For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Day 12 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir, 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 Twelfth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Commemoration of the Archangel Michael
On this day we celebrate, commemorating the honorable Michael the Archangel, the intercessor of mankind.
May His intercession be for us. Amen.
Departure of St.Gelasius
Also on this day, St. Gelasius, the struggling ascetic, departed. He was born of Christian parents, who brought him up in the Christian faith. They taught him the church subjects, and then he was ordained a deacon in the church. He labored in his obedience to Christ and in carrying His yoke. He went to the wilderness of Shiheet and became a monk. Afterwards, he was ordained a priest, and the angel of the Lord guided him to a distant place where many monks gathered around him, and he was a great example for them. He considered himself as one of them. He was patient and long suffering to the point that he transcribed the Holy Bible and placed it in the church for the other monks to read. One day a stranger visited him and stole the transcribed Bible and went to try to sell it to someone. That person wanted to know its value, so he went to St. Gelasius and showed him the Bible. St. Gelasius knew that it was his book and asked him, "For how much did he sell it to you?" He answered, "For sixteen Dinari." The saint said to him that it was cheap, and so the man took it and went to his home.
When the seller came back to him to pick up the price, he said to him, "I have shown the Bible to Father Gelasius and he said that the price was too high." The seller asked, "Did the father tell you anything else?" The buyer replied, "No." The man who stole the Bible said, "I do not want to sell it." He took the book and went to Father Gelasius and gave it to him weeping and regretting what he did. The saint did not accept it from him. However, after the man had insisted with many tears, the saint at last accepted it from him. God granted this saint the gift of performing miracles. One day, the monastery was presented with an amount of fish. After they were cooked, the cook asked one of the servants to guard it, but the servant ate a great part of it. When the cook knew what had happened, he was angry at that servant, for he ate before the time of eating and before the elders had blessed it. The cook beat him with a deadly hit that killed him. The cook was afraid of what he had done and went to St. Gelasius and told him what had happened. The saint told him to take the body and put it in the church in front of the altar and to leave it there. The saint and the monks came to the church, prayed the Vespers prayer, and then the saint departed from the church, and the boy rose up and followed him. The monks did not know of this miracle until the saint had departed. When this father finished the course of his life in a good old age, the Lord wanted him to rest from the labors of this world, and he departed leaving us with this good memory.
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 65 : 4 - 5
Chapter 65
| 4 | Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple. |
| 5 | By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas; |
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 24 : 42 - 47
Chapter 24
| 42 | Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. |
| 43 | But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. |
| 44 | Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. |
| 45 | "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? |
| 46 | Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. |
| 47 | Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. |
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 37 : 17,18,29
Chapter 37
| 17 | For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. |
| 18 | The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. |
| 29 | The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. |
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 13 : 33 - 37
Chapter 13
| 33 | Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. |
| 34 | It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. |
| 35 | Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-- |
| 36 | lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. |
| 37 | And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" |
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 3 : 4 - 23
Chapter 3
| 4 | For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? |
| 5 | Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? |
| 6 | I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. |
| 7 | So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. |
| 8 | Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. |
| 9 | For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. |
| 10 | According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. |
| 11 | For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. |
| 12 | Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, |
| 13 | each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. |
| 14 | If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. |
| 15 | If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. |
| 16 | Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? |
| 17 | If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. |
| 18 | Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. |
| 19 | For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; |
| 20 | and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." |
| 21 | Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: |
| 22 | whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. |
| 23 | And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. |
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 5 : 5 - 14
Chapter 5
| 5 | Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." |
| 6 | Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, |
| 7 | casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. |
| 8 | Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. |
| 9 | Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. |
| 10 | But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. |
| 11 | To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. |
| 12 | By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. |
| 13 | She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. |
| 14 | Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. |
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 18 : 24 - 19 : 6
Chapter 18
| 24 | Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. |
| 25 | This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. |
| 26 | So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. |
| 27 | And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; |
| 28 | for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. |
Chapter 19
| 1 | And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples |
| 2 | he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." |
| 3 | And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." |
| 4 | Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." |
| 5 | When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. |
| 6 | And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. |
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 37 : 30 - 31
Chapter 37
| 30 | The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. |
| 31 | The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. |
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 16 : 1 - 12
Chapter 16
| 1 | He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. |
| 2 | So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' |
| 3 | "Then the steward said within himself, "What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. |
| 4 | I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' |
| 5 | "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, "How much do you owe my master?' |
| 6 | And he said, "A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, "Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' |
| 7 | Then he said to another, "And how much do you owe?' So he said, "A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, "Take your bill, and write eighty.' |
| 8 | So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. |
| 9 | "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. |
| 10 | He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. |
| 11 | Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? |
| 12 | And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? |
And Glory be to God forever.
