Saturday, March 5, 2016
Liturgical Season: 
III The Season of Great Fast
Special Significance: 
Anniversary of the Enthronement of Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis as Major Archbishop-Catholicos

1 Tm 5:1-8

1* Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men as brothers,a 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with complete purity.

Rules for Widows. 3Honor widows who are truly widows. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let these first learn to perform their religious duty to their own family and to make recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The real widow, who is all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.b 6But the one who is self-indulgent is dead while she lives. 7Command this, so that they may be irreproachable. 8And whoever does not provide for relatives and especially family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Lk 15:1-7

The Parable of the Lost Sheep.a 1* The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, 2but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”b 3So to them he addressed this parable. 4c “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost oned until he finds it?e 5And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy 6and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.f