_|_ | C O P | N E T COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Cleveland, Ohio FOCUS ON THE COPTIC FAMILY A Scriptural and Liturgical Guide Based on the Coptic Orthodox Lectionary (Katamaros) by Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, D.Min ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Published By St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church 2100 E. Pleasant Valley Rd. Cleveland, Ohio 44131 (216) 642-7691 Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, Pastor of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Cleveland, Ohio. B.Div. Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, Cairo, Egypt 1972. M.Div, D.Min. Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio, 1986. ISBN: 977-00-1426-5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION II. SELECTIONS OF THE BIBLE READ ON SUNDAYS III. THE WEEKDAYS AND HOLY FEASTS OF THE CHURCH The Head of the Church The Weekdays Lectionary The Body of the Church IV. THE GREAT LENT V. HOLY WEEK OF PASCHA [Passion Week] VI. HOLY PENTECOST BIBLIOGRAPHY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FOREWORD Although some books and studies have addressed the subject of the enhancement of the devotional life of the Copts living in the land of immigrants, none have approached this issue by making such extensive use of the Coptic Orthodox Lectionary (Katamaros). The importance of the spiritual growth of the family unit cannot be stressed enough. This can be clearly illustrated in the wonderful verse from the Bible: "I and my family worship the Lord" (Josh 24:15). Without having the Lord constitute a major part of the family unit, this family unit has a serious defect. There is no better way to encourage spiritual training and growth than by reading the Bible, daily and applying its principles to use. The Coptic Orthodox Church, is indeed, a biblical church which relies on the Holy Bible, as the first source of teaching. The Coptic Orthodox Lectionary (Katamaros), containing readings for Sundays, the Weekdays, the Great Lent, Holy Week, and the Pentecost Lectionary, is a comprehensive and thorough study of the various stages of our Lord's life on earth: the Annunciation, His Birth, His Baptism, His Ministry, His Suffering on the cross, His Resurrection, His Ascension and His Second Coming. By reference to the Saints and their holy lives, we ensure a continuation of the Apostolic tradition. The objective of this book is to provide an effective and concrete guide in the utilization of the Lectionary. It provides spiritual direction, offering a course of daily readings for each member of the family to follow. The book can be divided into five segments. The first segment includes the readings of the Sundays throughout the year which deal with the work of the Holy Trinity: The love of God the Father, the grace of the Son Jesus Christ, and the fellowship and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second segment is a study of the lectionary for the remainder of the weekdays, which is based on the lives of the Saints. In the third segment, which deals with the Lenten season, the Lectionary sheds light on the relationship between the prophecies read in the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament. The fourth segment, an analysis of the lectionary for "Passion Week", is a close follow-up of our Lord's suffering day by day and hour by hour. Finally, the fifth segment is meant to be read for the Period of Pentecost where the lectionary portrays the Lord Jesus Christ as being indeed the Conqueror whose love is everlasting. It also brings out the blessings, and fruits of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I sincerely hope that this book will be a source of inspiration to you and that through the use of the lectionary. your faith will be strengthened, your spiritual life increased and your ability to achieve unity of spirit and mind in your family enhanced. May God be with you through the prayers and intercession of the Mother of God St. Mary, St. Mark the Evangelist, and His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. Glory Be to God forever. Amen. Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, D.Min. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GENERAL INTRODUCTION A. The Christian Family * The first family on earth was not formed of two persons, a man and a woman (Adam and Eve) but it rather consisted of three, God, Adam and Eve. Any newly formed.family consists initially of three members: God, and the two spouses. That is why, when a family begets a child he is the child of the two parents, and also the child of God, by baptism, thus belonging to the church. Marriage that does not have God as a member is not a holy family. God makes the two spouses into one when they receive the sacrament of marriage through the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Bible text reads: "Whom God joins, man cannot separate" [Mt. 19:6]. The children that are the fruit of a marriage are called by the Holy