The Epistle of St. James

Transcription

1 The Epistle of St. James Fasting and Prayer Program The Holy Great Fast 2014

2 Coptic Orthodox Publication & Translation (COPT) Copyright 2014 by COPT All rights reserved. Published in Australia in association with Sts. Kyrillos I & VI Coptic Working Youth Ministry St. Mary & St. Mina's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral Sydney - Australia PO Box 631, KOGARAH, NSW 1485 SYDNEY AUSTRALIA Website: Cover Icon of St. James the Just Published by C.O.P.T. REFERENCES: The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), Thomas Nelson, Inc, 1984 Henry Matthew, Matthew Henry s Commentary, Zondervan, 1961 Malaty Fr Tadros Y, The Epistle of St James, Prepatory edition, Coptic Orthodox Christian Centre, 2001 Oden T & Bray G (eds,) Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture New Testament XI James, InterVarsity Press, 2000 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 2014, James (Iakovos) the Apostle, brother of Our Lord,viewed February 2014, < His Holiness Pope Tawadros II 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark

3 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17)

4 The Holy Great Fast, in the Coptic Orthodox Tradition, is a 55 day spiritual journey to the foot of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time of fasting and prayer and spiritual struggle and culminates in The Passion Week or the Holy Pascha (Passover) which is the most important week of the year and the richest spiritually. The Fasting and Prayer Program for the Holy Great Fast is designed to enrich you on your spiritual journey by providing daily readings for your contemplation. The theme of this Fasting and Prayer program is the importance of faith and works, as expressed by St. James in his Epistle. The Program concludes with the events and rites of the Holy Pascha week a week full of holy memories of the most crucial stage of salvation and the outstanding chapter in the story of redemption. We pray that this Fasting and Prayer Program will be of benefit to your spiritual life. The Writer of the Epistle: Introduction - James the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:9), that is, His cousin. - St James was ordained a Bishop of Jerusalem, and remained Bishop until the day of his martyrdom. - He wrote a liturgy which the Armenians use until now. - He was called James the Righteous because he loved worship, and from the abundance of his kneeling for prayer, his knees were like the knees of a camel. - In the year 52 A.D., he presided over the first ecumenical council in Jerusalem to discuss the faith of the Gentiles. St James issued the resolution of the council (Acts 15). - St Paul the apostle called him one of the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9). When was it Written: - It was written during the time when the Jews were persecuting the Church (Acts 4:1, 5:17). It was written before the fall of Jerusalem (68 A.D.). Some believe that it was written around 60 A.D. or 61 A.D., during the time when all the heresies mentioned in the epistle, were spread. The Purpose of the Epistle: - To encourage Christians to endure tribulation which they suffered from the Jews and to explain the meaning of temptation in the light of the cross of the suffering Lord. - To encourage them to be steadfast in the practical faith. - To clarify the concept of living faith and its correlation with deeds. - To reveal the dangers of some sins, which some may have considered trivial. The Division of the Epistle: - Faith and Temptations - Chapter 1 - Faith and Works Chapter 2 - Faith and the Tongue Chapter 3 - Faith and the Earthly Lusts Chapter 4 - Faith and being Occupied with Riches - Chapter 5: Faith in all Circumstances - Chapter 5:12-20

5 JAMES 1 Greeting to the Twelve Tribes: 1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. Profiting from Trials: 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The Perspective of Rich and Poor: 9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Loving God Under Trials: 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Qualities Needed in Trials: 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Doers Not Hearers Only: 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. JAMES 2 Beware of Personal Favoritism: 1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

6 Faith Without Works Is Dead: 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. JAMES 3 The Untamable Tongue: 1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom: 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. JAMES 4 Pride Promotes Strife: 1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Humility Cures Worldliness: 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do Not Judge a Brother: 11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

7 Do Not Boast About Tomorrow: 13 Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit ; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. JAMES 5 Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged: 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Be Patient and Persevering: 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, lest you fall into judgment. Meeting Specific Needs: 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Bring Back the Erring One: 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

8 Day 1 24 February James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. (James 1:1) T h o s e w h o s e e k worldly glory display the qualifications which they think they have in their correspondence. But the apostles boast, at the beginning of their letters, that they are slaves of God and Christ. Didymus the Blind 1st Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 2:23-3:5; Is 1:2-18 Matins: Psalm Ps 6:1-2 Gospel Matt 12:24-34 Mass: Pauline Rom 1:26-2:7 Catholicon James 2:1-13 Acts Acts 14:19-28 Psalm Ps 22:26 Gospel Mark 9:33-50 We re a d t h a t w h e n Stephen was martyred a great persecution of the church broke out at Jerusalem and that they were all scattered across the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. James then wrote this letter to those who had been scattered because they had suffered p e rs e c u t i o n fo r t h e sake of righteousness. And not only to them, but also to, as the rest of the letter testifies, to those who had become Christians but who were still struggling to achieve perfection, as well to those who remained outside the faith themselves and did their best to persecute and disturb believers. All of these people were exiles, though for different reasons. St. James did not mention that he was related to the Lord Jesus in flesh, but calls himself a servant. We know that a slave or a servant did not have any right or authority over his body, his will, wife or children, but his master has the right to manage all his affairs, according to the master s wishes. Hence, St. James loves the Lord Jesus to the extent of considering himself a slave to Him. He rejoices to let the Beloved do whatever He likes with him, this is slavery but not against his will but in love and submission. Fr Tadros Malaty

9 Day 2 25 February My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3) Just as the world has to pass through winter before the spring comes and the flowers bloom, so a man must go through many temptations before he can inherit the prize of eternal life. For as Paul said: Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Temptations come in three ways, by persuasion, by attraction and by consent. Satan persuades, the flesh is attracted, and the mind consents. Hilary of Arles 1 st Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Is 1:19-2:3; Zech 8:7-13 Matins: Psalm Ps 23:1,3 Gospel Matt 9:10-15 Mass: Pauline Rom 9:14-29 Catholicon 1 Pet 4:3-11 Acts Acts 5:34-42 Psalm Ps 25:16-17 Gospel Luke 12:41-50 Suffering is a real bond, an encouragement to greater love, and the basis of spiritual perfection and godliness. Listen to the one who says: If you want to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation. And again Christ said: In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage. And again: straight and narrow is the way. Everywhere you see suffering being praised, everywhere it is accepted as necessary for us. For in the world there is no one who wins a trophy without suffering, who has not strengthened himself with labors and dieting and exercise and vigils and many other things like that. How much more is that true in this battle! Chrysostom "Whenever in your path you find unchanging peace, beware: you are very far from the divine paths trodden by the weary feet of the saints. For as long as you are journeying in the way to the city of the Kingdom and are drawing nigh the city of God, this will be a sign for you: the strength of the temptations that you counter. And the nearer you draw nigh and progress, the more temptations will multiply against you." Isaac the Syrian

10 Day 3 26 February But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4) Why do trials produce patience? It is because trials demonstrate the purity of faith, which is made perfect by the patient endurance of affliction. Oecumenius Notice that patience here does not imply the negative aspect where one submits to sufferings in suppression, because definitely this leads one to explode. But it implies the positive aspect, that is, patience which is full of love, where one casts all his sufferings on the suffering Lord with joy, love and submission. Moreover, he himself seeks sufferings, for through them, he resembles the suffering Lord. Fr Tadros Malaty St. John Chrysostom compared us to the baby who is learning to walk. A mother holds his hand then lets go to see if he can walk by himself. He may fall and cry but her heart and eyes and all her feelings are with him! In the same manner, God holds our hand and is very compassionate for us, but sometimes He has to withdraw His hand without forsaking us. He allows that we go through trials to train us to reach spiritual manhood. Fr Tadros Malaty 1 st Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Is 2:3-11; Joel 2:12-27 Matins: Psalm Ps 25:6-7 Gospel Luke 6:24-34 Mass: Pauline Rom 14:19-15:7 Catholicon 2 Pet 1:4-11 Acts Acts 10:9-20 Psalm Ps 25:20,16 Gospel Luke 6:35-38

11 Day 4 27 February If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8) Put away doubting and do not hesitate to ask of the Lord. Do not say to yourself: How can I ask of the Lord and receive from Him, seeing I have sinned so much against Him? Do not reason with yourself like this, but turn to the Lord with all your heart and ask of Him without doubting, and you will know the multitude of His tender mercies, that He will never leave you but fulfill the request of your soul. Hermas A man is double-minded man when he wants to have fun in this world but also reign with God in heaven. Likewise, a man is doubleminded when he seeks the approval of others for his good deeds rather than spiritual rewards from God. We should not pray so much for the removal of an affliction as for wisdom to make a right use of it. Matthew Henry s Commentary 1 st Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Is 2:11-19; Zech 8:18-23 Matins: Psalm Ps 24:1-2 Gospel Luke 8:23-25 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 4:16-5:9 Catholicon 1 John 1:8-2:11 Acts Acts 8:3-13 Psalm Ps 118:14,18 Gospel Mark 4:21-29

