Spiritual Words.
Mark Sadek
"A burning-glass only sets fire to wood, paper, or any other combustible material when we place it in such a position that the rays of the sun, concentrated in the focus of the glass, being all concentrated upon one point of the object, will act upon it through their entire combined power, and thus direct upon the object, as it were, the whole sun on a small scale. It is thus also during prayer, when our souls are warmed, vivified, and inflamed by the wise sun - God, when through our intellect, acting like the burning-glass, we direct upon our heart, as the spiritual point of our being, the mental Sun, and when it acts upon the heart with all its singleness and power."
St. John of Kronstadt.
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"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11
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The Bible reading for the 15th of Tout, September 26th, is:
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house.' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receiv
e you, go out into its streets and say, 11 `The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me. 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. 18 And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:1-20)
Translocation of the Body of St. Stephen the Archdeacon.
The Bible reading for the 16th of Tout, September 27th, is: Matthew 16:13-19
Commemoration of the Consecration of the Sanctuaries of the church of Resurrection in Jerusalem.
Translocation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom (of the Golden Mouth).
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Prayer Requests:
If you have an update on a prayer request, please let me know.
Please remember the following in your prayers:
Ibrahim - Lung cancer
Amal - Breast cancer
Wageh S.- Cancer and heart surgeries
George A. - Respiratory Problems.
Fr. Athanasius Ava Mina - Intestinal problems.
Huda S. - Peace and health.
The family of Mary R.
Rita P. - Ovarian Cancer
Julia M.S. - An infant with a lung deficiency disorder
Julie - In a coma from a serious car accident
Marian L - Late stage MS
Nadia - Lung cancer
Heidi - Difficulty to conceive
John - Brain aneurysm
Eva - Paralyzed from a stroke
Sonty P. - Suffering from cancer. Please pray for her healing and financial ability.
Lidya P. - Suffering from a stroke.
Rev. Davy P. - Suffering from hepatitis type B.
Somaya M. - Being tested for breast cancer.
Peter and family - inoperable grade 4 brain tumour
Eman, Hany and Daniel - Suffered serious injuries from a car accident
The family of Neveen M.
Emil S. - Open heart surgery.
Clement - Lung and liver cancer
M.M.- metabolic syndrome
Sherien - Cancer
Emad. Please pray for his family
Scott - Crones Disease
J. Shapiro - Cancer.
C.L. - Complete recovery after a tragic car accident.
M. Ragheb - Out of the ICU but he is still under critical care
M. Fleming - Multiple brain and spinal cord diseases.
Fr. Wissa Bessada
G. Roubil - Out of ICU
The Coptic mission trip to Mexico.
Camilo, Julio Renaldo, Diego and family, Hong and Pablo - Accept the faith and get baptized.
H.H. Pope Shenouda III
David - rectal and liver cancer.
The family of Larry W. - May the Lord grant them peace.
H.M - Hardship.
William H. - Cancer
Makram G. - Liver Cirrhosis in the last stages
Emad - Lung cancer.
Albert - Operation
Abanoub
Eva S - Recovery from a heart surgery.
M.B.- Breast Cancer
Mark - brain tumor
Fr. Anthony H.
Luka-- May God unite him with his family.
F.Z. may God help him in his service.
Tasony Esther, May God heal her and comfort her.
Akmal T. - Major heart surgery.
Amal M - Lymphoma Cancer.
Shery - Tumor near her spinal chord.
E.Salamah - Breast Cancer.
Mena - Displaced mandibular joint.
Esme - Severe lupus with heart & brain function involvement.
Yvone Y. - Serious Eye Surgery. The doctors now feel she might not need the surgery at all.
Anthony - PTSD from Iraq
Elisha Mary - return to Communion
E. - Brain tumor, 22 yrs old with 2 kids.
M. Chouinard and her family and students.
Sharon P - Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, PTSD
Jan P - pancreatic cancer
Becky Cox D - bone marrow cancer
Eric G - throat cancer
Samantha M - Type 1 diabetes
Amelia T - Breast Cancer
Anthony C - Kidney Stones
Emad: To be closer to God
Safa: To be closer to God
Badra: Comfort
Souzy: Guidance
Leelamma M - Please pray for her family.
Vladimir and Vaclav.
Steve - Depression.
M Said.
Viola - Pray for her soul and her family to know the Lord and understand HIS work
Sandy: God open her eyes, give her wisdom
Nicole: Wisdom
Hazem A. - Overcome his addiction, and gives him strength & will power.
Kip - Her spine is breaking down & will need surgery to have a rod inserted.
Katherine - Make right decisions as she enters adulthood.
Susan - Finds peace and overcome her suicidal thoughts.
Sue's family - Return, as a family, to our church and find peace.
Jacky A. and Family.
John D. - Job
L&M - Aspberger's syndrome
ME- return to God, the Church & the Sacraments
KEE - patience, perseverance, faith, strength, healing
Z. Saddak - Health
The Orthodox community in Olympia, WA
The unity of the Churches and all Christians.
The Christians in Egypt. "Blessed is Egypt My people." Isaiah 19:25
Please remember me in your prayers.
Please pray for the peace of the world.
