Daily Readings:
Week One, Day Four
Saints/Feasts/Fasts to be commemmorated/celebrated: + St. Kirkos and his mother St. Iyalota
The Fourth Day
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father and……..
Opening Prayer
God our heavenly Father, you are a faithful God who keeps your covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments to a thousand generations. Give us your grace and power to keep your commandments and your love, today, tomorrow and always. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 19: 1 – 14
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handy work. 19:2 Day to day utters speech, and night to night shows knowledge. 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 19:4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 19:5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race. 19:6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 19:8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 19:9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 9:10 And they that know your name will put their trust in thee: for you, Lord, have not forsaken them that seek thee. 9:11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwells in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 9:12 When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: he forgets not the cry of the humble. 9:13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, you that lift me up from the gates of death: 9:14 That I may declare all your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in your salvation. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 20: 1-end
20:1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 20:2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 20:3 Remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice; Selah. 20:4 Grant thee according to your own heart, and fulfil all your counsel. 20:5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all your petitions. 20:6 Now know I that the Lord saves his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 20:8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. 20:9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 21: 1 – 13
21:1 The king shall joy in your strength, O Lord; and in your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 21:2 You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. 21:3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. 21:4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever. 21:5 His glory is great in your salvation: honour and majesty have you laid upon him. 21:6 For you have made him most blessed forever: you have made him exceeding glad with your countenance. 21:7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. 21:8 Your hand shall find out all your enemies: your right hand shall find out those that hate thee. 21:9 Thou shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. 21:10 Their fruit shall thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. 21:11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. 21:12 Therefore shall thou make them turn their back, when thou shall make ready your arrows upon your strings against the face of them. 21:13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in your own strength: so will we sing and praise your power. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
Sirach 28: 1-7
28.1 He that revenges shall find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins [in remembrance. Forgive your neighbour the hurt that he hath done to thee, so shall your sins also be forgiven when thou prayest. One man bears hatred against another, and doth he seek pardon from the Lord? He shows no mercy to a man, which is like himself: and doth he ask forgiveness of his own sins? If he that is but flesh nourish hatred, who will intreat for pardon of his sins? Remember your end, and let enmity cease; [remember] corruption and death, and abide in the commandments. Remember the commandments, and bear no malice to your neighbour: [remember] the covenant of the Highest, and wink at ignorance. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 15: 1 – 4
15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle, shall receive the Apostle’s reward.
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 101: 1 – 2
101:1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: to thee, O Lord, will I sing. 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Halleluiah! Stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Matthew 26: 36 – 45
26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them to a place called Gethsemane, and saith to the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh to the disciples, and finds them asleep, and saith to Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, your will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Heaven and earth pass away a bit, my words shall not pass away, said the Lord to his disciples.
Concluding Prayer
God our heavenly King, who are the beginning and the end of all creations. Be the beginning and the end of all that we do and say today and every day. Grant us your all-powerful help to use this day according to your will. Amen. Our Father…
Day 4
Evening Prayer
In the name of the Father and the Son…
Opening prayer
Lord God, we are gathered together here in prayer, to give you thanks and praise for bringing us safely to our home. Listen favourably to our evening prayer and keep us safe during the coming night. Amen. Our Father…O my Lady Mary…
Psalm 22: 1 – end
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 22:2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 22:3 But you are holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 22:4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 22:5 They cried to thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 22:8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 22:9 But you are he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: you are my God from my mother's belly. 22:11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 22:12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and you have brought me into the dust of death. 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 22:19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 22:21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for you have heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22:22 I will declare your name to my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 22:23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard. 22:25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 22:28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 23: 1 – 6
23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. 23:3 He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup overflow. 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Reading
1st Reading
Isaiah 50: 10 – 11
50:10 Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. He who receives the prophet in the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet reward.
2nd Reading
Acts 2: 25 – 28
2:25 For David speaks concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; thou shall make me full of joy with your countenance. He who receives the Apostle in the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward.
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 112: 1 – 2
112:1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that delights greatly in his commandments. 112:2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Halleluiah, stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Matthew 5: 3 – 12
5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not…
Concluding Prayer
Lord God, the creator of our entire being, hear our prayer and humble request; inspire us with good intentions and help us to fulfil them. We make this our evening prayer and supplications through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Our Father…, O Our Lady Mary….
