TEMPTATION... We've all been there. Satan's silver bullet designed just for us personally. "No one will ever know; besides it won't hurt anybody!" some mysterious voice sounding like our own whispers. Even if those two statements were true, and they never really are, it would matter because something inside of us caved in to what we knew was wrong. One line of defense is to simply remind ourselves we are not alone in this temptation — others have faced it and conquered it, so we can too, by God's help and the power of his Holy Spirit.
Day 10 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tubah, 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 Tenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tubah
Paramone of Holy Theophany (Epiphany)
On this day it has been the tradition of the Orthodox Church, following the teachings of the holy fathers of the church, to fast until dusk, eating only what is permitted to be eaten during the holy forty days (Lent). If Christmas day or Epiphany falls on Wednesday or Friday, the saintly apostles ordained that the believers eat all the food that one is permitted to eat during the Pentecostal days (the post-resurrection fifty days). They are feasts to the Lord. The Paramoune days are fasted to compensate for the feast days, so that we may have the blessings of both the fast and the feast. In the custom of our Coptic Orthodox church, if the Paramoune day falls on Saturday or Sunday, it is the tradition to fast on the Friday that precedes them also. Then they pray on water before midnight and they wash and bless everyone who wants to be blessed. The reason to complete this before midnight is because of the fear that the little children may break their fasting by drinking water. We ask Christ to purify us, cleanse us from all our abominations, forgive our sins, and make us worthy to receive the revelation of the glory of His divine nature in our hearts and in our deeds, as He revealed His glory in the Jordan River.
To Him be the Glory with His Good Father and His Holy Spirit, now and forever, and to the end of ages. Amen.
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 42 : 2,11
Chapter 42
| 2 | My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? |
| 11 | Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. |
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 4 : 12 - 22
Chapter 4
| 12 | Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. |
| 13 | And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, |
| 14 | that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: |
| 15 | "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: |
| 16 | The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." |
| 17 | From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." |
| 18 | And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. |
| 19 | Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." |
| 21 | Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, |
| 22 | and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. |
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 42 : 7 - 8
Chapter 42
| 7 | Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. |
| 8 | The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me--A prayer to the God of my life. |
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 : 22 - 29
Chapter 3
| 22 | After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. |
| 23 | Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. |
| 24 | For John had not yet been thrown into prison. |
| 25 | Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. |
| 26 | And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" |
| 27 | John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. |
| 28 | You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, "I am not the Christ,' but, "I have been sent before Him.' |
| 29 | He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. |
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.
1 Corinthians 1 : 1 - 17
Chapter 1
| 1 | Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, |
| 2 | To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: |
| 3 | Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 4 | I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, |
| 5 | that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, |
| 6 | even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, |
| 7 | so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 8 | who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 9 | God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. |
| 10 | Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. |
| 11 | For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. |
| 12 | Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." |
| 13 | Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? |
| 14 | I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, |
| 15 | lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. |
| 16 | Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. |
| 17 | For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 2 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
2 Peter 1 : 12 - 19
Chapter 1
| 12 | For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. |
| 13 | Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, |
| 14 | knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. |
| 15 | Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. |
| 16 | For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. |
| 17 | For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." |
| 18 | And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. |
| 19 | And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; |
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 16 : 25 - 34
Chapter 16
| 25 | But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. |
| 26 | Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. |
| 27 | And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. |
| 28 | But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." |
| 29 | Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. |
| 30 | And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" |
| 31 | So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." |
| 32 | Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. |
| 33 | And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. |
| 34 | Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. |
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 45 : 2
Chapter 45
| 2 | You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. |
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 3 : 1 - 18
Chapter 3
| 1 | Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, |
| 2 | while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. |
| 3 | And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, |
| 4 | as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. |
| 5 | Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; |
| 6 | And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."' |
| 7 | Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? |
| 8 | Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. |
| 9 | And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." |
| 10 | So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?" |
| 11 | He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." |
| 12 | Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" |
| 13 | And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." |
| 14 | Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." |
| 15 | Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, |
| 16 | John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. |
| 17 | His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." |
| 18 | And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. |
And Glory be to God forever.
يوحنّا المعمدان كان يُعمّد في نهر الأردنّ ، وقد جاء إليه العديد من الأشخاص ليتعمّدوا على يديّه هذا الذي كان يذكّرهم بإيليّا ، هذا النبّي العظيم الذي نقّى الإسرائيليِّين من عبادة الأوثان قبل تسعة قرون وقادهم إلى الإيمان الصّحيح بإله العهد ، إله أبراهيم وأسحق ويعقوب .
يوحنّا المعمدان كان يبشّر باقتراب ملكوت السّماوات، وكان يحثّ الناس على الاستعداد لقبول المسيح والإرتداد والسّلوك في دروب البِرّ ، وراح يعمّد في نهر الأردنّ ليعطي الشّعب أداة ملموسة لهذه التوبة .يوحنّا كان يعلم أن قدوم المسيح بات وشيكاً ، وسيعرفه عندما سيحلّ عليه الرّوح القدس، لأنّ المسيح هو الذي سيأتي بالمعموديّة الحقيقيّة ، ألا وهي معموديّة الرّوح القدس .
يسوع جاء إلى نهر الأردن وسط الناس الخطأة وكان هذا أوّل ما صنعه ، إذ ترك بيته في الناصرة وذهب إلى اليهوديّة ، إلى نهر الأردن ليتعمّد على يديّ يوحنّا المعمدان . وقد نزل على الربّ الرّوح القدس بشكل حمامة وسُمع صوت الله الآب يُعلن ويقول : ” أنت ابني الحبيب . عنك رَضِيت ” ( مرقس ١ : ١١)
الرّوح القدس أنار يوحنّا وجعله يفهم أنّه من خلال عماده ليسوع سيُتم كلّ برّ، وسيتم مخطط الله الخلاصيّ . يسوع هو المسيح ، إنّه ملك إسرائيل، لكنّه لم يأتِ بقوّة هذا العالم ، إذ جاء عندها كحمل الله الذي يحمل خطيئة العالم .