Thoughts on Today's Verse...
The Holy Spirit, who lives in us, is our guarantee of a greater glory that is to come (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5). The Spirit is the firstfruits of that glory that is to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Our current state is only a foretaste of what lies ahead for us; we yearn to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling and to be at home with God (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).
Day 10 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 Tenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of St.Matrounah
On this day St.Matrounah, who was a maid-servant to a Jewish lady, was martyred. She was of Christian parents, and her mistress used to entice her to adopt the Hebrew religion, but she refused and that is why her mistress used to humiliate her, ill treat her, and over-burden her with servitude. On some days she accompanied her mistress to the Hebrew Assembly, then returned and went to the Christians' church. And when her mistress asked her where she had been and why she did not enter their assembly, the Saint replied, "God has departed far away from the synagogue that is yours, how shall I enter it? Whereas the place that should be entered is the church which the Lord Christ had bought with His blood." Her mistress was angry at this and beat her harshly, then imprisoned her in a dark place where she spent four days without food or drink. She then took her out and beat her sorely, then she returned her to her imprisonment where she died. After her death, her mistress, (because she feared that the government would hold her accountable for her blood), took her to the top of her house and threw her down so that it would be said that she had fallen by chance. She was accursed by God, her feet slipped and she fell down, died and went to Hell. As to the Saint, she went to the eternal bliss.
May her intercession be for us. Amen.
Commemoration of St.Passin and Her Children
On this day also is the commemoration of St.Passin and her three children.
May their prayers and blessings 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 68 : 25 - 26
Chapter 68
| 25 | The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels. |
| 26 | Bless God in the congregations, The Lord, from the fountain of Israel. |
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 26 : 6 - 13
Chapter 26
| 6 | And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, |
| 7 | a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. |
| 8 | But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? |
| 9 | For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." |
| 10 | But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. |
| 11 | For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. |
| 12 | For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. |
| 13 | Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." |
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 8 : 2 - 3
Chapter 8
| 2 | Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. |
| 3 | When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, |
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 4 : 15 - 24
Chapter 4
| 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." |
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 5 : 8 - 21
Chapter 5
| 8 | For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light |
| 9 | (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), |
| 10 | finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. |
| 11 | And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. |
| 12 | For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. |
| 13 | But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. |
| 14 | Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." |
| 15 | See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, |
| 16 | redeeming the time, because the days are evil. |
| 17 | Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. |
| 18 | And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, |
| 19 | speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, |
| 20 | giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 21 | submitting to one another in the fear of God. |
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 3 : 5 - 14
Chapter 3
| 5 | For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, |
| 6 | as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. |
| 7 | Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. |
| 8 | Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; |
| 9 | not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. |
| 10 | For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. |
| 11 | Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. |
| 12 | For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." |
| 13 | And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? |
| 14 | But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." |
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 : 5 - 14
Chapter 21
| 5 | When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. |
| 6 | When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home. |
| 7 | And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. |
| 8 | On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. |
| 9 | Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. |
| 10 | And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. |
| 11 | When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."' |
| 12 | Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. |
| 13 | Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." |
| 14 | So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done." |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 10 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 Tenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of St.Matrounah
On this day St.Matrounah, who was a maid-servant to a Jewish lady, was martyred. She was of Christian parents, and her mistress used to entice her to adopt the Hebrew religion, but she refused and that is why her mistress used to humiliate her, ill treat her, and over-burden her with servitude. On some days she accompanied her mistress to the Hebrew Assembly, then returned and went to the Christians' church. And when her mistress asked her where she had been and why she did not enter their assembly, the Saint replied, "God has departed far away from the synagogue that is yours, how shall I enter it? Whereas the place that should be entered is the church which the Lord Christ had bought with His blood." Her mistress was angry at this and beat her harshly, then imprisoned her in a dark place where she spent four days without food or drink. She then took her out and beat her sorely, then she returned her to her imprisonment where she died. After her death, her mistress, (because she feared that the government would hold her accountable for her blood), took her to the top of her house and threw her down so that it would be said that she had fallen by chance. She was accursed by God, her feet slipped and she fell down, died and went to Hell. As to the Saint, she went to the eternal bliss.
May her intercession be for us. Amen.
Commemoration of St.Passin and Her Children
On this day also is the commemoration of St.Passin and her three children.
May their prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God forever. 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 23 : 4 - 15
Chapter 23
| 4 | Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. |
| 5 | You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. |
| 6 | Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD 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.
Matthew 25 : 1 - 13
Chapter 25
| 1 | "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. |
| 2 | Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. |
| 3 | Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, |
| 4 | but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. |
| 5 | But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. |
| 6 | "And at midnight a cry was heard: "Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' |
| 7 | Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. |
| 8 | And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' |
| 9 | But the wise answered, saying, "No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' |
| 10 | And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. |
| 11 | "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us!' |
| 12 | But he answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' |
| 13 | "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. |
And Glory be to God forever.
The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 7:23Because in them the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and as they labour and are imperilled in such a contest, they ask that by the grace of Christ the strength to fight and to conquer may be given them. He, however, tempted and disturbed in no such conflict concerning himself against himself, in that position of blessedness enjoyed his peace with himself.