12 Day 5 28 February Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. (James 1:9-11) Le t h i m t h a t i s r i c h rejoice, not so much in the providence of God, that makes him rich, as in the grace of God, that makes and keeps him humble. Matthew Henry s Commentary 1 st Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 6:3-7:26; Is 3:1-14 Matins: Psalm Ps 30:1-2 Gospel Luke 5:12-16 Mass: Pauline Rom 12:6-21 Catholicon 3 John 1:1-14 Acts Acts 2:42-3:9 Psalm Ps 13:5-6 Gospel Luke 11:1-10 The flower of the field is pretty and its smell is pleasant for a while, but it soon loses the attraction of its beauty and charm. The present happiness of the ungodly is the same it lasts for a day or two and then vanishes into nothing Of course, it is also true that the righteous person flourishes, though not in the same way. The unrighteous flourish for a time, like grass, but the righteous flourish forever, like great trees, as Scripture says: The righteous flourish like the palm tree.

13 Day 6 1 March Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12) If you are gold, why do you fear fire? For inside fire, you will come out pure. If you are wheat, why do you fear hay, for when the tares are removed, you will be well shown and your genuinity is exposed that you may be honoured." Augustine How beneficial are these sufferings and temptations for your life! Some may think that they are evil, but the saints do not avoid them but seek them with all their power, enduring t h e m c o u r a g e o u s l y, becoming beloved of God and receiving the crown of eternal life. The apostle says, Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:10) The tried Christian shall be a crowned one: and the crown he shall wear will be a crown of life. We only bear the cross for a while, but we shall wear the crown to eternity. Matthew Henry s Commentary We see no garments or cloaks but we see crowns more valuable than any gold, than any contest prizes or rewards, and ten thousand blessings stored up for those who live upright and virtuous lives on earth. Chrysostom Fr Theodore 1 st Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 119:57-58 Gospel Matt 5:25-37 Mass: Pauline Rom 12:1-21 Catholicon James 1:1-12 Acts Acts 21:27-39 Psalm Ps 5:1-2 Gospel Matt 5:38-48

14 Day 7 2 March Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:13-15) At this point James moves on from those external temptations which God sends to us for the testing of our faith to those internal ones which assault our souls and are inspired by the devil. 1 st Sunday of the Holy Great Fast Vespers: Psalm Ps 17:1-2 Gospel Matt 6:34-7:12 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 18:1-2 Gospel Matt 7:22-29 Mass: Pauline Rom 13:1-14 Catholicon James 1:13-21 Acts Acts 21:40-22:16 Psalm Ps 25:1-2,4 Gospel Matt 6:19-33 There are three stages in temptation. The first is suggestion, the second is experiment, and the third is consent. If we resist the devil s suggestions, then we have victory over temptation and deserve to inherit the crown of life. But if we let the enemy s suggestions gradually take control of us, then we find that we are taken away from the right path and start to indulge in sin if we continue down the path of depravity and start to embrace evildoing by giving our full consent to it, then we are deserving of death, and the enemy has triumphed over us.

15 Day 8 3 March Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:16-17) God is not, cannot be, the author of anything that is evil; but must be acknowledged as the cause and spring of everything that is good. Every good gift is from Him. He gives the light of reason. He also gives the light of learning. So that we have nothing good but what we receive from God. Matthew Henry s Commentary 2 nd Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 3:6-14; Is 4:2-5:7 Matins: Psalm Ps 40:11 Gospel Mark 9:25-29 Mass: Pauline Rom 1:18-25 Catholicon Jude 1:1-8 Acts Acts 4:36-5:11 Psalm Ps 29:1-2 Gospel Luke 18:1-8 Hear what God says: I am, I am and I do not change. He remains always firm and unchanging in His being, and those who have been formed by the gospel and who have been transformed by His commands through the gift and transformation which comes from above, are called to persevere in these precepts as much as their strength permits and not to be swept away by the times in which we live. Therefore Paul also warned people, saying: Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may prove what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is. Severus of Antioch

16 Day 9 4 March Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:18) God has changed us from being children of darkness into being children of light, not because of any merits of ours but by His own will, through the waters of regeneration. James goes on to add that the result of the divine activity is that we have become the first fruits of His creatures, which means that we have been exalted over the rest of creation. 2 nd Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Job 19:1-27, Is 5:7-16 Matins: Psalm Ps 41:4,13 Gospel Luke 12:22-31 Mass: Pauline 2 Cor 9:6-15 Catholicon James 1:1-12 Acts Acts 4:13-22 Psalm Ps 41:1 Gospel Mark 10:17-27.the first duty which we have to perform is that we should not depart the Word of Truth, but rather to haste to sit at the feet of Lord Jesus Word of Truth, with Mary, the sister of Lazarus, listening to His sweet conversation which is full of love. This is our duty and it is also our right. This is our portion, which no one can take from us, to sit humbly at the feet of Lord Jesus to commune with Him and He with us. Truly, how hard it is for man to escape from the hustle of the world, to escape for the sake of his soul which is more precious than anything else, to forget all cares and worries in order to listen to the sweet voice of his Bridegroom!" Fr Tadros Malaty The word of truth, that is the gospel. The gospel is indeed a word of truth or else it could never achieve such real, such lasting, such great and noble effects. Matthew Henry s Commentary

17 Day 10 5 March So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20) Uncontrolled speech and unguarded wrath do no good at all. David said: Be angry but do not sin. This means that we must be careful when we get angry not to let it develop into an uncontrollable fury. This is where those who slow down come into their own. It may be wrong to be slow in other things, but when it comes to anger, tardiness is the right policy, because by the time we get round to it the reasons for it may have dissipated. Oecumenius Truth is more safely heard than preached. For when it is heard, lowliness is preserved, but when it is preached some bit of boastfulness may steal in almost unawares, and this brings corruption. Augustine When James says quick to hear he is not talking about simple listening but about eagerness to put into practice what has been heard. Oecumenius 2 nd Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 2:11-20; Is 5:17-25; Mal 1:6-3:6 Matins: Psalm Ps 18:17-18 Gospel Matt 5:17-24 Mass: Pauline Rom 3:1-17 Catholicon 2 John 1:8-13 Acts Acts 5:3-11 Psalm Ps 18:1-2 Gospel Matt 15:32-38

18 Day 11 6 March Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21) You cannot do good unless you have cleansed yourself from evil first. Filthiness refers primarily to external things which corrupt our hands, whereas wickedness refers primarily to internal things which corrupt our souls. Both must be overcome if we are to do good. We must therefore yield ourselves to the word of God, with most submissive tempers: this is to receive it with meekness. Being willing to hear of our faults, and taking it not only patiently, but thankfully. In all our hearing we should aim at the salvation of our souls. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation. Matthew Henry s Commentary 2 nd Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 5:15-22; Is 6:1-12; Josh 2:1-6:27 Matins: Psalm Ps 28:9 Gospel Matt 11:20-30 Mass: Pauline Rom 16:17-27 Catholicon James 3:1-12 Acts Acts 12:12-23 Psalm Ps 48:10-11 Gospel Matt 19:16-30

19 Day 12 7 March But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (James 1:22-24) Neither I nor any other preacher can see into your hearts but God is looking, for nothing can be hidden from Him Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do. If you do not hear, you cannot do, and therefore you will build nothing. But if you hear and do not do, then what you are building will be a ruin. Augustine A s a l o o k i n g - g l a s s shows us the spots and defilements upon our faces, so the word of God shows us our sins. It shows us what is amiss that it may be amended.in vain do we hear God s word, and look into the gospel glass, if we go away, and forget our spots, and forget our remedy. Matthew Henry s Commentary There are two kinds of mirrors - large and small. In a small mirror you see small things - this is the Old Testament, which leads no one to perfection. But in a big mirror you see great things - this is the New Testament, because in it the fullness of perfection is seen. Hilary of Arles 2 nd Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 8:1-9:4; 1 Sam 17:1-18:4; Is 7:1-14; Job 11:1-20 Matins: Psalm Ps 116:7-8 Gospel Matt 15:39-16:12 Mass: Pauline Heb 12:28-13:16 Catholicon 1 Pet 4:7-16 Acts Acts 15:22-31 Psalm Ps 29:10-11 Gospel Luke 6:39-49

20 Day 13 8 March But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one s religion is useless. (James 1:25-26) James says here that even if someone appears to be doing the good works of faith which he has learned he ought to do, none of this matters unless he restrains his tongue from slanders, lies, blasphemies, nonsense, verbosity and other things which lead to sin. St. John Saba said, Whoever is cautious with his tongue, his treasure will never be taken away from him. The mouth of a silent translates the mysteries of God, and whoever swiftly talks distances his Creator from him. A b b o t Po e m e n s a i d, Whoever controls his m o u t h m o r t i f i e s h i s thoughts, like when you plug a pitcher, filled with serpents and scorpions, all these animals die. Th e p e r fe c t l a w i s liberating because it is the law of Christ, which sets us free from all slavery to the flesh. Oecumenius This blessedness does not lie in knowing, but in doing the will of God. It is not talking, but walking, that will bring us to heaven. Matthew Henry s Commentary 2 nd Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 25:7-8,11 Gospel Mark 9:43-50 Mass: Pauline Rom 14:1-18 Catholicon James 1:22-27 Acts Acts 22:17-30 Psalm Ps 118:19-20 Gospel Matt 7:13-21 A brother asked an elder: My father, I desire to preserve my heart. The elder answered, How can you preserve your heart while your tongue, which is the door of the heart, is wide open?

