Thoughts on Today's Verse...
The motivation for our holiness is God's incredible mercy and grace. We offer ourselves to him because he has already shown us his love through the sacrifice of Jesus. As we offer ourselves to honor him, we are worshipping him. As we refuse to be molded into the lifestyle of the world, we offer him praise. As we consistently do these things with our lives, God's will becomes even more clear. With the Spirit's help, we are daily being transformed to be more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18) as we display more of the character of God (Gal. 5:22-23).
Day 11 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 Eleventh Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of St.Wasilides
On this day was martyred St.Wasilides who was a minister and provider for the kingdom of Rome, over which he acted as counsellor. He had many slaves and fellows. Emperor Numerianus married Wasilides' sister, Patricia, the mother of Theodore Bandelewos, and had another son called Yustus. Wasilides had two sons: Awsabyos (Eusebyus) and Macarius. When the Persians waged war against Rome, Emperor Numerianus sent to them his son Yustus with Awsabyos, Wasilides' son. Then he went to fight another enemy and was killed in that war. His kingdom was thus left vacant without one to administer its affairs. They had chosen among the soldiers for war a man called Agripada, a shepherd, and they set him over the royal horses stable. He was a mighty man in action, bold in his dealings. One of the Empror's daughters looked at him and took him for her husband. She made him Emperor and called him, "Diocletian." In a short while, he forsook the Lord God of Heaven and worshipped idols. When Wasilides heard this, he felt very sad, and he did not return to serve the Emperor.
As to Yustus, the son of Numerianus, and Awsabyos (Eusebius), the son of Wasilides, they returned from the war with triumphant victory. When they saw that the Emperor had deviated from the true faith, they were exceedingly sorry and drew their swords and wanted to slay Diocletian, the infidel Emperor, and to appoint Yustus, Numerianus' son, Emperor, thus returning the kingdom to its owner. But Wasilides prevented them from doing this. Then he gathered his army and slaves and informed them that he wished to lay down his life for the sake of Christ's name. They all answered saying, "We also will die with you." They all agreed and stood before Diocletian who feared them tremendously, for they were the owners of the kingdom. So Herminius, Victor's father, advised him to banish them to Egypt to be tortured there. He sent them each to a different city with Abadir and Irai his sister, Awsabyos (Eusebius), and Macarius, Claudius, and Victor. And Theodore Bandelewos was nailed to a tree. As to Wasilides, he was sent to Masrus, the governor of the Five Western Cities; and when Masrus saw him, he marvelled exceedingly why he had left his kingdom and his glory. Our Lord Christ sent His angel and lifted him up by the Holy Spirit to heaven, and showed him the spiritual dwellings and his soul was comforted. As to his slaves, some were set free, and some were martyred with him. St.Wasilides endured terrible tortures, on a squeezing machine with wheels at times, and at others his body was combed with iron combs. Then he was lifted onto a spiral device with a saw and thrust on an iron bed. Masrus, the governor, did not leave out any means of torturing him. when he saw that he remained steadfast in his faith, he ordered his men to cut off his holy head, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven in return for the earthly kingdom which he had forsaken.
