Daily Readings:
Week Three, Day Four
The Eighteenth Day
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Epiphany, St. Anatolius, St. Hanna we St. Iyachem
The Eighteenth Day
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father ….
Opening prayer
Lord Jesus Christ our Master, we have been baptized into your death; may we be cleaned of greed, selfishness, hate and envy, and clothed in the strength and gentleness of your grace and love. Amen. Our Father…O my Lady Mary…
Psalm 90: 1-17
90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. 90:3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 90:5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which grows up. 90:6 In the morning it flourishes, and grows up; in the evening it is cut down, and withers. 90:7 For we are consumed by your anger, and by your wrath are we troubled. 90:8 You have set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 90:9 For all our days are passed away in your wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 90:11 Who knows the power of your anger? even according to your fear, so is your wrath. 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. 90:13 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning your servants. 90:14 O satisfy us early with your mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 90:15 Make us glad according to the days wherein you have afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. 90:16 Let your work appear to your servants, and your glory to their children. 90:17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Psalm 91: 1-16
91:1 He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 91:2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust: his truth shall be your shield and buckler. 91:5 Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; 91:6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 91:7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 91:8 Only with your eyes shall thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 91:9 Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling. 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all your ways. 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash your foot against a stone. 91:13 Thou shall tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall thou trample under feet. 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Psalm 92: 1-15
92:1 it is a good thing to give thanks to the lord, and to sing Praises to your name, O most high: 92:2 To declare your loving-kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night, 92:3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 92:4 For thou, Lord, have made me glad through your work: I will triumph in the works of your hands. 92:5 O Lord, how great are your works! and your thoughts are very deep. 92:6 A brutish man knows not; neither doth a fool understand this. 92:7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever: 92:8 But thou, Lord, art most high forevermore. 92:9 For, lo, your enemies, O Lord, for, lo, your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 92:10 But my horn shall thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. 92:11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 92:15 To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Scripture Reading
The Blessed Virgin Mariam
1st Reading
Wisdom 7: 15-18
7:15 God hath granted me to speak as I would, and to conceive as is meet for the things that are given me: because it is he that leads to wisdom, and directeth the wise. For in his hand are both we and our words; all wisdom also, and knowledge of workmanship. For he hath given me certain knowledge of the things that are, namely, to know how the world was made, and the operation of the elements: The beginning, ending, and midst of the times: the alterations of the turning of the sun, and the change of seasons: He who receives the prophet the by the name of the prophet, shall receive the prophet’s …
2nd Reading
Galatians 5: 13-15
5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called to liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shall love your neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 92: 1-2
92:1 it is a good thing to give thanks to the lord, and to sing Praises to your name, o most high: 92:2 To declarethy loving-kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night, Halleluiah, stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Luke 15: 3-7
15:3 And he spoke this parable to them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. It is easier for heaven and to pass, than one ….
Concluding prayer
Lord God, source of all good things and creator of all good things, hear our morning prayer; inspire us with good intention and help us to fulfil them, now and forever. Amen. Our Father….O my Lady Mary…
Day 18
Evening prayer
In the name of the Father and of …
Opening prayer
Lord, our Almighty King and Father, we pray to you to let us know that the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and mutual up building; now and forever. Amen. Our Father….O my Lady Mary…
Psalm 93: 1-5
93:1 The Lord reigns, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. 93:2 Your throne is established of old: you are from everlasting. 93:3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. 93:4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. 93:5 Your testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh your house, O Lord, forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Psalm 94: 1-23
94:1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself. 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. 94:3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 94:4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 94:5 They break in pieces your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. 94:6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. 94:7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. 94:8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? 94:9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? 94:10 He that chastises the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know? 94:11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. 94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of your law; 94:13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. 94:14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. 94:15 But judgment shall return to righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 94:17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 94:18 When I said, My foot slips; your mercy, O Lord, held me up. 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me your comforts delight my soul. 94:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? 94:21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 94:22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. 94:23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning….
