[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Sun Apr 1 05:00:39 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Apr 1 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1 And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together, that I may tell
you what shall befall you in the last days:
2 Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel
your father.
8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall
be on the neck of your enemies; Your fathers children shall bow down
before you.
9 Judah is a lions whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He
bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from
between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the
obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkeys colt to the choice
vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of
grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
Scripture Reading 1 of 6

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Zephaniah 3:14-19  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with
all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster
no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let
not your hands be weak.
17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will
rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He
will rejoice over you with singing."
18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who
are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will
save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint
them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.
Scripture Reading 2 of 6

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Zechariah 9:9-15  (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having
salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 And he shall destroy the chariots out of Ephraim, and the horse out
of Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be utterly destroyed; and there
shall be abundance and peace out of the nations. And he shall rule
over the waters from sea to sea, and from the ri
11 And you, by the blood of your covenant, have sent forth your
prisoners out of the pit that has no water.
12 You shall sit in strongholds, you prisoners of the assembly; and
for one day of your sojourning I will recompense you double.
13 For I have bent you for Myself like a bow, O Judah, I have filled
it with Ephraim; and I will raise up your children, O Zion, against
the children of the Greeks, and handle you like the sword of a
warrior.
14 And the Lord shall be over them, and His arrow shall go forth like
lightning. And the Lord God Almighty shall sound the trumpet and go
forth in the noise of His threatening.
15 The Lord Almighty shall defend them!
Scripture Reading 3 of 6

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Matthew 21:1-11, 15-17  (Matins Gospel)
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the
Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately
you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring
them to Me.
3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has
need of them,' and immediately he will send them.
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophet, saying:
5 Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them,
and set Him on them.
8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others
cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried
out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in
the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved,
saying, "Who is this?"
11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth
of Galilee."
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things
that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant
16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus
said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes
and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He
lodged there.
Scripture Reading 4 of 6

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Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any
virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-medita
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me,
these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6

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John 12:1-18
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one
of those who sat at the table with Him.
3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the
feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was
filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would
betray Him, said,
5 Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and
given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a
thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My
burial.
8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have
always.
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came,
not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom
He had raised from the dead.
10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,
11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed
in Jesus.
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when
they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried
out: Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The
King of Israel!"
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is
written:
15 Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on
a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when
Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were
written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out
of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.
18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He
had done this sign.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6

