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DAILY VERSE

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

—Galatians 5:6

Ever notice how we get to fussing about things that are important, but still aren't the most important things of our faith. So often when we get to fighting the most important thing of all gets lost. In the first century, this fight often had to do with Jew/Gentile issues. While race, culture, and heritage are important, what really is most important is showing to the world that we can value cultural diversity in each other and still find our unity in Christ. In our high tech world today, isn't it interesting that the most important issue is the same as it was two thousand years ago — faith displaying itself in loving action.

DAILY SYNEXARIUM

12 Amshir 1741

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.

DAILY KATEMAROS

Amshir 12th Annual Katameros Readings1741

Vespers

Vespers Psalm

From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.

Psalms 46 : 10

Chapter 46

10	Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

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 11 : 22 - 26

Chapter 11

22	So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.

23	For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

24	Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

25	"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

26	But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

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 100 : 2 - 3

Chapter 100

2	Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

3	Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

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 Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.

Luke 17 : 3 - 10

Chapter 17

3	Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

4	And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him."

5	And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

6	So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

7	And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, "Come at once and sit down to eat'?

8	But will he not rather say to him, "Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?

9	Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.

10	So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do."'

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 11 : 16 - 28

Chapter 11

16	I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little.

17	What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

18	Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.

19	For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise!

20	For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face.

21	To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold--I speak foolishly--I am bold also.

22	Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

23	Are they ministers of Christ?--I speak as a fool--I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

24	From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

25	Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26	in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27	in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness--

28	besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

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 : 1 - 11

Chapter 1

1	Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2	Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

3	as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

4	by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5	But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

6	to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

7	to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

8	For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9	For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10	Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

11	for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior 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 21 : 15 - 26

Chapter 21

15	And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.

16	Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.

17	And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

18	On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

19	When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20	And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;

21	but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

22	What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.

23	Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.

24	Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.

25	But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."

26	Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

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 2 : 11,10

Chapter 2

11	Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

10	Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

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.

Matthew 6 : 1 - 18

Chapter 6

1	"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2	Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

3	But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4	that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

5	"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6	But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

7	And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8	"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

9	In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10	Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

11	Give us this day our daily bread.

12	And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

13	And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14	"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15	But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16	"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

17	But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18	so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

And Glory be to God forever.

DAILY CONTEMPLATION

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