Spirit: "The inheritance from the Lord". Marriage in our church is carried out inside the church - the house of God - by the priest. Every spouse feels that he or she has received the other as a gift from the hands of God who blessed and sanctified their marriage. The Bible and the church history offer us many instances of good families living with God, according to His words. How wonderful is this biblical verse "I and my family worship the Lord" [Joshua 24:15]. We want our Christian homes to be a source of spiritual inspiration to our children where they receive the first lessons about loving God, and living the true Christian life. Parents should set a good example for their children to follow, in every good deed, and in living a righteous life. We want our families to conduct Bible studies in our homes, 'a Servant and a Priest offer this handbook, therefore, to develop the devotional life of the Coptic family living as immigrants in this land through the utilization of the Lectionary (The Katamaros) of the Coptic Orthodox Church". B. The Lectionary The Holy Bible is our source of knowledge about the will of God; it illustrates to us God's plan for the salvation of man. The Holy Bible is the Word of God that announces to us the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, ascension, and His second coming. It is therefore appropriate to say that the Holy Bible is the primary source in Christian education, and consequently our Church makes it of utmost importance to educate its members in the contents of the Holy Book, and to interpret such accurately to enable them to lead their lives accordingly. Moreover, our glorious Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has established a method of teaching the Holy Bible to its members by means of which a thorough and complete study is covered. The study comprises chapters from various sections of the Bible, mainly covering the various aspects and stages of our Lord's life on earth: the annunciation, birth, baptism, abstinence, His suffering on the Cross, the resurrection, ascension, and His second coming. The Church also mentions its saints on their holy days to remind the people of their model lives. The Church presents this method of study through its text readings in the Divine Liturgy to ensure the unity of mind and spirit among its members. Such a system is followed year after year not only to guarantee a thorough comprehension of its teachings by its members, but also to ensure the continuation of the Apostolic Tradition without interruption. The Basis of this System: The Church selects out chapters from the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Psalms and parts of the Old Testament (read only during the holy days of Jonah, Lent and the Holy Week). These readings recited in the Divine Liturgy are contained in a book called "The Lectionary," a Greek word literally meaning "a section for every day." It is an ecclesiastical book which contains sections from the Holy Bible divided and assigned to each day of the year. Sections of the Lectionary: 1. For Sundays: present to us Jesus Christ in various aspects of His life, work, teachings and miracles. 2. For weekdays: present to us the Holy Saints of the Church and its martyrs. Such sections are divided into groups, each of which has its own special readings. 3. The Great Lent. 4. The Holy Week. 5. Pentecost. Truly, the Holy Bible presents to us a unique method to learn about the life of Christ without contradiction, making us apt to live wholly. ----------------------------------- * Cf. H.H. Pope Shenouda III, El-Osra El-Masihya wa El-Kerat El- Kanasia, St. Mary, Church and Monastery 1982, pp. 3-11. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MESSAGES READ IN THE SUNDAYS LECTIONARY There are forty Sundays in the Sundays Lectionary (the remaining Sundays of the year are included in the Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pentecost Lectionary). These Sundays are distributed as follows: 1. Four Sundays in each month of the following: Thuout, Paopi, Athor, Khoiak, Tobi, Mekher, Paoni, Epep, Mesori; these are 36 Sundays. 2. The two last Sundays of the month Pakhons. 3. One Sundays of the month Nasie. 4. The fifth Sunday of any month all through the year, the first and second Sundays of Pakhons and all Sundays of Paramhat and Baramuda are included in the Great Lent, Holy Week and Pentecost Lectionary. Sundays Rule: All readings of those forty Sundays talk about one subject: The work of the Holy Trinity. This subject is divided into three main parts: 1. The love of God the Father to mankind. 2. The grace of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to his people. 