Monday, February 24, 2025 | Meshir 17, 1741
Lenten | Winds of heaven
Yesterday | Today | TomorrowProphecy
From the book of Ex., may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen.From the book of Isaiah, may his holy blessings be with us all. Amen.Ex. 2:23-3:5
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its masters crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider." Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?"Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "Come now, and let us reason together,"Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:2-18
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 Matthew 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 6:1,2
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
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.Matthew 12:24-34
Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong mans house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
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 1:26-2:7
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from the Epistle of St. James. May his blessing be upon us. Amen.
James 2:1-13
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place,"and say to the poor man, "You stand there,"or, "Sit here at my footstool,"have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery,"also said, "Do not murder."Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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 14:19-28
Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. Amen.
Synaxarium
The Seventeenth Day of the Blessed Coptic Month of Meshir, 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 Mina the Monk
On this day St. Mina the monk was martyred. This saint was born in Akhmim to Christian parents who were farmers. Since his youth, his heart was inclined to renounce the world, so he became a monk in one of the monasteries of Akhmim. For a period of time, he fasted two days at a time and he was ascetic in his food and drink. Then he went to El-Ashmounein and dwelt in a monastery there for 16 years without leaving it. When the Arabs ruled the country, St. Mina heard that they denied that God had a Son from His nature and essence, and equal with Him in Eternity. This denial of faith was painful to the saint, so he took permission from the abbot of the monastery and went to El-Ashmounein. He came before the commander of the Arab camp and asked him, 'Is it true that you say that God has no Son from His nature and essence?' The commander replied saying, 'We deny that saying about God and totally reject it.' The saint told the Arab commander that it should only be rejected if His Son was born through parental procreation, but our belief is that the Lord Christ is God of God, and Light of Light. The commander replied, 'In our faith, this is blasphemy.' The saint told him that the Bible says, 'He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him.' (John 3:36) The commander became enraged at this and ordered his soldiers to cut the saint into pieces and to throw him into the sea. The believers gathered the pieces of his body, shrouded and buried it. They arranged a commemoration of St. Mina the monk on this day.
May His prayers 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 Mark 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 21:25
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear 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.Mark 9:33-50
Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire where Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched. "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."
And Glory be to God forever. Amen