21 Day 14 9 March 2014 Commemoration of St. Pope Kyrillos VI Departure 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27) Instead of fields, buy souls that are in trouble, according to your ability. Look after widows and orphans. Do not neglect them. Spend your riches on these kinds of fields and houses. Hermas We can become more like God if we are merciful and compassionate. If we do not do these things, we have nothing at all to our credit. Chrysostom It is good to see that James has added the words before God, the Father, because there are plenty of people who appear to be religious in the sight of men but are wicked as far as God is concerned. 2 nd Sunday of the Holy Great Fast Vespers: Psalm Ps 51:1,9 Gospel Mark 1:12-15 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 57:1 Gospel Luke 4:1-13 Mass: Pauline Rom 14:19-15:7 Catholicon James 2:1-13 Acts Acts 23:1-11 Psalm Ps 27:8-9 Gospel Matt 4:1-11

22 Day March My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4) What does it matter if you think highly of yourself, w h e n s o m e o n e e l s e despises you? Are we not all one body, both great and small? Therefore if in principle we are all one and members of each other, why do you mindlessly exalt yourself? Why do you bring shame on your brother? For just as he is part of you, so you too are a part of him. Chrysostom Far from me is the notion that in Your tabernacle, Lord, the rich should be more highly regarded than the poor, or the noble than the less well-born. You have chosen the weak things of this world to put the strong to shame, and you have chosen things which are dishonorable, despised and of no account, in order to bring to nothing the things which are. Augustine In matters of religion, rich and poor stand upon a level; no man s riches set him in the least nearer to God, nor does any man s poverty set him at a distance from God. Matthew Henry s Commentary There is no difference between rich and poor in Christ. Pay no attention to the outward appearance, but look for the inner faith instead. Chrysostom 3 rd Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 1:20-33; Is 8:13-9:7 Matins: Psalm Ps 32:1-2 Gospel Luke 19:11-28 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 5:9-6:5 Catholicon 1 Pet 1:3-12 Acts Acts 17:10-14 Psalm Ps 32:5 Gospel Luke 11:33-36

23 Day March Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? (James 2:5-7) Bear their greed as patiently as you can! Those people destroy themselves, not you. For while they rob you of your money, they strip themselves of God s favour and help. For the one who bases his life on greed and gathers all the wealth of the world around him is in fact the poorest of all. Chrysostom When poor people are not preoccupied with the things of the world, when they come to faith, they often become more energetic and more determined to work at it than rich people do. Oecumenius What benefit do you gain from being partial to the rich? Is it because you expect that he will repay you back? We have to think more of the weak and the needy, for because of them, we expect the reward from the Lord Jesus, like the parable of the wedding banquet (Luke 14:12,13). The Lord Jesus gave us a general picture of virtue, by telling us to generously give to those who have no ability to give back. Ambrose 3 rd Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 2:1-15; Is 10:12-20; Josh 7:1-26 Matins: Psalm Ps 32:10 Gospel Luke 12:54-59 Mass: Pauline Rom 4:1-8 Catholicon 1 John 2:1-11 Acts Acts 27:9-12 Psalm Ps 32:2-3 Gospel John 8:31-39

24 Day March If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:8-10) Just as you want to be treated justly and properly by your neighbour. So you must behave toward him as you would towards your kinsman and child of God. What our Saviour said about this is absolutely right: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. For this is the law and the prophets. Andreas 3 rd Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 4:19-6:13; Joel 2:21-26; Is 9:9-10:4; Job 12:1-14:22 Matins: Psalm Ps 27:4 Gospel Luke 13:18-22 Mass: Pauline 2 Thess 2:9-17 Catholicon 2 Pet 2:9-15 Acts Acts 28:7-11 Psalm Ps 27:7-8 Gospel Luke 4:1-13 The rule for Christians to walk by is settled in the Scriptures. The Scripture gives us this as a law, to love our neighbour as ourselves. The law is a royal law, it comes from the King of kings. Its own worth and dignity deserve it should be thus honoured. Matthew Henry s Commentary What does it mean to offend in one point and lose all, except to have fallen from the precept of love and thereby to have offended in all the other commandments? Without love none of our virtues amounts to anything at all. Caesarius of Arles When we wear a piece of clothing, it covers us all over. Righteousness is like this, for it protects itself by good works at every turn and leaves nothing exposed to the ravages of sin. For if someone is righteous in some of the things he does and unrighteous in others, it is rather as if he is covering one side of his body but leaving the other side naked. Such a person is not doing good works, because these works are made evil by the unrighteousness which is present in him. Gregory the Great

25 Day March For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:11-12) To fail in one point is to lack perfect love, for this is the source of all good deeds. If something in the head is not right, the rest of the body suffers as a result. The entire purpose and plan of God is designed to lead to perfect love. That is the meaning of the commandments such as Do not commit adultery, Do not kill and so on. Andreas James directs Christians to govern and conduct themselves by the law of Christ. The gospel is called a law. It prescribes duty as well as administers comfort; and Christ is a king to rule us as well as a prophet to teach us, and a priest to sacrifice and intercede for us. Matthew Henry s Commentary 3 rd Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Gen 18:17-19:29; Prov 2:16-3:4; Is 11:10-12:2 Matins: Psalm Ps 9:11-12 Gospel Luke 20:20-26 Mass: Pauline Rom 4:6-11 Catholicon James 4:1-10 Acts Acts 28:1-6 Psalm Ps 9:7-8 Gospel John 12:44-50

26 Day March For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13) Mercy is the highest art and the shield of those who practice it. It is the friend of God, standing always next to him and freely blessing whatever he wishes. It must not be despised by us. For in its purity it grants great liberty to those who respond to it in kind. It must be shown to those who have quarreled with us, as well as to those who have sinned against us, so great is its power. 3 rd Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 9:7-10:11; 1 Sam 23:26-24:22; Job 15:1-35; Is 13:2-13; Sirach* 2:1-3:4 Matins: Psalm Ps 16:10-11 Gospel Luke 20:27-38 Mass: Pauline Heb 11:1-8 Catholicon Jude 1:17-25 Acts Acts 23:6-11 Psalm Ps 16:1-2 Gospel Luke 11:14-26 * Second Canonical Book It breaks chains, dispels darkness, extinguishes fire, kills the worm and takes away the gnashing of teeth. By it the gates of heaven open with the greatest of ease. In short, mercy is a queen which makes men like God. Chrysostom Because you do not have mercy on others, then He will not have mercy on you. Because you have closed your door before the poor, then God will not open the gate of His kingdom before you. As you did not give food to the poor when they asked you for it, then God will not grant you eternal life which you request. You will reap what you sow. If you sow bitterness, then you will reap bitterness; if you sow harshness, then you will reap harsh toils and many sufferings. If you have escaped of mercy, then mercy will escape of you. If you reject the poor, then the One, who became poor for your love, will reject you. Basil the Great

27 Day March What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (James 2:14-16) Take note of what spiritual understanding really is. It is not enough to believe in a purely intellectual sense. There has to be some practical application for this belief. What James is saying here does not contradict the apostle Paul, who understood that both belief and action were a part of what he called faith. Oecumenius It is obvious that words alone are not going to help someone who is naked and hungry. Someone whose faith does not go beyond words is useless. Such faith is dead without works of Christian love which alone can bring it back to life. 3 rd Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 130:1-2 Gospel Mark 10:17-27 Mass: Pauline 2 Cor 7:2-11 Catholicon James 2:14-26 Acts Acts 23:12-35 Psalm Ps 27:6-8 Gospel Matt 18:23-35

