Opening Sentence

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Psalm 96:9

Confession

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

Invitatory

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Psalm 128 Beati omnes

1

Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways!

2

You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.

3

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.

4

The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.

5

The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

6

May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 129 Saepe expugnaverunt

1

"Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth," *
let Israel now say;

2

"Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth, *
but they have not prevailed against me."

3

The plowmen plowed upon my back *
and made their furrows long.

4

The LORD, the Righteous One, *
has cut the cords of the wicked.

5

Let them be put to shame and thrown back, *
all those who are enemies of Zion.

6

Let them be like grass upon the housetops, *
which withers before it can be plucked;

7

Which does not fill the hand of the reaper, *
nor the bosom of him who binds the sheaves;

8

So that those who go by say not so much as,
"The LORD prosper you. *
We wish you well in the Name of the LORD."

Psalm 130 De profundis

1

Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

2

If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, *
O LORD, who could stand?

3

For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.

4

I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.

5

My soul waits for the LORD,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.

6

O Israel, wait for the LORD, *
for with the LORD there is mercy;

7

With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Gloria Patri

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Gospel

Matthew 19:23-30 (NRSV)

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, "Then who can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible."
27 Then Peter said in reply, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 15 The Song of Mary
Magnificat Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

St. Mena

On this day we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Menas (Mina) who was called the blessed faithful. His father Eudoxius was a native of the City of Nakiyos and was its Governor. His brother was envious of him and he brought charges against him before the Emperor. The Emperor transferred him to Africa and appointed him Governor over it. The people were pleased with him because he was merciful and God-fearing. His story is as follows.

His mother Euphemia had no children. One day she went to church on the festival of our Lady the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, at Attrib. She saw the children in the church wearing their beautiful apparels with their parents. She heaved a sigh and wept before the icon of St. Mary, entreating her to intercede for her before her beloved Son in order that He would give her a son. A voice came from the icon saying "Amen". She rejoiced in what she had heard and realized that the Lord had heard her prayers.

When she returned to her home and told her husband, he replied, "May God's will be done". The Lord gave them this saint and they called him Mina, from the word "Amen" which his mother heard coming out of the icon. Later on, his parents got another son and a daughter.

When he was growing up, his parents taught him how to write and they reared him in a Christian manner. When he was eleven years old, his father departed after a good old age and his mother died three years later. St. Mina devoted his life to fasting, prayer and a Christian way of life.

He was placed him in his father's position because everyone loved him and his father. In spite of that, he did not forsake his worship.

When Diocletian had renounced Christianity and issued orders to worship idols, many were martyred for the name of the Lord Jesus. The Saint left his position and went to the desert, where he stayed and worshipped God with all his heart.

One day he saw the heavens open and the martyrs crowned with beautiful crowns. He heard a voice saying: "He who toils for the name of the Lord Jesus shall receive these crowns". He returned to the city over which he was Governor and confessed the name of the Lord Jesus. Knowing that he belonged to a noble family, they tried to dissuade him from his faith and promised him honor and precious gifts. When he did not change his mind, they threatened him and the Governor ordered him to be tortured. When the Governor failed to turn him away from his faith, he sent him to his brother so that he might influence him but he also failed. Finally, the Governor ordered his head to be cut off, his body be cast into a fire and his ashes be scattered in the wind.

The body remained in the fire for three days and three nights, but it was not damaged. His sister came and gave the soldiers a lot of money and they let her take the body. She put it in a sack and intended to take it to Alexandria, as her brother had previously advised her. She embarked with her brother's body on one of the ships to Alexandria. On the trip sea beasts came out of the water and attacked the passengers abroad the ship. They were frightened and screamed with fear. The Saint's sister prayed to the Lord and asked for the intercession of her brother. While the passengers were in fear and confusion, fire went forth from her brother's body and burned the faces of the beasts. They dove immediately into the water and as they reappeared the fire burned them again. They finally dove and did not reappear.

