From ethiopianorthodoxchurch.info, kidusmarkos.org, ethiopiantewahedo.org, ninesaintsethiopianorthodoxmonastery.org:
Daily Prayers and Readings:
Week Two, Day Three
The Tenth Day
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent, Our Lady of Qusquam, And on this day also died Mary, the sinner, who anointed our Lord with unguent, And on this day also became martyrs the following saints: ‘Abukir, and John, and three virgins, and their mother, whose names were Theodora
The Third Week of the Holy Lenten Fast
"Abye Tsome"
Feast of Saint Gabra Manfas Kedus
MONDAY
Megabit 05 - March 14
On this Fifth day of the month of Megabit (Ethiopian calendar) the Fourteenth of March (Western calendar) took place the strife of Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus, the star of the desert, of glorious renown, and fine old age, the blessed and excellent man Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus, the desert man, who sprang from the city of Nehisa, in the north of Egypt. And he dwelt in the desert three hundred years. When he went forth from that place, he wandered about in the deserts of Ethiopia, and he dwelt in Gekala, and then departed to the land of Kabd, and he lived [there] naked, drinking no water and eating no food, unlike a man upon earth and unlike an angel. And he finished his strife on the fifth day of Magabit, on the First Day of the week, on the festival of Peter and Paul.
This holy man had a father and mother who were pious people, and they were believers, and they were of noble race. His father's name was Simeon, and his mother's name was ‘Aklesya, and they were righteous before God. And they remained childless for a period of thirty years, and ‘Aklesya wept because she had not got a son, and her husband also wept. One day the Holy Spirit came to the place where she was, by the door of the courtyard, and she imagined that he was a priest who lived in the palace. And he said unto her, "Peace be unto thee! What maketh thee weep and to groan before God?" And ‘Aklesya said unto him, "I rejoice in every work of the Lord my God, but I groan because [I have not] a son." And at that moment ‘Aklesys conceived, on the 29th day of Tahsas. And the angel whose name is Gabriel came in the form of a man, and said unto her, "The name of this child shall be Gabra Manfas Kedus"; and then that angel disappeared. And on the third day the child rose up, and came down from his mother's breast, and he stood up and bowed three times to the Father, and three times to the Son, and three times to the Holy Ghost, and he also said, "Glory be to the Father, Glory be to the Son, Glory be to the Holy Ghost, Who hast brought me out of the darkness into the light." And those who were there and heard him marveled, and his mother marveled, and she remained stricken with surprise until the third hour. And God commanded the angel Gabriel and said unto him, "Go to the house of Simeon, and take the child from the breast of his mother, and bring him into the desert where there are many monks, and lay him down in their courtyard. And say to the abbot, Take the child from the courtyard, and bring him into the sanctuary, even as Mary, My mother, grew up in the sanctuary, and she dwelt there for twelve years in the hands of the angels until she came out into the world. And I was incarnate of her, because I was pleased with her more than with any other woman. And I am pleased with the child, for I have made him pure, and I have created him; for he is of the Holy Spirit. And his food and drink shall not be of that which is on the earth, but from the kingdom of heaven." And the angel of the Lord went down quickly to where the child was, at his mother's breast, and he carried him upon his wings, even as a woman carrieth her child. And his mother, and those who were there, were frightened when they saw the angel carrying him on his wings, and kissing him on his face. And he bore him up to the seventh heaven, and brought him before God, and God blessed him and said unto the angel, "Take him to My mother that she may bless him, and kiss him as she kissed Me. And take him also to the fathers of olden time, Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to all the prophets and apostles, that they may embrace him, and to all the martyrs and the monks, and take him also to the children who were slain, for My sake, by the hand of Herod. And tell all of them at the last day, when all the world shall perish, and when all of you shall be with him." And He also said, "Bring him to me." Then the angel forthwith took him where God commanded, and laid him down with our Lady Mary, and she kissed him, and embraced him. And the angel also took him to where all the righteous were assembled, and they all embraced him; and then he brought him back and [set him] before God. And our Lord said unto him, "I will be with thee; be strong in everything which shall come on thee. All the souls of men shall be saved by thee. And when the story of the child and his faith is noised abroad there shall come unto him many men, and priests, and bishops from Egypt, and Mesr (Cairo), and Nehisa, and from the district of Sabser; and he shall love pilgrims." One day when our father Gabra Manfas Kedus was at prayer, [the angel] came unto him, and said unto him, "Come, go up into heaven even as I bore thee thither before"; and he took him, and carried him on his wing, and made him go up to heaven, and he brought him before God. And our Lord brought Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Fifteen Prophets, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the martyrs, and He brought all the saints and said unto them as He placed himself by him, "Rise up, and embrace him that was born after you, and who fighteth even as ye did, and whose glory shall be exalted. And I will be with him until My coming, and he shall go with you, and he shall resemble me in purity like the angels. He shall dwell at My right hand, and ye shall be with him." And He sent to our father His Person in His Trinity and He stretched out His hands, and embraced him, and He kissed his mouth, and He said unto him, "There be many souls whom thou shalt make to escape the Judgment through thy prayers and thy supplication. Get thee far from men. The blind and the sick shall be healed through thy prayer. Henceforward withdraw thyself [from men] and get thee into the Inner Desert. Dwell with the lions and the panthers; the lions shall be sixty in number and the panthers sixty also." And the saint said unto our Lord, "What will the lions and the panthers feed upon and what will they eat?" And He said unto him, "If thou treadest on the ground with thy foot they will lick the dust of thy foot, and they will be satisfied until they obtain food; [and this shall be] until thy coming to Me." When the good angels heard these words they marveled, and when they saw the saint naked, and without raiment, they kissed him, and embraced him. And the angel brought him down quickly to his former abode. And his hair grew, and it grew thick all over his limbs, and the hair of his head was seven cubits long, and the hair of his mouth (i.e. his beard) was one cubit long. Each day he healed blind men, and lepers, and sick folk; and their number was fifty thousand. And our father was exceedingly sorry that men knew of his work, and his labour, and he said, "I will arise and depart from this place so that men may know nothing about me, and may not bestow upon me the vain praise of this world." And he departed from that place, and came into the Inner Desert, and dwelt there; and the people missed him, and were very sorry, because he had worked miracles for them, and they wept and lamented with a great lamentation. And he lived in this wise for more than one hundred years, until old age came on him. Let now go back to our former subject when we said that he came into the desert, and withdrew himself from men; and he dwelt on the right side of the desert for many years. During the heat of summer, and the cold of winter, he wore no clothing on his body, but he went naked, and his girdle was made of plaited hair. He prayed standing in the cold of dawn, naked. By excessive sufferings he melted his body, and hardened his bones (?), and he used to say unto his soul, "Know that thou wilt have to stand naked before God." He devoted himself strenuously to prayer and fasting, and bowings, and to innumerable and ceaseless vigils by day and by night until at length his body dried up, and his skin became stretched tightly over his bones. He had no food except, at times, the fruit of trees, or roots, or plants, and sometimes the grass and berries whereon the dwellers in the desert feed. He took no care whatsoever to provide for his body in anything. The angels used to visit him, because he was like unto them in his speech and acts. Among the saints of olden times and those of later times, who is there that can be compared with him upon earth? There is not one who did not eat the bread of earth, or drink water, or wear raiment, but he never prepared anything for his body. Verily Gabra Manfas Kedus was like unto the fowls of heaven, for he thought nothing about the food of this world, but he hungered and thirsted for God [only]; and for this reason his food was the bread of heaven, and his drink came from the Garden (Paradise). He knew that it was not a lie the word of God, Who said, "Be of good cheer, have no doubt about apparel, nor desire as to raiment" (Matthew vi, 25 f.). And God covered his whole body with hair, even like the hair which covereth the goat (or, sheep), and his fine beard was a garment which covered his body, now it was as black as a raven, and was plaited like byssus. The awe which he inspired was like that of the lion, and it was frightening and terrifying. His stature was like that of the palm, and the odor of him was as sweet as the scent of a mass of pistachios, of the costliest kind; his odor had the smell of the food of the desert. His face was like the face of an angel of God, his beard was a round mass (?), and his . . . was in his mouth. Even if I were to think of declaring the number of his words, I could not enumerate them, for they were far more numerous than the grains of sand of the sea and the drops of the rain. Who hath [not] admired thy contending more than those of every man? And I will exalt thee above every man, and above heaven, and earth, and sun, and moon, and stars. Was there ever any limit to one of thy footsteps? The prophets and the Apostles our (sic) kinsmen speak of thee, the angels bear thee up on their wings, our Lady Mary calleth thee "my beloved," and loveth thee even as she loved her Son. And when he had finished making a prayer, the angels came unto him, according to their wont, and said unto him, "What dost thou require, O bold man?" And he said unto them, "I would see God, even as the saints, who were before me, saw Him, and as the Apostles saw Him, and also as the martyrs saw Him, when they were destroyed in the towns, and as the righteous saw Him in the desert and in [their] cells (or, caves)." When the angels heard his word they departed, and told our Lord Jesus Christ all that he had said unto them. And straightway the heavens were opened, and the tabernacle of fire was uncovered, which four beasts carried, but did not touch; and there were four and twenty priests of heaven holding their censers standing before Him. And our Lord appeared, and the archangels, each one according to his rank, sitting upon his holy throne, in his own person; and the Three were seated--Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; and he saw Three Persons and Three Beings, and all the angels and archangels in their hosts were praising Him. When our father Gabra Manfas Kedus saw this, he was afraid and trembled. And our Lord said unto him, "Be strong and fear not in seeing Me, for I have given thee a bold heart, that thou mayest look at Me Myself, even as Abukalamsis (i.e. John of the Apocalypse) looked upon Me. What dost thou wish for, and what dost thou ask of Me? I have come to thee that thou mightest see Me; what thou wishest I will do for thee, My beloved one, whom I chose before thou hadst being, and I have made thee pure, My chosen one. Thou hast dwelt in the desert seventy or eighty years at a time, thou hast wandered through the deserts doubting nothing, thou hast not feared to dwell with lions, and thou hast endured, and been of good cheer even unto death. And now, verily, I will not refuse what thou shalt ask of Me; whatsoever thou desirest I will perform for thee." When our father heard God utter this great mystery, he rejoiced and said, "My Lord and my God, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst do for me as Thou hast done for others like me. Now, grant me ten mercies. Have mercy for my sack upon the men of the land of Gabota, who are sinners, for Thou didst not come into the world to call the righteous, who have no need to repent, but to turn sinners to repentance. Remember, O Lord, those in the Judgment, whose tears flow like the waters of winter, and who gnash their teeth, and who acted as they did in ignorance, Satan having led them into error. Have mercy upon them, O Lord, and shew compassion unto them." And our Lord said unto our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, "They say hard things. It hath been head that I do not do unto them as unto the others, who are righteous peoples, and are pure, and have borne toil upon earth. And as to that which thou askest Me; I do not destroy a monk for the sake of one sin. If his wickednesses are many, and his sins are many, after he hath entered the fire he becometh subject for judgment. When he beseecheth Me with great labour I make the soul of that man to go forth from him, and I scatter it among the winds, and not a trace of it is ever found; at the resurrection of the dead [it is] not in the abode of the righteous, or in the abode of sinners. In thy case it is not thus; according to My mercy I will have mercy upon thee, for I have given thee a promise that I will do whatsoever thou askest Me." When our father heard [this], he rejoiced and bowed his face. And all the heavenly beings rejoiced and said, "Redemption is with our God. Amen." And our father also said unto God, "How great is [Thy] mercy, my Lord?" And God said, "To each of thy years according to the length of thy days I will add two years"; and forthwith the days of our father were made to be three hundred years. And our Lord said unto the archangels, "Go ye and bring souls forth from judgment, and release them and give them to the blessed Gabra Manfas Kedus." And the seven angels went down to the Gahanam of fire, the place of sinners. At that moment came ‘Abd Almakos, the angel of Gahanam, who hath power over the tortures of sinners, and brought out there from the men of the land of Gabota. And the number of the souls who went forth from judgment was thirty thousand, and [the seven angels] led them on their way, and guided them--namely Michael and Gabriel, each with his pilgrims, Saku'el and Ramu'el, each with his great ones, and Fanu'el blew a trumpet before them. And the other angels were uttering cries of joy, until they came before the throne of God in the heavens, and saying, "Glory to God in the heavens, and peace upon earth, His good will to men." And God said unto our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, "The men who are in the world shall not see thee, that is to say, the priests, and the monks and the believers; only those who are good like thyself who visitest them. And thou shalt not appear to the angels except by thy wish. Thy chariot shall be the winds, and thy goings shall be like theirs without noise. Fly from the east to the west, and from the north to the south, and from behind the earth to the north, and thou shalt be able to come to any place by means of the winds. And from henceforth, O blessed Gabra Manfas Kedus, My beloved, whenever thou wishest look upon Me, My Father, and the Holy Spirit, the Three of us thus always. And moreover, go to the country of Ethiopia, and in that land there are souls which thou hast to bring forth from judgment."