28 Day March Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:17-18) If we are ashamed to imitate Christ's sufferings, which He endured for us, and to suffer as He suffered, it is obvious that we shall not become partakers with Him in His glory. If that is true of us, we are believers in words only and not in deeds. Symeon the New Theologian Even if someone believes rightly in the Father and the Son, as well as in the Holy Spirit, if he does not lead the right kind of life, his faith will not benefit him at all as far as his salvation is concerned. For although Jesus says: This is eternal life, to know You, the only true God, we must not think that merely uttering the words is enough to save us. For our life and behaviour must be pure as well. Chrysostom Works give life to faith, faith gives life to the soul, and the soul gives life to the body. Hilary of Arles 3 rd Sunday of the Holy Fast Vespers: Psalm: 88:1-2 Gospel: Matt 15:1-20 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm: 55:1-2,16 Gospel: Matt 20:1-16 Mass: Pauline: 2 Cor 6:2-13 Catholicon: James 3:1-12 Acts: 24:1-23 Psalm: 79:8-9 Gospel: Luke 15:11-32

29 Day March 2014 Commemoration of H.H. Pope Shenouda III Departure 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19-20) James gives us the example of the devils, saying that those who profess faith with their lips only are really no better than they are. For even they believe that Christ is the Son of God, that He is the Holy One of God, and that He has authority over them. Andreas 4 th Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Gen 27:1-41; Is 14:24-32; Job 16:1-17:16 Matins: Psalm Ps 55:1, 27:7-8 Gospel Luke 14:7-15 Mass: Pauline Rom 8:12-26 Catholicon James 5:16-20 Acts Acts 11:2-18 Psalm Ps 55:16-17 Gospel Luke 16:1-9 You can believe what God says, you can believe that God exists, and you can believe in Him, which means that you love Him so much that you want to do what He tells you. There are many evil people around who can manage the first two of these. They believe that God means what He says, and they are quite prepared to accept that He exists. But it takes someone who is not just a nominal Christian but who is one in deed and in living to love God and to do what He commands. Faith with love is Christian, but faith without love is demonic. Just as faith without works is dead, so the reverse is also true. Therefore let integrity in faith shine forth along with the glories of upright living. Cyril of Alexandria

30 Day March Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21) On the one hand, the blessed James says that works justified Abraham when he bound Isaac his son on the altar, but on the other hand Paul says that he was justified by faith, which appears to be contradictory. However, this is to be understood as meaning that Abraham believed before he had Isaac and that Isaac was given to him as a reward for his faith. 4 th Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Gen 28:10-22; Is 25:1-26:8; Job 18:1-21, Sirach* 8:1-10:1 Matins: Psalm Ps 17:1 Gospel Matt 21:28-32 Mass: Pauline Eph 4:1-16 Catholicon 2 Pet 2:2-8 Acts Acts 27:1-3 Psalm Ps 17:6 Gospel Luke 9:57-62 * Second Canonical Book Likewise, when he bound Isaac to the altar, he did not merely do the work, which was required of him, but he did it with the faith that in Isaac his seed would be as numberless as the stars of heaven, believing that God could raise him from the dead. Cyril of Alexandria James is merely echoing what it says in Hebrews: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your descendants be named. Looking at one and the same sacrifice, James praised the magnificence of Abraham s work, while Paul praised the constancy of his faith. But in reality the two men are saying exactly the same thing, because they both knew that Abraham was perfect in his faith as well as his works, and each one merely emphasised the aspect of the incident which his own audience was most in need of hearing. Although the apostle Pa u l p r e a c h e d t h a t we are justified by faith without works, those who understand by this that it does not matter whether they live evil lives or do wicked and terrible things, as long as they believe in Christ, because salvation is through faith, have made a grave mistake. James here expounds how Paul s words are to be understood. This is why he uses the example of Abraham, whom Paul also used as an example of faith, to show that the patriarch also performed good works in the light of his faith. It is therefore wrong to interpret Paul in such a way as to suggest that it did not matter whether Abraham put his faith into practice or not. What Paul meant was that no one obtains the gift of justification on the basis of merit derived from works performed beforehand, because the gift of justification comes only from faith.

31 Day March 2014 Feast of the Cross 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 2:22-24) [Abraham] did not do this work by itself; in doing it, he remained firmly anchored in his faith, believing that through Isaac his seed would be multiplied until it was as numerous as the stars. Oecumenius Abraham had such a vibrant faith in God that he was ready to do whatever God wanted him to. This is why his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness, and it was in order that we might know the full meaning of this that God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son. It was by his perfect accomplishment of God s command that the faith which he had in his heart was shown to be perfect. Feast of the Cross Vespers: Psalm Ps 4:6-8 Gospel John 8:28-42 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 60:4-5 Gospel John 12:26-36 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 1:17-31 Catholicon 1 Pet 2:11-25 Acts Acts 10:34-43 Psalm Ps 65:1-2 Gospel John 10:22-38

32 Day March Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:25-26) "Faith without works is dead, and works without faith are dead also. For if we have sound doctrine but fail in living, the doctrine is of no use to us. Likewise if we take pains with life but are careless about doctrine that will not be any good to us either. It is therefore necessary to shore up the spiritual edifice in both directions." Chrysostom 4 th Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Gen 32:1-30; Is 28:14-22; Job 20:1-29; Dan 6:1-27 Matins: Psalm Ps 12:7 Gospel Mark 3:7-12 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 12:31-14:1 Catholicon James 4:11-5:3 Acts Acts 4:19-31 Psalm Ps 48:10-11 Gospel Luke 18:35-43 T h e r e m u s t h a v e been some people who would have argued that Abraham was a special case, since nobody would now be asked to make such a sacrifice, and that therefore his example does not really count. To answer this objection, James looks through the Scriptures and refers to the case of Rahab, a wicked woman and a foreigner to boot, who nevertheless was justified by her faith because she performed works of mercy and showed hospitality to members of God s people, even though her own life was thereby put in danger. Just as the spirit joins itself to the body and by doing so brings the latter to life, so works, joined to faith, give life to it as well. Furthermore, it is to be understood that faith without works is not faith at all, just as a dead man is not really a human being. Didymus the Blind Listen to the testimony of Scripture. In the midst of prostitution there was a pearl, in the mire there was burnished gold, in the mud there was a flower blooming with godliness. A godly soul was concealed in a land of impiety. Severian of Gabala It is by faith that anything we do is really good. The most plausible profession of faith, without works, is dead: as the root is dead when it produces nothing green, nothing of fruit. Faith is the root, good works are the fruits, and we must see to it that we have both. Matthew Henry s Commentary

33 Day March 2014 Commemoration of Fr. Pishoy Kamel's Departure 1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. (James 3:1-2) Abundant talk is the throne of bragging. From this throne, the love of the ego and pride appears. Abundant talk is a sign o f i g n o r a n c e, w h i c h leads to foolish laugh, coarse jesting, lying and hypocrisy. It leads to sleep and lack of concentration in memory. It cools the heat of spirituality and makes our prayers lukewarm and not fervent. Climacus Teaching without setting an example is not only worthless but also brings great punishment and judgement on the one who leads his life with such heedlessness, throwing out the pride of those who do not want to practice what they preach. Chrysostom James reminds us that even good people are not perfect and that we all need to be led by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for there is no one who can go through life without ever sinning at all. Nevertheless, there are different kinds of sins, and James singles o u t o n e a re a o f o u r lives where perfection is attainable, namely, control of the tongue. We may be imperfect, but we can still learn to avoid deception, abuse, cursing, pride, boasting, envy, quarreling, lying, perjury and so on. If a person does not practice what he preaches, he will be judged more severely, since his teaching has borne no fruit. For such a person is condemned along with the one who has sinned with his tongue. Oecumenius 4 th Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 10:12-11:28; Is 29:13-23; Job 21:1-34; Dan* 14:1-42 Matins: Psalm Ps 28:6-7 Gospel Luke 4:31-37 Mass: Pauline Heb 13:7-16 Catholicon 1 John 4:7-16 Acts Acts 22:17-24 Psalm Ps 28:2 Gospel Matt 15:21-31 * Second Canonical Book