3. The fellowship and gifts of the Holy Spirit. [1] The Love of God the Father to Mankind. All selections read on the Thuout Sundays deal with this subject. [2] The Grace of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to His People. All the readings on the Sundays of the months from Paopi through Pakhons deal with this subject as follows: A. The Paopi Sundays: All the four Sunday readings deal with the subject "The power of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on the souls". B. The Athor Sundays: All the four Sunday readings of this months deal with the subject "The gospel of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to His people". C. The Khoiak Sundays: All the four Sunday readings of this month deal with the subject "The appearance of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, among His people". D. The Tobi Sundays: All the four Sunday readings of this month deal with the subject "The salvation of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the Gentiles". E. The Mekher Sundays: All the four Sunday readings of this month deal with the subject "The spiritual food of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to His people". F. The Pakhons Sundays: All the four Sunday readings of this month deal with the subject "The dominance of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, over His people". [3] The Fellowship and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. All the selections read on the Paoni Sundays deal with this subject. Following are the readings for the remaining Sundays of the year. [4] The Help of the Savior to His Apostles. All the selections read on the Epep Sundays deal with this subject. [5] The Savior's Care for His Church. All the selections read on the Mesori Sundays deal with this subject. [6] The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the End of the Time. All the selections read on the Nasie Sunday deal with this subject. It should be noted that if any of these months has five weeks, we read the fifth Sunday messages which talk about the miracle of the five loaves and the two fish. If any feast day of Jesus Christ comes on a Sunday, we read the message of this feast day and not the Sunday message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE TRINITY OF LOVE * God is Love: Jesus, by His coming to the world and His death on the Cross for us, revealed to us the nature of God that was not known to mankind. By this coming and giving Himself, He declared to us that God is Love. As it is clearly written in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life." Man did not recognize that love was God's nature, until the appearance of Jesus in the flesh. "This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him" [1 John 4:9]. The Godly love as declared by the coming of Jesus and His death on the Cross reveals to us the secret of eternal life; for what Jesus, the Son of God, performed on earth, is an objective expression of the eternal love between Him and the Father. That is why, in His last prayer to the Father, He said, "Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me before the creation of the world" [John 17:24]. "God is Love," truly means that in Him, there is a loving Person and a loved One, otherwise there would have been no love. The loved and the loving must be present together without a beginning even before His creation of the world because God is Love before the creation. For God does not change like shifting shadows [James 1:17], and as it is written in Malachi 3:6, "I, the Lord, do not change." Accordingly, the love of God to mankind cannot be the beginning of the loving nature of God, because this implies that God has changed and that love was introduced to His nature with the creation of man. But the fact and the truth is that inside God, there is the Heavenly Father who is the source and origin of the Godly love. The Father is the loving One. He is the ever compassionate, who was never created. The Son is the loved Person, being loved infinitely by the Father. He is "The only Son, who is at the Father's side" [John 1:18]. And the word "side" here refers to "the side of love" because God has no material "side" like man; as there is also the "Spirit of Love," meaning the Holy Spirit who originates from the Father and rests in the Son, it is the loving Spirit of the Father to the Son, as it is the loving Spirit of the Son to the Father. As it is written in Hebrews 9:14, "The blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God." And the Holy Spirit of Love is the one who pours the love of God into our hearts, "because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" [Romans 5:5]. God is Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that cannot be separated from each other, a "loving Father," a "beloved Son," and a "Spirit of Love." The current of Godly love flows without interruption between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and from within this Heavenly life, the Father sent His beloved Son who became Incarnate for the salvation of mankind and to bring him to the unity of Godly love; in other words, to participate into the life of the Trinity. Jesus Christ has instructed His disciples to baptize those who believe in Him, in the Name of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and the Baptism in the name of the Trinity means