When our father heard the words of the Lord his face shone and his mind rejoiced, and he said unto Him, "My Lord and my God, who shall guide me to that country, and how shall I know the road thither? For I have heard men say from my childhood that the country of Ethiopia is far away." And our Lord said unto him, "Go, and My power shall bring thee thither, and My angels shall not be far from thee, for thou art honorable even as are they. As for Me, even as thou wishest, thou shalt find Me, and according as thou hast asked Me I will do for thee." After our Lord had given the promise to His servant He disappeared from him, and the angels returned, saying, "Glory," and, shouting with joy with David the prophet, they cried, "Go up into the heights. Thou hast led captive captivity, and Thou hast given Thy grace to the children of man." And those souls which had come forth from judgment went into the Garden of Delight, with honor and praise. And the heights of heaven were filled with joy when [the angels] saw this wonderful and astonishing sight, the like of which had never been seen from the creation of the world to the time of the coming of Christ. Grant unto me, O Lord, an understanding heart so that I may be able to know the work which Thou didst perform for our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, the like of which Thou didst not do for the prophets, and the patriarchs, and the other saints of the monastery and the desert; not that a man [who] hath done the work which Thou gavest him could do what Thou Thyself dost What then? Our father was able to fly in the air, and to go round the sea of fire, [and to bring out] thousands of souls. He did not do this by the strength of his natural body which was water, fire, dust and wind, and there was no other like him; except Adam, the first [man] created. Adam was not able to go about, and to go out from Sheol until our Redeemer came. O Gabra Manfas Kedus, what is the sum of the grace, and great kindness, and glory, and exaltation, wherewith thou was provided by God? When I think of describing thy strife my mind becometh light (i.e. unsettled), like that of a man who hath drunk old wine, with joy, and it soareth and it cometh back, and saith, "How long and how many days should I require to come to an end of his history; for the matters which concern him are very many and are countless." When our father Gabra Manfas Kedus looked upon the land of Gabota he saw that there was in him the faculty of knowing what was hidden, and what was manifest. Moreover he knew the mysteries of the heavens, and what was in the earth, and he knew when priests were pure, and he was able to see when the Holy Ghost descended. The deeds of sinners were manifest before him, and they were clear in his eyes as in a mirror, for he knew everything relating to the spirit. And our father Gabra Manfas Kedus saw in the land of Gabota that the people hid themselves in the church at the time of the Offering, now the number of these amounted to two hundred. And when the Offering was being consecrated the Holy Spirit descended upon that altar, and our good father rejoiced when he saw the descent of the Holy Spirit. And he also watched when the people received the Offering, and none partook except those whose deeds were good and whose hearts were right concerning the mystery of the spiritual Offering. And our father said unto the angel, "What is the sin of those who have not received the Spirit?" And the angel said unto our honorable father, "Behold, the sin of those who have not received the Spirit is great before God." And our father turned and he saw the Satans driving the people with fiery whips from the hall of the church, until they came to their houses. And Satan himself rejoiced because they had become his companions, and they were all destroyed, and there were left among them only those who had wished for repentance; and Satan rejoiced because he found certain poor folk cast out. Now these were sinners who had not repented for their life upon earth, and they became soldiers of Satan. When our father saw this wonderful thing, he sorrowed and wept, and he said, "My Lord and my God, Thy people have been made captives, and carried off, and there are not left two hundred men, but four who have eaten (?) the ephod of Thy Body. He saith, Thou givest (or, sellest) Thy people without price" (Psalm xliv, 12). When our father had said this he wept, and he departed to make prayers near the place (?) of the Apostles, and when he had arrived there he fixed his gaze on the island of water near the place where he dwelt formerly. And our Lord saw him and said unto His blessed servant, "I will shew mercy unto thee, and in each day I will give thee sixty thousand [souls], namely on My Birthday, and on thy birthday, and on the day of My Baptism, and on the day of My Resurrection; on each of these days [each year] I will give thee as an act of grace sixth thousand souls. If Satan hath carried off souls thou must take them from the Judgment: I have left none to Satan, I have given [all] to thee." When Satan heard this he wept with a great weeping, saying, "Ever since this wretched man was created and born I have been bound with fetters. Where can I go from this wretched man who by fasting and prayer hath taken my captives and carried them of, the captives whom I took and led astray by my arts, and carried off into the Great Judgment, before he was born." And uttering these words he wished to die. And when the spirit-beings of heaven, and the beings of earth heard [this], they rejoiced, and laughed, and brought out the souls who were in the land of Egypt with much labour, and fasting and prayer. In one day the continuous bowings [of our father] amounted to forty thousand, and during each forty thousand [he recited] the One Hundred the Fifty Psalms of David, and he sang the Fifteen [Books of] the Prophets, and the Prayer of Solomon, and the Praises of our Lady Mary, and besides these he bowed his face three hundred times to the right and three hundred times to the left. All this he did in one day and one night. Through such work as this the souls of sinners gained salvation, and our father by his prayer made the Satans weep, and exhausted the power of Satan and destroyed the sting of his poison, and carried him bound into captivity. After this [our father] went forth from Ethiopia with lions and hyaenas accompanying him; the number of the lions and hyaenas which went before him was thirty, and the number of those which followed him was thirty. And angel of God, whose name was Gabriel, guided him, and our father was mounted upon a chariot of the spirit, and those beasts were with him. And the angel brought him to the land of Kabd, and then he took him to Zekuela, on the highland of the earth, and our father stood on the sea-shore, and looked east, and west, and the south, and north. And he saw the sins of the [men of] Ethiopia, and they were spread out before his eyes and planted in his brain. And he said unto God, "I swear unto Thee by Thy Living Name, that I will not go forth from this sea, and that I will not stand upon my feet." And he sat thus for forty days and forty nights, and a voice came unto him from heaven, saying, "Whosoever shall commemorate thee and shall call upon thy name I will give unto thee." And our father said unto the angel, "All Ethiopia hath not been taught; I will not go away from this sea." And the angel departed from him, and he dwelt in this wise for one hundred years; and all his body perished, and his blood was poured out from him, until all the water of the sea resembled blood, and all his bones appeared like crystal. And the devils came and smote him, from the east and from the west, from the south and from the north, in one day five hundred devils smote him with their darts all day long, for one hundred years. And his bones dwindled and became like sharp stones, and among the men who were before him, from Stephen the martyr to Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and among all the martyrs who died for Christ, there was none who displayed in one day the wonderful things which he made manifest. After this our Lord came and stood on the sea-shore, and He said unto our father, "Rise up and go forth, I have given thee Ethiopia"; and he found his bones like the eye of a needle. And He sought for him, and made him as he was at first. And He sent him to Kabd, and then He took him up into heaven; and he dwelt for seven years in the lower part of heaven, but above the sun. After this He sent him into the land of Kabd, and he lived standing upright like a pillar for six months, and he gazed into heaven, and he neither dropped his eyelids nor bowed his head, and his hands were stretched out towards heaven. After this Satan came to him in the form of a black raven, and he found his bones suspended in the heavens which covered [them], and he sat upon his head, and he pecked at his eyes, and dug out his eyeballs. After this our father remained [blind] for ninety-eight [years], he prayed continually, and ceased not in that land. Then Michael and Gabriel came to him, and they stood in front of his face, and together they breathed upon him, and his eyes saw and his vision became seven times brighter than the sun. And they said unto him, "Depart to Zekuala, that thou mayest kill thine enemies, and great strength shall be given unto thee from heaven and from earth"; and after this they went up into heaven. And our father rose up and went to Zekuala (sic), and he found on the road three tired men of the mountains, and they were resting close by their dwelling in the shade. And Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus looked at them and said in his mind, "I will hide from them." And they made haste and cried out, saying, "Do not forsake us at the throne of God. Carry us a little way on thy back." And our father came, and saw that they were all broken old men, and that they were covered with grey hair. And he lifted up one of them upon his back and he carried him and brought him a distance of one stade. And the old man said unto him, "Now thou hast tired thyself, for thou neither eatest, nor drinkest, nor weepest." And our father said unto him, "By what dost thou know me?" And the old man said, "Go and bring my companions"; and he turned and went, leaving the old man there, and he came to the place where the other two old men were, and he took one of them and brought him back to the old man and joined him. And he said unto them, "Whence have ye come? The odor of you is sweet and rejoiceth the heart, and carrieth away the senses." And the three old men rose up and stood up, and the three of them seemed to be one. And they said unto him, "We will carry thee even as thou didst carry us for a little, and we will carry thee, and make thee to arrive in the Seventh Heaven." At that moment their countenance changed, and they put on the awe of Godhead, and they became like flames of fire, and lightning flashed forth from them. And all the angels of heaven and earth came down, and were terrified, and the mountains and hills descended, and fell down, and all the rocks were broken in pieces and they became like dust. At this moment the Father of Light took our father and carried him on His back, and brought him to the middle of the Second Heaven. And His Son went back to him and took him, and carried him on His back, and brought him from the Second Heaven to the middle of the Third Heaven, and the Holy Spirit went back to him and brought him to His holy and awful throne; and the Three Persons and One Being sat on one throne. And our Lord embraced him and kissed his mouth, and Father, Son and Holy Ghost embraced him and kissed him; as a father kisseth his son even so did They kiss him and embrace him. And He showed him the four thrones of the Prophets, and Apostles, and the Righteous, and the Martyrs, and there remained three double [thrones]. And our Lord said unto him, "Heaven, and earth, and sun, and moon, and stars, are insufficient to