34 Day March Indeed, we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. (James 3:3-4) Note that the comparison is taken from the beasts which we are able to tame. The horse does not tame itself, nor does a man do so. A man is needed in order to tame a horse, and in the same way, God is needed in order to tame a man. Augustine James says that if we can contain the spirits of a horse by putting a bit into his mouth and control the direction of a ship with a small rudder, how much more ought we to be able to guide the tongue by right words toward doing good. Andreas The text also implies that we should go on from merely controlling our tongues and find a higher use for them. For just as a domesticated horse is then used for better purposes, as is a ship under control, so our tongues ought to be used for saying the right thing at the right time. Oecumenius 4 th Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 142:5,7 Gospel Luke 16:19-31 Mass: Pauline Phil 4:4-9 Catholicon James 3:13-4:6 Acts Acts 24:24-25:12 Psalm Ps 61:1,5 Gospel Matt 21:33-46

35 Day March Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. (James 3:5-6) The tongue is a fire which can destroy a whole forest of good works just by saying things which are evil. Readings of the Feast of the Annunciation Vespers: Psalm Ps 144:5, 7 Gospel Luke 7:36-50 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 72:6-7 Gospel Luke 11:20-28 Mass: Pauline Rom 3:1-31 Catholicon 1 John 1:1-2:6 Acts Acts 7:23-34 Psalm Ps 45:10-11 Gospel Luke 1:26-38 The sword kills the body but the tongue kills the soul. The tongue knows no moderation either it is a great good or it is a great evil. It is a great good when it acknowledges that Christ is God, and a great evil when it denies that. Let no one deceive himself into thinking that he has never sinned, for if I have sinned, it is with my tongue. What more monstrous sin is there than blasphemy against God? The devil did not fall because he committed theft, murder or adultery; he fell because of his tongue. He said: I will scale the heavens; above the stars I will set up my throne, I will be like the most high. Jerome Therefore guard the tip of the tongue, for it is like a majestic stallion. For if you put a bit in its mouth and teach it to walk in order, it adapts to this and is satisfied. But if you let it run wild, it becomes the vehicle of the devil and his angels. Chrysostom

36 Day March For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:7-10) James was determined to show what a great evil a man s tongue can be, so great that it cannot be tamed by anyone, even though that is not true of wild beasts. He said this not in order that we should tolerate this evil but in order that we should ask for divine grace to tame our tongue. Augustine Nothing bitter should come out of a mouth which has uttered the praise of so great a mystery, nor should the tongue say anything which is unworthy of a holy mouth. Let us keep it pure and not use it to curse. For if those who rail against God will not inherit the kingdom, how much more will this be true of those who curse? Andreas When we use the tongue, by which we bless God in prayer, in cursing people who are made after God s image, then we direct the insult to God their Creator and we demean His great love, in which He loved the whole world that He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for them. Fr Tadros Malaty 5 th Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 3:5-18; Is 37:33-38:6; Job 22:1-30 Matins: Psalm Ps 88:2-4 Gospel Luke 12:16-21 Mass: Pauline Phil 2:1-16 Catholicon 1 Pet 3:10-18 Acts Acts 10:25-35 Psalm Ps 86:3-4 Gospel Luke 9:12-17

37 Day March Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. (James 3:11-12) It is clear from this that a heart which is not right with God cannot bring forth the words or the works of righteousness. On the contrary, if the heart is wicked, everything it says and does will be wicked also. Not only is it impossible for sweet and bitter water to come out of one and the same fountain, but it is also true that if the two get mixed, it is the bitter which will affect the sweet, not the other way round. Put blessing and cursing together, and cursing will win out every time. Bad habits corrupt good manners, and wicked talk has the same effect. 5 th Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Num 10:35-11:34; Prov 3:19-4:9; Is 40:1-8; Job 25:1-6; Job 26:1-14 Matins: Psalm Ps 86:5-6 Gospel Mark 9:14-24 Mass: Pauline Phil 2:22-26 Catholicon 1 John 3:2-11 Acts Acts 24:10-23 Psalm Ps 86:17 Gospel John 8:12-20

38 Day March 2014 Commemoration of Fr. Mikhail Ibrahim's Departure 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (James 3:13-16) Let us cleanse the eyes of our souls of all filth. For just as filth and mud blind the eyes of the flesh, so too worldly concerns and discussions about moneymaking can dull the hearing of our minds more effectively than any filth, and not only corrupt them but do wicked things as well. Chrysostom 5 th Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 8:20-9:35; Is 41:4-14; Joel 3:9-21; Job 28:12-28; Prov 4:10-19; 1 Sam 1:1-2:21 Matins: Psalm Ps 55:1-2 Gospel Mark 10:1-12 Mass: Pauline Rom 4:14-5:5 Catholicon 1 Pet 4:12-19 Acts Acts 11:12-18 Psalm Ps 86:13-14 Gospel Luke 13:6-9 Envying and strife are opposed to the meekness of wisdom. The heart is the seat of both; but envy and wisdom cannot dwell together in the same heart. Matthew Henry s Commentary True wisdom may be known by the meekness of the spirit and temper. It is a great instance of wisdom prudently to bridle our own anger, and patiently to bear the anger of others. When we are mild and calm, we are best able to hear reason, and best able to speak it. Wisdom produces meekness, and meekness increases wisdom. Matthew Henry s Commentary James also exhorts those who are wise and self-disciplined, or who at least think they are such, to demonstrate that fact by living out what they profess more than by trying to teach others. For someone who lives in a humble and wise way will give more evidence of his standing before God than any number of words could ever do. Paul also says: The unspiritual man does not know the things which come from the Spirit of God. Contentious and proud wisdom is rightly described as earthly, unspiritual and devilish because as long as the soul seeks earthly glory, it is deprived of spiritual grace and remains cut off from God.

39 Day March But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18) True wisdom is God s gift. It comes from above. Matthew Henry s Commentary 5 th Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Is 42:5-16; Prov 4:20-27; Job 29:2-20; 1 Sam 3:1-20 Matins: Psalm Ps 86:14 Gospel Luke 9:37-43 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 10:14-11:1 Catholicon 1 Pet 1:2-8 Acts Acts 21:5-14 Psalm Ps 86:17 Gospel Luke 13:10-17 Th i s i s t h e w i s d o m which tames the tongue, descending from above, not springing from the h u m a n h e a r t. Wo u l d anyone dare to snatch it away from the grace of God and, with overweening pride, place it in the power of man? Augustine Everything we do in this life contains within it the seed of future reward. Paul says the same thing when he writes: Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. Therefore it is rightly said that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. For the fruit of righteousness is eternal life, which is the reward for good works, so that those who desire peace and implement it sow the earth with the best seed there is, and by their daily actions gain an increase which entitles them to inherit the fruits of life in heaven.

40 Day March Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3) The reason that you struggle but fail to obtain what you want is that you do not ask God to give these things to you. For if you ask Him with the right motives, He will give you not only everything you need here on earth but also what you need to get to heaven. 5th Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Deut 11:29-12:27; 1 Kin 17:2-24; Prov 5:1-12; Is 43:1-9; Job 30:9-32:5 Matins: Psalm Ps 86:9-10 Gospel Mark 12:28-34 Mass: Pauline Heb 12:5-16 Catholicon 1 Pet 4:15-5:5 Acts Acts 15:36-16:3 Psalm Ps 138:1-3 Gospel John 8:21-27 Your passions are at war in your members whenever your hands or your tongue or some combination of your bodily parts obeys the prompting of your depraved mind. It is also possible that the passions mentioned here are in fact good desires, pointing towards the riches and benefits of God s kingdom. On account of these and many other such things there is often a struggle between good and evil going on in our minds. However, there is a group of people who ask, yet they do not receive. The reason is not in the Grantor but in those who ask because their hearts are attached to the ego on earth, thus their prayers are an abomination before the Lord. Their prayers are means to achieve earthly goals, as if we are telling the Heavenly Father: Grant us earthly gifts because we are attached to the earth and we do not want to prepare ourselves for heaven where we have a portion with You. Fr Tadros Malaty Wars and fights stem not from others annoying us, but from the weakness of the inner man and his defeat in the inner war. Abbot Poemen clarified that when the building is shaken and falls, it is because there was no strong foundation, not just because of winds. He said, When man is defeated before the sin of anger, he has to realize that this is because of his own inner weakness and not because of the insult directed to him. Fr Tadros Malaty

