Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Before and after — that's the story of grace. "I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see." If we could only fully grasp what we so easily sing then life would be filled with more grace and our churches with more confident servants of God.
Day 8 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tute, 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 Eighth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of Zacharias the Prophet
On this day St.Zacharias, the priest, was martyred by the hand of Herod the King. When the Archangel Gabriel announced to to him the birth of John his son, he did not believe his word and the angel made him dumb and not able to speak until the child was born (Luke 1:18-22) He remained dumb until the day of his birth, and when they named him, he asked for a writing table and wrote that his name would be John. Then he spoke, and praised God. (Luke 1:63-79) The Holy Gospel gave testimony concerning him, that he and his wife were righteous, walking in the Law of God without blemish.
When our Lord Christ was born, and the wise men came to worship Him, Herod was troubled and feared for his kingdom. For this reason, he gave the order to slay all the children of Bethlehem, from two years old and under, so he would kill the Lord Christ among them. The angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, "Take the child and flee to Egypt." St.Joseph took the child Jesus and St.Mary, His mother, and went to Egypt as the angel of the Lord had told him.
But John's mother took him and fled to the mountain where she dwelt, bringing him up for six years. After her departure to Heaven, the child remained in the desert till the day of his appearance to Israel (Luke 1:80) It was said that during the slaughter of the children, Herod thought that John was the Christ. He sent requesting him from his father Zacharias who said, "I do not know where the child is." They threatened to kill him, but he did not heed. Herod ordered his soldiers to slay him. It was also said that when Herod sought John to slay him, Zacharias escaped with him to the sanctuary and put him on the altar and when they caught up with him, he told the soldiers, "From here I accepted him from the Lord," and thereupon the angel of God snatched away the child, and took him to the desert Zifana. when they did not find the child, they slew Zacharias between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:25)
Zacharias the priest, son of Barachias, is not Zacharias the prophet who was one of the twelve minor prophets. This prophet was not martyred but died and his body was found without decay.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Departure of Moses the Prophet
On this day also departed the righteous Moses, the head of the prophets. He labored with the people of God till death and delivered up himself for them. It was he who worked miracles and wonders in Egypt and in the Red Sea, and who was not pleased to be called the son of Pharoah's, who brought him up when his parents left him on the banks of the river because they were afraid of Pharoah who had commanded the slaughter of all male children of the Hebrews. When the daughter of Pharoah found him by the river, she took him and reared him as her own son. When he had completed his forty years, he saw an Egyptian slay one of the Hebrews and straightaway he avenged the Hebrew and slew the Egyptian. The next day he saw two of the Hebrews fighting and he attempted to make peace between them. He who was in the wrong told him, "Do you want to slay me as you did slay the Egyptian yesterday?" Because of this Moses fled to the land of Midian where he married and begot two sons. (Exodus 2) When he was eighty years old, a fire appeared to him in a bush, but the bush was not consumed. When he moved close to behold this great sight, the Lord spoke to him from the bush and commanded him to bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.
God worked at his hands the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, the first was the river which turned into blood and the last was the slaughter of the first born of the Egyptians. (Exodus 7-12) He brought the people out, and he divided the Red Sea and made them pass through it, and then he brought back the water over their enemies. He brought down for them "Mana" in the desert for forty years, and he made the water flow from a rock, and in spite of that they grumbled against him and many times they wanted to stone him. But he was long suffering with them, and he prayed to God for them, and because he loved them greatly, he said to God, "If Thou wilt not forgive this people their transgression, then blot out my name from Thy book." (Exodus 32) The Book testified that he spoke with God five hundred times as a man talks with his friend, and he was called the mouthpiece of God. When Moses came down from Mt.Sinai, after being with God, with the two tables of testimony in his hands, his face was shining. The children of Israel were afraid to come near him, so he put a veil on his face when he came near to talk to them.
When he was one-hundred and twenty years old, God commanded him to commit the leadership of the people to Joshua, the son of Nun, his disciple. (Deuteronomy 34:9) He called him and commanded him with the commands of god and his Law, and informed him that he was the one to bring the people into the Promised Land. After Moses had made the Tabernacle of Witness and everything which was in it as God had commanded him, he died in the mountain and was buried there, and God hid his body so the children of Israel would not find it and worship it because the Book testifies there never rose up a prophet in Israel as Moses. When Satan wished to reveal the body, Michael the archangel rebuked him, and prevented him from doing so as St.Jude testifies in his epistle (Verse 9).
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Dimides
On this day also was the martyrdom of St.Dimides. He was from Dersheba of the chair of Dantu. He loved the church, was kind to the poor and visited the sick. A luminous amn appeared to him and commanded him to go to receive the crown of martyrdom and promised him heavenly rewards. He rejoiced greatly and left his parents and went forth from the city. He prayed to God to help him to endure the torture for His Name's sake.
He came to the city of Attribis and confessed the Lord Christ before the governor, who tortured himseverly. Then he sent him to Lucianus, the governor of Alexandria. When he was on the boat, the Lord Christ appeared to him, comforted him, encouraged him and promised him everlasting happiness and his soul rejoiced. Lucianus tortured him with different kinds of tortures, then gave the order to cut off his head, and he received the crown of martyrdom. The people of his city came and took away his body and paid great honors to it.
May his blessings and prayers be with us all, and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 9 : 1 - 2
Chapter 9
| 1 | I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. |
| 2 | I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. |
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 1 : 29 - 34
Chapter 1
| 29 | Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. |
| 30 | But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. |
| 31 | So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. |
| 32 | At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. |
| 33 | And the whole city was gathered together at the door. |
| 34 | Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew 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 9 : 6,7
Chapter 9
| 6 | O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished. |
| 7 | But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. |
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 8 : 5 - 13
Chapter 8
| 5 | Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, |
| 6 | saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." |
| 7 | And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." |
| 8 | The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. |
| 9 | For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it." |
| 10 | When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! |
| 11 | And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. |
| 12 | But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." |
| 13 | Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. |
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 2 : 1 - 16
Chapter 2
| 1 | And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. |
| 2 | For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. |
| 3 | I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. |
| 4 | And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, |
| 5 | that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. |
| 6 | However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. |
| 7 | But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, |
| 8 | which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. |
| 9 | But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." |
| 10 | But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. |
| 11 | For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. |
| 12 | Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. |
| 13 | These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. |
| 14 | But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. |
| 15 | But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. |
| 16 | For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. |
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 : 13 - 21
Chapter 1
| 13 | Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; |
| 14 | as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; |
| 15 | but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, |
| 16 | because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." |
| 17 | And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; |
| 18 | knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, |
| 19 | but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. |
| 20 | He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you |
| 21 | who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. |
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 18 : 46,49,50
Chapter 18
| 46 | The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. |
| 49 | Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. |
| 50 | Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore. |
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 19 : 1 - 10
Chapter 19
| 1 | Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. |
| 2 | Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. |
| 3 | And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. |
| 4 | So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. |
| 5 | And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." |
| 6 | So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. |
| 7 | But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." |
| 8 | Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." |
| 9 | And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; |
| 10 | for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." |
And Glory be to God forever.