Nov at MKE

- St. Mina

(Madeeha in Coptic Reader)

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲙⲏⲛⲁ

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- St. George of Alexandria (Hatoor 7)

On Hatoor 7, St. George of Alexandria, was martyred. He was the nephew of Armanius the Governor of Alexandria. This saint, his father was a merchant in the city of Alexandria and had no son. It happened that he travelled to the city of Lydda in Palestine and attended the feast of the consecration of the Church of St. George the martyr. He prayed to God, interceding with His great saint that he might have a son. God answered his prayers, and gave him a son, and he named him George. He raised and reared him with Christian education. When his parents died, his uncle the governor Armanius kept him until he was 25 years old. His uncle had only one daughter. One day she went with some of her friends for an outing. While they were walking nearby a monastery outside the city, she heard its monks praising and singing sweet hymns. She was touched by what she had heard and asked her cousin George about it. He replied that those monks had forsaken the world to worship God and he guided her to the Christian faith. He explained to her about judgment, eternal punishment and the share of the righteous of felicity. When she returned to her father, she told him that she had believed in the Lord Christ. He tried to reason with her, to dissuade her, and to lure her with great promises, and then he threatened her. When she did not hearken to his words, he ordered her beheaded, thus she received the crown of martyrdom. Later on, the Governor knew that George, his nephew, was responsible for convincing her with the Christian faith. He tortured him severely. Then he sent him to Ansena where its governor also tortured him and finally beheaded him, thus he received the crown of martyrdom. Samuel, a deacon was present there, took his holy body and carried it to the city of Manf, El-Giza province. When the wife of his uncle Armanius knew that, she sent for the body and placed it with the body of her martyred daughter in Alexandria. May the blessing of their prayers be with us all. Amen.

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲅⲉⲱⲣⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲙⲁⲗⲉⲝⲁⲛⲇⲣⲓⲁⲥ

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Pope Zacharias (64th)

On Hatoor 17 of the year 748 of the martyrs (1032 A.D.), the saintly Pope Zacharias, the 64th patriarch of Alexandria, departed. This father was born in Alexandria and was disciplined with Christian morals and because of his piety they ordained him a priest. He followed a good conduct in his life, so everyone loved him. When Pope Phillotheous, the 63rd Pope, departed, the bishops and the lay-leaders (Archons) assembled and unanimously agreed to elect him a patriarch. He was consecrated on the 20th of Tobe, year 720 of the martyrs (1004 A.D.). Abba Zacharias, suffered many tribulations. As an example, El-Hakem (Be-Amr-Allah) imprisoned him for three month then he cast him to the lions, which did not harm him as with Daniel the prophet. He threatened him often with death. Finally, because of the mediation of one of the princes, he released him. Abba Zacharias went to the desert of Scete, to the monastery of St. Macarius where he stayed for nine years. During these years the Christians suffered many hardships. They slew many of them, plundered their homes and several churches were destroyed. El-Hakem Be-Amr-Allah allowed some of the monks to build a monastery outside the city of Cairo. They built a monastery after the name of the martyr St. Mercurius Abu-Saifain (of the two swords). This is the monastery that is known now by the monastery of Anba Barsome the "Naked" (El-Erian) in Ma-asaret Helwan. El-Khalifa visited this monastery often for he had a cordial relation with the monks. The monks took the chance of his presence in the monastery and solicited a pardon from him for the return of Pope Zacharias. Abba Zacharias lived 12 years, after his return from the desert, during which he renovated churches, restored those that were destroyed and in serving his people. He remained in the papacy for 28 years and departed to the Lord in peace. The blessing of his prayers be with us all. Amen.