Today, as you read this second excerpt from Howard Thurman’s book Jesus and the Disinherited, hold an open heart and mind. In other words, read with a contemplative stance. The meditation ends with a question that I’ll hope you’ll sit with—as Thurman and his companion did for five hours—and not rush to a pat, tidy answer.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that I have heard a sermon on the meaning of religion, of Christianity, to the man who stands with his back against the wall . . . the poor, the disinherited, the dispossessed. What does our religion say to them? The issue is . . . what religion offers to meet their own needs. The search for an answer to this question is perhaps the most important religious quest of modern life.
In the fall of 1935 I was serving as chairman of a delegation sent on a pilgrimage of friendship from the students of America to the students of India, Burma, and Ceylon. [On this trip Thurman also met and visited with Gandhi.] It was at a meeting in Ceylon that the whole crucial issue was pointed up to me in a way that I can never forget. . . . I was invited by the principal to have coffee. . . .
He said to me, “What are you doing over here? I know what the newspapers say . . . but that is not my question. What are you doing over here? This is what I mean.
“More than three hundred years ago your forefathers were taken from the western coast of Africa as slaves. The people who dealt in the slave traffic were Christians. One of your famous Christian hymn writers, Sir John Newton, made his money from the sale of slaves to the New World. He is the man who wrote ‘How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds’ and ‘Amazing Grace’—there may be others, but these are the only ones I know. The name of one of the famous British slave vessels was ‘Jesus.’
“The men who bought the slaves were Christians. Christian ministers, quoting the Christian apostle Paul, gave the sanction of religion to the system of slavery. Some seventy years or more ago you were freed by a man [Abraham Lincoln] who was not a professing Christian, but was rather the spearhead of certain political, social, and economic forces, the significance of which he himself did not understand. During all the period since then you have lived in a Christian nation in which you are segregated, lynched, and burned. Even in the church, I understand, there is segregation. One of my students who went to your country sent me a clipping telling about a Christian church in which the regular Sunday worship was interrupted so that many could join a mob against one of your fellows. When he had been caught and done to death, they came back to resume their worship of their Christian God.
“I am a Hindu. I do not understand. Here you are in my country, staying deep within the Christian faith and tradition. I do not wish to seem rude to you. But, sir, I think you are a traitor to all the darker peoples of the earth. I am wondering what you, an intelligent man, can say in defense of your position?”
References:
A note on language from Thurman’s editors: “We realize that inclusive language is noticeably absent in Howard Thurman’s writings. As gifted and prophetic as he was, Howard Thurman was also a product of his times, and inclusive language was not a part of the social consciousness. Regardless of language, the substance of Howard Thurman’s work is inclusive. His life and theology were inclusive, and if he were writing today his language would more accurately reflect this worldview.” [1] While his masculine words might suggest that Thurman didn’t consider other perspectives, he did see many women in his life (for example, his mentor Mary McLeod Bethune and his wife Sue Bailey Thurman) as peers and leaders. We must grant this same sympathy to all those who write with sincerity in previous times and various cultures.