The Synaxarium:
THE THIRD MONTH
HEDAR 15
(November 24)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day Saint Minas became a martyr; now the interpretation of his name is “believing” and “faithful.” The father of this holy man was a native of the city of Nakiyos and his name was Eudoxius, and he was a governor and a nobleman. And his brother was envious of him, and he made accusations against his brother Eudoxius to the king; and the king sent him to ‘Afrakya (Phrygia?) and made him governor over that country; and the men of that country rejoiced in him, for he was a merciful man, and he feared God. Now the mother of Saint Minas had no son. One day she went into the church on the festival of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, and she saw the children of the church wearing beautiful apparel and going into the church. And she moaned and wept before the image (or picture) of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, and she entreated her to pray on her behalf to God so that He might give her a son; and a voice came forth from the image of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, saying, “Amen.” And straightway that woman went to her house and she told her husband about the voice which she had heard from the image of our Lady Mary, and her husband said unto her, “God’s Will be done!” And after a certain number of days God gave unto her this holy son, and she called his name “Minas,” according to the word, which she had heard from the image of the Virgin Mary. And when the child had grown up a little, [his father] taught him the Scriptures and the doctrine of the spirit. And when he was eleven years old his father died at a good old age, and three years later his mother died. And Saint Minas remained by himself, fasting and praying, and because of the greatness of the affection, which the governors of the city had for his father and for himself, he did abandon the worship of Christ. And when Diocletian had denied Christ, he commanded all men to worship idols, and very many suffered martyrdom for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then Minas abandoned the place where he lived and departed to the desert, and he dwelt there very many days and fought a great fight there. One day he saw the heavens open and the martyrs crowned with beautiful crowns, and he heard a voice, which said, “He who toileth for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ shall receive this crown.” And he returned to the city and believed on the Name of Jesus Christ. And many men knowing that he belonged to a noble and honorable family tried to dissuade him from this, and the governor also promised him honors and many other things, but he would neither obey his behest nor turn from his own good counsel. Then straightway the governor commanded his soldiers to torture him with severe tortures, and when he was tired of torturing him he commanded them to cut off his head with the sword; and they cut off his head straightway, and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens; and very many men heard of his martyrdom for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the governor commanded his soldiers to cast the body of the holy man into the fire, [and they did so,] but certain believing men took his body out of the fire; now the flames had neither scorched it nor burnt it and no harm whatsoever had befallen it. And they swathed it in beautiful grave clothes and laid it in a certain place until the days of persecution were ended. In those days the men of the district of Mareotis wished to collect an army from Pentapolis, and they took the body of Saint Minas with them so that it might be a help unto them, and might protect them on the way. And when they were in the ship, and the body of Saint Minas was with them, beasts came up out of the sea with faces like the faces of serpents and necks like the necks of camels, and they stretched out their necks towards the body of the saint and licked it; and the crew of the ship were afraid with a great fear. And fire went forth from the body of the saint, and burned the faces of the beasts. And having arrived at the city of Alexandria and the men having finished their work, they wished to return to their country, and they sought to take the body of Saint Minas with them. Having lifted it upon a camel, the camel would not get up from his place; and when they had lifted it on to a second camel, that camel also would not get up, and although they beat it with many stripes it would not move at all. Then they knew that this was the Will of God, and they built a shrine over him, and buried him therein and departed. And God wished to reveal the body of Saint Minas. Now there was in that desert a certain shepherd, and one day a sheep that was sick of a disease and had running sores went into the shrine, and slipped down into the water of the well which was by the side of the shrine, and having rolled about in it the sheep was healed straightway. When the shepherd saw this thing and this miracle, he marveled exceedingly and was frightened. And he used to take some dust from the shrine, and wet it with water, and smear it over the sheep when they were sick, and straightway they were healed thereby. And he used to do this always, and he healed all the sick persons who came to him by this thing. And the Emperor Constantine heard of the report of this--now he had an only daughter who was sick through running sores--and he sent her to this place, but she could not strip herself naked because there were men there. And the princess asked the shepherd what he did when he healed the sick sheep, and the shepherd told her what he did. And she took dust from that place, and moistened it with water from that well, and she smeared her whole body therewith, and she slept that night in the shrine. And Saint Minas appeared and said unto her. “When thou risest up in the morning, dig, and thou shalt find my body”; and straightway she was healed of her disease. And when she rose up [and found that] she was healed of her disease, she commanded [her servants] to dig in that place, and straightway she found the body of Saint Minas. And she rejoiced with an exceeding great joy, and she sent [a letter] to her father, and told him of this matter, and the emperor built a church over his body. And a beautiful church was built in his honor in the days of Arcadius and Honorius, the righteous emperors, and they commanded the people to build a great city there. And a great city was built there, as the righteous emperors commanded, and they laid the body of Saint Minas in the church, and miracles and great wonders took place through his body. And sick people of all nations used to come into that church, and they were healed, and signs and wonders used to appear in that church. And Satan was envious, and he stirred up certain wicked men and they pulled down the church, and the city was plundered, and they removed the body of Saint Minas. And they built another church for him there, and laid his body therein, and signs and wonders took place therein which were far greater than those, which had taken place in the former church. Salutation to thee, O Minas, officer and nobleman, for whom thy mother prayed to the image of the Virgin Mary.
And on this day also died the holy father Abba Minas the Second, the sixty-first Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. The parents of this holy man made him marry a wife when he was young, against his will, but he did not wish to transgress the command of his parents, and he fulfilled all the duty of marriage according to the Law of the Church, and the whole of this matter was to him as a dream. When they brought him with his wife into the marriage-chamber, he sat down and talked to her, saying, “O my sister, what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? The world passeth away and the lust thereof passeth away, but, as it is written, ‘He who doeth the Will of God shall endure for ever.’ Come now, let us make a covenant of God, and let us preserve our bodies and our virginity in purity.” And his wife accepted his words and she agreed with him that they should keep their bodies in purity. Then he left her and went to the desert of Scete, and he became a monk in the monastery of Abba Macarius, and he dwelt there for many years as an ascetic and fighter. When the archbishop his predecessor died, they took Abba Minas against his will, and made him archbishop; and he sat on the throne of Mark the evangelist for eighteen years, and he protected his flock rightly and justly and he died in peace. Salutation to Minas the Second who renounced the world and regarded it as a shadow and as a thirst during which a man drinketh as in a dream.
Salutation to thee, Victor, in whose admonitions the children rejoiced. [Wanting in the Bodleian MS.]
And on this day beginneth the preaching of the fasting service of Soma Gena, for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the Jacobite Christians established.
Salutation to the House of Pachomus, which was consecrated by the holy, father Timothy. [Wanting in the Bodleian MS.]
And on this day also died the holy Maccabaeus of Kasbar, who fought until he fed with his body the birds of heaven.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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