Daily Readings
Saints/Feasts/Fasts to be commemmorated/celebrated: Fast of the Nativity
+ Medhanialem (Savior of the World)
Week One, Day Seven
The Seventh Day
Morning Prayer
Make the sign of the cross as you or the priest say:
In the name of the Father and the Son…
Opening Prayer
Lord God, who are the source of our lives, giver of grace we ask you to help us and to enlighten us with your grace and to fill our heart with your fatherly love, today and always. Amen. Our Father….
Psalm 35: 1-28
35:1 Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am your salvation. 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them. 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. 35:7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. 35:8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation. 35:10 All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like to thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoils him? 35:11 False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. 35:12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 35:14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourns for his mother. 35:15 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: 35:16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. 35:17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. 35:18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. 35:19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. 35:20 For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. 35:21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it. 35:22 This you have seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. 35:23 Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my Lord. 35:24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. 35:25 Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. 35:26 Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Psalm 36: 1-12
36:1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 36:2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. 36:3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. 36:4 He devises mischief upon his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. 36:5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; your judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. 36:7 How excellent is your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and thou shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures. 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light. 36:10 O continue your loving kindness to them that know thee; and your righteousness to the upright in heart. 36:11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. 36:12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,….
Scripture Reading
1st Reading
Deuteronomy 4: 39-40
4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Thou shall keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with your children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong your days upon the earth, which the Lord your God gives thee, forever.He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 14: 17-19
14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 135: 1-2
135:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. 135:2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. John 14: 12-14
14:12 Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
The Seventh Day
Prayer
Make the sign of the cross as you or the priest say:
In the name of the Father and the Son…
Opening Prayer
O God, our Almighty King and Lord, who are merciful, we ask you in our evening prayer; to lighten our darkness and by your great mercy to defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your Holy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 37:1-40
37:1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shall be fed. 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of your heart. 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 37:6 And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 37:12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes upon him with his teeth. 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seesthat his day is coming. 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. 37:15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholds the righteous. 37:18 The Lord knows the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever. 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. 37:21 The wicked borrows, and pays not again: but the righteous shows mercy, and gives. 37:22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delights in his way. 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with his hand. 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. 37:28 For the Lord loves judgment, and forsakes not his saints; they are preserved forever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever. 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. 37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeks to slay him. 37:33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shall see it. 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 37:40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
st Reading
Deuteronomy 7: 6, 8-9
7:6 For you are an holy people to the Lord your God: the Lord your God hath chosen thee to be a special people to himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn to your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet…
2nd Reading
1st Corinthians 2: 7-10
2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 37: 27-28
37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. 37:28 For the Lord loves judgment, and forsakes not his saints; they are preserved forever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. John 14: 15-17
14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeshim not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
