6th week - Strict Abstinence
Baramoudah 8, 1740
Prophecy Proverbs 8:12-21 Isaiah 44:1-8 Job 32:17-33:33
Proverbs 8:12-21
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
Isaiah 44:1-8
Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.One shall say, I am the LORD's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
Job 32:17-33:33
I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion.For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man.For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.Wherefore, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words.Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth.My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up.Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth:He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak.If thou hast anything to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify thee.If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 35:15-16
But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
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 4:22-30
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
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 Corinthians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Corinthians 14:18-28
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
James 1:22-2:1
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
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 19:11-20
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Coptic Synaxarium
Baramoudah 8, 1740
Day 8 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramoudah, 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.
Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins : Agape, Eirene, and Shiona
On this day the three holy virgins: Agape, Eirene, and Shiona (Susinia) were martyred. They were from Thessalonica, and worshipped Christ as their parents. They chose the life of chastity and they agreed to devote themselves to the ascetic life. They fasted and prayed unceasingly, visited the convents often and participated with the virgins in their prayers and asceticism. When Maximianus the infidel, reigned, he restored the worship of the idols and shed the blood of many Christians. These saints were afraid and they fled to the mountain and hid themselves in a cave devoting themselves to their worship and asceticism.
Every week, an aged Christian woman visited them bringing all things needed and took the work of their hands to sell it, and distributed the remainder as alms to the poor. One day a malicious person observed the frequent visits of this old woman to the mountain, he followed her secretly until he knew the cave that she entered. He hid himself so she did not see him on her way back, and he thought that she was hiding precious things in it. After she left the cave by a distance he entered the cave and he found the precious pearls the prides of the Christ standing praying. He bound them, dragged them away, and brought them to the Governor of Thessalonica. He asked them about their faith, they confessed that they were Christians worshipping that Who was Crucified. The Governor became wrath with them, tortured them much, then cast them into the fire, and they delivered up their souls and received the crown of martyrdom.
May their prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of the One Hundred and Fifty believers by the hand of the King of Persia
On this day also is the commemoration of the incident of the martyrdom of one hundred and fifty believers by the king of Persia. This king besieged Christian cities which were near the borders of his country, and captured many of them. When they refused to worship the sun and the stars, he commanded to cut off their heads, and they received the crowns of martyrdom.
May their prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
Divine Liturgy
Divine Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 42:1-1
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
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.
Divine 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 9:18-22
And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
And Glory be to God forever.
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