“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 Kiahk

Birth of Jesus Foretold On this Sunday, the second Sunday of Kiahk, the Church reads about the annunciation of the birth of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ to our Mother and Virgin Saint Mary from Luke 1:26-38. In verse 28 the Gospel reveals, “And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored…

1st Sunday of Kiahk

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold On this first Sunday of the blessed month of Kiahk, the church’s Gospel reading is from Luke 1:1-25. While we do in part read about the purpose of writing the Gospel of St. Luke in (vv.4) we also notice the primary focus of the Gospel is the annunciation of…

4th Sunday of Hathor

The Danger of Riches This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Hathor, and the Gospel comes from Mark 10:17-31. In this passage, we read about the man who asked Jesus about what he should do to obtain eternal life (Mark 10:17). In response, Jesus said to follow commandments. However, when this man said he followed…

3rd Sunday of Hathor

The Cost of Discipleship On this Sunday, the Third Sunday of the blessed month of Hathor, the Church reads Luke 14:25-35. In this reading, Jesus instructs the crowd that the only way to obtain eternal life is to put God first. He tells the people, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his…

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…