O lord our God, who never failed to help and support those you did bring up in your steadfast care and love; we pray you to you to keep us under the protection of you good providence and love. Amen. Our Father…
The Synaxarium:
THE THIRD MONTH
HEDAR 18
(November 27)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day the holy virgins Atrasis and Yona became martyrs. This Saint Atrasis was the daughter of King Iskandrianus who worshipped idols; and he made her a palace, and he established her therein by herself so that she might never see a man. And she used to think about the end of this world, and she asked God by day and by night to teach her the path of righteousness and integrity. And she saw a vision one night and it was as if one said unto her, “Send to the virgin Yona, the daughter of Philaspheron and she shall teach thee the way of God.” When she awoke from her dream her soul rejoiced and she sent a message to the virgin Yona who made haste to come unto her; and Atrasis embraced her, and bowed down at her feet, and she entreated her to teach her and make manifest to her the path of God. And Yona the virgin told her the reason why the Son of God became a man, and she began to tell her [the history of the world] from the time when God created our father Adam, and how He expelled him from the Garden; and she told her about the days of Noah, and how the water of the Flood came and destroyed all mankind, and how only eight men were left [alive], and how the earth was renewed once more, and how men worshipped idols, and how God appeared to our father Abraham, and how the Israelites went out from Egypt, and how the prophets proclaimed the coming of the Son of God, and how Satan was master of the world through the worship of idols, and how the Son of God came down from heaven, and took flesh of Mary so that He might save the children of men from the dominion of Satan. And Yona the virgin told her and made her to know about heavenly grace, and the kingdom which is for ever, which God gives unto those who labor for His holy Name’s sake. When Atrasis the virgin heard the words of Yona she rejoiced exceedingly; and the words of Yona the virgin were unto her sweeter than honey and sugar, and straightway she believed on God. And the two virgins lived together and they fasted and they prayed by day and by night; and the king, the father of Atrasis, knew nothing of this matter. One day they saw our Lord Jesus Christ, and His mother Mary the pure and holy Virgin, and she took the two virgins and brought them to her Son as an offering, and He blessed them. And the king, the father of Atrasis, departed to fight a battle, and when he came back he came to his daughter and said unto her, “Come, my daughter, cast incense to the god Apollo before thou comest to thy marriage (?).” And Atrasis the virgin said unto her father, “Why dost thou forsake the God of heaven and worship foul idols? Turn, O my father, to the God Who created thee and in Whose hand is thy soul and body.” When the king her father heard these words, the like of which he had never heard from her before, he marveled, and asked what had come to his daughter and what had changed her mind. And [his servants] told him, “It is Yona the virgin, the daughter of Philaspheron, who hath corrupted thy daughter’s heart.” And the king commanded [his soldiers] to burn them in the fire, and they dragged them out arrayed, as they were in costly raiment wherein gold and silver were woven in cunning devices, and they did not strip them naked because they were daughters of kings. And there were many of their slaves, and their handmaidens, both small and great, who wept for them, and the men of the city also wept and were sorry for those virgins, and they begged them to submit to the king so that he might not kill them; but they would not turn from their good counsel, and their divine love. And straightway the soldiers dug pits in the ground and they lighted fires therein and the flames thereof rose to a great height. And the two virgins took each other’s hand and they cast themselves into the fire, and the people saw them standing up in the fire with their faces turned towards the east, and they were praying, and after that they died. Now the fire was unto them as cool water. And certain believing men took away their bodies, and their countenances were unchanged, and their apparel was unscorched, and the fire had not touched the hair of their head; and they laid them in a good place with great honor until the end of the days of persecution. And they built a fine church and laid their bodies therein, and great signs and wonders were wrought there through them. Salutation to the virgins Atrasis and Yona who died in the fire holding each other’s hand.
And on this day also died Philip the apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles. Now the lot fell upon this apostle to go to the country of ‘Afrakya (Phrygia), and all the region round about, and he preached to the people thereof the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Redeemer; and he worked miracles there which astonished the hearts [of men]. And when Peter and Philip drew nigh to the city a certain man in whom was an evil spirit received them, and he cried out, saying, “O Apostles of Christ, I will not let you go into the city.” And Peter knew that [he was possessed of] a spirit of devils, and then and there he rebuked him, and Satan went out of him, and the man was healed and he followed the apostles into the city. Now there was above the gate of the city an exceedingly high pillar, and when they came to that gate Peter entreated God, saying, “I beseech Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, that this gate, and this high pillar and the things which are on it may fall down upon the earth in such a manner that the hand of a man may touch them.” And at that moment the gate, and the pillar, and the things, which were on it, fell down upon the earth, and they appeared to be like the face of the earth. And Peter said unto the man from whom the foul spirit