Coptic for GOD

Readings for Third Sunday of Abib

Vespers

Vespers Psalm

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

Psalms 52 : 9,8

Chapter 52

9	I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

8	But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

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 14 : 7 - 15

Chapter 14

7	So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:

8	"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;

9	and he who invited you and him come and say to you, "Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.

10	But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, "Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

11	For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

12	Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

13	But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

14	And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

15	Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

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 134 : 1 - 1

Chapter 134

1	Behold, bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD, Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!

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 24 : 1 - 12

Chapter 24

1	Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2	But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

3	Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4	And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

5	Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6	He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

7	saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."'

8	And they remembered His words.

9	Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

10	It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

11	And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

12	But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

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 Timothy .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.

1 Timothy 6 : 3 - 16

Chapter 6

3	If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,

4	he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,

5	useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

6	Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

7	For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8	And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

9	But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10	For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11	But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

12	Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

13	I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

14	that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,

15	which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

16	who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. 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 3 : 1 - 12

Chapter 3

1	My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

2	For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

3	Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.

4	Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

5	Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

6	And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

7	For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

8	But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9	With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

10	Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

11	Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

12	Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

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 18 : 12 - 23

Chapter 18

12	When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,

13	saying, "This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law."

14	And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.

15	But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters."

16	And he drove them from the judgment seat.

17	Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

18	So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

19	And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

20	When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,

21	but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus.

22	And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.

23	After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

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 145 : 17 - 18

Chapter 145

17	The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.

18	The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

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 9 : 10 - 17

Chapter 9

10	And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

11	But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

12	When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."

13	But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."

14	For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."

15	And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16	Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

17	So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

And Glory be to God forever.