It's all very simple. God is love. He is love's origin, example, and architect. I love because he loved me first. I know how to love because he has demonstrated it. I can love because he made me in his likeness and to share his character. He is the fountain, the motivation, and the pinnacle of love. I love because he does, first, last, and always.
Day 20 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir, 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 Amshir
Departure of St.Peter, the Twenty-First Pope of Alexandria
On this day of the year 370 A.D., the blessed father Abba Peter II, 21st Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was the successor of St. Athanasius the apostolic, who was his teacher. Anba Peter II suffered many tribulations from the followers of Arius who often tried to kill him, but he escaped them. He was forced to hide for two years, during which the Arians put in his place one of them named Lucius. Nevertheless, the believers were able to remove Lucius, the false pope, and brought back Anba Peter who remained on his chair for 6 years of persecution, during which he resisted the Arians. When he completed 8 years, the Lord relieved him from the toil of this world and he departed to the eternal bliss.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Saints Basil, Theodore and Timothy, the Martyrs
On this day also is the commemoration of Saints Basil, Theodore and Timothy, the martyrs, in the city of Alexandria.
May Their prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Readings for Fast of Ninevah
Matins
Jonah 3 : 1 - 4 : 11
Chapter 3
| 1 | Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, |
| 2 | "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." |
| 3 | So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. |
| 4 | And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" |
| 5 | So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. |
| 6 | Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. |
| 7 | And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. |
| 8 | But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. |
| 9 | Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? |
| 10 | Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. |
Chapter 4
| 1 | But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. |
| 2 | So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. |
| 3 | Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!" |
| 4 | Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" |
| 5 | So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. |
| 6 | And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. |
| 7 | But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. |
| 8 | And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live." |
| 9 | Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!" |
| 10 | But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. |
| 11 | And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?" |
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 103 : 13,12
Chapter 103
| 13 | As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. |
| 12 | As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. |
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 11 : 25 - 30
Chapter 11
| 25 | At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. |
| 26 | Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. |
| 27 | All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. |
| 28 | Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. |
| 29 | Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. |
| 30 | For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." |
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 Ephesians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Ephesians 2 : 1 - 22
Chapter 2
| 1 | And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, |
| 2 | in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, |
| 3 | among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. |
| 4 | But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, |
| 5 | even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), |
| 6 | and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, |
| 7 | that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. |
| 8 | For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, |
| 9 | not of works, lest anyone should boast. |
| 10 | For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. |
| 11 | Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- |
| 12 | that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. |
| 13 | But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. |
| 14 | For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, |
| 15 | having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, |
| 16 | and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. |
| 17 | And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. |
| 18 | For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. |
| 19 | Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, |
| 20 | having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, |
| 21 | in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, |
| 22 | in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 2 : 12 - 17
Chapter 2
| 12 | I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. |
| 13 | I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. |
| 14 | I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. |
| 15 | Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. |
| 16 | For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. |
| 17 | And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. |
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 15 : 12 - 20
Chapter 15
| 12 | Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. |
| 13 | And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: |
| 14 | Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. |
| 15 | And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: |
| 16 | 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; |
| 17 | So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' |
| 18 | "Known to God from eternity are all His works. |
| 19 | Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, |
| 20 | but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Synaxarium
Day 20 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir, 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 Amshir
Departure of St.Peter, the Twenty-First Pope of Alexandria
On this day of the year 370 A.D., the blessed father Abba Peter II, 21st Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was the successor of St. Athanasius the apostolic, who was his teacher. Anba Peter II suffered many tribulations from the followers of Arius who often tried to kill him, but he escaped them. He was forced to hide for two years, during which the Arians put in his place one of them named Lucius. Nevertheless, the believers were able to remove Lucius, the false pope, and brought back Anba Peter who remained on his chair for 6 years of persecution, during which he resisted the Arians. When he completed 8 years, the Lord relieved him from the toil of this world and he departed to the eternal bliss.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Saints Basil, Theodore and Timothy, the Martyrs
On this day also is the commemoration of Saints Basil, Theodore and Timothy, the martyrs, in the city of Alexandria.
May Their prayers be with us and Glory be to our 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 32 : 1,5
Chapter 32
| 1 | Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. |
| 5 | I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.Selah |
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 15 : 32 - 16 : 4
Chapter 15
| 32 | Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." |
| 33 | Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" |
| 34 | Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." |
| 35 | So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. |
| 36 | And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. |
| 37 | So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. |
| 38 | Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. |
| 39 | And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. |
Chapter 16
| 1 | Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. |
| 2 | He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; |
| 3 | and in the morning, "It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. |
| 4 | A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. |
And Glory be to God forever.
The third [revelation] is that our Lord God, almighty wisdom, all love, just as truly as [God] has made everything that is, so truly [God] does and brings about all that is done . . . we are securely protected through love, in joy and sorrow, by the goodness of God. . . . All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. —Julian of Norwich [1]
For Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), a French Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist, love is “the very physical structure of the Universe.” [2] That is a very daring statement, especially for a scientist to make. Yet for Teilhard, gravity, atomic bonding, orbits, cycles, photosynthesis, ecosystems, force fields, electromagnetic fields, sexuality, human friendship, animal instinct, and evolution all reveal an energy that is attracting all things and beings to one another, in a movement toward ever greater complexity and diversity—and yet ironically also toward unification at ever deeper levels. This energy is quite simply love under many different forms. (You can use another word if it works better for you.)
Love, the attraction of all things toward all things, is a universal language and underlying energy that keeps showing itself despite our best efforts to resist it. It is so simple that it is hard to teach, yet we all know love when we see it. After all, there is not a Native, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, or Christian way of loving. There is not a Methodist, Lutheran, or Orthodox way of running a soup kitchen. There is not a gay or straight way of being faithful, nor a Black or Caucasian way of hoping. We all know positive flow when we see it, and we all recognize resistance and coldness when we feel it. All the rest are mere labels.
When we are truly “in love,” we move out of our small, individual selves to unite with another, whether in companionship, friendship, marriage, or any other trustful relationship. Have you ever deliberately befriended a person standing alone at a party? Perhaps someone who was in no way attractive to you or with whom you shared no common interests? That would be a small but real example of divine love flowing. Don’t dismiss it as insignificant. That is how the flow starts, even if the encounter doesn’t change anyone’s life on the spot. To move beyond our small-minded uniformity, we have to extend ourselves outward, which our egos always find a threat, because it means giving up our separation, superiority, and control.
Christena Cleveland recognizes that so much is lost when we refuse to cross the “borders” that keep us apart.
How much are the people for whom Christ died suffering because we remain paralyzed and divided by our differences when we should be working together as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world? There must be a better and more efficient way to carry out our roles within the mission of God. Surely, we can do better. [3