had gone forth, “Go up and cry out,” and he cried out, saying, “Apostle of Christ, I will cry out as thou commandest me.” And similarly he commanded him to speak with his mouth so that awe might fall upon the men of that city. And that man went up from the ground upon the pillar which had stood over the gate, and Peter said unto him, “In the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ let it be raised up,” and at that very moment the gate raised itself up, and the pillar which was upon it, and the doors resumed the place which they had formerly. And the man cried out with a loud voice, saying, “O men who live in this city, assemble ye in the place where are the Apostles of Christ, our Lord, that they may bless you and may entreat Him to forgive you your sins.” And whilst the man was standing upon the top of the pillar and saying these words, there was an earthquake and lightning, and the men of the city were frightened, and they feared exceedingly, and they went into the houses, and caverns, and islands (sic), and the lightning pursued them wherever they went; and many men, and women also, died of fright at the noise of the thunder and the lightening. And because of this groups of people came to the apostles, and they looked at them, their hands being stretched out, and they made supplication to God, and they fell on the ground and bowed low before them, saying, “O servants of God, we beseech thee to have mercy upon us.” And the apostles made entreaty to God on their behalf, and the thunder ceased and there was no more lightning; and they all believed on our Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles brought them to the knowledge of God, and after this they made them to enter the True Faith. And [Philip] went outside the city and turned the people to the knowledge of God, but those who did not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ took counsel together against Philip so that they might seize him and kill him. Now they enjoyed the favor of the king, and he would not allow them to enter into their alien city. When Philip came to them they rose up against him, and seized him, and shut him up in prison. And he used to laugh before them, and say unto them, “Why do ye go away from everlasting life, and why do ye not think about the salvation of your souls?” And they rose up against him, and seized him, and shut him up in prison; and they tortured him with severe tortures, and they suspended him head downwards, and he delivered up his soul whilst still under torture. And when they wanted to burn his body in the fire, an angel of God snatched it out of their hands whilst they stood looking at him, and he carried it to a place outside the city of Jerusalem. And when they saw this great miracle they all cried out with a loud voice, saying, “One is the Lord God of Saint Philip the apostle.” And they were sorry and repented that they had tortured him, and they entreated God by day and by night until the body of Saint Philip returned. And when they saw it they rejoiced exceedingly, and they came back to the Faith of our Lord Christ, and through the body of Philip God made manifest signs and miracles. Salutation to Philip and Eleutherus.
And on this day also Eleutherus, and his mother Entia, who belonged to a noble family of the city of Rome, became martyrs. This holy man was brought up by a God-fearing bishop whose name was Anicetus. When he was sixteen years of age he was made a deacon, when he was eighteen he was made a priest, and at the age of twenty years he was made bishop of the country of ‘Elerikos. In those days Andrianus the emperor came to the city of Rome, and when he heard about Eleutherus he commanded Pilkes to bring him to him; and Pilkes found him in the church teaching the Word of God. When Pilkes heard the Faith of Eleutherus, he believed and was baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. When he had brought Eleutherus to Andrianus the emperor, he said unto him, “Offer sacrifice to the gods. Thou art a free man, why dost thou worship a man who was crucified?” And Eleutherus said, “My freedom is the Cross of Jesus Christ, Who is the Creator of the heavens and of the earth.” When the emperor heard this he commanded [his soldiers] to throw him into a red-hot oven and to shut him in; and they did so, and straightway the fiery oven was cooled; and [they threw him on the wheel, and] the wheel was broken. When the emperor saw this he marveled greatly, and not knowing what to do he commanded the soldiers to throw him into prison. And a raven brought him food from the Garden (i.e. Paradise) and he ate and was satisfied. And when Illyricus (?) the governor saw him, he believed in the God of Saint Eleutherus, and they cut off his head with a sword. And Andrianus commanded his soldiers to bring small horses, and to harness them to a chariot, and they tied Eleutherus to the middle of the chariot, and they dragged him about until is limbs were cut to pieces. And straightway an angel of God came down and released him from his fetters, and he took him into a high place, and he sat down with the wild beasts glorifying God. And straightway Andrianus ordered his soldiers to hunt down the wild beasts that were in the mountain in which they had found Eleutherus, and they took Eleutherus to Andrianus the emperor. When they had brought him to him the emperor commanded them to give him to the lions, and when the lions came they licked the moisture from his face and feet; and all the men of Rome wondered. Now the lions had slain fifty hundred pagans. When the emperor saw this he was filled with wrath, and he commanded two soldiers to spear him [and they did so]. And his mother Entia also--after they had tortured her greatly, they speared her with him, and whilst she was embracing the neck of her son they delivered up their souls to God. Salutation to Eleutherus.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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