Where did Scripture come from? What is the basis of our faith in the Bible and the Gospel? Peter wants us to realize that the prophets of ancient times didn't bake up their own private recipes for their prophecies. Instead, they could only move and respond to what God was doing in them, not what they themselves wanted to do or say. They were human, but their message was God's word because the Holy Spirit moved them to speak and guided their words. This makes what we have in Scripture from the prophets more than precious: we are given the very words of God! (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Day 14 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 Fourteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute

Departure of St.Agatho the Stylite

      On this day departed St.Agatho the Stylite. He was from the city of Tenis. The name of his father was Matra and his mother's name was Mariam. They were righteous and feared God, and they loved to give alms and gifts to the poor and needy. The thought of monasticism moved in his mind continually. When he was thirty-five years old, he was ordained priest, he devoted himself and served the church continually. He asked the Lord Christ by day and by night to facilitate for him his departure from this world, and to help him to depart to the desert. The Lord Christ answered his request and he went out from the city and came to Ternot (Mareot) and then to the desert where the angel of God appeared to him in the form of a monk who journeyed with him and brought him to the monastery of St.Macarius in Scete. He came to the holy old men Abba Abraham and Abba Gawargah and he became their disciple and lived with them for three years. After this they took him before the altar and in the presence of Hegomen Abba Yoanis, they remained three days in prayer over his garb of monasticism. Then they dressed him in the holy Eskeem. From that hour he exerted all his efforts in continuous fasting and prayer and fought a great fight. He used to sleep on the ground till his skin cleaved to his bones. He read continually the history of the striving of Abba Simon the Stylite, and he thought of leading a solitary life. He took counsel with the holy fathers concerning that, and they approved his opinion. They prayed for him and then he left and came near the city of Sakha where he dwelt in a little church. the believers built a place for him on a pillar and he went up on it and labored strenuously leading an ascetic life for fifty years.

      In his days there appeared a man in whom there was an obstinate devil and who led many people away. He used to sit in the midst of church and the people would gather around to hear him, and they carried branches of trees. Abba Agatho sent for the posseddsed and had him brought to him, and he prayed over him. He cast out the devil who used to lead the people astray.

      Similarily, a woman claimed that St.Mina conversed with her and she commanded the people of her city to dig a well after the name of St.Mina to heal everyone who bathed therein. St.Agatho prayed over that woman until he cast out from her that unclean spirit and St.Agatho commanded the people to cover up that well with earth. At the hands of this holy man, St.Agatho, God worked many miracles, and he healed very many sick people and cast out devils. The devils appeared to him in the form of angels, singing sweet songs and imparting blessings unto him, but by the might of the Lord Christ he knew their guile, and he made the sign of the Cross over them, and they flew away defeated.

      When God wished to give him rest from the labors of this world, he fell sick shortly and delivered up his soul into the hand of God. All the people who had benefited from his sermons and teachings and gathered around him and wept bitterly. This holy father lived for one hundred years, of which he spent forty years in the world and ten years in the desert and fifty years in solitude upon that pillar.

May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

Readings for Third Sunday of Tute

Vespers

Vespers Psalm

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

Psalms 9 : 1 - 2

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

Mark 1 : 29 - 34

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 9 : 6,7

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 8 : 5 - 13

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 2 : 1 - 16

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 1 : 13 - 21

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.

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Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.

Acts 9 : 22 - 31

The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.

Synaxarium

Day 15 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 Fifteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute

Transfer of the Body of St.Stephen the Archdeacon

We celebrate on this day the transfer of the body of St.Stephen the archdeacon and protomartyr. Very many years had passed since his martyrdom, more than three hundred. After the reign of Emperor Constantine and when noble worship has spread, St.Stephen, the Striver and martyr, appeared to Lucianus in the village where the honored body was buried and which was called the "Village of Gamaliel," near Jerusalem. He appeared to him several times and told him his name and where his body was buried. That man went to the bishop of Jerusalem and informed him of what he had seen in his sleep. The bishop rose up and took him with two bishops and the people of the church and went to the place where the body was and when they dug the ground, a mighty earthquake took place. The coffin wherein the holy body was lying was revealed. There came out from it the odor of a magnificent spice. They heard voices of angels praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." This praise was repeated three times and the bishops bowed down before the coffin. They carried it away in the midst of songs and hymns and candles until they came to Zion. And after this, a man whose name was Alexander and who was from Constantinople, built a church for St.Stephen in Jerusalem and placed the holy body in it.