41 Day March Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? (James 4:4-5) But one may wander: Why do we consider the love of the world enmity to God and spiritual adultery, although God has created everything for the sake of man? God does not want to bother us or deprive us of anything, but as the Bridegroom of the human soul, He does not want us to cleave to anyone else. God wants us to use the world, and to feel the love of the Grantor, without our hearts loving the gift and not the Grantor. God created the world and saw that it was good. (Gen. 1) But if someone is occupied with the world and does not have time for God, for the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19), then the world does not become a bridge to cross to eternity, but man is attached to it and is enslaved to it with all its lusts, thus falls in its trap. Fr Tadros Malaty Whoever loves the world by committing sin is revealed as an enemy of God, just as, on the other hand, one who affirms friendship with God by not sinning is a constant enemy of the world. Therefore, just as it is impossible to serve both God and mammon, so it is also impossible to be a friend of the world and of God at the same time. Didymus the Blind What this means is that the Spirit in us tends toward fellowship with God. He turns us away from the love of the world and gives us ever more grace. Severian of Gabala 5 th Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 65:2-3 Gospel Luke 15:3-10 Mass: Pauline Gal 5:16-6:2 Catholicon James 5:7-11 Acts Acts 26:1-18 Psalm Ps 143:1-2 Gospel Matt 23:14-39

42 Day March But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) If God does not love the human soul, He would not have been jealous over her, like a man who is jealous over his bride who loves someone else. Jerome Nothing is so destructive to a Christian as pride. Through pride the Serpent found the occasion to beguile Adam with the promise that he would become a god (Gen. 3:5). Even God resists the proud. Macarius of Alexandria 5 th Sunday of the Holy Great Fast Vespers: Psalm Ps 39:12 Gospel Luke 18:1-8 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 102:1-2,12 Gospel Matt 21:33-46 Mass: Pauline 2 Thess 2:1-17 Catholicon 2 Pet 3:1-18 Acts Acts 26:19-27:8 Psalm Ps 33:5-6 Gospel John 5:1-18 God punishes robbers, perjurers, gluttons and other sinners because they are in contempt of His commandments, but it is said that He resists the proud in a special way. This is because those who trust in their own strength, who neglect to submit themselves to God s power, who really think that they can almost save themselves and therefore have no time to seek help from above these are all deserving of greater punishment. On the other hand, God gives grace to the humble because they recognise their need and ask Him for help to overcome the plague of their sins, and for this reason they deserve to be healed.

43 Day March Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8) Let us fight as hard as we can, with the Lord s help, against that most harsh captivity of the soul [which is the devil s ability to divert our thoughts away from spiritual concerns]. Caesarius of Arles Repentance has to be not mere talk nor feelings nor emotions but behavior and life. That is why St. James asked to have pure hands, or pure works. Fr Tadros Malaty St. John Chrysostom compares the devil to a dog that does not want to leave his master s table as long as he throws food to him. If the master stops throwing, then he will lose hope and searches for another table to find food. In the same manner, we have to resist the devil continuously and not give him any place in us. (Eph. 6:11,13; 4:27) Fr Tadros Malaty Draw near to God in humility, by walking in His footsteps, and He will draw near to you in His mercy, setting you free from all anxiety. For nobody is far away from God in terms of physical distance; the problem is one of attitudes and emotions. For the person who is anxious to do what is right is always near to God, whereas the one who is lost in his wickedness is far away from Him, regardless of where either one happens to live. 6 th Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 8:1-11; Is 43:10-28; Job 32:6-16 Matins: Psalm Ps 38:9 Gospel Mark 12:1-12 Mass: Pauline 1 Thess 4:1-18 Catholicon James 4:7-12 Acts Acts 18:9-18 Psalm Ps 35:1-2 Gospel Luke 13:1-5

44 Day 37 1 April Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:9-10) Do not rejoice in the things of this world, but remember the sins which you have committed and spend the short time which is allotted to you on this earth looking for the joys of the heavenly kingdom. You do not want to find that your pursuit of earthly enjoyment produces a situation in which you will be a beggar in eternity, weeping and wailing forever in your torment. It is a blessed thing to humble oneself before the Lord. For James says: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. Whenever we are thus humbled, even if we are tempted by demons and even if we are attacked by those who hate virtue, we have God to deliver us, as long as we do not forget His law or curse Him in our sufferings. Hesychius 6 th Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 8:12-21; Is 44:1-8; Job 32:17-33:33; 2 Kin 5:1-27 Matins: Psalm Ps 35:13 Gospel Luke 4:22-30 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 14:18-28 Catholicon James 1:22-2:1 Acts Acts 19:11-20 Psalm Ps 42:1 Gospel Luke 9:18-22

45 Day 38 2 April Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? (James 4:11-12) For there is only one lawgiver. God, who can both condemn and deliver sinners. Theophylact 6 th Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Ex 10:1-11:10; Is 44:21-28; Prov 8:22-36; Job 34:1-37; Sirach* 10:1-31 Matins: Psalm Ps 102:17,21 Gospel Mark 7:1-20 Mass: Pauline Rom 2:12-24 Catholicon 2 Pet 1:20-2:6 Acts Acts 26:1-8 Psalm Ps 9:11-12 Gospel Luke 11:45-52 * Second Canonical Book He started by saying, brethren, which means t h a t a s b ro t h e rs, w e should cover the mistakes of one another, being compassionate to all. Whoever speaks evil of his brother speaks evil of the law who commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Whoever judges the law and rejects it, he rejects the One who puts it, although: There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? (v. 12) He is the only Judge who puts the law of love and mercy and able to save and condemn. Who are we to judge others and to rob God of His right and work? Fr Tadros Malaty Every wicked act dulls the sense of our thoughts a n d g i v e s b i r t h t o arrogance. For although it is necessary for each one to examine himself and behave according to God s will, many people do not do this but prefer to mind the business of others. If they happen to see others suffering, it seems they forget their own weaknesses and set about criticizing them and slandering them. They condemn them, not knowing that they suffer from the same things as the people they have criticized, and in so doing they condemn themselves. The wise Paul writes exactly the same thing: If you judge another in something you condemn yourself, for the one who judges does the same things. Cyril of Alexandria

46 Day 39 3 April Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit ; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:13-17) James says this in order to indicate just how fleeting and empty our present life is. He wants to make us ashamed of the fact that we spend all our time engaged in its vanity, and in the evils of this age and in things which, as soon as they are accomplished, disappear, and all our labour vanishes with them. Oecumenius 6 th Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: 2 Kin 4:8-41; Is 45:1-10; Prov 9:1-11; Job 35:1-16; Sirach* 11:1-10 Matins: Psalm Ps 9:13 Gospel Luke 20:9-19 Mass: Pauline 1 Tim 2:1-3:4 Catholicon Jude 1:19-25 Acts Acts 27:16-20 Psalm Ps 9:13-14 Gospel John 6:47-71 * Second Canonical Book James does not take away our free will but points out that everything we do is part of a wider plan which is governed by God s grace. Even if we are able to run around and get on with the business of this life we must not attribute this ability to our own efforts but accept that we can do these things only by the blessing of God. Oecumenius Vain boasting comes from pride, and its ultimate source is the devil. Those who have been baptized into Christ ought not to take any kind of inspiration from Satan. Oecumenius Does the one who does not know how to do good and does not do it commit a sin? He certainly does, but the one who knows what is good and does not do it sins more grievously. Augustine Restoring health for a time to a man s body amounts to no more than extending his breath for a little while longer. Therefore it should not be considered of great importance, because it is temporal, not eternal. Augustine

47 Day 40 4 April Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. (James 5:1-3) It is not just that the fires of hell will torture rich people who have been ungodly and unmerciful, but their wealth too, with which they could have done all the good needed to redeem them, will also perish and disappear even before they themselves are judged. Let us go in by the narrow way. How long will luxury last? How long will there be licentiousness? Have not the heedless among us been warned? What about the mockers and the procrastinators? Will not their banquets and gluttony and self-satisfaction, not to mention their wealth, their possessions and their property all disappear? What reward have they got? Death. And what will their end be? Dust and ashes, urn and worms. Chrysostom 6 th Friday of the Holy Fast Vespers: Prophecies: Gen 22:1-18; Is 45:11-17; Prov 9:12-18; Job 36:1-33; Job 37:1-24; Tobit* 1:1-3:23; Tobit 3:24-9:12; Tobit 10:1-14:15 Matins: Psalm Ps 51:7-8 Gospel John 3:14-21 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 10:1-13 Catholicon 1 John 2:12-17 Acts Acts 8:9-17 Psalm Ps 34:5,4 Gospel John 3:1-13 * Second Canonical Book

48 Day 41 5 April Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. (James 5:4-6) Think how great is the wickedness of those who not only refuse to share their wealth with the poor and needy but who go one step further and refuse to pay workers the wages which are due to them! What then? Has luxury b e e n c o n d e m n e d? I t certainly has so why do you continue to strive for it? A man has made bread, but the excess has been trimmed away. A man has made wine, but the excess has been cut off there also. God desires that we should pray not for impure food but for souls set free from excess. For everything that God has created is good, and nothing which has been received with thanks is to be despised. Chrysostom 6 th Saturday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 79:8-9 Gospel Matt 9:1-8 Mass: Pauline Eph 4:1-7 Catholicon 1 Pet 1:13-21 Acts Acts 27:9-26 Psalm Ps 32:1-2 Gospel Mark 10:46-52

