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DAILY VERSE

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." —Psalm 37:5-6

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

—Psalm 37:5-6

How much do you trust the Lord? Better yet, how much of yourself have you entrusted to the Lord? We have focused the last several days on the promised blessings the Lord longs to give us. Yet in his wisdom, God has chosen to make the release of many of these blessings dependent upon our trust in him and our asking of him. As long as we grip the steering wheel of our life, it is hard to let God take us in the direction of his blessing and his will. I saw a bumper sticker recently that put it this way: "If God is your co-pilot then you had better switch seats!" Committing our way to the Lord is offering our lives to him to do his work, to receive his blessing, and to know his presence. So what are you waiting for?

DAILY SYNEXARIUM

The synexarium of the 10th Day of the Blessed month of Baramhats

Day 10 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramhat, 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 Baramhat

Commemoration of the Appearance of the Glorious Cross

icon

The church celebrates the appearance of the glorious Cross of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ twice: The First on the sixteenth day of the month of Tute, 326 A.D. by the hands of the righteous Empress St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the great, the righteous Emperor. This Saint when her son Constantine accepted the Faith in the Lord Christ, she vowed to go to Jerusalem. Her righteous son prepared everything needed to fulfill this holy visit. When she arrived to Jerusalem with multitude of soldiers, she asked about the place of the Cross but no one would tell her. She took one of the jewish elders and pressured him by hunger and thirst until he was forced to direct them to the place where they might find the Cross at the hill of Golgotha. She ordered them to clear out the site of Golgotha where they found three crosses and that was in the year 326 A.D. However, they did not know the cross upon which Our Lord Christ was crucified, they brought a dead man and they laid upon him one of the crosses and then the other but he did not rise up but when they laid the third cross upon him he rose up immediately, then they realized that this was the Cross of Our Lord Christ. The Empress and all the believers kneeled down before the Holy Cross, and she sent a piece of it with the nails to her son Constantine. Immediately after, she built the churches that were mentioned on the Sixteenth day of the blessed month of Tute.

The Second celebration that the church commemorates the Cross is on the Tenth day of the month of Baramhat by the hands of Emperor Heraclius, in 627 A.D. When the Persians were defeated by Heraclius they retreated from Egypt to their country. On their way back they passed through Jerusalem, a persian prince entered the church of the Cross which was built by Empress Helen. He saw a great light shinning from a piece of wood located on a place decorated with gold. He thrust his hand to it and there went forth from it fire which burned his fingers. The Christians told him that this is the base of the Holy Cross and they told him how it was discovered and no one was able to touch it except a Christian. He deceived the two deacons who were standing to guard it and gave them much money so they would carry this piece and go with it with him to his country. They took it and put it in a box and went with him to his country along with those who were captured from the city of Jerusalem. When Emperor Heraclius heard that, he went with his army to Persia, fought with them and slew many of them. He traveled about this country searching for this piece of the Holy Cross but he could not find it, for the Persian prince had dug a hole in his garden and ordered the two deacons to put the box in it and buried it and then he killed them. One of the captives of that Persian prince which was the daughter of one of the priests, was looking out of the window by chance and saw what happened. She went to Heraclius the Emperor and told him what she saw. He went with the bishops, priests and the soldiers to the place. They dug there and found the box, they took the piece of the Holy Cross out, in 628 A.D., wrapped it in magnificent apparel and Heraclius took it to the city of Constantinople and kept it there.

May the blessings of the Holy Cross be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

DAILY KATEMAROS

Baramhat 10th Annual Katameros Readings

Readings for Feast of the Cross

Vespers

Vespers Psalm

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

Psalms 27 : 14,13

Chapter 27

14	Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

13	I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

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

Luke 12 : 22 - 31

Chapter 12

22	Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

23	Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

24	Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?

25	And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

26	If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

27	Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28	If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

29	"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

30	For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

31	But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

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 31 : 24,23

Chapter 31

24	Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

23	Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.

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 22 : 1 - 14

Chapter 22

1	And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:

2	"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,

3	and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

4	Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."'

5	But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.

6	And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

7	But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8	Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9	Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'

10	So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11	"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

12	So he said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.

13	Then the king said to the servants, "Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

14	"For many are called, but few are chosen."

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 Ephesians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.

Ephesians 6 : 10 - 24

Chapter 6

10	Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11	Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12	For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13	Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14	Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15	and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16	above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17	And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18	praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

19	and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20	for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21	But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;

22	whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23	Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24	Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

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 4 : 7 - 17

Chapter 4

7	Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8	Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9	Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10	Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

11	Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

12	There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

13	Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";

14	whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

15	Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."

16	But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

17	Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

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 25 : 13 - 26 : 1

Chapter 25

13	And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

14	When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,

15	about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.

16	To them I answered, "It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.'

17	Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in.

18	When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed,

19	but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

20	And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters.

21	But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar."

22	Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself.Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him."

23	So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command Paul was brought in.

24	And Festus said: "King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer.

25	But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

26	I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write.

27	For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him."

Chapter 26

1	Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:

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 105 : 3,4,5

Chapter 105

3	Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

4	Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

5	Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

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.

John 4 : 1 - 42

Chapter 4

1	Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John

2	(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

3	He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4	But He needed to go through Samaria.

5	So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6	Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7	A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."

8	For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9	Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10	Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

11	The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

12	Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"

13	Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

14	but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

15	The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

16	Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."

17	The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, "I have no husband,'

18	for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

19	The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20	Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

21	Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22	You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23	But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24	God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

25	The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."

26	Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

27	And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"

28	The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,

29	"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

30	Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

31	In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."

32	But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."

33	Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"

34	Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

35	Do you not say, "There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

36	And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

37	For in this the saying is true: "One sows and another reaps.'

38	I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

39	And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."

40	So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

41	And many more believed because of His own word.

42	Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

And Glory be to God forever.

DAILY CONTEMPLATION

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