The Fourth Sunday of the Blessed Month of Koiahk

Readings

Vespers: Psalms 87:5 & Luke 8:1 – 3
Matins: Psalms 96:11 – 13 & Mark 3:28 – 35

Liturgy

Pauline epistle: Romans 9:6 – 33
Catholic epistle: 1 John 2:24 – 3:3
Praxis: Acts 7:8 – 22
Psalm & Gospel: Psalms 80:1 – 3 & Luke 1:57 – 80

Introduction

“Because He delights in mercy.” (Mic.7:18).

“And the Lord remembered His people and had mercy on His inheritance.” (Completion of Esther 10:12).

[For we do not trust in our own righteousness; but in Your mercy through which You have restored our race to life.] (Veil Prayer to the Father – by Saint Jacob – Liturgy of Saint Basil).

[And because God’s graces are always perfect and abundant, they always come stacked together as a bundle of good things. For here the fruits of prayer appear: as God had granted a barren woman a boy, who brought forth joy and delight to so many. Such a boy was an embodiment of virtue… That is to say that John was not a grace for his parents only, but also led to the salvation of many people. Therefore we joyfully and delightfully do celebrate the birthdays of the Saints.] (Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Millan – Commentaries of the Fathers of the church on the Sunday Gospels of the Coptic Year – the Month of Koiahk – Doctor Joseph Maurice Phaltas).

[Old Elisabeth had given birth to the last of the Prophets; young Mary gave birth to the Lord of the Angels. The daughter of Aaron had given birth to the voice crying in the wilderness; but the daughter of David gave birth to the creator of the universe: God Almighty. The barren had given birth to the remitter of sins; but the virgin gave birth to the bearer of sins. Elisabeth had given birth to him who was to reform the people by calling for repentance; but Mary gave birth to Him who purified the whole universe from uncleanness. The older of age had shed a light in the house of his father Jacob, as he even was that very light; whereas the younger lighted the sun of righteousness for all nations! The angel had preached Zacharias that the slain would reveal the crucified; the hated would reveal the envied. He who had baptized with water would reveal Him who is to baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit. The unquenched light preaches the Sun of Righteousness; he who is filled with the Spirit preaches the giver of the Spirit.] (Saint Ephrem of Cyria – Commentary of the Fathers of the church on the Sundays Gospels of the Coptic Year – the Month of Koiahk – Doctor Joseph Maurice Phaltas).

Observations on the Readings of the Day

The Praxis Reading of the Day (Acts 7:8 – 22) comes again for Paone 30 (birthday of John Baptist).

For this Day, (and also for Paone 30), it comes to bring to remembrance,

“At this time Moses was born… But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him” – so as to signify the similarity between Moses’ birth, Pharaoh’s persecuting him and trying to kill him, and the birth of John, Herod persecuting him and trying to kill him too.

The Morning Gospel Reading of the Day (Mark 3:28 – 35) is itself that of the Liturgy of Thoout 21 (Martyrdom of Bishop Cyprian). Also it is somewhat like that of (Mark 3:22 – 35) for the Liturgy of the third Sunday of Mesore.

For the twenty-first of Thoout the Reading bears a sign of forgiving all sins and blasphemies of mankind, pointing at Cyprian the magician, his repentance and belief. Besides, it manifests the Strongest of all (Jesus Christ crucified); who has bounded the strong – the devil – (by the cross), prevailing over him and taking his spoils: the souls captured by him for bondage. Notable here is that the man to be commemorated on Thoout 21 – had been a magician, then was bounded by the prayer of Justina, the Christian young lady; so he turned to receive the faith, and became a bishop, then a martyr.

Then the other Reading (for the third Sunday of Mesore) bears the sign of our being God’s family who do His will – thus pointing to the Theotokos, whose commemoration of being ascended to heaven is celebrated at that time.

Nevertheless it comes for this Day to illustrate that we turned to be God’s family, thanks to the incarnation of the Word.

The Liturgy Psalm Reading of the Day (Ps.80:1 – 3) also comes for the Liturgy of Hathor 9 (commemoration of the four incorporeal creatures). It is the Reading that talks about the divine manifestation and the incarnation of the Word:

“You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!”

But for Hathor 9, it comes for the remembrance of the cherubim.

Out of the Vesper Psalm of the Day (Ps.87:5), verse 5 is also repeated for the Vesper Psalm of the first Day of Pashons (the Theotokos’ birthday), and for that of the Liturgy of Mesore 13 (Transfiguration Feast).

The sign here is given for the incarnation of the Word:

“And of Zion it will be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.’”

For Pashons 1, Zion the mother is a symbol of the Theotokos; but for Mesore 13, this saying indicates the holy mountains (the mountain of transfiguration).

