On this day we celebrate the appearance of the head of St. John the Baptist, in Homs, Syria. St. John appeared to Abba Martianus, Bishop of Homs, in a vision and guided him to the where about of the head. He found it and celebrated its appearance with a great veneration.
The story of the journey of the head of St. John the Baptist started when Herod cut off his holy head because of his marriage to Herodias. (Matt. 14:3-12) It was said that after the feast, he regretted the beheading of St. John so he hid the holy head in his house.
The place of the hidden head was unknown for a long time until two Christian men from Homs came to Jerusalem during the holy fast (Lent) to receive the blessings of the holy places. Night fell on them while passing by Herod’s palace, so they spent the night nearby. St. John appeared to one of them and told him about his name, informed him about the place of his head and ordered him to take it to his house. When they woke up, they dug in the place that the Saint specified for them. They found the holy head in a pottery vessel. When they opened it a sweet aroma came out of it.
The man who saw the vision took it to his house. He lit a lamp in front of it. After the departure of this man the head was handed down from one person to another in the city of Homs. Until St. John appeared to Abba Martianus, Bishop of Homs, in the later part of the fourth century, and guided him to the place of the head. He found the head, took it and celebrated for it a great feast.
The blessing of St. John the Baptist be with us all. Amen
","storyId":63001},{"id":6,"title":"The Departure of Pope Kyrollos VI, the 116th Pope of Alexandria","introduction":null,"conclusion":null,"passages":null,"html":"On this day also of the year 1687 of the martyrs (March 9, 1971 A.D.), the holy and righteous father Abba Kyrillos the Sixth, the 116th Pope of Alexandria, departed.
He was born in the city of Damanhour to godly and righteous parents. His name was Azer Yousef Atta. The Hegumen Tadros El-Baramousy, an elder monk used to frequently visit them, he foretold his monastic life. When he grew he practiced the monastic life at home persevering in studying the Holy Books, church subjects, its rituals and hymns. In July 1927 he went to the monastery of el-Baramous where he became a monk by the name Mina el-Baramousy.
On July 18, 1931 he was ordained a priest. He joined the seminary at Helwan. When he heard that Pope Youannis (113th Patriarch) intended to ordain him a bishop, he fled to Upper Egypt and stayed in St. Shenouda monastery in Souhag. He returned later on and met the Patriarch who agreed to his request of solitary life and assigned a pious monk Hegumen Abdel Messih al-Baramousy to be his spiritual guide. Then he lived in a cave, one hour walking distance from the monastery. He only came to the monastery Saturday night to take care of the elder monks, attend vespers and the Sunday liturgy to partake of the Holy Mysteries.
Early in 1936 he lived in a deserted mill on the Mokattam mount in Old Cairo, where he diligently held a daily liturgy. In 1941 he was assigned to be the abbot of Anba Samuel the Confessor monastery in Qalamoun Mount. He renovated the monastery, the church and built new cells for the monks. The church was consecrated by the late Bishop Anba Athanasius of Beni Sweif who gave him the rank of Hegumen.
In 1947 he returned to Old Cairo where he built a church after the name of St. Mina. In that church several pious monks became his disciples, many of them later on became bishops of the church. Because of his perpetual prayers and strong faith, he healed the sick, cast out evil spirits and solved many problems for his visitors.
When Pope Yousab II departed and after the long process of nominations, the elections were concluded and an altar lot was drawn the anchorite Hegumen Mina el-Baramousy was chosen to be the 116th Pope of Alexandria. His consecration took place on Sunday May 10, 1959 as Pope Cyril VI. In June 28, 1959 H.H. consecrated a Patriarch Catholicos for the Ethiopian church to strengthen the ties between the sister churches.
In November 1959 Pope Kyrollos put the foundation stone of the monastery of the martyr Mari Mina the wonder worker in the wilderness of Mariot and relocated his pure relics to it. In 1967 Pope Kyrollos compounded the holy Myron which was a historical occasion since this was only done 26 times in the history of the Coptic Church. In April 2nd, 1968 the pure Mother of God St. Mary was transfigured on the domes of her church in Zeitoun. In June 1968 Pope Kyrollos received the relics of St. Mark after sojourning away from Egypt for close to eleven centuries. He laid it to rest in a reliquary specially built under the altar of the great cathedral of St. Mark which Pope Kyrollos built in the area of Anba Roweis, el-Abbasyah. This Cathedral was inaugurated in a magnificent celebration attended by the then president Naser and the late Emperor HaileSilasi and delegates from churches all over the world.
Pope Kyrollos never forgot that he is the poor monk Mina the anchorite. His food was very simple. Many days he would subsist on a meal of dry bread, salt and cumin after the late divine Liturgies which concluded in the evening. He was diligent in singing midnight praise daily. His daily liturgy was serene and profound.
God has accorded this pure father the gift of working great miracles even after his departure.
When God wanted to give him rest from the afflictions of this present age, he had a brief illness, and on the day of his departure he received a number of his children, he raised the cross and said “May the Lord arrange your affairs” then he delivered his pure soul into the hands of God whom he served and loved. On November 25, 1972 his pure relics were relocated to the monastery of St. Mina at Mariot according to his hand written will. On the day of the relocation of his relics heaven honored him for the sky thundered and rain came down in such a way that had never been seen before.
The blessing of the prayers of this Holy Father be with us all and glory be to our God forever. Amen.
","storyId":63002}]},{"id":1,"title":"Psalm & Gospel","introduction":"Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.","readings":[{"id":1,"title":null,"introduction":"From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.","conclusion":"Alleluia","passages":[{"bookId":19,"bookTranslation":"Psalms","chapter":9,"ref":"9:7-8","verses":[{"id":156675,"bibleId":2,"bookId":19,"chapter":9,"number":7,"text":"But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment."},{"id":156676,"bibleId":2,"bookId":19,"chapter":9,"number":8,"text":"He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness."}]}],"html":null,"storyId":null},{"id":2,"title":null,"introduction":"Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.","conclusion":"Glory be to God forever.","passages":[{"bookId":43,"bookTranslation":"John","chapter":12,"ref":"12:44-50","verses":[{"id":169278,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":44,"text":"Then Jesus cried out and said, \"He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me."},{"id":169279,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":45,"text":"And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me."},{"id":169280,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":46,"text":"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."},{"id":169281,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":47,"text":"And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world."},{"id":169282,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":48,"text":"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."},{"id":169283,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":49,"text":"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."},{"id":169284,"bibleId":2,"bookId":43,"chapter":12,"number":50,"text":"And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.\""}]}],"html":null,"storyId":null}]}]}],"copticDate":"30/6/1739"}