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲍⲁⲭⲁⲣⲓⲁⲥ

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St. John the Short

- On Baba 20 of the year 125 of the martyrs (409 A.D.) the great saint, Anba John (Yoannis) Colobos (the Short, the Little, the Dwarf), departed. He was born in the year 339 A.D. in the city of Thebes (Luxor). His parents were righteous and God-fearing, rich in faith and good deeds. When he was 18 years old, the grace of God moved him to go to the wilderness of Scete (the Natroun Valley) longing to the monastic life. There he came upon a tried and holy old man whose name was Anba Pemwah (Amoi). John knelt before Anba Pemwah and asked him to allow him to stay with him. The old man answered, trying him, "My son, you cannot stay with us for this is a very hard desert and those who dwell in it eat from the work of their hands, besides observing many fasts, prayers, and sleeping on the floor and many other forms of asceticism.” He enumerated for him the difficulties of monasticism but Yoannis was firm in his intention and told him, "Do not send me away, for God's sake, because I came to be in your obedience and prayers. If you accept me, I believe that God will make your heart well-pleased with me and God will help me with your prayers." Abba Pemwah asked the Lord Christ to reveal to him the reality of this young man. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Accept this brother, for he shall become a chosen vessel." Anba Pemwah accepted him, shaved the hair of his head, and dressed him with the monastic garb. Saint John started his monastic life with great asceticism and splendid works. One day Anba Pemwah wanted to test St. John, so he expelled him out from his cell saying, "I cannot live with you." Anba John stayed out by the door of St. Pemwah’s cell for seven days. Every day Anba Pemwah went out and smote him with a palm branch and Anba John bowed down, in extreme humility, before him saying, "I have sinned O my father." On the seventh day, the old man went out to go to the church and he saw an angel with a crown placing it on the head of Anba John. Since that day, Anba Pemwah loved him and accepted to live with him. One day Anba Pemwah wanted to test his obedience, so he gave him a piece of dry wood (walking-stick) and said to him, "Take this wood, plant and water it." St. John obeyed and went on watering it daily though the source of water was very far. After three years, that piece of wood sprouted out and grew into a fruitful tree. Anba Pemwah took some of that fruit and went around to the elder monks saying, "Take, and eat from the fruit of obedience." This tree still exists in its place in his monastery. Abba Pemwah fell sick for 12 years during which Anba John served him diligently. When Abba Pemwah was about to depart, he held the hand of Anba John (Yoannis) and handed him to the elder fathers saying, "Take and keep him, for he is an angel, not a man." He commanded Anba John to stay in the place where he had planted the tree of obedience then Anba Pemwah departed in peace. Anba John dwelt beside the tree where he established a large monastery. It happened when Pope Theophilus was ordaining Anba John, Hegumen and abbot, a voice from heaven was heard saying, "Axios, Axios, Axios” (That is to say he is worthy). When this saint consecrated the offering, he was able to know those who were worthy to partake of it and those who were not worthy. Anba John was an extremely humble person. Later on, the Berbers attacked the desert of Scete in the year 407 A.D., so Anba John (Yoannis) left the wilderness. He went to Mt. Qulzum , in the eastern wilderness near by the city of Suez, and dwelt in a cave there. God arranged for him a man of faith to serve him. He brought to him all his needs once a week. When he completed his good endeavor, he departed in peace in his cave in Mt. Qulzum. Later on his disciples relocated his body to the wilderness of Shiheet. The Lord wrought many miracles through his holy body. His body is located at present time in a reliquary in the shrine of the three saints Abba Macarii in the monastery of Anba Macarius the Great in the wilderness of Shiheet. The blessing of his prayers be with us all and glory be to our God for ever. Amen.

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ Ⲡⲓⲕⲟⲗⲟⲃⲟⲥ

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St. Simeon the Shoemaker

(Madeeha in Coptic Reader)

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲡⲓⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲥⲩⲙⲉⲱⲛ

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Zacchaeus the Chief tax-collector

Luke 19:1-10
A reading from Gospel according to our teacher St. Luke the Evangelist:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Glory be to God forever.

Ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ Ⲍⲁⲕⲭⲉⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲁⲣⲭⲏⲧⲉⲗⲱⲛⲏⲥ