And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Day 16 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 Sixteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Departure of St.Elizabeth, the Mother of St.John the Baptist
On this day the upright and righteous St. Elizabeth, mother of St. John the Baptist, departed. This holy woman was born in Jerusalem to a righteous father called Matthan from the tribe of Levi and from the house of Aaron the priest. Her mother's name was Sofia. Matthan had three daughters. The first was called Mary, the mother of Salome, the midwife who cared for the Virgin St. Mary during her virginal birth. The name of the second daughter was Sofia, the mother of St. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. The youngest daughter was St. Hannah, the mother of the Virgin St. Mary, the mother of the Savior. Therefore, Salome, Elizabeth and the Virgin St. Mary were cousins. When St. Zacharias the priest married St. Elizabeth, they lived in righteousness and holiness before God, as the evangelist said, "They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." (Luke 1:6)
This upright woman was barren. She and her husband continually supplicated God who gave them St. John the Baptist. God was slow in answering their prayers until the time when the Virgin Mary conceived with the Word of God. When they were stricken in age, God sent His angel Gabriel to Zacharias to announce to him, "Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John," (Luke 1:13) and the angel told him what would become of St. John. The Virgin St. Mary visited St. Elizabeth to congratulate her on her pregnancy. "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41) When she gave birth to St. John, the shame of her barrenness was lifted up from her and her people. When she completed her days in purity, righteousness and chastity, she departed in peace.
May Her intercession be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Readings for Thursday of first week of Great Lent
Matins
Isaiah 2 : 11 - 19 Zechariah 8 : 18 - 23 Psalms 24 : 1 - 2 Mark 4 : 21 - 29
Isaiah 2 : 11 - 19
Chapter 2
| 11 | The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. |
| 12 | For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up--And it shall be brought low-- |
| 13 | Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan; |
| 14 | Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up; |
| 15 | Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall; |
| 16 | Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops. |
| 17 | The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day, |
| 18 | But the idols He shall utterly abolish. |
| 19 | They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. |
Zechariah 8 : 18 - 23
Chapter 8
| 18 | Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, |
| 19 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts: "The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.' |
| 20 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; |
| 21 | The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also." |
| 22 | Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the LORD.' |
| 23 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.' |
Psalms 24 : 1 - 2
Chapter 24
| 1 | The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. |
| 2 | For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. |
Mark 4 : 21 - 29
Chapter 4
| 21 | Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? |
| 22 | For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. |
| 23 | If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." |
| 24 | Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. |
| 25 | For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." |
| 26 | And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, |
| 27 | and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. |
| 28 | For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. |
| 29 | But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." |
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 24 : 1 - 2
Chapter 24
| 1 | The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. |
| 2 | For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. |
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 8 : 23 - 25
Chapter 8
| 23 | But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. |
| 24 | And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. |
| 25 | But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" |
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 4 : 16 - 5 : 9
Chapter 4
| 16 | Therefore I urge you, imitate me. |
| 17 | For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. |
| 18 | Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. |
| 19 | But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. |
| 20 | For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. |
| 21 | What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? |
Chapter 5
| 1 | It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife! |
| 2 | And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. |
| 3 | For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. |
| 4 | In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 5 | deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. |
| 6 | Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? |
| 7 | Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. |
| 8 | Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. |
| 9 | I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 1 : 8 - 2 : 11
Chapter 1
| 8 | If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. |
| 9 | If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. |
| 10 | If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. |
Chapter 2
| 1 | My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. |
| 2 | And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. |
| 3 | Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. |
| 4 | He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. |
| 5 | But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. |
| 6 | He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. |
| 7 | Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. |
| 8 | Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. |
| 9 | He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. |
| 10 | He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. |
| 11 | But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. |
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 8 : 3 - 13
Chapter 8
| 3 | As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. |
| 4 | Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. |
| 5 | Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. |
| 6 | And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. |
| 7 | For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. |
| 8 | And there was great joy in that city. |
| 9 | But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, |
| 10 | to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God." |
| 11 | And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. |
| 12 | But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. |
| 13 | Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. |
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 118 : 13,18
Chapter 118
| 13 | You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me. |
| 18 | The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. |
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.
Mark 4 : 21 - 29
Chapter 4
| 21 | Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? |
| 22 | For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. |
| 23 | If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." |
| 24 | Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. |
| 25 | For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." |
| 26 | And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, |
| 27 | and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. |
| 28 | For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. |
| 29 | But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." |
And Glory be to God forever.
In spite of all seeming evidence to the contrary, mystics know that God is love, and this love is both our source and our goal. I’d like you to recognize that it’s not just me saying these things. There are a great many theologians, saints, and laypeople who have conveyed this reality much better than I. I’ve previously written about some of the Christian mystics who have had a profound impact on me, such as Francis and Clare of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, and Teresa of Ávila. [1] This week I’d like to reflect on a more contemporary mystic, Reverend Howard Thurman (1900–1981).
Here’s an insightful description of how Thurman’s significant influence was built upon his commitment to contemplation and action:
The Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman contributed much to the incorporation of the contemplative in social/racial justice efforts. An African American theologian and mystic, Thurman was reared in an African American Baptist Church, . . . [and] served as spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and thus played a critical role as a “behind the scenes” leader in the development of an alternative to violence in the dismantling of racial injustice in America.
Thurman chose to engage in work that would serve all people and to use the contemplative experience as a path to peace, joy, and power. . . . [He] had the prophetic ability to make a connection between the silence and scrutiny of one’s inner life and the work for social justice. [2]
This week I’ll share Thurman’s own writings with very little introduction or explanation. His words speak for themselves. Read with your heart wide open:
The goal of life is God! The source of life is God! That out of which life comes is that into which life goes. . . . God is the guarantor of all [our] values, the ultimate meaning—the timeless frame of reference. That which sustains the flower of the field, the circling series of stars in the heavens, the structure of dependability in the world of nature everywhere, the stirring of the will of man to action, the dream of humanity, developed and free, for which myriad men, sometimes in solitariness in lonely places or in great throngs milling in crowded squares—all this and infinitely more in richness and variety and value is God. Men may be thrown from their courses—they may wander for a million years in desert and waste land, through sin and degradation, war and pestilence, hate and love—at last they must find their rest in Him. . . .
The source of life is God. The mystic applies this to human life when he says that there is in man an uncreated element; or in the Book of Job where it is written that his mark is in their foreheads. . . . To deal with men on any other basis, to treat them as if there were not vibrant and vital in each one the very life of the very God, is the great blasphemy; it is the judgment that is leveled with such relentless severity on modern man. “Thou hast made us for thyself and our souls are restless till they find their rest in thee,” says Augustine. Life is like a river.
Deep River, my home is over Jordan—
Deep River, I want to cross over into camp ground. [3]
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.” [4] 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.
[1] See, for example, my previous Daily Meditation series on the mystics: https://cac.org/mystics-and-non-dual-thinkers-week-1-summary-2015-07-18/ and https://cac.org/mystics-and-non-dual-thinkers-week-2-summary-2015-07-25/.
[2] Jacquelyn Smith-Crooks and Lerita Coleman Brown, “Howard Thurman: Contemplative and Social Activist,” Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: Stories of Contemplation and Justice, ed. Therese Taylor-Stinson (Church Publishing: 2017), 71-72.
[3] Howard Thurman, Deep River: Reflections on the Religious Insight of Certain of the Negro Spirituals (Harper & Brothers: 1945, 1955), 74-76. See Howard Thurman: Essential Writings, ed. Luther E. Smith, Jr. (Orbis: 2006), 40-41.
[4] Editors, Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart (Beacon Press: 1999), 6.