A Hymn for the Apostles' Fast :: مديح لصوم الرسل

The faithful servant remains without blame,
In heaven, his reward is great,
Among all those who inherit with him,
His share will be more abundant.

Bethesda in Galilee became famous,
For there, Peter the Apostle lived,
He was known to be very zealous,
His love for the kingdom of God was great.

Jesus Christ, our God and King,
Was walking along Galilee´s sea,
He saw the love Peter was showing,
His pure intentions and his righteous deeds.

Jesus found Peter´s brother Andrew,
For our Lord, he had great love,
The two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew,
Were fishermen with a humble job.

Our Lord Jesus called them and said,
"I will make of you fishers of men,
To go and catch the nations,
With the Lord´s divine net."

The love of the disciples was pleasing to God,
He called on them and they answered,
They obeyed His word and followed His path
He gave them the keys to the kingdom.

They were chosen to be in the faith
God gave them powers and authority,
So they became strong and courageous,
Through Christ our God the Almighty.

Some people called Jesus Elijah,
Some thought He was John or Jeremiah,
Others thought He was one of the prophets,
But Peter testified that He was the Messiah.

"You are Christ, Son of the living God,
Creator of all seen and unseen,
Light of Light, true God of true God,
Creator of all living things.

Our Lord praised Peter saying, "Blessed are you,
For you do not speak by your abilities,
But My Father in heaven has granted you,
To speak of these hidden mysteries.

"God provided you with the light of the faith,
Of neither flesh nor blood did this faith spring,
You are Peter and on this rock of faith,
I build My Church, a house of blessings.

"You, My disciples, will minister to My flock,
And all shall listen to the word and obey,
You will bind and loose on earth, and in heaven,
I will give you comfort and strength every day.

"Your honor surpasses all description,
Your words will reach the end of the world,
I gave you the highest distinction,
Those who despise you will be expelled.

"Now that you have become My own,
You will watch over My sheep tirelessly,
My faithful disciples whom I count upon,
You will be rewarded in heaven greatly."

Peter completed his struggle for the Lord,
Fighting as a soldier in God´s army,
He was put to death on the cross by Nero,
The enemy of the Lord Almighty.

Peter asked the Lord, and was granted,
He gave him a share in the inheritance,
With joy he received the crown of martyrdom,
He is worthy of all praise and blessings.

Another soldier fought in the army of Jesus,
A great preacher and keeper of the Law,
He was known as Saul of Tarsus,
Who previously opposed the way of the Lord.

He followed the teachings of the fathers,
He learned the Torah and the prophets with passion,
More zealous in the law than any other,
His love for Jehovah was his foundation.

Gamaliel, the teacher of the Jewish Law,
Taught Saul the strictness of traditions,
He persecuted Jesus´ followers with zeal,
To prisons, he bound them, both great and small.

One day, Saul went on a journey to Damascus,
To bring in more captured to Jerusalem,
Walking like a roaring king with the promise,
To put to death the disciples of the King of heaven.

Suddenly, a great light from heaven shone.
He fell to the ground and could not see,
He heard a powerful voice calling his name,
"Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?"

Jesus, the forgiver of every sin, said,
"I am Jesus whom you persecute,
It is hard to kick against the goads,
Go to Damascus, you will be told what to do."

Those who were with Paul indeed saw light,
But they did not hear a voice nor understand,
They were afraid from seeing such a sight,
And they led Paul to the city by the hand.

In Damascus, he went to Ananias, a devout man,
To Paul he said, "Receive your sight,
Arise and be baptized, this is God´s plan,
And wash away your sins calling on Christ."

The disciples spread the good news of the Lord,
Went forth among the nations to evangelize,
They made the nations disciples of the Lord,
Those who were dead, now received new life.

On the fifth of Apep we celebrate,
The martyrdom of our two great saints,
Saint Peter was crucified upside down in Rome,
Saint Paul was beheaded by Nero on the same day.

We are the children of this godly Church,
We honor and praise our saintly preachers,
Hail to you Saint Peter, the disciple of the Lord,
Hail to you Saint Paul, our teacher.

We entreat You, the Lord of Peter and Paul,
With Your apostles, remember us,
Jesus Christ, the ruler of every soul,
Giver of life, bestow mercy upon us.

You sent Your pure saintly apostles,
And made them guardians of the faith,
Grant us Your Holy Spirit,
Your endless mercy and Your saving grace.