Day 17 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 Seventeenth Day of the Blessed Month of Babah
Departure of St.Dioscorus the Second, the Thirty-First Pope of Alexandria
On this day of the year 511 A.D., the holy father Abba Dioscorus the Second, the thirty-first Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was chosen Patriarch by the guidance of the Holy Spirit after the departure of his predecessor, St. John. This father was gentle in disposition, his work and knowledge were outstanding, and he was perfect all his days; no one was like him in his generation. His first work after his enthronement to the See of St. Mark was writing an epistle to the holy father Abba Severus, Patriarch of Antioch. This epistle contained the faith in the Holy Trinity as equal in essence and divinity, and an explanation of the Incarnation. He said that the Word of God was incarnated in a human body perfect in everything, and united with it and became one Son, one Christ, one God, in inseparable unity and that the Trinity is one before and after this unity and no addition was effected to Him by the Incarnation. When this epistle reached Abba Severus, he read it and rejoiced and made it known to the people of Antioch. He felt optimistic with it and wrote to St. Dioscorus a reply to the epistle congratulating him on his Christian presidency and on the Orthodox faith. He commanded him not to turn aside from it, neither to the right nor to the left, and to depend in all his sayings and works on the Orthodox faith which was established by the Three Hundred and Eighteen Fathers in Nicea and according to what they commanded in the Canon and the Law. When the message reached Abba Dioscorus, he joyfully received it and commanded that it be read from the pulpit to be heard by all the people. This father read and taught continually, and urged and commanded the priests in every city to shepherd and guard their flocks. Having ended his course, he departed in peace.
May his 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 89 : 36,29
Chapter 89
| 36 | His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; |
| 29 | His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. |
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 9 : 18 - 27
Chapter 9
| 18 | And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" |
| 19 | So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again." |
| 20 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." |
| 21 | And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, |
| 22 | saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day." |
| 23 | Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. |
| 24 | For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. |
| 25 | For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? |
| 26 | For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. |
| 27 | But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see 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 107 : 32,41,42
Chapter 107
| 32 | Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. |
| 41 | Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. |
| 42 | The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. |
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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 8 : 22 - 29
Chapter 8
| 22 | Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. |
| 23 | So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. |
| 24 | And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." |
| 25 | Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. |
| 26 | Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." |
| 27 | Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" |
| 28 | So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." |
| 29 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." |
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 Hebrews .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Hebrews 4 : 14 - 5 : 14
Chapter 4
| 14 | Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. |
| 15 | For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. |
| 16 | Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. |
Chapter 5
| 1 | For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. |
| 2 | He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. |
| 3 | Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. |
| 4 | And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. |
| 5 | So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." |
| 6 | As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"; |
| 7 | who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, |
| 8 | though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. |
| 9 | And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, |
| 10 | called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," |
| 11 | of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. |
| 12 | For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. |
| 13 | For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. |
| 14 | But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. |
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 : 1 - 9
Chapter 1
| 1 | Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, |
| 2 | elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. |
| 3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, |
| 4 | to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, |
| 5 | who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. |
| 6 | In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, |
| 7 | that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, |
| 8 | whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, |
| 9 | receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls. |
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 12 : 1 - 24
Chapter 12
| 1 | Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. |
| 2 | Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. |
| 3 | And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. |
| 4 | So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. |
| 5 | Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. |
| 6 | And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. |
| 7 | Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. |
| 8 | Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." |
| 9 | So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. |
| 10 | When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. |
| 11 | And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." |
| 12 | So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. |
| 13 | And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. |
| 14 | When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. |
| 15 | But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." |
| 16 | Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. |
| 17 | But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place. |
| 18 | Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. |
| 19 | But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there. |
| 20 | Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country. |
| 21 | So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. |
| 22 | And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" |
| 23 | Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. |
| 24 | But the word of God grew and multiplied. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
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.
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 110 : 4,5,7
Chapter 110
| 4 | The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
| 5 | The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. |
| 7 | He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head. |
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 16 : 13 - 19
Chapter 16
| 13 | When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" |
| 14 | So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." |
| 15 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
| 16 | Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." |
| 17 | Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. |
| 18 | And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. |
| 19 | And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." |
And Glory be to God forever.