We live in a time and culture of rights. "It's my right to ___." Just fill in the blank. But we don't have a right to be God's child. We are given that right by God's grace. This right came to us at great cost to God. Jesus' came to earth, lived, died and was raised from the dead. We receive this grace through faith: God gives us new birth as we trust in Jesus as Lord and we are baptized and reborn through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7). To be born of God, to be born from above, to be born "again" is the gift of adoption into God's family and brings us all the rights of heirs in God's house (Galatians 3:26-29; Galatians 4:1-7). So let's not take this grace, this blessing, this adoption, this right for granted! We are God's children right now (1 John 3:1-3). Let's give thanks for this grace and live like we belong.
Day 24 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 Twenty-Fourth Day of the Blessed Month of Abib
Martyrdom of St.Apanoub
On this day, St. Apanoub (Abba Nob) was martyred. He was born in the city of Nehisa (District of Talkha). His parents were pure and merciful and they reared him in the fear of God. When Diocletian incited the persecution against the Christian, St. Apanoub was twelve years old, and he desired to shed his blood for the Name of Christ. One day he went to the church, and he heard the priest teaching the believers, strengthening them in the Faith, warning them from worshipping the idols, and encouraging them to deliver themselves over to death for the sake of the Lord Christ. He returned to his house, and set before him all what his father had left him of gold, silver, and apparels and told himself it is written, "The world is passing away, and the lust of it."(I John 2:17) Straightway he rose up, and gave all his money to the poor and needy, then went to Samanoud, walking along the river bank. He confessed the Name of the Lord Christ before Lucianus the governor, who tortured him severely. Then he hung him up upon the mast of his ship head downwards. The governor sat down to eat and to drink, and the vessel which was in his hand became a stone. The angel of the Lord came down from heaven, released the saint, and wiped up the blood that was running down from his nose and mouth. The governor and his soldiers were greatly disturbed. Strong winds blew, that made the ship to sail fast to Athribis. When they arrived, the soldiers unfastened their belts, and cast them before the governor, then confessed the Lord Christ and they received the crown of martyrdom. The governor of Athribis tortured St. Apanoub (Abba Nob) severely, then sent him to the city of Alexandria. There, he was tortured until he delivered up his pure soul and received the crown of martyrdom. St. Julius El-Akfahsi was present, he wrote the biography of St. Apanoub, took his body and sent it with some of his men to his hometown Nehisa. Many churches were built in his name. Many signs and miracles were manifested from his body which is now located in his church in the city of Samnanoud.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Simeon the First, the 42nd Pope of Alexandria
On this day also, of the year 416 A.M. St. Simeon the First, 42nd Pope of Alexandria, departed. This Pope was Syrian in nationality, and his parents brought him to El-Zugag monastery, west of the city of Alexandria, wherein is the body of St. Severus, the Antiochian. He became a monk there, and he learned to read and to write, and he learned by heart the books of the Church. Pope Agathon ordained him a priest. When his virtues and knowledge became well known, they elected him for the patriarchate. He was ordained a patriarch in 23rd of Kiahk, of the year 409 A.M. (December 19, year 692 A.D.). He called his spiritual guide and delegated to him the management of the affairs of the patriarchate. He devoted himself to fasting, praying, and reading the Scriptures. He ate only bread, salt and cumin, and uncooked legumes, until he made the spirit of lust subjected to his rational and understanding soul. God wrought great signs and miracles by his hands, among which were the following: Some of the priests of the city of Alexandria, were resentful of him, and they plotted to kill him. They went to a magician who prepared a deadly poison for them and he gave it to them in a bottle. In turn they gave it to the Pope as if it was a medicine to use and bless them. Pope Simeon drank that drink after he had received the Holy Mysteries and no harm came to him. As they failed in their scheme, they worked up another deadly poison in some of the figs. Then they deceived the appointed one to prepare the Korban from making it that night, so the Pope would not be able to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and receive the Holy Mysteries. They went to the Pope in the morning and gave him the figs as a present. They pressed him until he ate some of the figs, which made him ill, and he was bed-redden for forty days.
