From kidusmarkos.org and ethiopiantewahedo.org:
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fast to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: the Fast of the Nativity
+ St. Kirkos and his mother St. Iyalota
Week Two, Day Six
The Thirteenth Day
The Thirteenth day
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father and……..
Opening Prayer
O God our merciful Lord, we humbly beseech you to grant us, your servants, pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ your Holy Son. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 68: 1-35
68:1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. 68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 68:6 God sets the solitary in families: he brings out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. 68:7 O God, when thou wentest forth before your people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm your inheritance, when it was weary. 68:10 Your congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, have prepared of your goodness for the poor. 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. 68:12 Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. 68:13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. 68:14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. 68:15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. 68:16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desires to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it forever. 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. 68:18 You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive: you have received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. 68:20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and to GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. 68:21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goes on still in his trespasses. 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: 68:23 That your foot may be dipped in the blood of your enemies, and the tongue of your dogs in the same. 68:24 They have seen your goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. 68:25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. 68:26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. 68:27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. 68:28 Your God hath commanded your strength: strengthen, O God, that which you have wrought for us. 68:29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents to thee. 68:30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. 68:31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God. 68:32 Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises to the Lord; Selah: 68:33 To him that rides upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. 68:34 Ascribe ye strength to God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. 68:35 O God, you are terrible out of your holy places: the God of Israel is he that gives strength and power to his people. Blessed be God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st 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. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 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; And repays them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hates him, he will repay him to his face. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet
2nd Reading
1st Thessalonians 5: 9-10
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the apostle…
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 61: 1-2
61:1 Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry to thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Halleluiah, stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St John 13: 34-35
13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
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Day 13
Evening Prayer
In the name of the Father and……..
Opening Prayer
Lord, our heavenly Father, we ask that you may grant us your grace to protect us from the temptations of this world, the flesh, and the devil. And with pure hearts and minds to follow your word and to you the only God; we make this our evening prayer in your Holy name. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 69: 1-36
69:1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in to my soul. 69:2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 69:3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. 69:6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. 69:7 Because for your sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. 69:8 I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to my mother's children. 69:9 For the zeal of your house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. 69:10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. 69:11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them. 69:12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards. 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of your mercy hear me, in the truth of your salvation. 69:14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 69:15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 69:16 Hear me, O Lord; for your loving-kindness is good: turn to me according to the multitude of your tender mercies. 69:17 And hide not your face from your servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. 69:18 Draw nigh to my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies. 69:19 You have known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee. 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 69:22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 69:23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 69:24 Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your wrathful anger take hold of them. 69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. 69:26 For they persecute him whom you have smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom you have wounded. 69:27 Add iniquity to their iniquity: and let them not come into your righteousness. 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. 69:29 But I am poor and sorrowful: let your salvation, O God, set me up on high. 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 69:31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. 69:32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. 69:33 For the Lord hears the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. 69:34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein. 69:35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. 69:36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 70: 1-5
70:1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O lord. 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. 70:3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha. 70:4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love your salvation say continually, Let God be agnified. 70:5 But I am poor and needy: make haste to me, O God: you are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying. 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 49: 8-10
49:8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet...