be the price of one hair of thy head. Depart, get thee down to Zekuala, and drown the devils who cast away thy bones, for they are boasting and they know not that I have raised thee up. I will be in the sea, and the seven archangels shall follow thee, and fiery lightning shall go before thee." And our father flew on the back of the lightning, and the Three Persons sent him on his way, and returned to their throne. And our father descended and fell upon their heads with swords of fire, and the lightning's consumed them, and they became ashes. And the winds carried away their ashes, and those devils were in number seven thousand two hundred, and they all perished in one day, and there remained not one. After this the lightning's and the archangels went up [into heaven]. And our father departed to the land of Kabd, where there were lions, and hyaenas, and wolves, and serpents. After this the saints came to him one day, led by the Holy Spirit: (1) Abba Samuel of Waldebba, (2) Abba ‘Ansesa of the land of Hazlo, (3) Abba Benyam of the lower land; and they had their lions with them. They came to the land of Kabd, and our father hid himself; and they continued in praises seven days until they should find him. After the seven days certain lions, which had been hidden, went forth, and came to the place where the three saints were, and they seized upon their lions and devoured their bodies; they devoured and licked up their bodies in a moment. And the saints were terrified, and the lions disappeared. And the saints were exceedingly sorry, and their sorrow was revealed unto our father. And he rose up and came to them with the great power which was given unto him from heaven, and with him there were sixty lions, and sixty hyaenas, and angels bearing the tent of light. And the hair of his head covered his whole body like a thatch and swept the ground, and the hair of his beard and neck reached the ground; and he was arrayed in his apparel. And he came unto them with great might, and said unto them, "Peace be unto you, O saints of God." And those saints were terrified when they saw his terrifying majesty and the lions which roared before him, and the hyaenas which screamed and laughed like horses. And our father said unto those saints, "For what purpose have ye come to me, [seeing that] I am alone in this desert place?" And those saints said unto him, "We came unto thee having known of thy holy prayers, O chief anchorite in all the world, and we came unto thee that we might hold converse with the servant of God. When we came and did not find thee we sorrowed and wept for seven days, and whilst we were praying on the seventh day thy lions came and seized our lions, and they ate them up and swallowed them and licked up their blood in the twinkling of an eye." And our father said unto his lions, "Why did ye eat what God had not commanded ye to eat? Ye were ordered to eat nothing but the dust of my footsteps until the day of your deaths. Cast up and throw up what ye have eaten." And the lions opened their mouths, and threw up what thy had eaten, all the flesh and bones and blood of the saints' lions, and none of their flesh and bones remained in their bellies; and they cast up everything in the twinkling of an eye. And our father turned towards the east, and praised God, saying, "O Thou Who didst raise up Lazarus, raise them up, but do not raise up those whom Thou hast given to Thy servants to follow them." Then he blessed them and their bodies, that is to say, the dead bodies of the lions, and he said unto them, "Rise up by the power of God." And the lions rose up in the twinkling of an eye, and they were as they were at first, and they uttered cries, and purred, and lay down by our father, and they did homage at his feet. And those lions spoke like men, and they said unto him, "Henceforward we will follow thee. Those saints were unable to do anything for us, but thou hast raised us up and brought us out from the bellies of [thy] lions"; and our father sent them away to their former owners, and the saints marveled at the work of God. And Abba Samuel said unto our father, "Art thou God? We thought that thou wast a man like unto ourselves. That which was dead thou wast raised from the belly of the lions, and what they had eaten thou hast made to come forth. We have seen a marvelous thing this day!"
On the third day of Magabit our father fell sick, and on the Eve of the Sabbath his death drew nigh. His pain and sickness seized him so strongly, that he well nigh died; and the hour of his death approached. And there came unto him several anchorites who were recluses, whose names were, Fere Kedus, and Zara Buruk, and James, and Benyam, and Joseph, and our father told them that he was going to die, and that God had given him a covenant (or, promise). When they heard this they wept, and sorrowed for the death of the saint, for he was the chief of the anchorites. During the early hours of the Sabbath he lived with difficulty, and was exhausted, now burning and now sweating, but he never ceased to make supplication to his God, which was his custom with every breath. When the evening came his body was in a state of collapse, and he was unable to speak, and those who were by him [sent] to fetch Gabra Andreas so that he might see his death and be a witness concerning it. When the anchorites came to him, they told him that the blessed man was going to die; and when he heard [this] he wept and sorrowed bitterly. And he rose up, and went to him. And it was the evening of the Sabbath, for the day was ended, and it was the first hour of the night. And he rose up [and went] to the place where he was, now his road was far from the abode of the holy man, and the place where the honorable man was. And at the fourth hour of the night he found him lying like a majestic lion in the desert where there was none to terrify him and to overshadow him; and there was no one in the village which was near his road who had found him. And he was lying with his hands spread out towards heaven, even as our Lord Jesus Christ was extended on the wood of the Cross at the time of His Passion, until the hour of His death. And one saw the light which was upon him, and the grace of God which was on his face, and the ruddiness of his beauty, and his beard which was as white as snow. When the seventh hour of the night came his soul separated itself from his body. At that moment a sound was heard from heaven, like the sound of thunder, and there came down lamps which were like snow, and like unto crystal, and which thundered and rolled down from the heavens to the earth, each having the form and similitude of the other, and they shone like the sun, and moon, and stars. Those who were there were terrified and afraid, because of the great awfulness of the things which were taking place, and which had come upon them; and they were unable to touch any part of his body. And after his death they withdrew themselves and fled, and they lost their senses by reason of the fear and trembling which had come upon them. Now the earth trembled, and the mountains quaked, and there was a mighty noise at the moment of the departure of the soul of the saint. And those saints stood afar off that they might see and hear the mysteries of heaven and earth which were being performed. And God fortified the minds of those saints, so that they might understand what had happened to the honorable man, our father, and might testify that they had seen God in His Three Persons descend to our father before his soul [departed]. And Jesus said unto him (?), "I have come to give thee oblations for thy commemoration. Whosoever shall write or have written the book of thy strife shall pass with thee boldly, and his abode shall be in the mansions of light, and I will write his name on My awful throne. Whosoever shall commemorate thee greatly and unceasingly shall pass through the lake of fire, and shall stand unashamed before thee. If he giveth bread to the hungry I will give him the bread of heaven, and he shall nevermore hunger. If he giveth drink to the thirsty I will make him to drink milk with the babes for ever. If he giveth incense, even though he be polluted, he shall be with thee. If he give flour I will make him to draw nigh unto the heavenly Jerusalem with thee. If he give oil on the day of thy commemoration he shall be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel. If he bring a lamp, he shall traverse the sea of fire and darkness, with twelve lamps of light, which shall be seven times brighter than the sun. If they assemble on the day of thy commemoration, I will make them to assemble on Mount Zion with all the saints." And our father entreated God and said unto Him, "I have lived three hundred and sixty-nine years, I have never drunk water, I never thought about food for my body, and have eaten only wood (i.e. herbs), and the fruits of the desert, nor about clothing for my body, and I continued to be naked, and if I had lived in the sea I should have lived like the fish and the hippopotamus. I lived in a tree like the birds, and I lived like the stag in the mountains, with the lion, the wolf, the panther and the serpent. This is the reward which Thou givest to the saints. I beseech Thee, O Lord, to be pleased to speak to me." And our Lord answered and said unto him, "If the sin of a man is not repented for, the man who hath committed it, not only if he be a Christian, but if he be an ‘Arminu, I will give unto thee if he celebrate thy commemoration, and he shall be saved, and he shall be with thee. When thy soul is separated [from thy body] on the fifth day of Magabit they shall make twelve . . . as for Mary, My mother. They shall make a habitation and I will bless their assemblies. If he be old, I will give him a good seat. And now ascend into the houses of light. And take twelve crowns, and ten thousand lamps in thy right hand, and ten thousand lamps in thy left hand, one thousand before thee and one thousand behind thee, and twelve precious stones of light, and take horses of fire to bear thee." And our father answered and said unto Him, "O our Lord Jesus Christ, if men celebrate my commemoration with right hearts, unto how many generations wilt Thou give them unto me?" And the Lord said unto him, "I will give them unto thee for fifteen generations." Then they heard a great voice which cried out and said, "Take the body of Gabra Manfas Kedus, and carry it away, and let his grave be in Jerusalem, on the right-hand side of the altar." And Michael and Gabriel and all the angels uttered cries of joy before his holy soul, and each of them cried out unceasingly, and the angels carried away his body to bury it as God commanded them; and thirty desert anchorites came to meet it. And the hosts of angels placed his soul in the houses of light, saying, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, all the time, now and always, and for ever and ever."
Daily Prayer (Hymn to Mariam):
(Hymn of Praise of the Virgin Mariam)
(C) Third Day of The Week - Tuesday
1. The crown of glory, and the origin of our deliverance (or
salvation) and the foundation of our sanctification came into
being in Mariam the Virgin, who brought for us God the
Word, Who became incarnate for our salvation. And after He
became man of a certainty He was perfect God. And for this
reason she gave birth to Him being a Virgin the power of her
bringing forth is a marvelous thing that cannot be described.
Of His own free will, and by the good pleasure of His Father
and the Holy Sprit, He came forth and has delivered us.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
2. Great is the praise of thy virginity, O Mariam, thou
perfect (or absolute) Virgin, Thou did receive, God was with
thee. Thou art the ladder which Jacob saw reaching from
earth to heaven, with the Angels of God ascending and
descending upon it. (Genesis 28:12).
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
3. Thou art the Bush which Moses saw blazing with fire
and the wood thereof was not consumed (Exodus 3:2).
