With all the great heroes of the Bible, both big and small, we can do God's work with confidence. But to boldly go where he wants us to go, we must first be willing to let go of the sin that entangles our lives, distorts our vision, enlarges our doubts, and robs us of our spiritual vitality and stamina.
Day 20 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Abib, 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 Twentieth Day of the Blessed Month of Abib
Martyrdom of St.Theodore of Shotep
On this day, of the year 220 A.D., St. Theodore of Shotep was martyred. His father's name was John and he was from the city of Shotep in Upper Egypt. He went with his regiment to the city of Antioch, where he married the daughter of a pagan noble man, and begot by her this St. Theodore. When his mother wanted to present him to the house of idols to be educated there, his father refused. She became angry, drove him away, and the child remained with his mother. His father John prayed ceaselessly, and entreated God to guide his son Theodore to the path of salvation. The child grew up, and learned philosophy, wisdom, and literature. The Lord Christ illuminated his heart, and Theodore went to a righteous bishop who baptized him. When his mother heard of this she was sorrowed greatly, but the Saint did not mind her. He joined the army and advanced in the ranks until he became one of the great generals during the reign of Emperor Lucianus. The people of the city of Eukhitos worshipped a great serpent, and offered to him a human sacrifice every year. While St. Theodore was passing through this district, he saw a woman crying bitterly. He asked her about the reason for her crying. She answered him saying, "I am a widow and they have taken my two sons to offer them as a sacrifice to the serpent, although I am Christian." He said to himself, "They have wronged this woman, but God shall avenge her." He came down from his horse, and turned his face towards the East and prayed, then drew near the serpent. The people of the city were watching him from the tops of the walls of the city. The serpent was fourteen cubits long, but God gave him power over it, and he speared it with his spear and killed it, and delivered the sons of the widow. After this, Theodore came to Egypt to search for his father, and he stayed with him until he died, and then returned to Antioch. He found that the Emperor had apostatized the faith and started to persecute the Christians. He came before him and confessed the Lord Christ. The Emperor ordered him beaten with rods, burned, and cast into the fire. He delivered up his soul and received the crown of martyrdom. A Christian woman took his body - it was said that she was his mother - after she gave much money to the soldiers and hid his body until the end of the time of persecution. Churches were built in his name in many cities.
May his prayers be with us 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.
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.
The goal of life is God! The source of life is God! —Howard Thurman (Sunday)
God reveals God’s Presence out of the mystery of Being. —Howard Thurman (Monday)
Faith teaches us that God is. —Howard Thurman (Tuesday)
It has long been a matter of serious moment that for decades [Christians] have studied the various peoples of the world and those who live as our neighbors as objects of missionary endeavor and enterprise without being at all willing to treat them either as brothers or as human beings. —Howard Thurman (Wednesday)
What does our religion say to the poor, the disinherited, the dispossessed? —Howard Thurman (Thursday)
If being Christian does not demand that all Christians love each other and thereby become deeply engaged in experiencing themselves as human beings, it would seem futile to expect that Christians as Christians would be concerned about the secular community in its gross practices of prejudice and discrimination. —Howard Thurman (Friday)
Practice: Attending to Details
The mystic’s concern with the imperative for social action is not merely . . . to feed the hungry, not merely to relieve human suffering and human misery. If this were all, in and of itself, it would be important surely. But . . . the basic consideration has to do with the removal of all that prevents God from coming to . . . [fullness] in the life of the individual. Whatever there is that blocks this, calls for action. —Howard Thurman [1]
Each Saturday we offer an invitation to contemplative practice. You may not always choose to try the practice we suggest, but I hope you will explore today’s, even if you have a regular contemplative practice.
One of our Living School teachers, Dr. Barbara Holmes, writes about “crisis contemplation” as a way to express grief and find refuge in the midst of danger. We need practices to move through suffering and find creative responses. One example of crisis contemplation occurred on plantations:
Here, enslaved Africans created narratives of survival that depended on personal courage and God’s deliverance. The word courageous within the context of slavery is problematic because it has incongruous but romantic overtones. Those who attempt to describe the horrors of one holocaust or another inevitably use language that mythically denies, romanticizes, or diminishes the oppression. When history is collapsed into myth, responsibilities become diffused, and repentance and reconciliation become impossible.
In the inflated realm of mythical oppression, villains are so villainous that no one sees themselves reflected in the image. Few can trace accrued privileges to specific and intentional evil acts. Similarly, victims become so quintessentially and epically victimized that all escape routes from the condition are sealed off by a maze of self-doubt, blaming, and low self-esteem. The antidote to this phenomenon is to attend to the details, to understand the specific events, ancestors, life stories, causes of oppression, and avenues of social change. Historical and spiritual specificity is salvific. Then and only then can the movement toward moral flourishing begin. [2]
Meditation teacher Ruth King helps people cultivate awareness of how we impact each other and ourselves, especially being “mindful of race.” For those of us who are white, thinking about our own race can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable. For people of color whose ancestors and they themselves have experienced oppression, this exploration can be quite painful. But the path toward healing for all of us includes attending to the details, as Holmes suggests, and seeing reality as it is.
Find some uninterrupted time to reflect on Ruth King’s questions below. After you’ve held these with an open heart, you may wish to do some research with an open mind.
- Where in your life do you feel numb, shut down, dismembered, disrespected, or disconnected? What is your earliest memory of feeling this way? What events or circumstances do you believe gave birth to these experiences? What do you believe such feelings keep you from knowing?
- What racial identities or ethnicities have shaped how you have come to know yourself as a race?
- What views did your ancestors, elders, parents, or caretakers have about race? How did their views impact you? In what ways were/are your views similar or different?
- What are the roots of your racial lineage? Given your lineage, what has your race gained or lost throughout the generations? How have these gains or losses influenced your racial views today? [3]