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
Mark Sadek
"Nor should it astound anyone that the Devil is reported in this Book as having first spoken the Name of Jesus of Nazareth (cf. Lk. 4:32-34). But Christ did not receive from him the Name which the Angel brought down from Heaven to the Virgin (cf. Lk. 1:31): it is a mark of the Devil's impudence that he first usurps something among men and brings it down to men as if new, in order to instill terror of his power. Then, in Genesis, too, he is the first to proclaim God to man, for thus ye have: "And he said to the woman, 'Why hath God commanded that ye should not eat of every tree'" (Gen. 3:1)? So each is deceived by the Devil, but healed by Christ."
St. Ambrose of Milan.
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"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9
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The Bible reading for the 16th of Tout, September 27th, is:
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? 14 So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 15 He said to them, But who do you say that I am? 16 Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matt. 16:13-19)
Commemoration of the Consecration of the Sanctuaries of the church of Resurrection in Jerusalem.
Translocation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom (of the Golden Mouth).
The Bible reading for the 17th of Tout, September 28th, is: John 10:22-38
The Feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Honorable Cross.
Departure of St. Theognosta.
Mark Sadek
"The cross is the door to mysteries. Through this door the intellect makes entrance in to the knowledge of heavenly mysteries. The knowledge of the cross is concealed in the sufferings of the cross. And the more our participation in its sufferings, the greater the perception we gain through the cross. For, as the Apostle says, `As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."
St. Isaac of Syria.
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"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
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The Bible reading for the 17th of Tout, September 28th, is:
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 I and My Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me? 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, For a good work we do
not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, `I said, You are gods '? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. (John 10:22-38)
The Feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Honorable Cross.
Departure of St. Theognosta.
The Bible reading for the 18th of Tout, September 29th, is: John 6:35-46
Martyrdom of St. Prophorius (Porphyrius).
Commemoration of Stephen the Priest, and St. Niceta (Niketa) the Martyr.
Mark Sadek
"God both is and is said to be the nature of all beings, in so far as all partake of Him and subsist by means of this participation: not, however, by participation in His nature - far from it - but by participation in His energy. In this sense He is the Being of all beings, the Form that is in all forms as the author of form, the Wisdom of the wise and, simply, the All of all things."
St. Gregory Palamas.
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"Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back." Luke 6:30
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The Bible reading for the 18th of Tout, September 29th, is:
35 And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, `I have come down from heaven'? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them,
Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. (John 6:35-46)
Martyrdom of St. Prophorius (Porphyrius).
Commemoration of Stephen the Priest, and St. Niceta (Niketa) the Martyr.
The Bible reading for the 19th of Tout, September 30th, is: Luke 14:25-35
Commemoration of St. Gregory, Patriarch of the Armenians.
Mark Sadek
"...the more resolutely, the more constantly, your heart is turned towards God and His saints the more it will be enlightened, purified, and vivified."
St. John of Kronstadt.
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"The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted." Psalms 18:46
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The Bible reading for the 19th of Tout, September 30th, is:
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, `This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 34 Salt
is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!. (Luke 14:25-35)
Commemoration of St. Gregory, Patriarch of the Armenians.
The Bible reading for the 20th of Tout, October 1st, is: Matthew 25:1-13
Departure of pope Athanasius the Second, 28th Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.
Martyrdom of St. Melitina the Virgin.
Departure of St. Theopista.
The Bible reading for the 21st of Tout, October 2nd, is: Luke 19:1-10
Commemoration of the Virgin St. Mary, the Theotokos.
Martyrdom of St. Cyprian (Cyprianus) and St. Justina.
Mark Sadek
"Sin, to one who loves God, is nothing other than an arrow from the enemy in battle. The true Christian is a warrior fighting his way through the regiments of the unseen enemy to his heavenly homeland. According to the word of the Apostle, our homeland is in heaven; and about the warrior he says: 'our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.'"
St. Seraphim of Savov.
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"Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel -- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4
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The Bible reading for the 22nd of Tout, October 3rd, is:
4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit wi
ll teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:4-12)
Martyrdom of Saints Cotylas (Kobtlas) and Axoua, his Sister, and Tatas, his Friend.
Martyrdom of St. Julius of Aqfahs (El-Akfehasi), the Writer of the Biography of Martyrs.
The Bible reading for the 23rd of Tout, October 4th, is: Mark 3:28-35
Martyrdom of Sts. Eunapios (Onanius) and Andrew.
Commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. Thecla.
The Re-Opening of the church of the Virgin in Haret El-Rum.
Mark Sadek
"Upon awakening, first give praise to God and, having asked His intercession, begin your most important work, that is, to pray in the heart, purely and without distraction...We are commanded to bring the first and best as offering to God, that is our first thought which we must direct straight to our Lord Jesus Christ in a pure prayer of the heart..."
Monks Callistus and Ignatius.
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"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:20-21
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The Bible reading for the 23rd of Tout, October 4th, is:
28 Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation-- 30 because they said, He has an unclean spirit. 31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You. 33 But He answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brothers? 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother. (Mark 3:28-35)
Martyrdom of Sts. Eunapios (Onanius) and Andrew.
Commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. Thecla.
The Re-Opening of the church of the Virgin in Haret El-Rum.
The Bible reading for the 24th of Tout, October 5th, is: Luke 10:1-20
Departure of St. Gregory the Ascetic.
Martyrdom of St. Quadratus, One of the Seventy Disciples.