Freedom is a wonderful gift when it is handled with responsibility. Not being under law is such a sweet grace, but we want to pass that sweetness on to each other through service, kindness, and care.
Day 19 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baounah, 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 Nineteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Baounah
First Pontifical Liturgy is the New St.Mark Cathedral in the Monastery of Anba Rowais
On this day, of the year 1684 (Wednesday, June 26th, 1968), the church celebrated the first Pontifical Liturgy in the new St. Mark Cathedral in the monastery of Anba Rowais, which was known as Dair El-Khandaq, where the relics of St. Mark were placed after his return from Venice and Rome. On the morning of Wednesday the 19th of Baounah (June 26th) at about six o'clock, Pope Kyrillos took the box of the relics of St. Mark, that he had placed on the altar of the old St. Mark Cathedral in El-Azbakiah upon its arrival. He brought it in his private car to the new St. Mark Cathedral. The Pontifical Divine Liturgy that was celebrated on this occasion was headed by H.H. Pope Kyrillos the Sixth, and participating with him were the patriarch Mari Ignatius Yacoub the Third, the Antiochian Patriarch for the Syrian Orthodox, and a number of Syrian, Indian and Armenian Orthodox bishops. This celebration was attended by Emperor Haile Selassie the First, Emperor of Ethiopia, Cardinal Doval, the head of the Roman Papal delegation and Cardinal of Algeria, many of the heads of different religions and representatives of churches from all around the world, and more than six thousand Egyptians and foreigners. During the Liturgy, the box that contained the relics of St. Mark the Apostle was placed on a table in the middle of the eastern part of the altar of the Cathedral, and remained there till the end of the liturgy. Right after the liturgy, Pope Kyrillos went down carrying the box along with the Emperor, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch and the heads of the churches in a magnificent procession. They went to the sanctuary that was prepared for St. Mark under the main altar of the Cathedral. Pope Kyrillos placed the box inside the marbled altar, which was covered by a large marble slab and on it was the altar table. The different choral groups then sang, successively in different languages, songs and hymns that befit the occasion in salutation for St. Mark. They sang in Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, Armenian, Greek, Latin, and in Arabic. The day was a joyous day and one of the most blessed days in the history of the church of Alexandria.
May the blessings of St. Mark be with us all. Amen.
Departure of Pope Archelaus, the Eighteenth Pope of Alexandria
On this day also, of the year 28 A.M. (June, 312 A.D.) Pope Archelaus, the Eighteenth Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was a priest in the church of Alexandria. When Pope Peter the first, the seal of martyrs, received the crown of martyrdom, the believers in Alexandria agreed and gathered the bishops. They ordained Archelaus the priest a Patriarch instead of Pope Peter,as he commended before his departure from this world. When he was enthroned on the patriarchal chair in the 19th of Kiahk, 28 A.M. (December 24th, 311 A.D.), a group of people came to him and asked him to accept Arius in the church. He accepted their petition against the command of his father Pope Peter, but he did not remain on the Chair longer than six months, then departed.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.George (Girgis) known as El-Mezahem
This day also, in the year 675 A.M. (June, 959 A.D.), marks the martyrdom of St. George, the new martyr, known as El-Mezahem. His father was a Moslem bedouin. He married a Christian woman from the city of Demerah El-kibliah. He had from her three sons, one of them was this Saint, and they called him El-Mezahem. He used to go with his mother to the church at a young age. He also used to see the children of the Christians dress in white on the days that they partook of the Holy Mysteries. He longed that his mother would dress him like them, and allow him to eat from whatever they ate at the altar. His mother told him that could not be, unless he was baptized. She gave him a portion of the blessed Eulogia bread, that they distributed to the people, and it tasted in his mouth like that of honey. He meditated in his heart and said, "If the taste of this bread that was not consecrated by prayers tastes like this, what will be the taste of the Offering?" His longing for the faith in Christ increased from that time. When he grew up, he married a Christian woman, and he told her that he wished to become a Christian. She told him that he had to be baptized. He went to Birma, was baptized there and was called George (Girgis). When this matter became known, he went to Domiat. The Moslems there recognized him, seized him and tortured him. Then he escaped and fled to the city of Saft Abu-Trab, where he stayed for three years. When his matter became known again he went to the city of Katurah, and remained there serving the church of St. George, then went back to Demerah.
When the Moslems of the city of Demerah knew his history, they seized him, and delivered him to the governor who put him in prison. The Moslems assembled and broke the door of the prison. They beat the Saint severely, split open his head, and left him between life and death. When some of the believers came on the morrow to bury him, for they thought that he was dead, they found him alive. The Moslems convened a council, and threatened him, but he did not change his conviction. They hung him up on the mast of a ship, but the governor ordered that he be taken down and cast him up in prison. His wife strengthened him, and comforted him. She taught him to believe that the punishment which had come upon him was because of his sins; lest Satan lead him astray and he might boast that he became like the martyrs. The angel of the Lord appeared to him, comforted him, strengthened him, and informed him that he would receive the crown of martyrdom on the next day. On the next morning, the Moslems gathered with the governor and demanded from him that the head of El-Mozahem be cut off. He handed him over to them. They took him, and cut off his head near the church of the angel Michael in the city of Demerah. They cast his body in hot fire for a day and a night. But his body did not burn, so they put him in a barrel and threw him into the river. By the Will of God the barrel landed on the shore of an island, which was inhabited by a believing woman. She took his body, shrouded him, hid him in her house until they built a church for him, in which they laid his body.