It was the Son of God Who dwelt in thy womb, and the fire
of His divinity did not consume thy flesh.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
4. Thou art the Field wherein no seed was sown, and yet
there went forth from thee the Fruit of Life. Thou art the
Treasure-house which Joseph bought, and he found therein
a Pearl, a precious gem, that is to say, our Redeemer
Eeyesus Kristos. Thou did carry in thy womb and did
bring Him forth into the world.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
5. Rejoice thou, O God-bearer, thou joy of the Angels.
Rejoice thou, who was the woman foretold by the Prophets.
Rejoice thou, for thou hast received the voice of the Angel
Gabriel, the joy of all the world.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
6. Rejoice thou because it is meet that thou should be
called, “Bearer of God”, Rejoice thou, O thou woman who
delivered Eve. Rejoice thou, for thou didst suckle Him Who
suckled all creation. Rejoice thou, O Holy woman, the
mother of all living beings. We lift our eyes to thee with
entreaty that thou will pray on our behalf.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
7. O Virgin, O Saint, O Bearer of God, since thou did bring
forth the King, A marvelous mystery dwelt upon thee for our
salvation. We will hold our peace, for we are unable to
search into the matter completely, as the greatness thereof
requires, and will describe that doer of good things, through
the exceedingly great wonder of the manifestation.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
8. He was the living Word
of the Father who came
down on Mount Sinai, and
gave the law to Moses
(Exodus 20:16) while the
top of the mountain was
covered with mist, and
smoke and the darkness,
and with storm, and with
the terrifying blasts of
trumpets.
He admonished those who
were standing there in fear.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM
PRAY FOR US.
9. It was He who came down to thee, O rational mountain in
the humility of the Lover of men. Without any change He
became incarnate of thee and took a perfect body, endowed
with reason and like unto ourselves, through the spirit of
wisdom. God took up his abode on her and became perfect
man so that He might deliver Adam, and forgive him his sin,
and make him to dwell in heaven, and bring him back to his
former state in His abundant compassion and mercy.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
10. It is impossible for any to describe the greatness of the
Virgin. For God chose her, and he came and dwelth in the
light, whom none could approach, was carried in her womb
nine months. He who is invisible, He who is invisible, He
who incomprehensible did Mariam bring forth, being a
Virgin. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
11. This is the stone which Daniel the Prophet saw, which
was hewn from a high mountain, without hands (Daniel 2:34-
35), that is to say the Word who went forth from the Father.
He came and became incarnate of the Virgin without seed
of man, and delivered us.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
12. Thou are the pure twig and the right vessel of the True
Faith of the Saints our Fathers. O thou pure God-bearer,
O thou sealed Virgin, you did bring forth for us the word of
the Father Eeyesus Kristos. He came and he has delivered
us. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
13. Thou are the mother of the Glorious Light, O God-bearer. Thou did carry the Word who is invisible, and after you did
bring him forth you did continue to be a Virgin. With praise
and blessing shall men magnify you.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
14. What tongue is able to proclaim that which should be
declared concerning you, O thou pure Virgin, Mother of the
Light, the Word of the Father. You were the throne of the
King whom the Cherubim carry. We ascribe blessings unto
you, O blessed woman, and we will remember your name
from generation to generation. O beautiful Dove, Mother of
our Lord Eeyesus Kristos. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM
PRAY FOR US.
15. Rejoice thou, O Mary,
Mother and Maid, for unto
Him Who is in thy bosom the Angels bring praises, and the
Cherubim bow down and
worship Him in fear and the
Seraphim spread out their
wings, and say concerning
Him ceaselessly, “This is the
King of Glory”. He came to
forgive the sins of the world in
the greatness of His compassion.
Oh Holy Virgin Mariam Pray For Us
The Tenth day
Morning Prayer
Make the sign of the Cross…
In the name of the Father....
Opening Prayer
O God, our refuge and our strength, who are the author of all goodness; be merciful to us, we pray that you may hear us and accept our morning prayer; and grant us the things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Saviour and our master. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 50: 1-23
50:1 The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. 50:5 Gather my saints together to me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah. 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even your God. 50:8 I will not reprove thee for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. 50:9 I will take no bullock out of your house, nor he goats out of your folds. 50:10 Forevery beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 50:11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. 50:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving; and pay your vows to the most High: 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify me. 50:16 But to the wicked God saith, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in your mouth? 50:17 Seeing you hate instruction, and casts my words behind thee. 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and have been partaker with adulterers. 50:19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frameth deceit. 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against your brother; thou slanderest your own mother's son. 50:21 These things have you done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before your eyes. 50:22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. 50:23 Whoso offers praise glorifieth me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 51: 1-19
51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving-kindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shall make me to know wisdom. 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your holy spirit from me. 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me with your free spirit. 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors your ways; and sinners shall be converted to thee. 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall declarethy praise. 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 51:18 Do good in your good pleasure to Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 51:19 Then shall thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon your altar. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 52: 1-9
52:1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endures continually. 52:2 The tongue devises mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee forever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of your dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 52:7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 52:9 I will praise thee forever, because you have done it: and I will wait on your name; for it is good before your saints. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
1st Kings 9: 2-5
9:2 That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me: I have hallowed this house, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. He who receives the Prophet by the name of the Prophet shall receive the Prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 8: 12-17
8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 55: 1-2
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 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: 1-7
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, who are the sources of all good things, and cleanse our hearts, strengthen us in love through the Holy Spirit. Grant your grace that we may always be grateful for all the goodness you have given us and may we bear our trials with patience, today, tomorrow and always. Amen. Our Father…
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Day 10
Evening Prayer
In the Name of the Father……..
Opening Prayer
Merciful God and Father, we humbly ask you in our evening prayer to help and teach us how to love and respect to each other sincerely, and we may work for peace and welfare of those who need our help in our communities: and make us more like you in serving others. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 53: 1-6
53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. 53:5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encamps against thee: you have put them to shame, because God hath despised them. 53:6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 54: 1-7
54:1 Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me by your strength. 54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 54:3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. 54:5 He shall reward evil to mine enemies: cut them off in your truth. 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to thee: I will praise your name, O Lord; for it is good. 54:7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 55: 1-23
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 55:4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. 55:5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. 55:7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. 55:8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. 55:11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. 55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 55:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company. 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. 55:18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abides of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. 55:20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. 55:21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. 55:23 But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Reading
1st Reading
1st Kings 8: 51-53 or 50-53
8:50 And forgive your people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: For they be your people, and your inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: That your eyes may be open to the supplication of your servant, and to the supplication of your people Israel, to hearken to them in all that they call for to thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be your inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses your servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
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 by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’ s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 55: 1-2
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 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: 1-3
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who opened up our salvation through your death and resurrection, we ask you in our evening prayer to direct us in the path of true life, and write your law in our hearts. Grant us your wonderful peace throughout this coming night. Amen. Our Father….
The Synaxarium:
THE SIXTH MONTH
YEKATIT 06
(February 13)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
And on this day they raised up the body of the holy and honorable Abulidis, Archbishop of the city of Rome, the teacher of all the ends of the world. This saint was a nobleman by birth, and a perfect, and learned man, and God chose him to be Archbishop of the city of Rome, after Abba Eucheius, in the first year of the archiepiscopate of Claudian, in the city of Alexandria. And this father used to teach his people and protect them against the opinions of the pagans, and strengthen them in the Faith of God. And the fame of him was heard of by the Emperor Claudius, the infidel, and he seized Saint Abulidis and beat him very severely. When he was weary of torturing him, he tied a heavy stone to this feet, and cast him into the Red Sea on the fifth day of Yakatit. And on the following day, that is to say the sixth day of Yakatit, as it were today, the body of the saint was found floating on the water, and there was a stone on his feet. And one of the believers took it up out of the water, and brought it into the house, and he wrapped it up in wrappings of great price; and this story was noised abroad in all the city of Rome and the district round about it. And the emperor sought to burn the body in the fire, but the man with whom it was hid did not reveal it. And this saint composed many homilies, some on the True Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and some on the Incarnation of the Son of God in the nature of man, and some of them dealt with Doctrine (or Dogma), and some contained Admonitions to do the good pleasure of God. And he drew up eight and thirty Canons on the Law of the Church, and these are to be found in our own churches, and in all the churches of all Christian peoples. Salutation to the bringing up of the body of Abba Abulidis from out of the sea.
And on this day also became martyrs the following saints: ‘Abukir, and John, and three virgins, and their mother, whose names were Theodora, which is, being interpreted, “Gift of God,” and Theophana, which is being interpreted, “Faith of God,” and Theodosia, which is, being interpreted, “Praise of God,” and Athanasia, which is, being interpreted, “Life which dieth not.” And Saint ‘Abukir was a monk, and he was devoted to God, and was a fighter from his youth up, and John was a soldier in the Imperial Army, and they were men of the city of Alexandria. And then they dwelt in the city of Antioch and, together with their mother and the virgins who were with them, they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the Emperor Diocletian, who asked them whence they came. And they said unto him, “From the city of Alexandria,” and he commanded that they should be taken thither. And when they came to the city of Alexandria, and stood up before the governor, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, he tortured them severely; and when he was tired of torturing them, he commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword. And Saint Athanasia encouraged her virgin daughters, and she urged them to endure, and she told them that they were to become brides of Christ, the True Emperor, and martyrs for His Name’s sake. And Saint ‘Abukir likewise explained [this] to them, and reminded them of the tribulation which fell upon the apostolic woman Thecla. And the soldiers brought the virgins to the swordsman, one after the other, and their mother, and they became martyrs; and afterwards ‘Abukir and John became martyrs. Then the emperor commanded the soldiers to cast their bodies to the wild beasts of the desert, and to the fowl of the heavens, but there were certain believers there who took away their bodies secretly, and they swathed them and laid them in coffers until the days of persecution should be ended. And at length a church was built for them, and the believers laid their bodies in it, and very many signs and miracles took place through them.
