“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate – The Church of Alexandria

St. Mary & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church
Reaching out to Somerset and Hunterdon Counties in NJ

Resources on Annual Weekly Gospel Contemplations

2nd Sunday of Hathor

Parable of the SowerAccording to St. Matthew On this Sunday, the second Sunday of Hathor, the Church reads from Matthew 13:1-9 the Parable of the Sower. The Gospel passage begins with Jesus leaving the house, but why is this significant? Origen the Scholar interprets this verse (Mt 13:1) allegorically, explaining that Jesus leaving the house…

1st Sunday of Hathor

Parable of the Sower On this Sunday, the first Sunday of the blessed month of Hathor, the Church reads the Parable of the Sower, found in Luke 8:4-15. In this parable, Christ describes a story of a Sower who sows his seed on four different types of land: the wayside, rocky ground, ground with thorns,…

4th Sunday of Paope

Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son This Sunday, the 4th Sunday of the blessed month of Paope, the Church Gospel reading is from Luke 7: 11-17. In this passage, our Lord is met at the gates of the town by a funeral procession. The grief of the widowed mother of the young man who had died…

3rd Sunday of Paope

Jesus and Beelzebul On the Third Sunday of the blessed month of Paope, the Church reads Matthew 12:22-28. In this reading, Jesus heals a demon-possessed blind and mute man. Instead of glorifying and thanking God for this miracle, the Pharisees attack Christ and claim that He can only cast out demons through “Beelzebul, the ruler…

2nd Sunday of Paope

Jesus Call to Simon the 1st Disciple On this Sunday the second Sunday of Paope, the Church reads from Luke 5:1-11. This Gospel begins by describing how the crowd was pressing in on Jesus “to hear the word of God” (Lk 5:1). Do we have the same urgency to hear the word of God? More…

1st Sunday of Paope

Jesus Heals a Paralytic On the 1st. Sunday of the blessed month of Paope the Church reads from the Gospel of Mark 2:1-12, in these verses we read the story of Christ healing the paralyzed man in Capernaum. When the Lord had entered Capernaum and settled in a house and started preaching the word, many…

4th Sunday of Thoout

 Jesus Pardons the Sinful Woman On this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of the blessed month of Thoout, the Church reads from Luke 7:36-50. In this passage, Jesus is invited to dine with Simon, a Pharisee represents the religious elite, characterized by self-righteousness and adherence to the law. During the meal, a woman, known to be…

3rd Sunday of Thoout

Zacchaeus Meets the Jesus On this Sunday, the Third Sunday of the blessed month of Thoout, the Church reads Luke 19:1-10. In this reading, we hear about the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in the city of Jericho, a man of short stature. He was wealthy but despised by the community…

2nd Sunday of Thoout

Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will On this Sunday, the second Sunday of Thoout, the Church reads from Luke 10:21-28. The Gospel begins with Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, but what exactly does this mean? St Cyril provides us insight that Jesus is rejoicing “in the works and miracles wrought by means of the…

1st Sunday of Thoout

Jesus’ Testimony to John             On this Sunday, the First Sunday of the blessed month of Thoout, the Church reads Luke 7:28-35. In this reading, Christ gives testimony to the crowds in response to a question posed by John the Baptist earlier in (Luke 7:20) “Are you the one who is to come, or shall…