May his intercession be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Bishai Anoub
On this day also, St. Bishai Anoub, which means "fine gold", was martyred. He was from the city of Banios, in the diocese of Domiat. He was one of the soldiers of Cyprianus, governor of Athribis. When persecution was incited against the Christians, he went to the governor and confessed his faith in the Lord Christ before him. The governor tortured him, then sent him to the governor of Ansena (Antinoe). St. Bishai openly declared his faith in Christ before Arianus, the governor of Ansena, who tortured him severely. Finally, he ordered his head cut off outside the city. A great multitude followed him outside of the city. One of them, was the keeper of the lions of Arianus, the governor, and he had with him two lions bound with chains. One of them rushed forward, broke the chain, and attacked the Saint to devour him. Immediately, the angel of the Lord appeared, took the Saint and brought him to the city of Ain-Shams where his martyrdom was consummated.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Readings for Third Sunday of Baounah
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 6:1 ; 38:15
Chapter 6
| 1 | O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. |
Chapter 38
| 15 | For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. |
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 7 : 7,12
Chapter 7
| 7 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. |
| 12 | Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. |
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 38 : 21 - 22
Chapter 38
| 21 | Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! |
| 22 | Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! |
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 the Corinthians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Corinthians 4 : 1 - 16
Chapter 4
| 1 | Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. |
| 2 | Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. |
| 3 | But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. |
| 4 | For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. |
| 5 | Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God. |
| 6 | Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. |
| 7 | For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? |
| 8 | You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! |
| 9 | For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. |
| 10 | We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! |
| 11 | To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. |
| 12 | And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; |
| 13 | being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. |
| 14 | I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. |
| 15 | For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. |
| 16 | Therefore I urge you, imitate me. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 2 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
2 Peter 1 : 19 - 2 : 9
Chapter 1
| 19 | And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; |
| 20 | knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, |
| 21 | for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. |
Chapter 2
| 1 | But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. |
| 2 | And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. |
| 3 | By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. |
| 4 | For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; |
| 5 | and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; |
| 6 | and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; |
| 7 | and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked |
| 8 | (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- |
| 9 | then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, |
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 17 : 1 - 12
Chapter 17
| 1 | Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. |
| 2 | Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, |
| 3 | explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." |
| 4 | And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. |
| 5 | But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. |
| 6 | But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. |
| 7 | Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus." |
| 8 | And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. |
| 9 | So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. |
| 10 | Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. |
| 11 | These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. |
| 12 | Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. |
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 61 : 5,8
Chapter 61
| 5 | For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. |
| 8 | So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows. |
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 12 : 22 - 37
Chapter 12
| 22 | Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. |
| 23 | And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" |
| 24 | Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." |
| 25 | But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. |
| 26 | If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? |
| 27 | And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. |
| 28 | But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
| 29 | Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. |
| 30 | He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. |
| 31 | "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. |
| 32 | Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. |
| 33 | "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. |
| 34 | Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. |
| 35 | A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. |
| 36 | But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. |
| 37 | For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." |
And Glory be to God forever.
If you’ve listened to the Center’s podcast, Another Name for Every Thing, you’ve heard the voices of Brie Stoner and Paul Swanson. [1] Both Brie and Paul are committed students of the contemplative path and are also parents. Today I’ll share some of Brie’s insights on being a mother, and Saturday you’ll hear from Paul.
No one is ever ready to become a parent.
Even if the birth is long anticipated, planned, tried for . . . there is nothing that can prepare us for the transition into a life that is no longer about us, now entirely given for another. Our minds honestly can’t imagine it. Romantic love, as much as it begins to re-orient us to selfless love, doesn’t touch the incomparable sensation of experiencing your heart exit your body and become ensconced in the tiny vulnerable body of a child (adopted or birthed).
Fortunate as I was to be a biological mom, I was thrust into the experience right from the start: my body no longer belonged to me, it belonged to the very capricious growing little alien I was housing. Every glowing peaceful image of a pregnant woman became an absolute bait-and-switch lie as I struggled through terribly uncomfortable pregnancies carrying Viking-spawn-sized babies, which only served to underscore the perpetual discomfort of what love requires. This is my body broken for you.
It is precisely that vulnerability that becomes our path as parents. Suddenly we come around to recognizing what has always been true: we are not in control of our universe and never have been. But now that we are oriented toward wanting to protect the small life in our care, we delude ourselves for a while and nearly lose our minds trying to be in control. Our ego is certain that we will fare better, we will do this parenting thing right (not like our parents!). We obsessively read every book, taking every how-to-correctly-attach-to-your-baby class, . . . and live temporarily under the fallacy that we can control schedules, perfectly discipline behavior positively, and . . . and. . . .
Eventually, a pacifier hits the floor and we don’t wipe it off before sticking it back in our kid’s mouth. We adjust to the unpredictable ebb and flow of sleep and lack of sleep and meal times that follow no linear order. We soften to admit the non-wooden toy into our home. We begin to surrender to what was always bigger than us anyway.
Let’s be real: we’re never really ready for love to turn our world upside-down. Our egos prefer the idea to the reality, the Pinterest version of parenting . . . not the real thing. But Love loves us through the tectonic shift anyway, because to love generatively is to join the dance of how everything becomes in this universe: chaos, re-order, a resurrected life that is completely “after” the version of our “before.”
References:
[1] Explore the first season of Another Name for Every Thing podcast: https://cac.org/podcast/another-name-for-every-thing/.
Article by Brie Stoner. Visit thejourneyofbecoming.com to learn more about Brie. See also “Mindful Parenting: A Conversation with Brie Stoner” (April 2, 2019), https://www.spiritualparent.org/blog/2019/3/8/a-conversation-with-brie-stoner.