And on this day also died Mary, the sinner, who anointed our Lord with unguent. This blessed woman was first of all a sinner, and she acquired all her possessions by fornication, and she used to decorate herself with divers dresses and ornaments in order to lead young men astray. One day she put on her ornamental apparel according to her wont, and she anointed herself, and perfumed her body, and she looked at herself in a mirror and she admired the ruddiness of her cheeks, and the beauty of her eyes for a very long time, that is to say, for an hour, as she was seated. And then a good thought came upon her, and she remembered death, and the fleeting character of the world. And she heard that our Lord Jesus Christ accepted sinners, and that He would pardon her sins, and she took all her money, and bought an alabastron of scented unguent. And she went to Him whilst He was sitting at meat in the house of Simon, and she prostrated herself at His feet, and she anointed Him with the unguent, and washed Him with her tears and dried Him with the hair of her head. And when our Lord saw the greatness of her love, He remitted her sins to her, and commanded [the disciples] to make mention of her when they preached the Gospel. And from that time she ministered unto Him with the holy women. Salutation to Mary.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
Daily Prayers and Readings:
Week Two, Day Three
The Tenth Day
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent, Our Lady of Qusquam, And on this day also died Mary, the sinner, who anointed our Lord with unguent, And on this day also became martyrs the following saints: ‘Abukir, and John, and three virgins, and their mother, whose names were Theodora
The Third Week of the Holy Lenten Fast
"Abye Tsome"
Feast of Saint Gabra Manfas Kedus
MONDAY
Megabit 05 - March 14
On this Fifth day of the month of Megabit (Ethiopian calendar) the Fourteenth of March (Western calendar) took place the strife of Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus, the star of the desert, of glorious renown, and fine old age, the blessed and excellent man Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus, the desert man, who sprang from the city of Nehisa, in the north of Egypt. And he dwelt in the desert three hundred years. When he went forth from that place, he wandered about in the deserts of Ethiopia, and he dwelt in Gekala, and then departed to the land of Kabd, and he lived [there] naked, drinking no water and eating no food, unlike a man upon earth and unlike an angel. And he finished his strife on the fifth day of Magabit, on the First Day of the week, on the festival of Peter and Paul. This holy man had a father and mother who were pious people, and they were believers, and they were of noble race. His father's name was Simeon, and his mother's name was ‘Aklesya, and they were righteous before God. And they remained childless for a period of thirty years, and ‘Aklesya wept because she had not got a son, and her husband also wept. One day the Holy Spirit came to the place where she was, by the door of the courtyard, and she imagined that he was a priest who lived in the palace. And he said unto her, "Peace be unto thee! What maketh thee weep and to groan before God?" And ‘Aklesya said unto him, "I rejoice in every work of the Lord my God, but I groan because [I have not] a son." And at that moment ‘Aklesys conceived, on the 29th day of Tahsas. And the angel whose name is Gabriel came in the form of a man, and said unto her, "The name of this child shall be Gabra Manfas Kedus"; and then that angel disappeared. And on the third day the child rose up, and came down from his mother's breast, and he stood up and bowed three times to the Father, and three times to the Son, and three times to the Holy Ghost, and he also said, "Glory be to the Father, Glory be to the Son, Glory be to the Holy Ghost, Who hast brought me out of the darkness into the light." And those who were there and heard him marveled, and his mother marveled, and she remained stricken with surprise until the third hour. And God commanded the angel Gabriel and said unto him, "Go to the house of Simeon, and take the child from the breast of his mother, and bring him into the desert where there are many monks, and lay him down in their courtyard. And say to the abbot, Take the child from the courtyard, and bring him into the sanctuary, even as Mary, My mother, grew up in the sanctuary, and she dwelt there for twelve years in the hands of the angels until she came out into the world. And I was incarnate of her, because I was pleased with her more than with any other woman. And I am pleased with the child, for I have made him pure, and I have created him; for he is of the Holy Spirit. And his food and drink shall not be of that which is on the earth, but from the kingdom of heaven." And the angel of the Lord went down quickly to where the child was, at his mother's breast, and he carried him upon his wings, even as a woman carrieth her child. And his mother, and those who were there, were frightened when they saw the angel carrying him on his wings, and kissing him on his face. And he bore him up to the seventh heaven, and brought him before God, and God blessed him and said unto the angel, "Take him to My mother that she may bless him, and kiss him as she kissed Me. And take him also to the fathers of olden time, Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to all the prophets and apostles, that they may embrace him, and to all the martyrs and the monks, and take him also to the children who were slain, for My sake, by the hand of Herod. And tell all of them at the last day, when all the world shall perish, and when all of you shall be with him." And He also said, "Bring him to me." Then the angel forthwith took him where God commanded, and laid him down with our Lady Mary, and she kissed him, and embraced him. And the angel also took him to where all the righteous were assembled, and they all embraced him; and then he brought him back and [set him] before God. And our Lord said unto him, "I will be with thee; be strong in everything which shall come on thee. All the souls of men shall be saved by thee. And when the story of the child and his faith is noised abroad there shall come unto him many men, and priests, and bishops from Egypt, and Mesr (Cairo), and Nehisa, and from the district of Sabser; and he shall love pilgrims." One day when our father Gabra Manfas Kedus was at prayer, [the angel] came unto him, and said unto him, "Come, go up into heaven even as I bore thee thither before"; and he took him, and carried him on his wing, and made him go up to heaven, and he brought him before God. And our Lord brought Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Fifteen Prophets, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the martyrs, and He brought all the saints and said unto them as He placed himself by him, "Rise up, and embrace him that was born after you, and who fighteth even as ye did, and whose glory shall be exalted. And I will be with him until My coming, and he shall go with you, and he shall resemble me in purity like the angels. He shall dwell at My right hand, and ye shall be with him." And He sent to our father His Person in His Trinity and He stretched out His hands, and embraced him, and He kissed his mouth, and He said unto him, "There be many souls whom thou shalt make to escape the Judgment through thy prayers and thy supplication. Get thee far from men. The blind and the sick shall be healed through thy prayer. Henceforward withdraw thyself [from men] and get thee into the Inner Desert. Dwell with the lions and the panthers; the lions shall be sixty in number and the panthers sixty also." And the saint said unto our Lord, "What will the lions and the panthers feed upon and what will they eat?" And He said unto him, "If thou treadest on the ground with thy foot they will lick the dust of thy foot, and they will be satisfied until they obtain food; [and this shall be] until thy coming to Me." When the good angels heard these words they marveled, and when they saw the saint naked, and without raiment, they kissed him, and embraced him. And the angel brought him down quickly to his former abode. And his hair grew, and it grew thick all over his limbs, and the hair of his head was seven cubits long, and the hair of his mouth (i.e. his beard) was one cubit long. Each day he healed blind men, and lepers, and sick folk; and their number was fifty thousand. And our father was exceedingly sorry that men knew of his work, and his labour, and he said, "I will arise and depart from this place so that men may know nothing about me, and may not bestow upon me the vain praise of this world." And he departed from that place, and came into the Inner Desert, and dwelt there; and the people missed him, and were very sorry, because he had worked miracles for them, and they wept and lamented with a great lamentation. And he lived in this wise for more than one hundred years, until old age came on him. Let now go back to our former subject when we said that he came into the desert, and withdrew himself from men; and he dwelt on the right side of the desert for many years. During the heat of summer, and the cold of winter, he wore no clothing on his body, but he went naked, and his girdle was made of plaited hair. He prayed standing in the cold of dawn, naked. By excessive sufferings he melted his body, and hardened his bones (?), and he used to say unto his soul, "Know that thou wilt have to stand naked before God." He devoted himself strenuously to prayer and fasting, and bowings, and to innumerable and ceaseless vigils by day and by night until at length his body dried up, and his skin became stretched tightly over his bones. He had no food except, at times, the fruit of trees, or roots, or plants, and sometimes the grass and berries whereon the dwellers in the desert feed. He took no care whatsoever to provide for his body in anything. The angels used to visit him, because he was like unto them in his speech and acts. Among the saints of olden times and those of later times, who is there that can be compared with him upon earth? There is not one who did not eat the bread of earth, or drink water, or wear raiment, but he never prepared anything for his body. Verily Gabra Manfas Kedus was like unto the fowls of heaven, for he thought nothing about the food of this world, but he hungered and thirsted for God [only]; and for this reason his food was the bread of heaven, and his drink came from the Garden (Paradise). He knew that it was not a lie the word of God, Who said, "Be of good cheer, have no doubt about apparel, nor desire as to raiment" (Matthew vi, 25 f.). And God covered his whole body with hair, even like the hair which covereth the goat (or, sheep), and his fine beard was a garment which covered his body, now it was as black as a raven, and was plaited like byssus. The awe which he inspired was like that of the lion, and it was frightening and terrifying. His stature was like that of the palm, and the odor of him was as sweet as the scent of a mass of pistachios, of the costliest kind; his odor had the smell of the food of the desert. His face was like the face of an angel of God, his beard was a round mass (?), and his . . . was in his mouth. Even if I were to think of declaring the number of his words, I could not enumerate them, for they were far more numerous than the grains of sand of the sea and the drops of the rain. Who hath [not] admired thy contending more than those of every man? And I will exalt thee above every man, and above heaven, and earth, and sun, and moon, and stars. Was there ever any limit to one of thy footsteps? The prophets and the Apostles our (sic) kinsmen speak of thee, the angels bear thee up on their wings, our Lady Mary calleth thee "my beloved," and loveth thee even as she loved her Son. And when he had finished making a prayer, the angels came unto him, according to their wont, and said unto him, "What dost thou require, O bold man?" And he said unto them, "I would see God, even as the saints, who were before me, saw Him, and as the Apostles saw Him, and also as the martyrs saw Him, when they were destroyed in the towns, and as the righteous saw Him in the desert and in [their] cells (or, caves)." When the angels heard his word they departed, and told our Lord Jesus Christ all that he had said unto them. And straightway the heavens were opened, and the tabernacle of fire was uncovered, which four beasts carried, but did not touch; and there were four and twenty priests of heaven holding their censers standing before Him. And our Lord appeared, and the archangels, each one according to his rank, sitting upon his holy throne, in his own person; and the Three were seated--Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; and he saw Three Persons and Three Beings, and all the angels and archangels in their hosts were praising Him. When our father Gabra Manfas Kedus saw this, he was afraid and trembled. And our Lord said unto him, "Be strong and fear not in seeing Me, for I have given thee a bold heart, that thou mayest look at Me Myself, even as Abukalamsis (i.e. John of the Apocalypse) looked upon Me. What dost thou wish for, and what dost thou ask of Me? I have come to thee that thou mightest see Me; what thou wishest I will do for thee, My beloved one, whom I chose before thou hadst being, and I have made thee pure, My chosen one. Thou hast dwelt in the desert seventy or eighty years at a time, thou hast wandered through the deserts doubting nothing, thou hast not feared to dwell with lions, and thou hast endured, and been of good cheer even unto death. And now, verily, I will not refuse what thou shalt ask of Me; whatsoever thou desirest I will perform for thee." When our father heard God utter this great mystery, he rejoiced and said, "My Lord and my God, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst do for me as Thou hast done for others like me. Now, grant me ten mercies. Have mercy for my sack upon the men of the land of Gabota, who are sinners, for Thou didst not come into the world to call the righteous, who have no need to repent, but to turn sinners to repentance. Remember, O Lord, those in the Judgment, whose tears flow like the waters of winter, and who gnash their teeth, and who acted as they did in ignorance, Satan having led them into error. Have mercy upon them, O Lord, and shew compassion unto them." And our Lord said unto our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, "They say hard things. It hath been head that I do not do unto them as unto the others, who are righteous peoples, and are pure, and have borne toil upon earth. And as to that which thou askest Me; I do not destroy a monk for the sake of one sin. If his wickednesses are many, and his sins are many, after he hath entered the fire he becometh subject for judgment. When he beseecheth Me with great labour I make the soul of that man to go forth from him, and I scatter it among the winds, and not a trace of it is ever found; at the resurrection of the dead [it is] not in the abode of the righteous, or in the abode of sinners. In thy case it is not thus; according to My mercy I will have mercy upon thee, for I have given thee a promise that I will do whatsoever thou askest Me." When our father heard [this], he rejoiced and bowed his face. And all the heavenly beings rejoiced and said, "Redemption is with our God. Amen." And our father also said unto God, "How great is [Thy] mercy, my Lord?" And God said, "To each of thy years according to the length of thy days I will add two years"; and forthwith the days of our father were made to be three hundred years. And our Lord said unto the archangels, "Go ye and bring souls forth from judgment, and release them and give them to the blessed Gabra Manfas Kedus." And the seven angels went down to the Gahanam of fire, the place of sinners. At that moment came ‘Abd Almakos, the angel of Gahanam, who hath power over the tortures of sinners, and brought out there from the men of the land of Gabota. And the number of the souls who went forth from judgment was thirty thousand, and [the seven angels] led them on their way, and guided them--namely Michael and Gabriel, each with his pilgrims, Saku'el and Ramu'el, each with his great ones, and Fanu'el blew a trumpet before them. And the other angels were uttering cries of joy, until they came before the throne of God in the heavens, and saying, "Glory to God in the heavens, and peace upon earth, His good will to men." And God said unto our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, "The men who are in the world shall not see thee, that is to say, the priests, and the monks and the believers; only those who are good like thyself who visitest them. And thou shalt not appear to the angels except by thy wish. Thy chariot shall be the winds, and thy goings shall be like theirs without noise. Fly from the east to the west, and from the north to the south, and from behind the earth to the north, and thou shalt be able to come to any place by means of the winds. And from henceforth, O blessed Gabra Manfas Kedus, My beloved, whenever thou wishest look upon Me, My Father, and the Holy Spirit, the Three of us thus always. And moreover, go to the country of Ethiopia, and in that land there are souls which thou hast to bring forth from judgment."
