The Second Sunday of the Blessed Month of Hathor

Readings

Vespers: Psalm 104:14, 15 & Luke 12:27 – 31
Matins: Psalm 67:5, 6 & Mark 16:2 – 8

Liturgy

Pauline epistle: Hebrews 6:7 – 15
Catholic epistle: James 1:14 – 25
Praxis: Acts 5:19 – 29
Psalm & Gospel: Psalms 104:10, 16 & Matthew 13:1 – 9

Introduction

“Whose fire is in Zion” (Isa.9:31).

“The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal.” (Hos.8:7).

“’For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa.55:10 – 11).

[Give joy to the face of the earth. May its furrows be abundantly watered and its fruits be plentiful. Prepare it for sowing and harvesting.] (Litany of the Waters, Seeds and Fruits – Saint Basil Liturgy).

[Shovel the good soil with the plough. Remove the stones away from the field. Take the thorns out of it. Take heed of keeping that hardened heart, from which the word of the Lord immediately passes away and so be missed. Beware that you might have a thin earth, not enabling the roots of love to have their depth of sowing. Take heed lest the good seeds should be choked; those which have been sown within you by my diligence; as such is caused by the lusts and cares of this world. Be that good earth: let the one yield a hundredfold, another sixty, and another thirty.] (Saint Augustin – Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, the Thirteenth Chapter– Priest Tadros Ya’qoob Malati).

Observations on the Readings of the Day

The Praxis Readings of both Hathor’s second Sunday (Acts 5:19 – 29) and its third (Acts 5:30 – 42) – talk about the preaching of our fathers the apostles, their being apprehended, and the testimony of Saint Peter before the chief priests, and Gamaliel who defended them. Here also the talk is about the Holy Spirit: (the object of the Month of Hathor):

“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

This also is similar to the Praxis Reading (Acts 5:12 – 21), for the first Sunday of the Month of Epep, of which the talk is about the power of preaching: (object of the Month of Epep).

Explanation of the Readings

This Sunday’s talk is about the fruits of the Spirit in our life. For, as the first Sunday bore the manifestation of the spring of the Holy Spirit fallen over our hearts and churches, so comes the second to show His work and His fruits in us.

The Psalms speak about God’s works for feeding the earth abundantly (Vesper Psalm), making it fruitful (Morning one), and showing the fruits thereof in all trees (that of the Liturgy).

So, the Vesper Psalm proclaims the works of God that bring forth their fruits into our life:

“He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle”. So reverend father Antonius Fekri indicates that [the hills signify the saints; those who from God receive their water and fullness of the Holy Spirit.] (Commentary on the Psalm – Priest Antonius Fekri).

The Morning Psalm shows our fruitful lands:

“Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God shall bless us.”

As for the Liturgy Psalm, it shows the abundance of the fruits of our trees:

“The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He planted”.

Here we see that the Psalm texts of both the Vesper and Liturgy are extracted from the same: (Ps.104).

Therefore the Vesper Gospel reveals the glory of nature, and the beauty in which all flowers and herbs are so clothed by God, as a sign of the glory He pours upon our nature:

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”

However, the Readings reveal the response of the lands and even the hearts of Men to the waters of the Spirit (Pauline Epistle), the difference between the fruits of the Spirit and the works of the soul (Catholicon), and the riches of the fields of preaching, coming through the teaching of the apostles (Praxis).

So the Pauline Epistle talks about the rains and waters of the Spirit, bringing forth their fruits into the believers, unlike those who are disobedient or resisters:

“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed… For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Nevertheless the Catholicon tells of the difference between fruits and fruits: the former kind is those who walk in the Spirit; but the latter is some, thus agreeing to their own souls; those who are non-spiritual:

“These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage… These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God… who is able to keep you from stumbling”.

Meanwhile, the Praxis points to the fruits of the Spirit in ministration and preaching, through the richness of the fields in the teaching of Christ to whom be glory:

“And the high priest asked them, saying, ‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine’… But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”

Then, and concluding, the Liturgy Gospel shows the variety of the fruits of the Spirit, and the difference of their degrees within the human beings, and how God considers that they are good altogether, whatever fruitful they may be:

“But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Summary of the readings

The fruits of the Spirit are shown through the riches and the variety of nature (Vesper, Morning, and Liturgy Psalms),

Also through the providence of God for His children (Vesper Gospel),

And through the difference of their degrees and standards (Liturgy Gospel).

They give blessings to the believers; but the rejecters and those who cause divisions are cursed (Pauline and Catholic Epistles).