Scripture Readings
Kidane Meheret (Covenant of Mercy)
1st Reading
Isaiah 12: 1-4
12:1 And in that day thou shall say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, your anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. He who receives the prophet the by the name of the prophet, shall receive the prophet’s …
2nd Reading
Galatians 2: 19-21
2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live to God. I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm. 95: 6-7
95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, Halleluiah, stand up and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Luke 18 1-8
18:1 And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night to him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one ….
Concluding prayer
King of heaven and earth, Lord God, who, of your tender love towards mankind, has send your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon himself our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; and live with him in heaven forever and ever. Amen. Our Father….O my Lady Mary…
The Synaxarium:
THE FIFTH MONTH
TIR 11
(January 19)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. And the festival which is kept on this day is called in the tongue of the Greeks “Ipiphany,” which is, being interpreted, “the appearance of the Godhead,” because on this day appeared the mystery of the Holy Trinity--the Father, saying from heaven, “This is my Son Whom I love, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.” And the Son was standing in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, was standing on Him, even as John the Baptist was a witness of this, saying, “Our Lord Christ, having been baptized, went up out of the water; and straightway the heavens were rent, and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My Son Whom I love, with Whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.” And on this day our Lord revealed Himself, (now, for a period of thirty years He had not revealed Himself to anyone), and on this day He revealed Himself to the children of Israel. And John the Evangelist was a witness, and John the Baptist was a witness to Him before the people, and he openly said unto them, “This is the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world.” And His pronouncement I do not understand, and only that He appeared unto Israel, and because of this I came out to baptize Him with water. And at this festival the glory of Christ appeared, as that of the Son of God, and His own glory as the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world. Because of this the festival this day is a great festival among all Christian peoples, and they cleanse themselves with holy water in imitation of the Baptism of our Lord Christ; and they received during this festival remission of their sins, provided that they continue in the purity which they have received. Therefore it is meet for us to keep, and serve, and glorify the abundant grace of our God and Redeemer Jesus Christ, Who became man for our sakes, and delivered us from our sins.
And on this day also Saint Anatolius became a martyr. This saint was one of the men of Persia, and he was made a general of the army of Rome, and he continued in his office for fifteen years. When the Emperor Diocletian denied Christ, this saint chose the kingdom of heaven, and rejected the honor of this fleeting world. And he came and stood up before the Emperor Diocletian, and he unfastened his belt [and cast it away from him], and he cursed the emperor and his idols; and the emperor was amazed at his daring. And when the emperor learned that he was a Persian nobleman, he spoke to him fair and persuaded him [to reject Christ], and he then handed him over to Khermanos, the general, that peradventure he might be able to convert him from the Faith of Christ. And when Khermanos was unable to change his thoughts from the Godhead of Christ, he brought him back to the emperor who condemned him to be tortured with every kind of torture. And our Lord Christ sent His angel to him, and he comforted him in every tribulation. And the emperor tortured him for many days, and doubled his tortures, and he hung him up on the wheel, and beat him several times; and the soldiers flayed him, and cut out his tongue, and they threw him to the ravening beasts, and then they cast him into a dark place. And he delivered up his soul thrice, but God raised him up. And when Diocletian the infidel was wearied with torturing him, he commanded them to cut off his head with the sword, [and they did so], and he received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens.
And on this day also died Saint Abba John, the seventy-fourth Archbishop of the city of Alexandria. This father was a merchant before he was made Archbishop of Alexandria, and he traded with the country of India, and he was always traveling on the sea. First of all he became a deacon in the church of Saint Mercurius, the martyr, in Mesr (Cairo). And he became a scribe, but he abandoned the scribe’s profession and became a merchant. And [the bishops] elected him archbishop, and they enthroned him on Sunday, the fourth day of the month of Yakatit (Feb.-March) in the nine hundred and fifth year of the martyrs (A.D. 1189); and he protected his flock well. And he had very much money before he was made archbishop, that is to say, a sum of twenty thousand dinars in gold. And he gave all his money in his lifetime to the poor Christians, and to the churches and monasteries, and all his money came to an end before his death, and he died in debt to his brother’s son. During the days of his archiepiscopate he never ate bread at the expense of any Christian person, or at the expense of any nobleman, or any poor man; and he never accepted a present (or fee) from any of them. He held his office for eight and twenty years, and he died on the day of the festival of the Baptism (i.e. Epiphany), on the eleventh day of the month of Ter in the nine hundred and thirty-second year of the martyrs (A.D. 1216).
