Sunday, December 22, 2024 | Koiahk 13, 1741

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Vespers Raising of Incense

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. From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet. May his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 143:5,7
Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Stretch out Your hand from above; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, From the hand of foreigners,

Alleluia.

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 7:36-50
Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisees house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."So he said, "Teacher, say it.""There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

And Glory be to God forever. Amen.

Prime Raising of Incense

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. From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet. May his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 71:6,7
He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.

Alleluia.

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 11:20-28
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

And Glory be to God forever. Amen.

Divine Liturgy

Pauline 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 Romans. May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
Romans 3:1-4:3
What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?

The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.

Catholic Epistle

A Reading from the 1 Epistle of St. John. May his blessing be upon us. Amen.
1 John 1:1-2:2
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life

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. Amen.
Acts of the Apostles 7:30-34
"And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, I am the God of your fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses trembled and dared not look. Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."

The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. Amen.

Synaxarium

The Thirteenth Day of the Blessed Coptic Month of Koiahk, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins are forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers, Amen.

Martyrdom of Saint Barsanuphius
This day marks the martyrdom of St. Barsanuphius the monk in the early days of the Islamic era in Egypt. He lived in the church of Mari Mina in the old district of Cairo (Fum-El-Khaleeg). He worshipped God with dedication and piety. He fasted two days at a time, praying incessantly with numerous metanias. Some wicked people accused him of cursing the judges and the Muslim sheikhs. They brought him and tortured him severely, then they finally cut off his head, thus St. Barsanuphius received the crown of martyrdom.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.

Departure of Saint Abracius
On this day also, the father St. Abracius (Apraxios) departed. He was from Upper Egypt and became a monk in one of the monasteries when he was 20 years old. He fought a perfect fight until Satan grew tired of tempting him. Satan faced him saying, 'You still have 50 more years to live in this world,' wishing by these words to cast the saint into despair. The saint replied, 'You have made me sorrowful for I have thought that I had another hundred years to live and I have slackened in my fight and in my worship. If this is the case, I have to fight harder before I die.' In this way, he overcame the devil that tried to put slackness in his heart. He fought strenuously and departed in peace in the same year after spending 70 years of worship and asceticism.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.

Consecration of The Church of Saint Misael the Anchorite
On this day also we commemorate the consecration of the church of St. Misaeal, the Anchorite. While Abba Isaac, the head of El-Qualamoon monastery, was sitting in the monastery a young man came to him. Abba Isaac made the sign of the cross over his face, as is the custom of the monks 12 and allowed him to draw near. The young man came closer and prostrated himself before the saint and told him, 'My father, Abba Isaac, accept my weakness for the sake of the Lord Christ. Help me to save my soul and count me among your children.' The abbot marveled, for he called him by his name and asked him, 'Who told you about my name?' The young man replied, 'The grace that dwells in you informed me.' The abbot asked Misaeal to sit down and he told him, 'May God Almighty make you a holy temple. And now tell me about yourself.' The young man replied, 'My name is Misaeal. My father loved the world, which kept him from worshipping God, and he was sad because he did not have children. One day he hosted a holy old monk and expressed to him his sorrow for not having a child to inherit his wealth. The monk told him, 'Reform your way with the Lord, the Lover of mankind, Who will give you a blessed son.' He asked the monk, 'How can I go about that?' The holy old monk replied, 'Live a perfect life and live according to the commandments of the church that are required of the believers; do not stay away from the holy church and have a priest to consult with, in all your affairs. If you do that, you and your wife will have what you wish.'' St. Misaeal said, 'My father did all that the holy old monk commanded, and his words were fulfilled and my mother gave birth to a son, me.' 'When I was six years old, my parents departed. The father, the bishop, took care of raising me, he also took care of my education and of managing my money. When I studied the Scripture, I longed for the monastic life, so I came here.' The abbot was pleased as a result of what the young man, Misaeal, told him. He entrusted him to one of the elders in the monastery who trained him in asceticism, in worship and in the fight in the spiritual life. Afterwards, they put on him the garb of the monastic life and the holy Eskeem. From there on, he lived a solitary life in worship and asceticism.

One day, one of the brothers in the monastery came to Abba Misaeal. He found him standing up praying and when he knocked at the door of his cell, he opened it to him. They prayed together, blessed each other and sat discussing the ways to overcome the evil enemy. St. Misaeal told him, 'The devil flees away when our spiritual prayers are sincere and warm.' After they ended their spiritual talk, they praised God and the brother left him. After a while that brother came to Abba Misaeal and found him praying saying, 'O Lord save me, look upon my meekness; wash me of my iniquities, for my mother and father have forsaken me but the Lord accepted me.' When the brother saw how thin he was and how his skin cleaved to his bones, he cried and told Abba Miseael, 'Your body looks like it has been burnt.' The saint told him, 'I thank my God for he has given me my eyesight and my hearing to read the Scriptures (Holy Books) and hear the word of God and he also gave me the strength to stand as I pray.' When the abbot of the monastery heard about St. Miseael's asceticism, he came to visit him. St. Misaeal told the abbot, 'My holy father, after three days some people looking like soldiers will come and ask you about me. Do not keep me away from them. Do not be afraid or sorrowful for it is the Will of God. Also you should know that a famine will happen next year and I shall come back to see you at that time.' After a while, the people resembling soldiers came, took the saint and left.

The abbot listened to what the saint said and he bought much of the grain. As St. Misaeal predicted, the famine took place and wheat was in shortage. The Governor came with his men to take whatever grains he might find in the monastery. Soldiers appeared and prevented him from doing so and he went back empty handed. The abbot welcomed those soldiers, thanked them and offered them food to eat. They told him, 'We do not need any of that food.' One of the them came forward, took the abbot's hand, and took him aside and told him, 'I am your son Misaeal and those people who look like soldiers are hermits who came last year and took me with them. I ask you now to go to Abba Athanasius, the bishop of my town where I was raised; tell him about me, and ask him for my father's money with which you should build a church in my name. Then call our father, the bishop, to consecrate it.' The abbot did as St. Misaeal asked. He went to the bishop and took the gold, the silver, many books and 500 heads of sheep from him. Besides, he also received fabrics, jewels and utensils that belonged to the saint. The abbot tore down the saint's old house, bought the land next to the house and built the church there. While the father, the Bishop, was celebrating the consecration of the church, St. Misaeal and the fathers, the hermits, came and attended the consecration prayers. St. Misaeal told the abbot of the monastery, Abba Isaac, that he would depart from this world in the following year. Then they went back to wherever they came from.
May the prayers of these saints be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

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. From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet. May his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 44:10,11
Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your fathers house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.

Alleluia.

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 1:26-38
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgins name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."And the angel departed from her.

And Glory be to God forever. Amen