to participate in the life of Trinity, as it is written in 1 John 1:34, "And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make your joy complete." The Baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity opens for us the world of Godly life, so we move from the state of slavery to freedom, and we become beloved children to the Father. That is how God the Father of Jesus Christ, the loving Father, became our Father by our union with His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. "In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given to us in the one He loves" [Ephesians 1:5, 6]. Also, by the Baptism, we became brothers to the First Son, Jesus Christ, and that is why Jesus was incarnate and took our shape, so we can share with Him in His inheritance. "Now, if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory, for those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers" [Romans 8:17-29]. Through Baptism, we became a temple for the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love that Jesus pours into our hearts from the Father and that is how we became sons to the Father, brothers to Jesus and a temple for the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus opens for us the door to enter into the circle of Godly love, that runs into the life of the Holy Trinity. The final goal for Christ's coming: Christ has clarified, in His last prayer, the final goal for His mission as He said, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name; the Name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one; I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me, may be in them and that I myself be in them" [John 17:11,20-26]. Jesus, the Son of God, converses with His Father on His way to the Cross to offer Himself in love for His disciples and for His believers, "So that they may be one" united by love through the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Christ. Jesus has united with us by His incarnation and by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. And by our union with Jesus, we become united in the Father, Who is in the Son. Jesus uncovered to us the love of the Father as He loved Him. At the end of the prayer, we discover that the world did not know the Father. "No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." Jesus knows the Father because He is His Son and He tells His Father about the Disciples and believers. "No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known" [John 1:18]. The Holy Spirit pours in us love from God and the Holy Spirit attracts us to Jesus and "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" [1 Corinthians 12:3]. The living Christ remains on the side of the Father teaching us the love of the Father as He promised, "In order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself be in them." ----------------------------------- *Shenouda, El-Osra El-Masihya wa El-Kerat El-Kanasia, pp. 18-23. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE HOLY FEASTS OF THE CHURCH I. The Coptic New Year. II. The Head of the Church A. Feasts of the Savior: Major and Minor B. His Glorified Cross C. His Glorious Tomb III. The Body of the Church A. The Mother of God B. The Angels C. John the Baptist D. The Children of Bethlehem E. The Three Fathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob F. The Prophets and Innocents G. The Preachers 1. The twelve Disciples 2. The seventy Apostles 3. The evangelists H. The Martyrs I. The Fathers of the Church 1. The patriarchs 2. The bishops J. The Monks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEEKDAYS LECTIONARY Introduction The weekdays lectionary is the biblical reading book which we read during the weekdays all over the year. The Coptic Calendar is divided into twelve equal months, each of which has thirty days in addition to a small month of five or six days, according to the type of year. The Feast Days of the Holy Saints of the Church and its martyrs are divided into groups, each of which has its own readings. There are sixty-nine different readings for the whole weekdays lectionary, so we select the proper reading according to these groups. The Weekdays Rule: Readings from Psalms, Gospels, Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, and Acts follow this rule: -- The Gospel reading and the Pauline Epistle reading touch the same subject. -- Both Gospel readings of Vespers and Matins complement those of the Liturgy. -- The Catholic Epistles and Acts readings complement the topic touched by the Pauline Epistle. A great historian said once that a good way to start historical analysis is by asking of a particular people what holidays they celebrate on their calendar. To understand the United States, for example, we have to look first at its calendar and the great events it celebrates, such as Thanksgiving Day and the Fourth of July. In the same way, the religious calendar of the Orthodox Church reflects and expresses the whole history and faith of the Church. St. Augustine said: "If you believe what you like in the Gospel and reject what you hate, it is not the Gospel you believe in but yourself." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Special and Transferred Days The Coptic Church has devoted all the days of the year except Sundays for the celebration of the feast days of the saints, and the martyrs, whether individual or groups who participated in its foundation and strengthening, so that all the readings selected on these days are based on the Synaxarium, the book which contains the life story of these saints and martyrs according to the date of their martyrdom, as follows: 1. If the Synaxarium of a certain day included the life story of more than one saint at a certain date, the Church chose the readings to be based on only one of these saints. 2. As some of these saints are considered to be in a higher degree than others, the Church devotes the readings to be based upon the greater saint to be read in the feast days of the saints of the same groups but with less rank. The feast days of the great saints are called the special days, and the feast days of the saints of lesser rank are called the transferred days. Example: The 22nd of Tobi is one of the special days in which we celebrate the commemoration of Abba Anthony, father of all the monks, so that certain readings were selected to suit this occasion. If the Church celebrated the commemoration of another monk, e.g. St. Illarion the monk (24th of Paopi), or St. Bimin, the confessor and monk (9th of Khoiak), or St. Isaac, the priest of the cells (19th of Pakhons), or St. Abanoub, the confessor and monk (23rd of Paoni), it uses the same readings originally used in the feast day of St. Anthony, i.e., it had transferred their feast day readings to the 22nd of Tobi which is a special day. The same applies to all other groups. In order to understand this rule clearly, the next table indicates the number of the daily readings used in the weekday lectionary. This table is composed on sixty-nine basic readings for the special days which are outlined by the shape < >, and to which we refer all the other transferred days according to the numbers shown in the table. Note: Because the Coptic Church has a special Calendar (the Coptic Calendar), there is a table showing the Coptic months and their equivalents in the Western Calendar. This table is entitled, "Comparison Between the Coptic and Western Calendar," and it follows the table of the special and transferred days. NUMBERS OF DAILY READINGS DURING THE WEEKDAY LECTIONARY Mon THO- PAO- ATH- KHO- TOBI MEK- FAM- FAR- PAK- PAO- EPEP MES- LITTLE UOT PI OR IAK HIR ENOT MOUT HONS NY ORI MONTH Day 1 < 1> 39 54 18 <29> 15 19 48 <46> 29 39 17 <65> 2 < 2> 54 24 52 54 <40> 23 56 57 <51> 45 39 <66> 3 54 18 15 46 <30> 48 24 54 29 23 <54> <57> <67> 4 3 41 23 55 <31> 12 15 19 24 17 17 3 <68> 5 39 18 22 3 21 13 23 3 3 37 <55> 38 <23> 6 3 39 18 54 <32> 17 22 39 43 56 29 39 <69> 7 54 48 43 40 18 54 19 3 54 43 40 9 8 < 3> 21 <14> 41 54 32 55 39 43 49 13 47 9 23 18 <15> 37 13 57 48 37 4 3 45 17 10 39 41 39 23 <33> 55 5 48 <57> 19 23 22 11 44 54 9 52 <34> 24 8 39 23 44 44 23 12 15 <10> <16> 48 35 48 24 54 18 16 17 5 13 18 48 54 9 <36> 44 <41> 19 37 67 23 <58> 14 57 <11> 23 44 48 18 8 24 57 23 13 18 15 29 56 <17> 18 3 52 39 29 10 17 57 39 16 < 4> 24 52 22 44 9 24 31 31 <52> 31 46 17 < 5> 54 <18> 57 52 44 23 55 23 37 39 <59> 18 < 6> 24 55 12 23 18 56 44 13 24 55 54 19 < 7> 56 41 23 19 48 29 23 37 43 19 13 20 39 40 45 3 29 24 24 56 <48> 3 <56> 19 21 < 8> 3 18 55 46 55 58 8 57 46 41 39 22 44 <12> <19> <25> <37> 23 54 24 29 19 44 3 23 8 23 23 3 23 44 3 <43> 45 37 22 43 24 29 37 <20> 31 39 23 24 56 <49> 57 17 23 25 3 21 <21> 40 48 56 11 39 21 29 21 <60> 26 < 9> 29 19 39 <38> 3 39 56 <50> 3 3 <61> 27 17 <13> <22> 23 44 18 13 <44> 23 45 43 43 28 19 48 <23> <26> 17 56 4 21 18 54 39 <62> 29 39 22 <24> <27> 39 31 <42> 29 57 48 55 <63> 30 18 48 54 <28> <39> 51 25 <45> 54 <53> 19 <64> Comparison between the Coptic and Western Calendar Day THU PAO ATH KHO TO MEK FAM FAR PAK PAO EP MES NAS Days of OUT PI OR IAK BI HIR ENO MOU HON NY EP ORI IE of Cop. Cop. Mon. Mon. Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep C L C L C L C L C L C L 1 11 12 11 12 10 11 10 11 9 10 8 9 10 9 9 8 8 7 6 1 2 12 13 12 13 11 12 11 12 10 11 9 10 11 10 10 9 9 8 7 2 3 13 14 13 14 12 13 12 13 11 12 10 11 12 11 11 10 10 9 8 3 4 14 15 14 15 13 14 13 14 12 13 11 12 13 12 12 11 11 10 9 4 5 15 16 15 16 14 15 14 15 13 14 12 13 14 13 13 12 12 11 10 5 6 16 17 16 17 15 16 15 16 14 15 13 14 15 14 14 13 13 12 11 6 7 17 18 17 18 16 17 16 17 15 16 14 15 16 15 15 14 14 13 7 8 18 19 18 19 17 18 17 18 16 1t 15 16 17 16 16 15 15 14 8 9 19 2O 19 20 18 19 18 19 17 18 16 17 18 17 17 16 16 15 9 10 20 21 20 21 19 20 19 20 18 19 17 18 19 18 18 17 17 16 lO 11 21 22 21 22 20 21 20 21 19 20 18 19 20 19 19 18 18 17 11 12 22 23 22 23 21 22 21 22 20 21 19 20 21 20 20 19 19 18 12 13 23 24 23 24 22 23 22 23 21 22 20 21 22 21 21 20 20 19 13 14 24 25 24 25 23 24 23 24 22 23 21 22 23 22 22 21 21 20 14 15 25 26 25 26 24 25 