May his 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 4 : 6 - 8
Chapter 4
| 6 | There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. |
| 7 | You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. |
| 8 | I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. |
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 16 : 24 - 28
Chapter 16
| 24 | Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. |
| 25 | For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 26 | For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? |
| 27 | For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. |
| 28 | Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." |
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 5 : 11 - 12
Chapter 5
| 11 | But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. |
| 12 | For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. |
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 10 : 34 - 42
Chapter 10
| 34 | "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. |
| 35 | For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; |
| 36 | and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' |
| 37 | He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 38 | And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 39 | He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 40 | "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. |
| 41 | He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. |
| 42 | And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." |
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 Romans .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Romans 8 : 18 - 30
Chapter 8
| 18 | For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. |
| 19 | For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. |
| 20 | For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; |
| 21 | because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. |
| 22 | For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. |
| 23 | Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. |
| 24 | For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? |
| 25 | But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. |
| 26 | Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. |
| 27 | Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. |
| 28 | And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. |
| 29 | For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. |
| 30 | Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. |
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 : 8 - 15
Chapter 3
| 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." |
| 15 | But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; |
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 19 : 23 - 41
Chapter 19
| 23 | And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. |
| 24 | For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. |
| 25 | He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. |
| 26 | Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. |
| 27 | So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." |
| 28 | Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 29 | So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions. |
| 30 | And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. |
| 31 | Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. |
| 32 | Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. |
| 33 | And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. |
| 34 | But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 35 | And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? |
| 36 | Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. |
| 37 | For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. |
| 38 | Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. |
| 39 | But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. |
| 40 | For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering." |
| 41 | And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 11 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 Eleventh Day of the Blessed Month of Tute
Martyrdom of St.Wasilides
On this day was martyred St.Wasilides who was a minister and provider for the kingdom of Rome, over which he acted as counsellor. He had many slaves and fellows. Emperor Numerianus married Wasilides' sister, Patricia, the mother of Theodore Bandelewos, and had another son called Yustus. Wasilides had two sons: Awsabyos (Eusebyus) and Macarius. When the Persians waged war against Rome, Emperor Numerianus sent to them his son Yustus with Awsabyos, Wasilides' son. Then he went to fight another enemy and was killed in that war. His kingdom was thus left vacant without one to administer its affairs. They had chosen among the soldiers for war a man called Agripada, a shepherd, and they set him over the royal horses stable. He was a mighty man in action, bold in his dealings. One of the Empror's daughters looked at him and took him for her husband. She made him Emperor and called him, "Diocletian." In a short while, he forsook the Lord God of Heaven and worshipped idols. When Wasilides heard this, he felt very sad, and he did not return to serve the Emperor.
As to Yustus, the son of Numerianus, and Awsabyos (Eusebius), the son of Wasilides, they returned from the war with triumphant victory. When they saw that the Emperor had deviated from the true faith, they were exceedingly sorry and drew their swords and wanted to slay Diocletian, the infidel Emperor, and to appoint Yustus, Numerianus' son, Emperor, thus returning the kingdom to its owner. But Wasilides prevented them from doing this. Then he gathered his army and slaves and informed them that he wished to lay down his life for the sake of Christ's name. They all answered saying, "We also will die with you." They all agreed and stood before Diocletian who feared them tremendously, for they were the owners of the kingdom. So Herminius, Victor's father, advised him to banish them to Egypt to be tortured there. He sent them each to a different city with Abadir and Irai his sister, Awsabyos (Eusebius), and Macarius, Claudius, and Victor. And Theodore Bandelewos was nailed to a tree. As to Wasilides, he was sent to Masrus, the governor of the Five Western Cities; and when Masrus saw him, he marvelled exceedingly why he had left his kingdom and his glory. Our Lord Christ sent His angel and lifted him up by the Holy Spirit to heaven, and showed him the spiritual dwellings and his soul was comforted. As to his slaves, some were set free, and some were martyred with him. St.Wasilides endured terrible tortures, on a squeezing machine with wheels at times, and at others his body was combed with iron combs. Then he was lifted onto a spiral device with a saw and thrust on an iron bed. Masrus, the governor, did not leave out any means of torturing him. when he saw that he remained steadfast in his faith, he ordered his men to cut off his holy head, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven in return for the earthly kingdom which he had forsaken.
May his 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 68 : 35,3
Chapter 68
| 35 | O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! |
| 3 | But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. |
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 12 : 4 - 12
Chapter 12
| 4 | "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. |
| 5 | But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! |
| 6 | "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. |
| 7 | But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. |
| 8 | "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. |
| 9 | But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. |
| 10 | "And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. |
| 11 | "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. |
| 12 | For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." |
And Glory be to God forever.
And although He rose again on the third day, never to die any more, He yet bore death for men and gave life to the dead, so that redeemed by His blood, having received so great and such a pledge, they could say, If God be for us, who is against us? He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how has He not with Him also given to us all things?
Romans 8:31-32 Godtherefore took upon Him our nature— that is, the rational soul and flesh of the man Christ— by an undertaking singularly marvellous, or marvellously singular; so that with no preceding merits of His own righteousness He might in such wise be the Son of God from the beginning, in which He had begun to be man, that He, and the Word which is without beginning, might be one person.