Bible Readings for Sunday, August 2nd
Third Sunday of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
Isaiah 5:1-10; 1 Corinthians 6:18-7:11; Matthew 19:3-12
The Epistle Reading
1 Corinthians 5:18-7:11
Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.
To the married I give this command—not I but the Lord—that the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
The Gospel Reading
Matthew 19:3-12
Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
For a complete list of the coming week's Bible readings, click here,
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Prelacy Raffle 2020
Don't Miss Your Chance to Win!
For many decades, the Prelacy has sponsored an annual raffle drawing that benefits its educational and religious programs. The drawing usually takes place in May at the conclusion of the National Representative Assembly. This year, the coronavirus pandemic hit when the raffle was underway, and the National Representative Assembly, to be originally hosted by St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Philadelphia, PA, had to be postponed. The new drawing date has been set for September 12, 2020. The top prize is $5,000; second prize is $2,000; and third, fourth, and fifth prizes are $1,000. However, we always like to point out that in this raffle there are no losers, because all of the money raised benefits our Prelacy programs.
Please consider purchasing one or more tickets ($100 each). For more information or to purchase a ticket, please contact NRA Delegates Andrew Asadorian, Janet Haroian, any member of the Board of Trustees, or the Prelacy office ( email@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810). |
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St. Gregory ordains his son Aristakes, from a fresco in the Tigran Honents Church, Ani
The Armenian Church collectively remembers the sons and grandsons of St. Gregory the Illuminator this Saturday, August 1, namely, Saints Aristakes, Vrtanes, Housik, Grigoris, as well as Daniel, who was not related, but was a distinguished and beloved student. All of them continued the work of St. Gregory, preaching the word of Christ at great personal peril.
Gregory had two sons, Aristakes and Vrtanes. Aristakes, the younger son, succeeded Gregory as Catholicos and was martyred around 333 A.D. Aristakes represented the Armenian Church at the first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325. It was at this council that the Nicene Creed, recited to this day during the Divine Liturgy, was written and adopted. Vrtanes—at this time over 70 years old—was called upon to become catholicos and served eight years until his death. Vrtanes had two sons, Grigoris and Housik. Grigoris preached in Georgia and Caucasian Albania (now in present-day Azerbaijan), where he was martyred. Housik, although not a clergyman, was called upon to assume the catholicosal throne. He was martyred in 347. Daniel is included with the sons and grandsons because of his special close relationship with the family. Daniel was chosen to succeed Housik as catholicos, but never actually served as he too was martyred one year later in 348.
Also remembered this week:
Today, Thursday, July 30th: The Holy Forefathers, including: Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Eleazar, Joshua, Samuel, Samson, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon.
Monday, August 3rd: Saints Maccabees, Eleazar the Priest, Samona and her seven sons.
Tuesday, August 4th: The Twelve Holy Prophets: Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jonah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
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