24 25 23 24 22 23 24 23 23 22 22 21 l5 16 26 27 26 27 25 26 25 26 24 25 23 24 25 24 24 23 23 22 16 17 27 28 27 28 26 27 26 27 25 26 24 25 26 25 25 24 24 23 17 18 28 29 28 29 27 28 27 28 26 27 25 26 27 26 26 25 25 24 18 19 29 30 29 30 28 29 28 29 27 28 26 27 28 27 27 26 26 25 19 20 30 1 30 30 29 30 29 30 28 29 27 28 29 28 28 27 27 26 2O 21 1 2 31 1 30 1 30 31 29 30 28 29 30 29 29 28 28 27 21 22 2 3 1 2 1 2 31 1 30 31 1 31 30 30 29 29 28 22 23 3 4 2 3 2 3 1 2 31 1 2 1 1 31 30 30 29 23 24 4 5 3 4 3 4 2 3 1 2 3 2 2 1 1 31 30 24 25 5 6 4 5 4 5 3 4 2 3 4 3 3 2 2 1 31 25 26 6 7 5 6 5 6 4 5 3 4 5 4 4 3 3 2 1 26 27 7 8 6 7 6 7 5 6 4 5 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 27 28 8 9 7 8 7 8 6 7 5 6 7 6 6 5 5 4 3 28 29 9 10 8 9 8 9 7 8 6 7 8 7 7 6 6 5 4 29 30 10 11 9 10 9 10 8 9 7 8 9 8 8 7 7 6 5 3O ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE GREAT LENT Introduction * Readings During the Great Lent 1. The Nature of the Texts The texts read during the Great Lent are different from those which we read during the rest of the year. During Lent, the Church has no Vespers except on Sundays. 2. Prophecies The days of Lent, together with the three holy days of Jonah and the Holy Week, proclaim prophecies from the Old Testament. On the weekdays of the seven weeks of Lent, we read the prophecies before the prime Gospel. As for Saturdays and Sundays, which are considered as holidays, in which happiness and delight should prevail, we do not read prophecies. 3. Topics of Readings The Church divided Lent into seven weeks: the first week is for preparation, in which all readings talk about spiritual growth, repentance, and deep fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Subsequent weeks are for general teaching. Readings from Psalms, Gospels, Pauline and Catholic Epistles and Acts follow the same system as other days of the year (see Weekdays Introduction). The Church has a strong program during this fast put by the Fathers through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which became to the soul a source of survival and spiritual filling, and to the Church a source of communal repentance and deep fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ in His fast. For Christ fasted for us and with us--certainly He is a partner with each fasting soul. The monks used to take this opportunity of the holy fast to leave their monasteries for the wilderness in solitude and in the fullness of the company of the Lord Jesus, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit. At the end of Lent, they returned to their monasteries (as was recorded for us in the tale of St. Mary the Egyptian and her meeting with St. Zosima the Priest). In addition, the Church considered the Great Lent a dedication program for the teaching of catechumens who were admitted to the faith, and who at Easter were baptized in the name of the Trinity--that is, they were buried and resurrected with Christ. The procession which the Church conducts these days for the newly baptized baby, was in the past the procession of Resurrection which the catechumens experienced at their baptism and resurrection in the Lord at Easter. These days, the Church as a body practices absolute abstention, daily liturgies, the life of repentance and contrition before God. We can find through meditation on the Sunday readings a strong spiritual program for every soul, which may be titled, "The Journey to the Bosom of the Father." The journey starts in a frank and clear invitation in the Gospel of the Preparation Sunday for the entry into the closet for a dialogue with the Father. ----------------------------------- * Banoub Abdou, Kenoz El-Ne'ma, Vol. 4 (Cairo, Egypt: The Sheraty Bookstore, 1963), pp. 25-32. 1. Preparation Sunday: Matthew 6:1-18 "When thou prayest enter into thy closet ... shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ... Also if thou givest alms or fastest that also should be to the Father in secret..." The Point of Departure of the Journey. The Church declares to us the closet is the point of departure of the journey of Lent. If it does not start at the closet, then the journey of our fast has deviated from its true course. The Church starts the fast by directing us to the closet. This means that the fast is not only related to the flesh, but it is related more to the Spirit and to the Kingdom of God. (The Life of Prayer, p. 545). The week of preparation is the week of the closet. Close Your Door. The Journey starts after closing the door--the door that looks at the world. Then there opens before us another door that faces heaven, "Our Father who art in heaven," and "I looked, and, behold door was opened in heaven" [Rev. 4:1]. "Fasting is not a fetter or a prison to the sense but a soaring with them without hindrance towards contemplation of God" (Life of Prayer, p. 454). Pray to Your Father. The Church has set a standard to the level of faith of the catechumens before they are allowed to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. The standard is that the