When our father heard the words of the Lord his face shone and his mind rejoiced, and he said unto Him, "My Lord and my God, who shall guide me to that country, and how shall I know the road thither? For I have heard men say from my childhood that the country of Ethiopia is far away." And our Lord said unto him, "Go, and My power shall bring thee thither, and My angels shall not be far from thee, for thou art honorable even as are they. As for Me, even as thou wishest, thou shalt find Me, and according as thou hast asked Me I will do for thee." After our Lord had given the promise to His servant He disappeared from him, and the angels returned, saying, "Glory," and, shouting with joy with David the prophet, they cried, "Go up into the heights. Thou hast led captive captivity, and Thou hast given Thy grace to the children of man." And those souls which had come forth from judgment went into the Garden of Delight, with honor and praise. And the heights of heaven were filled with joy when [the angels] saw this wonderful and astonishing sight, the like of which had never been seen from the creation of the world to the time of the coming of Christ. Grant unto me, O Lord, an understanding heart so that I may be able to know the work which Thou didst perform for our father Gabra Manfas Kedus, the like of which Thou didst not do for the prophets, and the patriarchs, and the other saints of the monastery and the desert; not that a man [who] hath done the work which Thou gavest him could do what Thou Thyself dost What then? Our father was able to fly in the air, and to go round the sea of fire, [and to bring out] thousands of souls. He did not do this by the strength of his natural body which was water, fire, dust and wind, and there was no other like him; except Adam, the first [man] created. Adam was not able to go about, and to go out from Sheol until our Redeemer came. O Gabra Manfas Kedus, what is the sum of the grace, and great kindness, and glory, and exaltation, wherewith thou was provided by God? When I think of describing thy strife my mind becometh light (i.e. unsettled), like that of a man who hath drunk old wine, with joy, and it soareth and it cometh back, and saith, "How long and how many days should I require to come to an end of his history; for the matters which concern him are very many and are countless." When our father Gabra Manfas Kedus looked upon the land of Gabota he saw that there was in him the faculty of knowing what was hidden, and what was manifest. Moreover he knew the mysteries of the heavens, and what was in the earth, and he knew when priests were pure, and he was able to see when the Holy Ghost descended. The deeds of sinners were manifest before him, and they were clear in his eyes as in a mirror, for he knew everything relating to the spirit. And our father Gabra Manfas Kedus saw in the land of Gabota that the people hid themselves in the church at the time of the Offering, now the number of these amounted to two hundred. And when the Offering was being consecrated the Holy Spirit descended upon that altar, and our good father rejoiced when he saw the descent of the Holy Spirit. And he also watched when the people received the Offering, and none partook except those whose deeds were good and whose hearts were right concerning the mystery of the spiritual Offering. And our father said unto the angel, "What is the sin of those who have not received the Spirit?" And the angel said unto our honorable father, "Behold, the sin of those who have not received the Spirit is great before God." And our father turned and he saw the Satans driving the people with fiery whips from the hall of the church, until they came to their houses. And Satan himself rejoiced because they had become his companions, and they were all destroyed, and there were left among them only those who had wished for repentance; and Satan rejoiced because he found certain poor folk cast out. Now these were sinners who had not repented for their life upon earth, and they became soldiers of Satan. When our father saw this wonderful thing, he sorrowed and wept, and he said, "My Lord and my God, Thy people have been made captives, and carried off, and there are not left two hundred men, but four who have eaten (?) the ephod of Thy Body. He saith, Thou givest (or, sellest) Thy people without price" (Psalm xliv, 12). When our father had said this he wept, and he departed to make prayers near the place (?) of the Apostles, and when he had arrived there he fixed his gaze on the island of water near the place where he dwelt formerly. And our Lord saw him and said unto His blessed servant, "I will shew mercy unto thee, and in each day I will give thee sixty thousand [souls], namely on My Birthday, and on thy birthday, and on the day of My Baptism, and on the day of My Resurrection; on each of these days [each year] I will give thee as an act of grace sixth thousand souls. If Satan hath carried off souls thou must take them from the Judgment: I have left none to Satan, I have given [all] to thee." When Satan heard this he wept with a great weeping, saying, "Ever since this wretched man was created and born I have been bound with fetters. Where can I go from this wretched man who by fasting and prayer hath taken my captives and carried them of, the captives whom I took and led astray by my arts, and carried off into the Great Judgment, before he was born." And uttering these words he wished to die. And when the spirit-beings of heaven, and the beings of earth heard [this], they rejoiced, and laughed, and brought out the souls who were in the land of Egypt with much labour, and fasting and prayer. In one day the continuous bowings [of our father] amounted to forty thousand, and during each forty thousand [he recited] the One Hundred the Fifty Psalms of David, and he sang the Fifteen [Books of] the Prophets, and the Prayer of Solomon, and the Praises of our Lady Mary, and besides these he bowed his face three hundred times to the right and three hundred times to the left. All this he did in one day and one night. Through such work as this the souls of sinners gained salvation, and our father by his prayer made the Satans weep, and exhausted the power of Satan and destroyed the sting of his poison, and carried him bound into captivity. After this [our father] went forth from Ethiopia with lions and hyaenas accompanying him; the number of the lions and hyaenas which went before him was thirty, and the number of those which followed him was thirty. And angel of God, whose name was Gabriel, guided him, and our father was mounted upon a chariot of the spirit, and those beasts were with him. And the angel brought him to the land of Kabd, and then he took him to Zekuela, on the highland of the earth, and our father stood on the sea-shore, and looked east, and west, and the south, and north. And he saw the sins of the [men of] Ethiopia, and they were spread out before his eyes and planted in his brain. And he said unto God, "I swear unto Thee by Thy Living Name, that I will not go forth from this sea, and that I will not stand upon my feet." And he sat thus for forty days and forty nights, and a voice came unto him from heaven, saying, "Whosoever shall commemorate thee and shall call upon thy name I will give unto thee." And our father said unto the angel, "All Ethiopia hath not been taught; I will not go away from this sea." And the angel departed from him, and he dwelt in this wise for one hundred years; and all his body perished, and his blood was poured out from him, until all the water of the sea resembled blood, and all his bones appeared like crystal. And the devils came and smote him, from the east and from the west, from the south and from the north, in one day five hundred devils smote him with their darts all day long, for one hundred years. And his bones dwindled and became like sharp stones, and among the men who were before him, from Stephen the martyr to Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and among all the martyrs who died for Christ, there was none who displayed in one day the wonderful things which he made manifest. After this our Lord came and stood on the sea-shore, and He said unto our father, "Rise up and go forth, I have given thee Ethiopia"; and he found his bones like the eye of a needle. And He sought for him, and made him as he was at first. And He sent him to Kabd, and then He took him up into heaven; and he dwelt for seven years in the lower part of heaven, but above the sun. After this He sent him into the land of Kabd, and he lived standing upright like a pillar for six months, and he gazed into heaven, and he neither dropped his eyelids nor bowed his head, and his hands were stretched out towards heaven. After this Satan came to him in the form of a black raven, and he found his bones suspended in the heavens which covered [them], and he sat upon his head, and he pecked at his eyes, and dug out his eyeballs. After this our father remained [blind] for ninety-eight [years], he prayed continually, and ceased not in that land. Then Michael and Gabriel came to him, and they stood in front of his face, and together they breathed upon him, and his eyes saw and his vision became seven times brighter than the sun. And they said unto him, "Depart to Zekuala, that thou mayest kill thine enemies, and great strength shall be given unto thee from heaven and from earth"; and after this they went up into heaven. And our father rose up and went to Zekuala (sic), and he found on the road three tired men of the mountains, and they were resting close by their dwelling in the shade. And Abba Gabra Manfas Kedus looked at them and said in his mind, "I will hide from them." And they made haste and cried out, saying, "Do not forsake us at the throne of God. Carry us a little way on thy back." And our father came, and saw that they were all broken old men, and that they were covered with grey hair. And he lifted up one of them upon his back and he carried him and brought him a distance of one stade. And the old man said unto him, "Now thou hast tired thyself, for thou neither eatest, nor drinkest, nor weepest." And our father said unto him, "By what dost thou know me?" And the old man said, "Go and bring my companions"; and he turned and went, leaving the old man there, and he came to the place where the other two old men were, and he took one of them and brought him back to the old man and joined him. And he said unto them, "Whence have ye come? The odor of you is sweet and rejoiceth the heart, and carrieth away the senses." And the three old men rose up and stood up, and the three of them seemed to be one. And they said unto him, "We will carry thee even as thou didst carry us for a little, and we will carry thee, and make thee to arrive in the Seventh Heaven." At that moment their countenance changed, and they put on the awe of Godhead, and they became like flames of fire, and lightning flashed forth from them. And all the angels of heaven and earth came down, and were terrified, and the mountains and hills descended, and fell down, and all the rocks were broken in pieces and they became like dust. At this moment the Father of Light took our father and carried him on His back, and brought him to the middle of the Second Heaven. And His Son went back to him and took him, and carried him on His back, and brought him from the Second Heaven to the middle of the Third Heaven, and the Holy Spirit went back to him and brought him to His holy and awful throne; and the Three Persons and One Being sat on one throne. And our Lord embraced him and kissed his mouth, and Father, Son and Holy Ghost embraced him and kissed him; as a father kisseth his son even so did They kiss him and embrace him. And He showed him the four thrones of the Prophets, and Apostles, and the Righteous, and the Martyrs, and there remained three double [thrones]. And our Lord said unto him, "Heaven, and earth, and sun, and moon, and stars, are insufficient to be the price of one hair of thy head. Depart, get thee down to Zekuala, and drown the devils who cast away thy bones, for they are boasting and they know not that I have raised thee up. I will be in the sea, and the seven archangels shall follow thee, and fiery lightning shall go before thee." And our father flew on the back of the lightning, and