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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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* Cf. H.H. Pope Shenouda III, El-Osra El-Masihya wa El-Kerat El-
Kanasia, St. Mary, Church and Monastery 1982, pp. 3-11.
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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.
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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."
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*Shenouda, El-Osra El-Masihya wa El-Kerat El-Kanasia, pp. 18-23.
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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
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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."
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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
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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).
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