Friday, October 23
Evening Prayer
Orthodox saints

Opening Sentence

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall. Psalm 16:7,8

Confession

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
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, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,

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 35 Judica, Domine

1
Fight those who fight me, O LORD; *
attack those who are attacking me.
2
Take up shield and armor *
and rise up to help me.
3
Draw the sword and bar the way against those who pursue me; *
say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
4
Let those who seek after my life be shamed and humbled; *
let those who plot my ruin fall back and be dismayed.
5
Let them be like chaff before the wind, *
and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
6
Let their way be dark and slippery, *
and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
7
For they have secretly spread a net for me without a cause; *
without a cause they have dug a pit to take me alive.
8
Let ruin come upon them unawares; *
let them be caught in the net they hid;
let them fall into the pit they dug.
9
Then I will be joyful in the LORD; *
I will glory in his victory.
10
My very bones will say, "LORD, who is like you? *
You deliver the poor from those who are too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
11
Malicious witnesses rise up against me; *
they charge me with matters I know nothing about.
12
They pay me evil in exchange for good; *
my soul is full of despair.
13
But when they were sick I dressed in sack-cloth *
and humbled myself by fasting.
14
I prayed with my whole heart,
as one would for a friend or a brother; *
I behaved like one who mourns for his mother,
bowed down and grieving.
15
But when I stumbled, they were glad and gathered together;
they gathered against me; *
strangers whom I did not know tore me to pieces and would not stop.
16
They put me to the test and mocked me; *
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
17
O Lord, how long will you look on? *
rescue me from the roaring beasts,
and my life from the young lions.
18
I will give you thanks in the great congregation; *
I will praise you in the mighty throng.
19
Do not let my treacherous foes rejoice over me, *
nor let those who hate me without a cause wink at each other.
20
For they do not plan for peace, *
but invent deceitful schemes against the quiet in the land.
21
They opened their mouths at me and said, *
"Aha! we saw it with our own eyes."
22
You saw it, O LORD; do not be silent; *
O Lord, be not far from me.
23
Awake, arise, to my cause! *
to my defense, my God and my Lord!
24
Give me justice, O LORD my God,
according to your righteousness; *
do not let them triumph over me.
25
Do not let them say in their hearts,
"Aha! just what we want!" *
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up."
26
Let all who rejoice at my ruin be ashamed and disgraced; *
let those who boast against me be clothed with dismay and shame.
27
Let those who favor my cause sing out with joy and be glad; *
let them say always, "Great is the LORD,
who desires the prosperity of his servant."
28
And my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness *
and of your praise all the day long.

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 12:22-32 (NRSV)

22 Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons." 25 He knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

The Word of the Lord.

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.

Departure of Abba Demetrius I, the 12th Pope of Alexandria
On this day in the year 224 A.D., the celibate father, Abba Demetrius I, the twelfth Pope of Alexandria departed. This saint was an illiterate farmer, and was married. He lived with his wife forty-seven years until he was chosen Patriarch. They did not know one another as married people, but remained throughout that period in their virginity, a fact which no one knew.

When the departure of St. Yulianus, the eleventh Pope drew near, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and told him about St. Demetrius and that he was to be Patriarch after him. He gave him a sign and told him: "Tomorrow a man shall come to you having a cluster of grapes, seize him and pray over him". Then he woke from his sleep and he told the bishops and priests about this vision.

So it happened on the next day that St. Demetrius found a cluster of grapes out of season. He carried it to St. Yulianus so that he might be blessed by him. The Patriarch took him by the hand and declared him to those present as their chosen Patriarch after him.

He prayed over him and had him stay with them until the departure of Abba Yulianus, whereupon they finished the prayers over him and he was filled with heavenly grace. The Lord enlightened his mind and he learned how to read and write. He studied the church books and their interpretations. Words of grace flowed from his mouth when he taught.

He established the reckoning of the Epacts, by which the dates of fasting were determined on a fixed basis. Until then, Christians used to fast the Great Lent right after the feast of Epiphany, as the Lord Jesus fasted after His baptism. Then they fasted the Passion Week separately so that they celebrated the Christian Passover (Easter) on the Sunday which followed the Jewish Passover. Also among the Christians there were those who celebrated Easter on the 14th Nisan (April), and that meant they celebrated with the Jews not recognizing that the Christian Passover was to be in memory of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus which was after the Mosaic Passover. For that, Pope Demetrius took care to establish fixed bases for Christian fasts and holy days. He appended the Great Lent to the Passion Week.

He wrote to Agabius, Bishop of Jerusalem, to Maximus the Patriarch of Antioch, to the Patriarch of Rome and to others and informed them of the new calendar for fasting and holy days, and they all approved. They all continued to follow his calender until the present time, with the exception of the Church of Rome which has followed the Gregorian Calendar since the 16th century.