the Three Persons sent him on his way, and returned to their throne. And our father descended and fell upon their heads with swords of fire, and the lightning's consumed them, and they became ashes. And the winds carried away their ashes, and those devils were in number seven thousand two hundred, and they all perished in one day, and there remained not one. After this the lightning's and the archangels went up [into heaven]. And our father departed to the land of Kabd, where there were lions, and hyaenas, and wolves, and serpents. After this the saints came to him one day, led by the Holy Spirit: (1) Abba Samuel of Waldebba, (2) Abba ‘Ansesa of the land of Hazlo, (3) Abba Benyam of the lower land; and they had their lions with them. They came to the land of Kabd, and our father hid himself; and they continued in praises seven days until they should find him. After the seven days certain lions, which had been hidden, went forth, and came to the place where the three saints were, and they seized upon their lions and devoured their bodies; they devoured and licked up their bodies in a moment. And the saints were terrified, and the lions disappeared. And the saints were exceedingly sorry, and their sorrow was revealed unto our father. And he rose up and came to them with the great power which was given unto him from heaven, and with him there were sixty lions, and sixty hyaenas, and angels bearing the tent of light. And the hair of his head covered his whole body like a thatch and swept the ground, and the hair of his beard and neck reached the ground; and he was arrayed in his apparel. And he came unto them with great might, and said unto them, "Peace be unto you, O saints of God." And those saints were terrified when they saw his terrifying majesty and the lions which roared before him, and the hyaenas which screamed and laughed like horses. And our father said unto those saints, "For what purpose have ye come to me, [seeing that] I am alone in this desert place?" And those saints said unto him, "We came unto thee having known of thy holy prayers, O chief anchorite in all the world, and we came unto thee that we might hold converse with the servant of God. When we came and did not find thee we sorrowed and wept for seven days, and whilst we were praying on the seventh day thy lions came and seized our lions, and they ate them up and swallowed them and licked up their blood in the twinkling of an eye." And our father said unto his lions, "Why did ye eat what God had not commanded ye to eat? Ye were ordered to eat nothing but the dust of my footsteps until the day of your deaths. Cast up and throw up what ye have eaten." And the lions opened their mouths, and threw up what thy had eaten, all the flesh and bones and blood of the saints' lions, and none of their flesh and bones remained in their bellies; and they cast up everything in the twinkling of an eye. And our father turned towards the east, and praised God, saying, "O Thou Who didst raise up Lazarus, raise them up, but do not raise up those whom Thou hast given to Thy servants to follow them." Then he blessed them and their bodies, that is to say, the dead bodies of the lions, and he said unto them, "Rise up by the power of God." And the lions rose up in the twinkling of an eye, and they were as they were at first, and they uttered cries, and purred, and lay down by our father, and they did homage at his feet. And those lions spoke like men, and they said unto him, "Henceforward we will follow thee. Those saints were unable to do anything for us, but thou hast raised us up and brought us out from the bellies of [thy] lions"; and our father sent them away to their former owners, and the saints marveled at the work of God. And Abba Samuel said unto our father, "Art thou God? We thought that thou wast a man like unto ourselves. That which was dead thou wast raised from the belly of the lions, and what they had eaten thou hast made to come forth. We have seen a marvelous thing this day!"
On the third day of Magabit our father fell sick, and on the Eve of the Sabbath his death drew nigh. His pain and sickness seized him so strongly, that he well nigh died; and the hour of his death approached. And there came unto him several anchorites who were recluses, whose names were, Fere Kedus, and Zara Buruk, and James, and Benyam, and Joseph, and our father told them that he was going to die, and that God had given him a covenant (or, promise). When they heard this they wept, and sorrowed for the death of the saint, for he was the chief of the anchorites. During the early hours of the Sabbath he lived with difficulty, and was exhausted, now burning and now sweating, but he never ceased to make supplication to his God, which was his custom with every breath. When the evening came his body was in a state of collapse, and he was unable to speak, and those who were by him [sent] to fetch Gabra Andreas so that he might see his death and be a witness concerning it. When the anchorites came to him, they told him that the blessed man was going to die; and when he heard [this] he wept and sorrowed bitterly. And he rose up, and went to him. And it was the evening of the Sabbath, for the day was ended, and it was the first hour of the night. And he rose up [and went] to the place where he was, now his road was far from the abode of the holy man, and the place where the honorable man was. And at the fourth hour of the night he found him lying like a majestic lion in the desert where there was none to terrify him and to overshadow him; and there was no one in the village which was near his road who had found him. And he was lying with his hands spread out towards heaven, even as our Lord Jesus Christ was extended on the wood of the Cross at the time of His Passion, until the hour of His death. And one saw the light which was upon him, and the grace of God which was on his face, and the ruddiness of his beauty, and his beard which was as white as snow. When the seventh hour of the night came his soul separated itself from his body. At that moment a sound was heard from heaven, like the sound of thunder, and there came down lamps which were like snow, and like unto crystal, and which thundered and rolled down from the heavens to the earth, each having the form and similitude of the other, and they shone like the sun, and moon, and stars. Those who were there were terrified and afraid, because of the great awfulness of the things which were taking place, and which had come upon them; and they were unable to touch any part of his body. And after his death they withdrew themselves and fled, and they lost their senses by reason of the fear and trembling which had come upon them. Now the earth trembled, and the mountains quaked, and there was a mighty noise at the moment of the departure of the soul of the saint. And those saints stood afar off that they might see and hear the mysteries of heaven and earth which were being performed. And God fortified the minds of those saints, so that they might understand what had happened to the honorable man, our father, and might testify that they had seen God in His Three Persons descend to our father before his soul [departed]. And Jesus said unto him (?), "I have come to give thee oblations for thy commemoration. Whosoever shall write or have written the book of thy strife shall pass with thee boldly, and his abode shall be in the mansions of light, and I will write his name on My awful throne. Whosoever shall commemorate thee greatly and unceasingly shall pass through the lake of fire, and shall stand unashamed before thee. If he giveth bread to the hungry I will give him the bread of heaven, and he shall nevermore hunger. If he giveth drink to the thirsty I will make him to drink milk with the babes for ever. If he giveth incense, even though he be polluted, he shall be with thee. If he give flour I will make him to draw nigh unto the heavenly Jerusalem with thee. If he give oil on the day of thy commemoration he shall be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel. If he bring a lamp, he shall traverse the sea of fire and darkness, with twelve lamps of light, which shall be seven times brighter than the sun. If they assemble on the day of thy commemoration, I will make them to assemble on Mount Zion with all the saints." And our father entreated God and said unto Him, "I have lived three hundred and sixty-nine years, I have never drunk water, I never thought about food for my body, and have eaten only wood (i.e. herbs), and the fruits of the desert, nor about clothing for my body, and I continued to be naked, and if I had lived in the sea I should have lived like the fish and the hippopotamus. I lived in a tree like the birds, and I lived like the stag in the mountains, with the lion, the wolf, the panther and the serpent. This is the reward which Thou givest to the saints. I beseech Thee, O Lord, to be pleased to speak to me." And our Lord answered and said unto him, "If the sin of a man is not repented for, the man who hath committed it, not only if he be a Christian, but if he be an ‘Arminu, I will give unto thee if he celebrate thy commemoration, and he shall be saved, and he shall be with thee. When thy soul is separated [from thy body] on the fifth day of Magabit they shall make twelve . . . as for Mary, My mother. They shall make a habitation and I will bless their assemblies. If he be old, I will give him a good seat. And now ascend into the houses of light. And take twelve crowns, and ten thousand lamps in thy right hand, and ten thousand lamps in thy left hand, one thousand before thee and one thousand behind thee, and twelve precious stones of light, and take horses of fire to bear thee." And our father answered and said unto Him, "O our Lord Jesus Christ, if men celebrate my commemoration with right hearts, unto how many generations wilt Thou give them unto me?" And the Lord said unto him, "I will give them unto thee for fifteen generations." Then they heard a great voice which cried out and said, "Take the body of Gabra Manfas Kedus, and carry it away, and let his grave be in Jerusalem, on the right-hand side of the altar." And Michael and Gabriel and all the angels uttered cries of joy before his holy soul, and each of them cried out unceasingly, and the angels carried away his body to bury it as God commanded them; and thirty desert anchorites came to meet it. And the hosts of angels placed his soul in the houses of light, saying, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, all the time, now and always, and for ever and ever."
Daily Prayer (Hymn to Mariam):
(Hymn of Praise of the Virgin Mariam)
(C) Third Day of The Week - Tuesday
1. The crown of glory, and the origin of our deliverance (or
salvation) and the foundation of our sanctification came into
being in Mariam the Virgin, who brought for us God the
Word, Who became incarnate for our salvation. And after He
became man of a certainty He was perfect God. And for this
reason she gave birth to Him being a Virgin the power of her
bringing forth is a marvelous thing that cannot be described.
Of His own free will, and by the good pleasure of His Father
and the Holy Sprit, He came forth and has delivered us.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
2. Great is the praise of thy virginity, O Mariam, thou
perfect (or absolute) Virgin, Thou did receive, God was with
thee. Thou art the ladder which Jacob saw reaching from
earth to heaven, with the Angels of God ascending and
descending upon it. (Genesis 28:12).
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
3. Thou art the Bush which Moses saw blazing with fire
and the wood thereof was not consumed (Exodus 3:2).
It was the Son of God Who dwelt in thy womb, and the fire
of His divinity did not consume thy flesh.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
4. Thou art the Field wherein no seed was sown, and yet
there went forth from thee the Fruit of Life. Thou art the
Treasure-house which Joseph bought, and he found therein
a Pearl, a precious gem, that is to say, our Redeemer
Eeyesus Kristos. Thou did carry in thy womb and did
bring Him forth into the world.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
5. Rejoice thou, O God-bearer, thou joy of the Angels.
Rejoice thou, who was the woman foretold by the Prophets.
