Day 16 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah, 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 Babah
Departure of St.Agathon, the Thirty-Ninth Pope of Alexandria
On this day of the year 673 A.D., the holy father, the Patriarch Abba Agathon, 39th Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was a disciple to the holy father Abba Benjamin, 38th Pope. Abba Benjamin disappeared for a period of time from the face of his Chalcedonian persecutors and left Agathon to preach to the believers and establish them in the Orthodox faith. Agathon went around the streets and markets in the daytime wearing a carpenter's apparel, and during the night wearing a priest's uniform. He went around the houses also preaching and instructing the believers. He kept doing this till the Arab conquest of Egypt and the return of the father the Patriarch Abba Benjamin to his chair. When Pope Benjamin departed, this saint was chosen to the honorable rank of Patriarch. He faced great tribulations for the sake of keeping the Orthodox faith. For example, a man whose name was Theodosius, a Malachite, went to the city of Damascus and came before Yazeed-Eben-Moawia, the Arab Governor of Damascus. He gave him much money and took from him an order to appoint him the Governor of Alexandria, Behira and Marriot. When he became in charge of this position, he afflicted our father the Patriarch and levied great taxes on him. Because of the excessive evil of the Governor, and what he did to the father the Patriarch, the people hated and avoided him. He put forth an order that any man who might find the Patriarch on his way should slay him. The Patriarch remained in his cell until God destroyed that evil Governor. In the days of this father, the building of St. Macarius' church in his monastery at Wadi-El Natroun was completed.
One night the angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him about a holy monk from the monastery of St. Macarius whose name was John and who lived in Fayyum. The angel ordered him to bring him to help in preaching and teaching the people. The angel told him that he would be Patriarch after him. Abba Agathon sent and brought him and delivered to him the work of the churches, their organization, teaching the believers and preaching to them. Abba Agathon remained in the papacy for 19 years and departed in peace.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Commemoration of the Saints Karbu and Apollos and Peter
On this day also is the commemoration of the saints Karbu, Apollos and Peter the disciple of Abba Isaiah the Anchorite.
May their 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 18 : 34,39
Chapter 18
| 34 | He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. |
| 39 | For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. |
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 10 : 16 - 23
Chapter 10
| 16 | "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. |
| 17 | But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. |
| 18 | You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. |
| 19 | But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; |
| 20 | for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. |
| 21 | "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. |
| 22 | And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. |
| 23 | When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. |
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 45 : 3,6
Chapter 45
| 3 | Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. |
| 6 | Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. |
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 7 : 11 - 17
Chapter 7
| 11 | Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. |
| 12 | And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. |
| 13 | When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." |
| 14 | Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." |
| 15 | So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. |
| 16 | Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." |
| 17 | And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region. |
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.
2 Timothy 2 : 3 - 15
Chapter 2
| 3 | You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. |
| 4 | No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. |
| 5 | And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. |
| 6 | The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. |
| 7 | Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. |
| 8 | Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, |
| 9 | for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. |
| 10 | Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. |
| 11 | This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. |
| 12 | If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. |
| 13 | If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. |
| 14 | Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. |
| 15 | Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. |
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 27 : 42 - 28 : 6
Chapter 27
| 42 | And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. |
| 43 | But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, |
| 44 | and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. |
Chapter 28
| 1 | Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. |
| 2 | And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. |
| 3 | But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. |
| 4 | So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live." |
| 5 | But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. |
| 6 | However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. |
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 Babah, 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 Babah
Martyrdom of St.Bandlaemon, the Physician
On this day of the year 405 A.D., St.Bandlaemon, who was from the city of Nicomedia, was martyred. His father worshipped idols but his mother was a Christian. They educated him well and taught him the profession of medicine. He met a priest whose name was Armolas who taught him the facts of the faith of the Lord Christ and baptized him. He reached a high standard of virtuous life. God wrought great wonders through him. Once, a blind man came to him to be treated by his medicine. He made the sign of the Cross over his eyes in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and his eyes were healed and he regained his vision completely. When the Emperor heard the news of his healing this blind man, he had the blind man brought to him and asked him about how his eyes were healed. He told him St.Bandlaemon healed them by laying his hand on them and by saying, "In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." He confessed before the Emperor that he was a Christian, so the Emperor immediately had his neck cut off. The Emperor ordered that St.Bandlaemon be brought to him and asked him about his belief. He confessed that he was a Christian. He tried to persuade him by all means and promised him many things, but he would not change his confession. Then he shouted out to him and threatened to inflict upon him different kinds of tortures. But he did not move. The Emperor inflicted upon him severe tortures on different days, sometimes beating and suspending him and often times casting him into the sea or into the fire. The Lord Christ appeared to him in the form of Armolas, the priest who baptized him and taught him the facts of faith, to strengthen him, and walked with him as if He was sharing with him every punishment which befell him. Later on, the Emperor ordered to behead him. When St.Bandlaemon went to the place of execution, he prayed to the Lord Christ and supplicated Him. He heard a voice from heaven announcing to him what had been prepared for him from heavenly joy. The soldiers also heard that voice and immediately believed. They went forth to the Emperor and confessed their faith in the Lord Christ. The Emperor ordered his men to cut off their necks, too, and they all received the crown of martyrdom.
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 91 : 13,11
Chapter 91
| 13 | You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. |
| 11 | For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. |
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 10 : 21 - 24
Chapter 10
| 21 | In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. |
| 22 | All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." |
| 23 | Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; |
| 24 | for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." |
And Glory be to God forever.