      Five years later, Alexander departed, and his wife buried him by the side of the coffin of the Saint. And eight years later, Alexander's wife decided to go to Constantinople and to take her husband's body with her. She came to the church, and she took the coffin wherein the body of St.Stephen had been laid thinking that it was the coffin wherein was her husband's body. She carried it away to Ascalon, and there she embarked with it in a ship to Constantinople. In the middle of the sea she heard singing and many praises coming from the coffin, and she marvelled exceedingly. She rose up and examined the coffin and she knew that it was the coffin wherein the body of St.Stephen, and this was the Will of God, so she gave thanks to the Lord and went on her way until she arrived in Constantinople.

      Then she went to the King and informed him about what had happened. The King, the archbishop, priests and the people of the city went forth to the ship, and they carried the coffin on their heads to the royal palace. And both on the ship and in the royal palace, God made manifest many signs.

      They laid the holy body in a palanquin carried by two mules, and when they came to a place called Constantinious, the two mules stopped. When they beat the mules, they did not move but they heard the voice of one of them saying, "It is meet to place the Saint here." All those who saw and heard this marvelled and they knew that He who had made the donkey of Balaam speak was He who had made this animal carrying the body of the Saint speak. The King ordered that a church be built for the Saint in that place. And they laid therein the pure gem, the holy body of St.Stephen, the apostle and the martyr.

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 18 : 46,49,50

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 19 : 1 - 10

And Glory be to God forever.

ينبغي‏ ‏أن‏ ‏يصلي‏ ‏كل‏ ‏حين‏ ‏ولا‏ ‏يمل‏ (‏لو‏18:1)‏
‏+ ‏خلق‏ ‏الله‏ ‏الإنسان‏ ‏كائنا‏ ‏عاقلا‏ ‏وأعطي‏ ‏له‏ ‏نعمة‏ ‏الحرية‏, ‏وحرية‏ ‏العمل‏, ‏وأعطي‏ ‏له‏ ‏قلبا‏ ‏كمكان‏ ‏للقاء‏ ‏مع‏ ‏الله‏.‏
‏+ ‏الصلاة‏ ‏تعبير‏ ‏عن‏ ‏رغبة‏ ‏الإنسان‏ ‏في‏ ‏الله‏.‏
‏+ ‏الإنسان‏ ‏يقف‏ ‏أمام‏ ‏ألغاز‏ ‏الحياة‏ ‏وهو‏ ‏متحير‏. ‏ماذا‏ ‏تعني‏ ‏حياة؟‏ ‏خير؟‏ ‏خطية؟‏ ‏موت؟‏ ‏قلق؟‏ ‏هذه‏ ‏أسئلة‏ ‏الوجود‏ ‏الإنساني‏ ‏الكبيرة‏ ‏وليس‏ ‏لها‏ ‏إجابة‏ ‏إلا‏ ‏في‏ ‏الله‏, ‏وبالتالي‏ ‏الإنسان‏ ‏في‏ ‏داخله‏ ‏عطش‏ ‏وحنين‏ ‏لله‏.. ‏يبحث‏ ‏عن‏ ‏الله‏.. ‏يرغب‏ ‏في‏ ‏المحبة‏.. ‏فتزرع‏ ‏في‏ ‏داخله‏ ‏روح‏ ‏الصلاة‏.‏