Church continues teaching the catechumens about the Lord's Prayer, which starts with "our Father ..." and at the moment they perceive and comprehend the paternity of God to them, they are entitled to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Your Father Who Sees in Secret. This is the secret of the prayer of the closet which the Church perceived and so allotted to it the deepest of prayers like the prayer of the wise virgins awaiting the coming of the bridegroom, and the prayer of the fallen woman at the feet of the Lord Jesus (Prayer of the closet of "Matins"). Where in the closet we discover our sins ... and we hold the feet of the Lord to free our feet from the prodigal road, and we taste the love of God, and learn contrition, and thus the goal of the journey of our fast becomes the withdrawal of the soul into itself (in secret) where the Lord purifies it with His blood and dedicates her a temple for Him and adorns her with His talents so that she may participate with the wise virgins in the meeting of the Bridegroom. Since the journey is with the soul and Christ, it is an invisible relationship that begins in the chamber. So, fasting is accompanied by a reduction in talking and visits and by concentrating on spiritual readings and attending the Divine Liturgy. Our Heavenly Father is calling you to a holy participation with Him in secret, through which you may start your fast, your prayers, and your almsgiving. So beware of negligence. Practice. The practice in the week of preparation is the prayer of the chamber and the worship in secret which will continue with us all through and after the period of fasting. ----------------------------------- * All the explanations for the Great Lent are taken from: Fr. Bishoy Kamel, The Lectionary During the Lent (Alexandria, Egypt: St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, 1974). The First Sunday: The Journey of Lent ------------------------------------- Surrender of life to the Heavenly Father: Matthew 6:24-34. The Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent calls for the surrender of life to the Father. "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat ... nor yet for the body, what ye shall put on ... Take no thought for the morrow." The reason for not worrying is that "your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" [Mt. 6:32]. Practice. The Practice of this week is a call to a secure life in the care of the Father and the carrying out of what comes in the verse, "Take no thought for the morrow," physically, mentally, and spiritually. The Christian commandment is full of risks but its assurance is the care of the Father. The woman who gave the two mites was risking her meal, and during the fast, Satan rages his war by convincing us that we are risking the necessities of the body and causes us to worry about our health, and likewise in charity there is a risk of wealth. In this week we experience the complete surrender to the care of the Father and to His commandment. The Second Sunday ----------------- Why does God forget us if He is our Father? Matthew 4:1-10. The Gospel of the Second Sunday deals with the temptation of doubting God's paternity to us. "If you are the Son of God--why does he leave you hungry? Why does God allow the presence of disease, failure and the death of our beloved?" Practice. It is our duty this week to examine our faith in the love of the Father Who gave His Son for us. Our faith that fortifies us against the temptations and emotions; faith in the Father; a faith that fortifies us against the temptation of the Adversary, the hardships of this world and the sufferings and desires of the body. The Third Sunday ---------------- Repentance in the Father's bosom: Luke 15:11-32. Repentance in Christianity is different from any other repentance; it is the return of the son to his Father and the Father falling on the neck of his son to embrace him and kiss him [Luke 15:2O]. This is the Gospel of the Third Sunday. The Father's paternity to us is not because of our righteousness, but because of His paternity to His children, especially the sinners. The Father's paternity for us challenges all our sins, our failures, our betrayal of His love and our mistreatment of His name. Practice: Brother and sister, do not permit this week to go by without a true repentance and resorting to the Father's embrace ... Examine this in your chamber and taste the Father's embrace and His kisses which are reserved only for those who repent. This is the week of repentance in the Father's bosom, the repentance of the whole Church--the communal repentance. The Fourth Sunday ---------------- Worship of the Father in Spirit and in Truth: John 4:1-42. The next step after repentance is worship of the Father Who accepted and loved me and cleansed me from my sins, and put me in his bosom. Contrition of the spirit and submission to the Father and the love of frequent prostrations in worship are the expressions of our love for Him Who opened His arms for us sinners and kissed