When the Khalifah Abdel-Aziz came to Alexandria, the Pope could not go out to welcome him. The Khalifa asked about the Patriarch, the Christian scribes told him what had happened. He ordered to burn the priests and the magician. The Pope besought the Khalifa with tears to have mercy on them. The Khalifa marvelled at his gentleness and compassion, then he pardoned the priests and burned the magician. Since that time he increased in reverence and respect in the sight of the Khalifa, who allowed him to build churches and monasteries. He built two monasteries at Helwan, south of Cairo. This Pope appointed a priest whose name was Mina, to administer all the properties of the church, to take care of its funds, endowments, sacred vessels and books. Nevertheless, Mina mishandled his duties, to the point that he had denied what he had from the church's funds. Fr. Mina fell ill and was not able to talk. When Pope Simeon heard that, he was sorry and asked the Lord to heal him, lest the properties of the church's be lost. The Pope sent one of his disciples to the wife of that priest to ask her about the properties of the church. When he drew near to the house, he heard the crying and weeping, and he was informed that the priest had died. He went in and bowed his head to kiss him in salutation to his priesthood. Straightway, the dead man rose, sat up and talked, thanking the Lord Christ, and confessing that the prayers of St. Simeon on his behalf had raised him up from the dead. The priest came hastily to the Pope repenting and weeping, and returned all that he had from the church's funds. During the papacy of St. Simeon there were some who took concubines besides their wives, and he excommunicated them until they returned from their transgression. He remained on the Patriarchal Chair for seven years and seven months, then departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.
Readings for Fourth Sunday of Abib
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 59 : 10 - 17
Chapter 59
| 10 | My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. |
| 11 | Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power, And bring them down, O Lord our shield. |
| 12 | For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which they speak. |
| 13 | Consume them in wrath, consume them, That they may not be; And let them know that God rules in Jacob To the ends of the earth.Selah |
| 14 | And at evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the city. |
| 15 | They wander up and down for food, And howl if they are not satisfied. |
| 16 | But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. |
| 17 | To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy. |
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 7 : 1 - 10
Chapter 7
| 1 | Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. |
| 2 | And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. |
| 3 | So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. |
| 4 | And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, |
| 5 | "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue." |
| 6 | Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. |
| 7 | Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. |
| 8 | For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it." |
| 9 | When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" |
| 10 | And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick. |
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 88 : 12 - 13
Chapter 88
| 12 | Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? |
| 13 | But to You I have cried out, O LORD, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. |
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 John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 20 : 1 - 18
Chapter 20
| 1 | Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| 2 | Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 3 | Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. |
| 4 | So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. |
| 5 | And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. |
| 6 | Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, |
| 7 | and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. |
| 8 | Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. |
| 9 | For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. |
| 10 | Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. |
| 11 | But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. |
| 12 | And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. |
| 13 | Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 14 | Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. |
| 15 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." |
| 16 | Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). |
| 17 | Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."' |
| 18 | Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. |
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 Philippians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Philippians 1 : 27 - 2 : 11
Chapter 1
| 27 | Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, |
| 28 | and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. |
| 29 | For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, |
| 30 | having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. |
Chapter 2
| 1 | Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, |
| 2 | fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. |
| 3 | Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. |
| 4 | Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. |
| 5 | Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, |
| 6 | who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, |
| 7 | but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. |
| 8 | And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. |
| 9 | Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, |
| 10 | that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, |
| 11 | and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. |
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 : 25 - 2 : 10
Chapter 1
| 25 | But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. |
Chapter 2
| 1 | Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, |
| 2 | as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, |
| 3 | if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. |
| 4 | Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, |
| 5 | you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
| 6 | Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." |
| 7 | Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," |
| 8 | and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. |
| 9 | But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; |
| 10 | who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. |
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 19 : 11 - 22
Chapter 19
| 11 | Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, |
| 12 | so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. |
| 13 | Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." |
| 14 | Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. |
| 15 | And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" |
| 16 | Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. |
| 17 | This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. |
| 18 | And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. |
| 19 | Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. |
| 20 | So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. |
| 21 | When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." |
| 22 | So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. |
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 40 : 5,16
Chapter 40
| 5 | Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. |
| 16 | Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!" |
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.
John 11 : 1 - 45
Chapter 11
| 1 | Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. |
| 2 | It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. |
| 3 | Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." |
| 4 | When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." |
| 5 | Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. |
| 6 | So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. |
| 7 | Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." |
| 8 | The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" |
| 9 | Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. |
| 10 | But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." |
| 11 | These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." |
| 12 | Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." |
| 13 | However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. |
| 14 | Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. |
| 15 | And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." |
| 16 | Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." |
| 17 | So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. |
| 18 | Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. |
| 19 | And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. |
| 20 | Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. |
| 21 | Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. |
| 22 | But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." |
| 23 | Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." |
| 24 | Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." |
| 25 | Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. |
| 26 | And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" |
| 27 | She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." |
| 28 | And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." |
| 29 | As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. |
| 30 | Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. |
| 31 | Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." |
| 32 | Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." |
| 33 | Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. |
| 34 | And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." |
| 35 | Jesus wept. |
| 36 | Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" |
| 37 | And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" |
| 38 | Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. |
| 39 | Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." |
| 40 | Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" |
| 41 | Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. |
| 42 | And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." |
| 43 | Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" |
| 44 | And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." |
| 45 | Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. |
And Glory be to God forever.