When the ship arrived at the port of Alexandria, most of the people in Alexandria went out with the Patriarch to meet it. They carried the sacred body with honor and reverence and entered the city with a venerable celebration and placed it in the church, after they shrouded it in expensive shrouds.

When the time of persecution ended, the angel of the Lord appeared to the honorable Patriarch, Abba Athanasius the Apostolic. The Lord's command was to place the body of St. Mina on a camel and to take it out of the City without letting anyone lead it but to follow it from a distance until it stopped at a place that the Lord had designated.

They walked behind the camel until they arrived at a place called Lake Bayad, in the district of Marriot. There they heard a voice saying: "This is the place where the Lord wishes the body of his beloved Mina to rest". They lowered the body and placed it in a coffin, and situated it in a beautiful garden and many miracles happened through the body.

After a while, the people of Pentapolis (the five cities) rose against the cities around Alexandria. The people were getting ready to face the Barbarians and the Governor decided to take the body of St. Mina with him as his strong protector. He took the body secretly and through the blessings of this Saint, he overcame the Barbarians and returned victoriously.

The Governor decided not to return the body of the Saint to its original place and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, they passed by Lake Bayad, St. Mina's original place. The camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move, in spite of frequent beatings. They moved the body over another camel, but again this second camel did not move from its place. The Governor finally realised that this was the Lord's will. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. He then returned it to its place, invoked St. Mina's blessings, and returned to his city.

When the Lord wanted to disclose the location of St. Mina's body, He did it in this manner. There was a shepherd in the desert who had a lamb with mange. It slipped down into the water of a well near the place of the Saint's body, then came out of the water and rolled over in the sand of that place, and instantly the lamb was healed. When the shepherd saw this miracle, he was amazed. He started to take from the sand, mix it with water and smear with it every lamb with mange or any other disease, and immediately, they were healed.

The news of these miracles spread in all the countries until the Emperor of Constantinople heard of them. He had an only daughter and she was leprous. Her father sent her to the place where the Saint's body was and enquired from the shepherd how these miracles were happening. She took from the sand, moistened it with water, smeared it on her body and slept the night in that place. In her sleep she saw St. Mina saying to her: "Arise early and dig in this place and you will find my body". When she woke up, she was cured. As she began digging she found the body of the Saint. She sent a word to her father who rejoiced greatly, thanked and glorified God.

The Emperor then sent men and money and built a Church in that place and it was consecrated on the fifteenth day of the Coptic month of Baounah.

When the Roman Emperors Arcadius and Honorius reigned, they ordered a city to be built there. Multitudes of people came to that church asking for the intercession of the blessed St. Mina. The Lord had honoured him with many signs and wonders that appeared from his body. When the Arabs came to Egypt, some of them attacked the city and the church was destroyed, only its ruins remained.

When His Holiness the late Pope Abba Kyrillos VI was ordained Patriarch, he took interest in building a large monastery in this area of Marriot in the name of St. Mina. He spent a great deal of money in building it. There are two churches in the monastery, visited by many Coptic worshippers for blessings and for praying. He also bought one hundred acres of land and built a fence around it. He ordained a number of monks who had high degrees of academic and religious education.

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages A

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

And grant us your salvation.

Clothe your ministers with righteousness;

Let your people sing with joy.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;

For only in you can we live in safety.

Lord, keep this nation under your care;

And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

Let your way be known upon earth;

Your saving health among all nations.

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;

Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Create in us clean hearts, O God;

And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

Collect of the Day: Pentecost, proper 29

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

For Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Mission

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of Slovakia.

Slovakia, Heart of Europe

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the Canadian Chinese Alliance Church Association.

The Canadian Chinese Alliance Church Association

For Cities

Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City to which the nations of the world bring their glory: Behold and visit, we pray, the cities of the earth. Renew the ties of mutual regard which form our civic life. Send us honest and able leaders. Enable us to eliminate poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with order, and that men and women from different cultures and with differing talents may find with one another the fulfillment of their humanity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Those Who Influence Public Opinion

For the Future of the Human Race

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

General Thanksgiving

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Benediction

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.