us. This is the end of the road of repentance in the Father's bosom, and this is the sweetest fruit of the chamber and which the Father gives us in secret. The Church, inspired by the Spirit, stresses in the period of Lent the use of prostrations during private prayers and in the Divine Liturgy (at the "offering of Incense" after the readings of the prophets). Practice: The practice of this week is the worship of the Father in truth and in Spirit: "for the Father seeketh such to worship Him" [John 4:23]. The Fifth Sunday ---------------- Bethesda and Baptism: John 5:1-18. The Gospel of the Fifth Sunday talks about Bethesda, which symbolizes Baptism. We, the crowds of Christians, were beside it sick, lame, blind and paralyzed, suffering every spiritual sickness. The angel which moves the water symbolizes the Holy Spirit which comes down on the water of Baptism. This is our share in Christ: those who are baptized have everlasting hope in the Father, even if they have been sick for 38 years. Practice: The practice of this week is to hope and never to despair. Baptism has given us the grace of sonship and children are never disappointed in their hopes in the love of the Father. The Sixth Sunday ---------------- Sonship is a spiritual enlightenment: John 9:1-41. The last Sunday in Lent is the Sunday of Baptism, during which is read the Gospel of the man born blind. 1. "I was blind and now I see." This is our everlasting experience as children of the Heavenly Father. We were blind and He opened our sight so we beheld miracles of His laws and we saw what the prophets longed to see, and He gave us understanding of the Scriptures. 2. Baptism means washing (in the pool of Siloam), so we become pure. Repentance is a continuous washing, so we may see clearly. Repentance is a continuation of Baptism and it is the means through which we can see Christ clearly all our lives. Lasting repentance cleans our hearts, renews the intellect, protects the contrite soul in the obedience of the Father, and through repentance, we can discover all the graces and secrets of the Heavenly Father. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOLY WEEK * Introduction of the Holy Week The Nature of the Text Selected During the Holy Week ---------------------------------------------------- 1. Prophecies: The number of prophecies read during the day ranges between two and five throughout the whole week, except on Good Friday. On that day, in the first hour there are eleven read; in the third hour there are six, and in the evening hour prayers, there is only one reading. 2. Sermons: Sermons are given only in the first hour, as well as the ninth hour and the eleventh hour of the morning prayers of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 3. The Gospels: These are read in all the morning hours while in the evening hours, only one Gospel is read on Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, one Gospel text is read until the ninth hour of the morning. Another Gospel (El Lakkan) is read at the eleventh hour, followed by the Gospel of the Divine Liturgy. In the evening of Good Friday, we read the four Gospels from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. On Saturday of Delight, we read one Gospel in the first, third, and sixth hours of the day, followed by the whole book of Revelation. Then, one Gospel is read on the ninth hour, followed by the Divine Liturgy. 4. Interpretation: Interpretation (El Tarh) is read after every Gospel. Topics of the Text Readings --------------------------- The topics for the Holy Week follow the same pattern of those in texts read during Lent. The first prophecy read during any hour of the day as well as the Pauline--if read--the Gospel and the Sermon, all speak about one topic. The rest of the prophesies fulfill the first prophecy. They are all arranged to fit the life of Jesus Christ during His last week on earth. The following summary will take us, day by day, starting from Palm Sunday through this treasure of events and teachings as they had happened. ------------- * All the Tables are taken from the following Sources: - The Coptic Orthodox Lectionary [Katamarous], The Holy Week, Vol. 3 (Cairo, Egypt: 1974). - Banoub Abdou, Kenoz El-Ne'ma, Vol. 5 (Cairo, Egypt: The Sheraty Bookstore), pp. 76-587. - St. Mina Monastery, Natiga Daweria Tebkan lel Takweem El Kopty waal Miladi (Alexandria, Egypt: St. Mina Monastery), pp. 18-21 . * All the explanations of the Holy Week readings are taken from St. Mark's Church, The Coptic orthodox Youth Periodicals, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Montreal Canada: St. Mark's Church, 1983). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _|_ This article is one of many more articles about the Coptic Orthodox | Church, the Christian Apostolic Church of Egypt. These articles can be | obtained electronically from Copt-Net Repository, using anonymous FTP COP|NET from pharos.bu.edu:CN. Please mail inquiries to CN-request@cs.bu.edu. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------