49 Day 42 6 April Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7-8) This Christian patience is not a mere yielding to necessity, as the moral patience taught by some philosophers was, but it is a humble acquiescence in the wisdom and will of God. Matthew Henry s Commentary Look to the example of the [farmer]. When you sow your corn in the ground, you wait many months for the former and latter rain, and are willing to stay till harvest for the fruit of your labour. Consider him that waits for a crop of corn; and will not you wait for a crown of glory? If you should be called to wait a little longer than the [farmer] does, is it not something proportionably greater and infinitely more worth your waiting for? Matthew Henry s Commentary I f G o d d e l a y s t h e punishment of sinners, waiting for them to repent, it is not because His character has changed, so that now He loves sin. Rather He is giving them time to repent. Cyril of Alexandria 6 th Sunday of the Holy Great Fast Vespers: Psalm Ps 17:3,5 Gospel Luke 13:22-35 Prophecies: - Matins: Psalm Ps 26:2-3 Gospel Matt 23:1-39 Mass: Pauline Col 3:5-17 Catholicon 1 John 5:13-21 Acts Acts 27:27-37 Psalm Ps 143:7,1 Gospel John 9:1-41

50 Day 43 7 April 2014 Feast of the Annunciation 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. (James 5:9-10) The just Judge will give you the rewards of your patience and will punish your adversaries with what they deserve. He sits at the door where He can watch everything you do, and He will come quickly to give each one whatever he or she deserves. 7 th Monday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 10:1-16; Is 48:17-49:4; Job 38:1-38 Matins: Psalm Ps 32:10-11 Gospel Luke 16:19-31 Mass: Pauline Rom 14:10-15:2 Catholicon James 2:5-13 Acts Acts 9:22-31 Psalm Ps 86:12-13 Gospel John 5:31-47 James tells us to look to the prophets, who never did anything wrong and who spoke the words of God s Spirit to the people but who nevertheless suffered a terrible end at the hands of unbelievers Zechariah, Uriah and the Maccabees, for example, not to mention John the Baptist, Stephen, James the son of Zebedee and many others in the New Testament. They did not complain at such an end but were willing to endure it. Others put up with long labors without complaining, for example, Noah, who spent a hundred years building his ark, and Moses, who took forty years to lead his people out of slavery and into the promised land.

51 Day 44 8 April Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11) Temptations help the righteous, for Job, the d i s c e r n i n g m a n, w a s t r i u m p h a n t o v e r h i s temptations. He became weak, but he did not doubt! He became very sick but did not complain! His body and strength were weakened but his will did not weaken! Through his sufferings, he proved his perfection, for the temptations did not destroy him! Ephram the Syrian 7 th Tuesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 10:17-32; Is 49:6-10; Job 38:37-39:30; Sirach* 5:1-15 Matins: Psalm Ps 38:18-19 Gospel Luke 17:1-10 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 14:5-17 Catholicon 2 Pet 3:8-15 Acts Acts 22:17-24 Psalm Ps 51:2-3 Gospel John 12:36-43 * Second Canonical Book It is a great thing if we can give thanks with great joy. But there is such a thing as giving thanks out of fear, and also such a thing as giving thanks in grief. This is what Job did when, in great suffering, he thanked God, saying: The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away. Tell me, in what circumstances do you bless Job? Is it when he had all those camels and flocks and herds? Or is it when he says: The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away? For the devil also harms us not in order to take our possessions away so that we have nothing left but so that when that happens he can force us to curse God because of it. Chrysostom

52 Day 45 9 April But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, lest you fall into judgment. (James 5:12) 7 th Wednesday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 10:32-11:13; Is 58:1-11; Job 40:1-41:34 Matins: Psalm Ps 57:1 Gospel Luke 14:28-35 Mass: Pauline Rom 10:4-13 Catholicon James 1:13-21 Acts Acts 19:23-26 Psalm Ps 51:2-3 Gospel John 6:35-45 Jesus said: Let your yes be yes and your no, no. Any more than this is evil. So do not swear for good reason, because that is evil. It is said to be evil because the need of an oath comes from an unsure conscience. It is necessary to extract an oath from one whose sincerity is in doubt, but why should you bind yourself by an involuntary oath when you are bound to show with your lips the sincerity of your heart? Speak the truth from your heart and you will not need an oath. Leander

53 Day April Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. (James 5:13) Pray in peace and purity, sing with understanding and enjoyment, then you will be like a little eagle who flies up in the sky. Singing the psalms calms lusts and subdues desires of the flesh. Prayer lifts up the mind to become wise and correct in all his deeds. Singing the psalms is a kind of divine wisdom. If you have not taken God s gift of singing the psalms, ask for it diligently and you will get it. Nilos 7 th Thursday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Prov 11:13-26; Is 65:8-16; Job 42:1-6; 2 Kin 6:8-7:20 Matins: Psalm Ps 63:1 Gospel Matt 20:20-28 Mass: Pauline 2 Cor 4:5-18 Catholicon 1 John 3:13-24 Acts Acts 25:23-26:6 Psalm Ps 122:1-2 Gospel Mark 12:18-27 In a day of affliction, nothing is more seasonable than prayer. Times of affliction should be praying times. God sends afflictions that we may be engaged to seek Him early; and that those who at other times have neglected Him may be brought to enquire after Him. Afflictions naturally draw out complaints, and to whom should we complain but to God in prayer? It is necessary to exercise faith and hope under afflictions; and prayer is the appointed means both for obtaining and increasing these graces in us. Matthew Henry s Commentary The Lord Jesus is the center that we focus all our attention in all c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d conditions, whether during sorrow or joy or sickness or fall in sin or deviation from the right path. During sorrow, we lift up our eyes to Him in prayer. St. Nilos said, Prayer is like medicine for our souls. A believer transfers his sufferings to encounters with the Lord. It was mentioned in the life of St. Pachomius that one day while he was gathering some wood, a thorn came in his foot. He remembered the thorn of sin and meditated on the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. He stayed long hours praying with tears, forgetting about removing the thorn from his foot. One of God s blessings on us is that He permits that we go through trials and does not answer our prayers right away to teach us to be in His presence. St. Nilos said, Do not worry nor be sad if God does not answer your prayers right away. God wants to teach you to be persistent in prayer and patient in standing before Him, for what is more noble than to stand in God s presence to talk with Him and to be in fellowship with Him! Fr Tadros Malaty What should you do when you are in trouble? Call on God. And what should you do when you are happy? Praise Him. Andreas

54 Day April Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15) Whenever some illness comes upon a man, he should hurry back to the Church. Let him receive the Body and B l ood of Christ, be anointed by the presbyters with consecrated oil and ask them and the deacons to pray over him in Christ s name. If he does this, he will receive not only bodily health but also the forgiveness of his sins. Caesarius of Arles 7 th Friday of the Holy Great Fast Prophecies: Gen 49:33-50:26; Prov 11:27-12:22; Is 66:10-24; Job 42:7-17 Matins: Psalm Ps 32:10-11 Gospel Luke 16:19-31 Mass: Pauline 2 Tim 3:1-4:5 Catholicon James 5:7-16 Acts Acts 15:1-18 Psalm Ps 98:8-9 Gospel Luke 13:31-35 The sacrament does n o t d e p e n d o n t h e righteousness of the priest and his goodness, but in the name of the Lord. So the one working is the Holy Spirit, however, we have to believe in the sacrament first as a basic condition. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. The church as the bride of the Lord, asks with the Spirit of her Bridegroom, to raise her children. However, she puts God s will first and not ours. This sickness may be for the benefit of the sick person, in spite of forgiving his sins, or perhaps for his purification or for any divine wisdom, as what had happened with the apostle. Fr Tadros Malaty The Church, as a mother is compassionate toward her children and is responsible to satisfy all their needs, not only in good and joyful times but also while they carry the cross. If they are sick, let them call the elders of the Church. The early Fathers have delivered to us the prayers that the priests pray for the sick, and the Holy Spirit inspired these prayers, and we have earlier commented on them. We mention some of them: 1. These prayers direct the sick person to the salvation of his soul and to be spiritually healed. There are many chapters in the Bible that include these prayers for forgiving the sins of the sick person and also the sins of the priest. 2. One of the conditions, which the church requires, is that the sacrament of confession accompanies the sacrament of the u n c t i o n o f t h e s i c k. Confess your trespasses to one another. Fr Tadros Malaty