2nd Reading
Romans 11: 34-36
11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the apostle…
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 81: 1-2
81:1 Sing aloud to God our strength: make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob. 81:2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Halleluiah, stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St Mark 14: 32-41
14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he takes with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful to death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and finds them sleeping, and saith to Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spoke the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith to them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. He that hath ears to hear let him hear…
Concluding Prayer
Lord God, source of the origin our lives and our freedom. Make our lives here in this world rich with your love so that we may proclaim your glory, and praise you without ceasing in heaven. WE make this our evening prayer, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Our Father…
The Synaxarium:
THE FOURTH MONTH
TAHISAS 15
(December 24)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day died Gregory, Archbishop of Armenia, who became a martyr, without the shedding of his blood. Tiridates, the King of Armenia, as we have already said, tortured this saint severely because he would not worship his idols, and after he had tortured him he cast him into a dry pit where he remained for fifteen years; and God was with him. And God caused a certain old woman to bring him food every [week], and no one knew how he lived. And the emperor having slain the virgins of ‘Arsima, and herself also, because he wished to marry her, the bodies of the virgins were cast out on the hills. And when seventy days had passed since they died, the emperor sorrowed for what he had done to them, and more especially for what he had done to ‘Arsima. Then his friends asked him and said unto him, “Mount thy horse and go forth into the desert and hunt the wild animals, and so remove sorrow from thy heart.” And having mounted his horse, he went out into the desert with all his soldiers, and at that same moment Satan mounted the horse and cast the emperor from it; and the king bit his own body, and the bodies of his attendants. And God changed his appearance and he became like unto the wild boar of the desert, and he continued to go round about in the desert, and he bit everyone he met. And thus also was it with the men of his palace, for Satan mounted upon their horses and there was great dismay and outcry in the palace. All this took place because of the [slaughter of the] holy virgins and of those who were with them. And the sister of the king saw a vision in the night and it seemed as if a man said unto her, “If thou dost not bring up Saint Gregory from the pit, ye shall never have relief, and never be healed of your sickness.” And she told this to every man in the royal palace, and they were in a state of dismay because of this, and they trembled because they thought that he was already dead in the pit. Then they rose up straightway and went to the pit, and they let down a rope into the pit to see if he was still alive, and they cried out to him to hang on to the rope which they had thrown to him. And he seized the rope, which they had thrown down to him, and grasped it tightly with his hands, and straightway they pulled him up, and lifted him up out of the pit; and they washed him, and arrayed him in new apparel and they mounted him on a mule, and brought him into the royal palace. And Gregory asked them questions concerning the bodies of the holy virgins, and they guided him and brought him to the place where the virgins were, and he found that they had been preserved from the wild beasts of the desert and fowl of the heavens. And he commanded [the king’s servants] to build for them a beautiful tomb, which should be worthy of them, and he laid them therein with great honor. Then the people asked him to heal the king, and to drive out from him the Satan of which he was possessed. And the saint had the king brought, and he said unto him, “Wilt thou turn from thy evil works?” And the king made a sign of consent with his head. And the saint prayed over him, and he cast out the Satan from him, and his heart (i.e. senses) returned, and his appearance became what it had been originally; but God allowed some traces of the claws of the wild boar to remain in the nails of his hands and feet, so that he should not become haughty again, and he was submissive and humble. And the saint also healed all the men of the royal palace, and cast out Satans from them. And then he commanded them to gather together all the men of Armenia, and he gave them a Canon, and commanded them to fast every eighth day; and they did as he commanded them. And he continued to exhort them, and to teach them the way of God, and concerning the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they all hearkened unto him, small and great, and this is the origin of the belief of the Armenians in Christ. And they asked Saint Gregory to baptized them with Christian baptism, and he said unto them, “It is not seemly for me to do this, for I am not a priest.” And they sent messengers to the country of Lunya, and they wrote letters to the Emperor Honorius, and informed him that they had turned to God, and asked him to appoint Gregory their Archbishop; and they asked the Archbishop of Rome also, who was in those days Saint Lawendeyos. And with their letters they sent many gifts for the Emperor Honorius, and Saint Gregory also was with them. And their messengers came to the emperor and to the archbishop, and they read their letters to the emperor and to the archbishop, and the emperor and the archbishop rejoiced because the men of Armenia had turned to God, and they appointed Gregory Archbishop in the country of Caesarea, and they sent him back with great honor to Tiridates, and King of Armenia. And when Saint Gregory arrived in the country of Armenia the people rejoiced with a very great joy because of his coming to them. Then he built them a beautiful church in the name of our Lady Mary, and corrected the Faith of all their churches. And then the blessed Gregory finished his course nobly, and he died in peace. Salutation to Gregory who lived in a pit for three (sic) years, and suffered torture through the cold of the night, and the heat of the day.
And on this day also died Saint Luke of the pillar. Salutation to him who fought the spiritual fights in iron fetters, and slew Mastema (i.e. Satan), and who fated six days in each week.
And on this day also Yemsah became a martyr. Salutation to Abba Yemsah.
And on this day also became holy martyrs Herwag, Ananias, Kazi from the city of Akhmim; and Sansaradin and ‘Awganyos (Eugenius) from the city of Gawer; and on this day Miriam, the sister of Aaron, is commemorated. [This paragraph is given under Day XVI in the Bodleian MS.]
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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