أولا‏:‏ـ‏ ‏كيف‏ ‏تصلي؟
‏1- ‏ضع‏ ‏في‏ ‏ذهنك‏ ‏قبل‏ ‏بدء‏ ‏الصلاة‏ ‏أنك‏ ‏داخل‏ ‏إلي‏ ‏الحضرة‏ ‏الإلهية‏ ‏بكل‏ ‏خشوع‏ ‏ووقار‏ ‏واحترام‏.‏
‏2- ‏ادخل‏ ‏الصلاة‏ ‏بروح‏ ‏الشكر‏, ‏أعمال‏ ‏الله‏ ‏مع‏ ‏كل‏ ‏إنسان‏ ‏لا‏ ‏تنتهي‏, ‏فاشكره‏ ‏علي‏ ‏نعمه‏ ‏الكثيرة‏.‏
‏3- ‏في‏ ‏جو‏ ‏الصلاة‏ ‏اكشف‏ ‏عن‏ ‏خطاياك‏, ‏لا‏ ‏تقل‏ ‏أنك‏ ‏جيد‏ ‏ولست‏ ‏مثل‏ ‏باقي‏ ‏الناس‏.‏
‏4- ‏تذكر‏ ‏مجتمعك‏ ‏الذي‏ ‏تعيش‏ ‏فيه‏ (‏أسرتك‏, ‏كنيستك‏, ‏وطنك‏), ‏صل‏ ‏من‏ ‏أجل‏ ‏هؤلاء‏ ‏بأسمائهم‏, ‏واذكر‏ ‏ذاتك‏ ‏في‏ ‏النهاية‏ ‏كأنك‏ ‏تقول‏ ‏مع‏ ‏داود‏ ‏النبي‏: ‏إلي‏ ‏متي‏ ‏يارب‏ ‏تنساني‏..‏؟‏ (‏مز‏13:1), ‏وارفع‏ ‏قلبك‏ ‏إلي‏ ‏الله‏ ‏بهذه‏ ‏الصلوات‏ ‏بلجاجة‏.‏
ثانيا‏:‏ـ‏ ‏ماذا‏ ‏تمتلك‏ ‏في‏ ‏الصلاة؟
في‏ ‏صلاتك‏ ‏امتلك‏ ‏هذه‏ ‏الأربعة‏:‏
‏1- ‏الإيمان‏: ‏الذي‏ ‏أساسه‏ ‏وعود‏ ‏الله‏.‏
‏2- ‏الانتباه‏: ‏انتبه‏ ‏في‏ ‏صلاتك‏ ‏ولا‏ ‏تسمح‏ ‏لشيء‏ ‏أن‏ ‏يشتت‏ ‏ذهنك‏.‏
‏3- ‏الاستمرار‏: ‏يعلمنا‏ ‏الآباء‏: ‏لكي‏ ‏يتعلم‏ ‏الإنسان‏ ‏عادة‏ ‏معينة‏ ‏لابد‏ ‏أن‏ ‏يمارسها‏ ‏أربعين‏ ‏يوما‏ ‏متصلة‏ ‏علي‏ ‏الأقل‏.‏
‏4- ‏الهدوء‏: ‏صل‏ ‏بهدوء‏ ‏بعيدا‏ ‏عن‏ ‏أي‏ ‏تشويش‏ ‏أو‏ ‏ضوضاء‏ ‏أو‏ ‏إزعاج‏.‏
ثالثا‏:‏ـ‏ ‏ماذا‏ ‏تطلب‏ ‏من‏ ‏الله‏ ‏في‏ ‏صلاتك؟
‏1- ‏ملكوت‏ ‏السموات‏:‏
نصيبك‏ ‏في‏ ‏السماء‏ ‏أغلي‏ ‏من‏ ‏كل‏ ‏شيء‏, ‏لذلك‏ ‏اطلبوا‏ ‏أولا‏ ‏ملكوت‏ ‏الله‏ ‏وبره‏ (‏مت‏6:33).‏
‏2- ‏التغيير‏:‏
بالصلاة‏ ‏غير‏ ‏الله‏ ‏طبيعة‏ ‏الأسود‏ ‏في‏ ‏قصة‏ ‏دانيال‏ ‏النبي‏, ‏وطبيعة‏ ‏النار‏ ‏في‏ ‏قصة‏ ‏الثلاثة‏ ‏فتية‏, ‏وطبيعة‏ ‏الماء‏ ‏عند‏ ‏عبور‏ ‏موسي‏ ‏النبي‏ ‏البحر‏ ‏الأحمر‏, ‏اطلب‏ ‏من‏ ‏الله‏ ‏أن‏ ‏يغير‏ ‏قلبك‏ ‏وأن‏ ‏يعطيك‏ ‏قلبا‏ ‏نقيا‏ ‏جديدا‏.‏
‏3- ‏تحقيق‏ ‏وعوده‏ ‏في‏ ‏الوقت‏ ‏المناسب‏.‏
‏4- ‏فرح‏ ‏القلب‏ ‏وسعادة‏ ‏الحياة‏.‏
‏5- ‏نزع‏ ‏عدو‏ ‏الخير‏ ‏من‏ ‏طريقك‏ ‏وكل‏ ‏أفكاره‏ ‏المزعجة‏.‏