Explanation of the Readings

The last Sunday of the Month of Koiahk ends it up with showing the riches of the compassion of God the Father and His visitation to humanity, through the incarnation of His Only Begotten Son in the fullness of the time, and through the birth of John, the Forerunner and Baptist, the voice of the one crying in the wilderness.

Psalms

The Psalms speak about the Son of God who came down to be the Son of man (Vesper), the whole creation rejoicing (Morning) in His great salvation (Liturgy).

Through the Vesper Psalm we see the truth of the Incarnate Word; that He is a Man and He is God:

“And of Zion it will be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her… the Most High…’”

Yet the Morning Psalm shows the joy and gladness of the whole creation in that divine visitation to humanity:

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. For He is coming”.

Therefore the Liturgy Psalm reveals the aim of His visitation and divine compassion: our deliverance:

“You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth… and save us! Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!”

Gospels

Through the Gospels we see the visitation of the Lord Jesus to all kinds of people, in all places (Vesper); that we may be members of His family (Morning); then to us He reveals the riches of the compassionate Father and the overflow of His mercies (Liturgy).

The Vesper Gospel shows the visitation of the Incarnate Word too all, through every city and village; to every man and woman; to the healthy and the sick:

“He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God… and [healed] certain women of evil spirits and infirmities”.

But the Morning Gospel reveals the aim of that divine visitation: which is, forgiveness to all; and, that we may turn to be His own, the beloved:

“’Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter…

It may be that the Lord of glory, by “My brother and My sister and mother” – those who do the will of God – signifies His New Testament family; for whom the Theotokos has become a pattern and an example to follow-the same also have become the family of Zacharias the priest, Elisabeth and John (topic of this Sunday Liturgy Gospel). So also this verse is related to the family of Zacharias and Elisabeth.

Therefore the Liturgy Gospel ends up by the prophecy and praise of Zacharias the priest, and with his prophetic revelation – having been filled with the Holy Spirit – about the riches of that divine visitation and the greatness of God’s mercies on humankind, thus coinciding with the birth of John the Baptist:

“Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: ‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people… To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death…’”.

Shown through the praise of Zacharias the priest are (The Treasure of Comments – Deacon Beshara Baulos – P.39, 40):

Glorification and gratitude to God.
His certainty of the great promises of God.
His consideration of the kingdom of God.
His knowledge of the essence of salvation.

Epistles

Now come the Epistles to manifest the divine role: the riches of grace (Pauline Epistle), the human role: the need of confirmation in Him (Catholicon), and the dispensation of God in the peoples and along ages (Praxis).

Through the Pauline Epistle we see this rich grace of the loving-kindness of God the Father on the human-beings. So Saint Paul speaks here about the dispensation and tender mercies of God, which are highly exalted above all human understanding; those which are far beyond human limited measures. For God provides salvation for all the peoples, as He is present all along history, surpassing all time limitations, ages, and places. He uses the hard-heartedness of peoples and rulers for leading all to receive His divine salvation, righteousness and love:

“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy… What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory… ‘And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.’”

As for the Catholicon, it encourages us to abide so that we may enjoy the riches of this divine love; that which has made us children of the Father, gaining confidence; we shall even turn to be like Him!

“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence… Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God… but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Therefore the Praxis announces the faith being received by the philosophers, the rich and honored in the sight of the world, thus revealing its exaltedness above all worldly glory and brilliance:

“And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”

Thus the Praxis gives a very good example of God’s visitation to His people through the old testament, in person of Joseph: “Zaphnath-paaneah – Bread of the World”, who had symbolized the visitation of God the Father to humanity in the fullness of the time, by the incarnation of His Only Begotten Son who Himself also was envied by the children of His race according to the flesh; who, in spite of that all, made redemption for them, even for the whole world:

“’And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him… and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance… And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers”.

In addition, there is a comparison between the birth of Moses –persecuted by Pharaoh who in turn pursued the little babes (Praxis) – and that of John – and the commandment of Herod the king to kill the babes (Liturgy Gospel).

Summary of the readings

So this Sunday Readings show the riches of the tender mercies of the Father and His overflowing love of mankind, revealed by the incarnation of His Only Begotten Son, the Son of God-and at the same time the Son of man (Vesper Psalm).

It is He who came down unto our land for the sake of our salvation (Liturgy Psalm).

Therefore the whole creation was glad at His coming (Morning Psalm);

Cities and villages; men and women (Vesper Gospel);

For He turned us to be His own (Morning Gospel);

Even His children, given confidence, and privileged by Him (Catholicon).

The mystery of His visitation to us and to the whole people is not for the world to understand (Pauline Epistle);

Just as that which had not been shown through the story of the envious brothers of Joseph’s at the beginning, until he, after a long time, considered the riches of the dispensation of the Father for the whole world (Praxis).

However, now we consider the riches and depth of the dispensation of the Father and His loving-kindness, whenever we are filled with the Spirit (Liturgy Gospel).

Short commentaries by the church fathers about the Liturgy Gospel

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