And on this day also died Saint Justus, and Saint Fayos.
And on this day also died the holy father and fighter Abba Wakris. This saint was brought up with Basil the Great, and he made him a priest; and he was of goodly appearance, and his face was very pleasing. As a young man his first act was to desire the governor’s wife, for he loved her dearly, and she loved him, and they made a plan together to go to another place where they could fulfill their desires. And whilst they were taking pains to arrange this matter Wakris saw himself in a dream bound in fetters, and standing up before the governor’s tribune, and there were many bound in fetters with him, and each one of them was being questioned concerning his sins. And he said in his heart, “What is the meaning of my being fettered? Can it possibly be because of this woman, with whom I wish to defraud her husband, who will lay information against me and have me brought to this serious state?” And whilst he was feeling disturbed over this matter there came unto him a man in the form of an old friend, and he said unto him, “What is the meaning of this thy being fettered?” And Wakris wished to hide himself, and was ashamed of his sin. And when his friend pressed him, he said unto him, “O my friend, thus and thus have I done. It seemeth to me that so and so hath laid an information against me, because of his wife, and because of this I am afraid and am troubled.” And the angel who had come unto him in the form of his friend, said unto him, “O my beloved, swear unto me by the Gospel that thou wilt not do this thing, and [then] thou shalt not go back to it a second time; I will be surety for thee.” And Wakris swore to him by the Gospel. And when he woke up from his sleep he knew that the vision which he had seen was true, and he therefore left his city and departed to Alexandria, where he found a certain God-fearing woman, whose name was Helani; and when they were holding converse together he told her everything which was in his heart. And she said unto him, “Abandon thy splendid apparel, and dress thyself in a humble garb, and make thyself a close follower of God.” And from there he went into the desert, and he dwelt there and lived upon the herbs thereof until his belly became dried up, like a stone, and exhaustion seized him, and at length our Lord came and healed him. And the devils used to tempt him and afflict him severely, but he fought strenuously with fasting and with prayer. And in the winter time he used to stand naked under the falling rain, and in the summer he was afflicted by the burning heat of the sun, and by the cold at night, and at length the gift of the Holy Spirit was given unto him. And the angels used to come unto him and feed him with the bread of heaven, and give him to drink out of the heavenly cup, and he was worthy of divine vision so that he might know hidden things. And he composed three homilies, one on those who dwell in the desert, and one on the company of the brethren, and one on the priesthood. One day there came unto him a certain dweller in the desert whose name was Bula, and they embraced each other, and Bula said unto him, “O my brother Wakris, do not live alone. Make a few of the brethren to come and live with thee, to comfort thee, and thou shalt be delivered from the war of Satan”; and he did so. And one day there came to him three Satans who had taken the forms of the heretics of Arius, and Nestorius, and Mani, and he disputed with them about their faiths, and he vanquished them by the words of the Holy Scriptures, and by the doctrine of the Orthodox Fathers; and he worked many miracles, and his miracles were innumerable. One day having arrived at the church he wished to go in, but found it closed, and the brethren searched for the keys and could not find them; and having made the sign of the Cross over the gates they opened to him by his will. And this Wakris is he of whom it is said, that when the brethren said unto him, “Thy father is dead,” he replied to them, “Ye lie; my father is a heavenly being and cannot die.” And behold his history is written in the narrative of his strife, and in the Book of the Histories of the Holy Fathers. And having grown very old and grey, he departed to God Whom he loved.
Salutation to Thy Baptism by which every man is cleansed of his sins.
Salutation to Thy Baptism which took place at the end of thirty winters.
Salutation to Justus, and to Guedet. Salutation to John, who gave twenty thousand dinars in silver and gold to the poor and needy.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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