Rejoice thou, for thou hast received the voice of the Angel
Gabriel, the joy of all the world.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
6. Rejoice thou because it is meet that thou should be
called, “Bearer of God”, Rejoice thou, O thou woman who
delivered Eve. Rejoice thou, for thou didst suckle Him Who
suckled all creation. Rejoice thou, O Holy woman, the
mother of all living beings. We lift our eyes to thee with
entreaty that thou will pray on our behalf.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
7. O Virgin, O Saint, O Bearer of God, since thou did bring
forth the King, A marvelous mystery dwelt upon thee for our
salvation. We will hold our peace, for we are unable to
search into the matter completely, as the greatness thereof
requires, and will describe that doer of good things, through
the exceedingly great wonder of the manifestation.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
8. He was the living Word
of the Father who came
down on Mount Sinai, and
gave the law to Moses
(Exodus 20:16) while the
top of the mountain was
covered with mist, and
smoke and the darkness,
and with storm, and with
the terrifying blasts of
trumpets.
He admonished those who
were standing there in fear.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM
PRAY FOR US.
9. It was He who came down to thee, O rational mountain in
the humility of the Lover of men. Without any change He
became incarnate of thee and took a perfect body, endowed
with reason and like unto ourselves, through the spirit of
wisdom. God took up his abode on her and became perfect
man so that He might deliver Adam, and forgive him his sin,
and make him to dwell in heaven, and bring him back to his
former state in His abundant compassion and mercy.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
10. It is impossible for any to describe the greatness of the
Virgin. For God chose her, and he came and dwelth in the
light, whom none could approach, was carried in her womb
nine months. He who is invisible, He who is invisible, He
who incomprehensible did Mariam bring forth, being a
Virgin. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
11. This is the stone which Daniel the Prophet saw, which
was hewn from a high mountain, without hands (Daniel 2:34-
35), that is to say the Word who went forth from the Father.
He came and became incarnate of the Virgin without seed
of man, and delivered us.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
12. Thou are the pure twig and the right vessel of the True
Faith of the Saints our Fathers. O thou pure God-bearer,
O thou sealed Virgin, you did bring forth for us the word of
the Father Eeyesus Kristos. He came and he has delivered
us. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
13. Thou are the mother of the Glorious Light, O God-bearer. Thou did carry the Word who is invisible, and after you did
bring him forth you did continue to be a Virgin. With praise
and blessing shall men magnify you.
O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM PRAY FOR US.
14. What tongue is able to proclaim that which should be
declared concerning you, O thou pure Virgin, Mother of the
Light, the Word of the Father. You were the throne of the
King whom the Cherubim carry. We ascribe blessings unto
you, O blessed woman, and we will remember your name
from generation to generation. O beautiful Dove, Mother of
our Lord Eeyesus Kristos. O HOLY VIRGIN MARIAM
PRAY FOR US.
15. Rejoice thou, O Mary,
Mother and Maid, for unto
Him Who is in thy bosom the Angels bring praises, and the
Cherubim bow down and
worship Him in fear and the
Seraphim spread out their
wings, and say concerning
Him ceaselessly, “This is the
King of Glory”. He came to
forgive the sins of the world in
the greatness of His compassion.
Oh Holy Virgin Mariam Pray For Us
The Tenth day
Morning Prayer
Make the sign of the Cross…
In the name of the Father....
Opening Prayer
O God, our refuge and our strength, who are the author of all goodness; be merciful to us, we pray that you may hear us and accept our morning prayer; and grant us the things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Saviour and our master. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 50: 1-23
50:1 The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. 50:5 Gather my saints together to me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah. 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even your God. 50:8 I will not reprove thee for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. 50:9 I will take no bullock out of your house, nor he goats out of your folds. 50:10 Forevery beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 50:11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. 50:13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving; and pay your vows to the most High: 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify me. 50:16 But to the wicked God saith, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in your mouth? 50:17 Seeing you hate instruction, and casts my words behind thee. 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and have been partaker with adulterers. 50:19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frameth deceit. 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against your brother; thou slanderest your own mother's son. 50:21 These things have you done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before your eyes. 50:22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. 50:23 Whoso offers praise glorifieth me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 51: 1-19
51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving-kindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shall make me to know wisdom. 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. 51:9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 51:11 Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your holy spirit from me. 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me with your free spirit. 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors your ways; and sinners shall be converted to thee. 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall declarethy praise. 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 51:18 Do good in your good pleasure to Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 51:19 Then shall thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon your altar. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 52: 1-9
52:1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endures continually. 52:2 The tongue devises mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee forever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of your dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 52:7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. 52:9 I will praise thee forever, because you have done it: and I will wait on your name; for it is good before your saints. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
1st Kings 9: 2-5
9:2 That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me: I have hallowed this house, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. He who receives the Prophet by the name of the Prophet shall receive the Prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 8: 12-17
8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 55: 1-2
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 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: 1-7
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, who are the sources of all good things, and cleanse our hearts, strengthen us in love through the Holy Spirit. Grant your grace that we may always be grateful for all the goodness you have given us and may we bear our trials with patience, today, tomorrow and always. Amen. Our Father…
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Day 10
Evening Prayer
In the Name of the Father……..
Opening Prayer
Merciful God and Father, we humbly ask you in our evening prayer to help and teach us how to love and respect to each other sincerely, and we may work for peace and welfare of those who need our help in our communities: and make us more like you in serving others. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 53: 1-6
53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. 53:5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encamps against thee: you have put them to shame, because God hath despised them. 53:6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God brings back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 54: 1-7
54:1 Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me by your strength. 54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 54:3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. 54:5 He shall reward evil to mine enemies: cut them off in your truth. 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to thee: I will praise your name, O Lord; for it is good. 54:7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 55: 1-23
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 55:4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. 55:5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. 55:7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. 55:8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. 55:9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. 55:11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. 55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 55:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company. 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. 55:18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abides of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. 55:20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. 55:21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. 55:23 But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Reading
1st Reading
1st Kings 8: 51-53 or 50-53
8:50 And forgive your people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: For they be your people, and your inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: That your eyes may be open to the supplication of your servant, and to the supplication of your people Israel, to hearken to them in all that they call for to thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be your inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses your servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
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 by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’ s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 55: 1-2
55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 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: 1-3
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who opened up our salvation through your death and resurrection, we ask you in our evening prayer to direct us in the path of true life, and write your law in our hearts. Grant us your wonderful peace throughout this coming night. Amen. Our Father….
The Synaxarium:
THE SIXTH MONTH
YEKATIT 06
(February 13)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
And on this day they raised up the body of the holy and honorable Abulidis, Archbishop of the city of Rome, the teacher of all the ends of the world. This saint was a nobleman by birth, and a perfect, and learned man, and God chose him to be Archbishop of the city of Rome, after Abba Eucheius, in the first year of the archiepiscopate of Claudian, in the city of Alexandria. And this father used to teach his people and protect them against the opinions of the pagans, and strengthen them in the Faith of God. And the fame of him was heard of by the Emperor Claudius, the infidel, and he seized Saint Abulidis and beat him very severely. When he was weary of torturing him, he tied a heavy stone to this feet, and cast him into the Red Sea on the fifth day of Yakatit. And on the following day, that is to say the sixth day of Yakatit, as it were today, the body of the saint was found floating on the water, and there was a stone on his feet. And one of the believers took it up out of the water, and brought it into the house, and he wrapped it up in wrappings of great price; and this story was noised abroad in all the city of Rome and the district round about it. And the emperor sought to burn the body in the fire, but the man with whom it was hid did not reveal it. And this saint composed many homilies, some on the True Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and some on the Incarnation of the Son of God in the nature of man, and some of them dealt with Doctrine (or Dogma), and some contained Admonitions to do the good pleasure of God. And he drew up eight and thirty Canons on the Law of the Church, and these are to be found in our own churches, and in all the churches of all Christian peoples. Salutation to the bringing up of the body of Abba Abulidis from out of the sea.
And on this day also became martyrs the following saints: ‘Abukir, and John, and three virgins, and their mother, whose names were Theodora, which is, being interpreted, “Gift of God,” and Theophana, which is being interpreted, “Faith of God,” and Theodosia, which is, being interpreted, “Praise of God,” and Athanasia, which is, being interpreted, “Life which dieth not.” And Saint ‘Abukir was a monk, and he was devoted to God, and was a fighter from his youth up, and John was a soldier in the Imperial Army, and they were men of the city of Alexandria. And then they dwelt in the city of Antioch and, together with their mother and the virgins who were with them, they confessed our Lord Jesus Christ before the Emperor Diocletian, who asked them whence they came. And they said unto him, “From the city of Alexandria,” and he commanded that they should be taken thither. And when they came to the city of Alexandria, and stood up before the governor, and confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, he tortured them severely; and when he was tired of torturing them, he commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword. And Saint Athanasia encouraged her virgin daughters, and she urged them to endure, and she told them that they were to become brides of Christ, the True Emperor, and martyrs for His Name’s sake. And Saint ‘Abukir likewise explained [this] to them, and reminded them of the tribulation which fell upon the apostolic woman Thecla. And the soldiers brought the virgins to the swordsman, one after the other, and their mother, and they became martyrs; and afterwards ‘Abukir and John became martyrs. Then the emperor commanded the soldiers to cast their bodies to the wild beasts of the desert, and to the fowl of the heavens, but there were certain believers there who took away their bodies secretly, and they swathed them and laid them in coffers until the days of persecution should be ended. And at length a church was built for them, and the believers laid their bodies in it, and very many signs and miracles took place through them.
And on this day also died Mary, the sinner, who anointed our Lord with unguent. This blessed woman was first of all a sinner, and she acquired all her possessions by fornication, and she used to decorate herself with divers dresses and ornaments in order to lead young men astray. One day she put on her ornamental apparel according to her wont, and she anointed herself, and perfumed her body, and she looked at herself in a mirror and she admired the ruddiness of her cheeks, and the beauty of her eyes for a very long time, that is to say, for an hour, as she was seated. And then a good thought came upon her, and she remembered death, and the fleeting character of the world. And she heard that our Lord Jesus Christ accepted sinners, and that He would pardon her sins, and she took all her money, and bought an alabastron of scented unguent. And she went to Him whilst He was sitting at meat in the house of Simon, and she prostrated herself at His feet, and she anointed Him with the unguent, and washed Him with her tears and dried Him with the hair of her head. And when our Lord saw the greatness of her love, He remitted her sins to her, and commanded [the disciples] to make mention of her when they preached the Gospel. And from that time she ministered unto Him with the holy women. Salutation to Mary.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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