55 Day April Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:16-20) Let us weep bitterly, more than those who wail, for they ignore their salvation. If you see a blind man going to fall, don t you stretch your hand to support him? So how can we see our brothers falling in danger, the danger of falling in eternal Hades, and we do not stretch our hand to rescue them? Lazarus Saturday Prophecies: Gen 49:1-28; Is 40:9-31; Zeph 3:14-20; Zech 9:9-15 Matins: Psalm Ps 88:2-4 Gospel Luke 12:16-21 Mass: Pauline 1 Cor 2:1-8 Catholicon 1 Pet 1:25-2:6 Acts Acts 27:38-28:10 Psalm Ps 129:8,2 Gospel John 11:1-45 Whenever you see someone who needs spiritual or physical healing, do not say that this is not my duty for I am a layman with a wife and children, and this is the duty of the priest or the monk. Answer me, if you see a container full of gold, do you keep it for others to take it, or do you immediately grab it before anyone, like the snatching wolves? May you have this desire toward your falling brothers, telling yourself that you have found a precious treasure, which is the salvation of your brother. God Himself says to you, through the mouth of his apostle, that when you turn a sinner from the error of his way, you will save a soul from death! Chrysostom Bringing one soul close to God by repentance is much better, in the eyes of God, than all the oblations, for there is nothing in the world better for God than the human soul, for everything in the world will perish except the soul because it is eternal. Climacus The Lord Himself sets an example for us in this also. For if He Who neither has, nor had, nor will have any sin prays for our sins, how much more ought we to pray for each other s sins! And if He for Whom we have nothing to forgive forgives us, how much more should we forgive one another, knowing that we cannot live on earth without sinning! Augustine If Elijah got what he prayed for, just think how much the persistent prayer of a righteous person is worth in the sight of God! But just in case you think that you could never measure up to someone as holy as Elijah, James adds that he was a man, just as we are, even if he was second to none in his virtue. If it is a great thing to rescue someone s body when it is on the point of death, how much greater is it to deliver someone s soul from death, so that it might live forever in the heavenly country? Gregory the Great

56 Day April 2014 Palm Sunday Monday Eve Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as a King, sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ returned to Bethany. Rites: - Procession of the Cross during the prayers of Raising of Incense (Matins) - The Liturgy of Palm Sunday in which the four Gospels relating to the entry of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem are read and the praises of the children Hosanna to the Son of David and a hymn Evlogemenos is chanted. - The funeral service for the departed is conducted after the completion of the Holy Liturgy and Communion. Funerals are not performed during Passion week as the focus is on the pains and sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Rites: - The Pascha prayers begin in the second chorus of the Church (outside the camp Jerusalem) and the Church is decorated with black cloths suitable for the Passion of Christ. - Every hour includes: - The Prophecies - Thok Te Ti-Gom ( To You is the Power and the Glory ) 12 times - The Psalm, the Gospel s introduction and the Gospel in the sad tune - Commentary introduction and conclusion - The Litanies - The Blessing - 5 hours at night and 5 hours during the day of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers).

57 Day April 2014 Monday of the Holy Pascha Tuesday Eve Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ cursed the fig tree that had no fruit, while on His way from Bethany to Jerusalem. He spent the rest of the day cleansing the Temple and teaching. Rites: - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers). Events: - In the evening, Our Lord Jesus Christ returned to Bethany. Rites: - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers).

58 Day April 2014 Tuesday of the Holy Pascha Wednesday Eve Events: - On the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, the disciples saw that the fig tree was withered. - Our Lord Jesus Christ spent the day with the disciples in the temple, teaching them by parables, telling them about the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming. Rites: - In the Thok Te Ti-Gom praise of the 11 th hour, the words My Good Saviour are added after My Lord Jesus Christ. - Psalm 45:6 Pek-ethronos ( Your throne O God is forever and ever ) is chanted. - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers). Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ returned to Bethany to spend the night there. Rites: - The Church prohibits the exchanging of a kiss from Tuesday evening, so as not to share with Judas Iscariot the sign of the delivery of the Lord. - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers).

59 Day April 2014 Wednesday of the Holy Pascha Holy Thursday Eve Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ spent the day in Bethany. - A woman poured fragrant oil on Our Lord s blessed head. - The betrayal of Judas Iscariot who agreed on a price with the chief priests, to deliver Our Lord Jesus Christ to them with the sign of a kiss. Rites: - No exchanging of a kiss. - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers). Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ spent the night in Bethany. Rites: - No exchanging of a kiss. - 5 hours of the Pascha prayers (1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hour prayers). - In the 3 rd hour, Psalm 55:21,1 Av-etchee-non ( His words were softer than oil ) is chanted.

60 Day April 2014 Holy Thursday Good Friday Eve Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples. The word Passover is Hebrew which means to cross over, indicative of the passing of the destroying angel from the Israelites to kill the first born of the Egyptians. - Our Lord Jesus Christ washed the feet of the disciples. - Our Lord Jesus Christ established for us the Lordly Supper, the Eucharist, with His disciples. Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. - Our Lord Jesus Christ is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Rites: - The prayer of the Morning (1 st ) hour, the Raising of Incense. Procession of Judas from the southern side to the northern side (the opposite direction) and Psalm 55:21,1 Av-etchee-non ( His words were softer than oil ) is chanted. - The 3 rd, 6 th and 9 th hours of the Pascha prayers are prayed as usual. - The service of the Lakan which contains readings concerning Our Lord washing the feet of His disciples. - The service of the Divine Liturgy (The Catholic Epistle, Acts, Synaxarium, Prayer of Reconciliation, Commemoration of the Saints are not prayed). - The 11 th hour of the Pascha prayers are prayed instead of Psalm 150. Rites: - The words, My strength and my praise is the Lord who became my Holy Salvation, are added to the praise of Thok Te Ti-Gom. - In the 1 st hour of the Pascha prayers, the Paraclete chapters are read. - The 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hours of the Pascha prayers are prayed as usual. The four Gospels are read in each hour.

61 Day April 2014 Good Friday Events: - The trial of Our Lord Jesus Christ, condemning Him to be crucified. - The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the 6 th hour. - Our Lord Jesus Christ s words on the Cross. - Our Lord Jesus Christ s death on the Cross at the 9 th hour. - The piercing of Our Lord Jesus Christ with a spear, water and Blood flowed from His side. The body of Our Lord was taken down from the Cross at the 11 th hour. - The burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ in a new tomb at the 12 th hour. Rites: - The 1 st, 3 rd, 6 th, 9 th and 11 th hours of the Pascha prayers are prayed in the second chorus. - In the 6 th hour, Tay-sho-ree ( This is the pure golden censor ) & Fay etaf enf ( He who lifted Himself ) are chanted before the Pauline Epistle. The priest prays the segments of the 6 th hour from the Agpia, then the O-mo-no-ge-nees hymn is chanted. After the 6 th hour is prayed, the Right thief s creed is read. - In the 9 th hour, Te-sho-ree ( This is the golden censor ) & Fay etaf enf ( He who lifted Himself ) are chanted before the Pauline Epistle. The priest prays the segments of the 9 th hour from the Agpia, then continues as usual. - The prayers of the 12 th hour are prayed in the first chorus, when the veil of the sanctuary is opened and the Altar is decorated with white cloths suitable for the Joyous Saturday. - In the 12 th hour, the prophecies are read, Lamentations 3:1-66 and Jonah 1:10-2:7. Psalm 45:6 Pek-ethronos ( Your throne O God is forever and ever ) is chanted. - After the 12 th hour, once the litanies are prayed, Lord have mercy is recited 100 times on each side (East, North, West, South), ending with 12 times towards the East. - The procession with the icon of the Cross is performed followed by the hymn of Golgotha and the burial.

62 Day April 2014 Joyous Saturday (The Apocalypse) Events: - Our Lord Jesus Christ descended to Hades and restored the souls of the righteous to Paradise. Rites: - The hymns are chanted, half in sad tune and half in joyous tune. - Many praises are read. - The Book of Revelation is read. - The Liturgy of Joyous Saturday (The Pauline Epistle, Catholic Epistle and Acts are read but not the Synaxarium). - The Psalm and Gospel are prayed, half in sad tune and half in joyous tune. - The Prayer of Reconciliation is not prayed, the Commemoration of the Saints is prayed, and at the end of the Liturgy, Psalm 150 is not chanted.

63 Christ is Risen - Indeed He is Risen Ekhristos Anestee - Alithos Anestee Icon from: St Mary & St Mina s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral Sydney - Australia