The Popes of the Coptic Church were accredited with calculating Easter. They used to send their Easter messages to Christians all over the world so that everyone would celebrate Easter on the same day, moulding a universal joy.

God was with Father Demetrius because of his purity of heart. After he finished the Liturgy and the people came forward to partake of the Holy Communion, he used to see the Lord Jesus pushing forward with His Hand those who were worthy. But if one came forward who did not deserve the Holy Communion, he would see his sins and would not allow him to partake of it until he confessed. The father admonished him for his sins by telling him: "Turn away from your sin and repent, after that come and partake of the Holy Mysteries".

Some of the people murmured against him because he constantly rebuked the sinners and urged them to repent and lead a chaste life. They said: "This Pope is a married man, how can he rebuke us?" The Lord Almighty wished to show them his virtues, so the angel of the Lord came to him at night and told him: "Demetrius, do not seek your salvation only but also the salvation of those who have doubt in you". The father asked him to clarify this statement and the angel told him: "You must reveal the mystery which is between yourself and your wife to the people so that you might remove the doubt from them".

On the following morning, after he had celebrated the Divine Liturgy, he commanded the people not to leave the church. He took red-hot coal and placed it in his wife's veil and in his garment. Then they went around the church and their clothes did not burn. The people were amazed at this miracle. He told them that he and his wife did not know each other as married people till that day. The doubt was removed from the people and they realized the purity of this father and his virginity.

During his time, some opposing men appeared such as Aklemos, Origen, Orianus and others who wrote heretic books and so he excommunicated them. Also during the days of his Papacy, he did not stop teaching and confirming the believers in the Orthodox faith. When he had grown old and became weak, they used to carry him on a stretcher to the church to teach the people. He departed in peace at the age of 105 years, having spent fifteen before he got married, forty seven years until he became Patriarch and forty three years in office.



Martyrdom of St. Matthew the Evangelist
On this day also we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Matthew the Evangelist. He was one of the Twelve Apostles and he was a tax collector named Levi. One day he was sitting at the tax office outside the City of Capernaum and Jesus said to him, "Follow Me". So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke 5:27-32).

He had preached in the land of Palestine and Tyre and Sidon. Then he went to Ethiopia and entered the city of the priests and converted them to the knowledge of God. When he wished to enter this city, he met a young man who told him: "You would not be able to go in until you shave your beard and your head and carry palm branches in your hand". He did as the young man told him. And, as he was thinking about that, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in the form of the young man he had met him earlier, and He encouraged and comforted him, then disappeared. He realised that this young man was the Lord Himself.

He entered the city like one of its priests. He went to the temple of Apollo and found the high priest and talked with him concerning the idols that they were worshipping. He made clear to him that the idols did not hear or sense anything and how the True Mighty God is He Who created the heavens and the earth.

The Lord made wonders through him; a table came down to them from heaven and a great light shone around them. When Hermes the priest saw this wonder, he asked him: "What is the name of your God?" The Apostle replied: "My God the Lord Jesus Christ". Hermes, the priest, believed in him and many people followed him.

When the Governor of the city knew that, he ordered to burn them. Yet it happened at that time that the son of the Governor died and St. Matthew the Apostle prayed and made supplications to God to raise the son and the Lord answered him and raised the child from death. When the Governor saw that, he and the rest of the people of the city believed. St. Matthew baptized them and ordained a bishop and priests for them and built a church.

After he had preached in other countries, he went back to Jerusalem. Some of the Jews which he had previously preached to, and had believed and been baptized by him, gathered and requested him to write down his preaching. He wrote in the Hebrew Language the beginning of the Gospel attributed to him but he did not complete it. It was said that he finished it during his preaching in India in the first year of the reign of Claudius which is the ninth year from the Ascension.

His martyrdom was effected by stoning at the hands of Justus the Governor, and his body was buried in a holy place in Carthage of Caesarea by some believing men.


Commemorative Feast of the Archangel Michael (Coptic)
On the twelfth day of each Coptic month we celebrate the commemoration of the honorable Michael the Archangel, the head of the Heavenly Hosts who stands at all times before the throne of the Divine Majesty on behalf of the human race.

May his intercession be with us. Glory be to God forever. Amen.

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 24

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Fridays

Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies' sake. Amen.

For Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of Netherlands.

De Incomplete Gids (The Incomplete Guide)

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

For Clergy and People

Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our bishops, and other clergy, and upon the congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

For the Unity of the Church

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Monastic Orders and Vocations

O Lord Jesus Christ, you became poor for our sake, that we might be made rich through your poverty: Guide and sanctify, we pray, those whom you call to follow you under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, that by their prayer and service they may enrich your Church, and by their life and worship may glorify your Name; for you reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

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.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21