village of Ebesidia (Ibsidya).
When they took him there, Victor asked the soldiers to wait in order that he might pray first. He extended his arms and prayed to the Lord. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and promised him with many promises, and the everlasting blessings in the kingdom of heaven. Then St. Victor looked to the soldiers and told them, "Finish what you have been ordered to do." They bound him and cast him into the boiling water. He endured to the end, completed his good strife, and received the crown of the Heavenly kingdom. Some Christians secretly recovered his body and hid it till the end of the Diocletian reign. When they revealed it, the people who saw it testified that they found the body whole, with not even one hair burned, and lying peacefully like a sleeping person. They built a great church in his name, which still exists in the village of Mosha (Monshah), province of Assiut. Many wonders and signs were manifested from his body and still appear to this day.
May His prayer be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Isidore
On this day also is the commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Isidore.
May His 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 12 : 1,3
Chapter 12
| 1 | Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. |
| 3 | May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, |
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 14 : 3 - 9
Chapter 14
| 3 | And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. |
| 4 | But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? |
| 5 | For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. |
| 6 | But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. |
| 7 | For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. |
| 8 | She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. |
| 9 | Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." |
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 102 : 19 - 21
Chapter 102
| 19 | For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth, |
| 20 | To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death, |
| 21 | To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem, |
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 12 : 41 - 44
Chapter 12
| 41 | Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. |
| 42 | Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. |
| 43 | So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; |
| 44 | for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." |
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 1 : 1 - 17
Chapter 1
| 1 | Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God |
| 2 | which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, |
| 3 | concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, |
| 4 | and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. |
| 5 | Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, |
| 6 | among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; |
| 7 | To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 8 | First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. |
| 9 | For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, |
| 10 | making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. |
| 11 | For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established-- |
| 12 | that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. |
| 13 | Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. |
| 14 | I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. |
| 15 | So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. |
| 16 | For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. |
| 17 | For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." |
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 1 : 1 - 18
Chapter 1
| 1 | James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. |
| 2 | My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, |
| 3 | knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. |
| 4 | But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. |
| 5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. |
| 6 | But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. |
| 7 | For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; |
| 8 | he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. |
| 9 | Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, |
| 10 | but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. |
| 11 | For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. |
| 12 | Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. |
| 13 | Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. |
| 14 | But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. |
| 15 | Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. |
| 16 | Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. |
| 17 | Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. |
| 18 | Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. |
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 1 : 1 - 14
Chapter 1
| 1 | The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, |
| 2 | until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, |
| 3 | to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. |
| 4 | And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; |
| 5 | for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." |
| 6 | Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" |
| 7 | And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. |
| 8 | But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." |
| 9 | Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. |
| 10 | And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, |
| 11 | who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." |
| 12 | Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. |
| 13 | And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. |
| 14 | These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. |
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 102 : 13,16
Chapter 102
| 13 | You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. |
| 16 | For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. |
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.
Luke 1 : 1 - 25
Chapter 1
| 1 | Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, |
| 2 | just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, |
| 3 | it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, |
| 4 | that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. |
| 5 | There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. |
| 6 | And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. |
| 7 | But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. |
| 8 | So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, |
| 9 | according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. |
| 10 | And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. |
| 11 | Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. |
| 12 | And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. |
| 13 | But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. |
| 14 | And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. |
| 15 | For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. |
| 16 | And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. |
| 17 | He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." |
| 18 | And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." |
| 19 | And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. |
| 20 | But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time." |
| 21 | And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. |
| 22 | But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. |
| 23 | So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. |
| 24 | Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, |
| 25 | "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." |
And Glory be to God forever.