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Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the celebration of the triumphant entrance of Christ
into the royal city of Jerusalem. He rode on a colt for which He
Himself had sent, and He permitted the people to hail Him publicly as
a king. A large crowd met Him in a manner befitting royalty, waving
palm branches and placing their garments in His path. They greeted Him
with these words: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord, even the King of Israel! (John 12:13).
This day together with the raising of Lazarus are signs pointing
beyond themselves to the mighty !eeds and events which consummate
Christ's earthly ministry. The time of fulfillment was at hand.
Christ's raising of Lazarus points to the destruction of death and the
joy of resurrection which will be accessible to all through His own
death and resurrection. His entrance into Jerusalem is a fulfillment
of the messianic prophecies about the king who will enter his holy
city to establish a final kingdom. "Behold, your king is coming to
you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass"
(Zech 9:9).
Finally, the events of these triumphant two days are but the passage
to Holy Week: the "hour" of suffering and death for which Christ came.
Thus the triumph in a earthly sense is extremely short-lived. Jesus
enters openly into the midst of His enemies, publicly saying and doing
those things which most. enrage them. The people themselves will soon
reject' Him. They misread His brief earthly triumph as a sign of
something else: His emergence as a political. messiah who will lead
them to the glories of an earthly kingdom.
Our Pledge
The liturgy of the Church is more than meditation or praise concerning
past events. It communicates to us the eternal presence and power of
the events being celebrated and makes us participants in those events.
Thus the services of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday bring us to our
own moment of life and death and entrance into the Kingdom of God: a
Kingdom not of this world, a Kingdom accessible in the Church through
repentance and baptism.
On Palm Sunday palm and willow branches are blessed in the Church. We
take them in order to raise them up and greet the King and Ruler of
our life: Jesus Christ. We take them in order to reaffirm our
baptismal pledges. As the One who raised Lazarus and entered Jerusalem
to go to His voluntary Passion stands in our midst, we are faced with
the same question addressed to us at baptism: "Do you accept Christ?"
We give our answer by daring to take the branch and raise it up: "I
accept Him as King and God!"
Thus, on the eve of Christ's Passion, in the /celebration of the
joyful cycle of the triumphant days of Lazarus Saturday and Palm
Sunday, we reunite ourselves to Christ, affirm His Lordship lover the
totality of our life and express our :readiness to follow Him to His
Kingdom:
... that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may
share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible
1 may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10-11).
Very Rev. Paul Lazor
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Venerable Mary of Egypt
St Zosimas (April 4) was a monk at a certain Palestinian monastery on
the outskirts of Caesarea. Having dwelt at the monastery since his
childhood, he lived there in asceticism until he reached the age of
fifty-three. Then he was disturbed by the thought that he had attained
perfection, and needed no one to instruct him. "Is there a monk
anywhere who can show me some form of asceticism that I have not
attained? Is there anyone who has surpassed me in spiritual sobriety
and deeds?"
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Zosimas, you
have struggled valiantly, as far as this is in the power of man.
However, there is no one who is righteous (Rom 3:10). So that you may
know how many other ways lead to salvation, leave your native land,
like Abraham from the house of his father (Gen 12:1), and go to the
monastery by the Jordan."
Abba Zosimas immediately left the monastery, and following the angel,
he went to the Jordan monastery and settled in it.
Here he met Elders who were adept in contemplation, and also in their
struggles. Never did anyone utter an idle word. Instead, they sang
constantly, and prayed all night long. Abba Zosimas began to imitate
the spiritual activity of the holy monks.
Thus much time passed, and the holy Forty Day Fast approached. There
was a certain custom at the monastery, which was why God had led St
Zosimas there. On the First Sunday of Great Lent the igumen served the
Divine Liturgy, everyone received the All-Pure Body and Blood of
Christ. Afterwards, they went to the trapeza for a small repast, and
then assembled once more in church.
The monks prayed and made prostrations, asking forgiveness one of
another. Then they made a prostration before the igumen and asked his
blessing for the struggle that lay before them. During the Psalm "The
Lord is my Light and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord is
defender of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps 26/27:1), they
opened the monastery gate and went off into the wilderness.
Each took with him as much food as he needed, and went into the
desert. When their food ran out, they ate roots and desert plants. The
monks crossed the Jordan and scattered in various directions, so that
no one might see how another fasted or how they spent their time.
The monks returned to the monastery on Palm Sunday, each having his
own conscience as a witness of his ascetic struggles. It was a rule of
the monastery that no one asked how anyone else had toiled in the
desert.
Abba Zosimas, according to the custom of the monastery, went deep into
the desert hoping to find someone living there who could benefit him.
He walked into the wilderness for twenty days and then, when he sang
the Psalms of the Sixth Hour and made the usual prayers. Suddenly, to
the right of the hill where he stood, he saw a human form. He was
afraid, thinking that it might be a demonic apparition. Then he
guarded himself with the Sign of the Cross, which removed his fear. He
turned to the right and saw a form walking southward. The body was
black from the blazing sunlight, and the faded short hair was white
like a sheep's fleece. Abba Zosimas rejoiced, since he had not seen
any living thing for many days.
The desert-dweller saw Zosimas approaching, and attempted to flee from
him. Abba Zosimas, forgetting his age and fatigue, quickened his pace.
When he was close enough to be heard, he called out, "Why do you flee
from me, a sinful old man? Wait for me, for the love of God."
The stranger said to him, "Forgive me, Abba Zosimas, but I cannot turn
and show my face to you. I am a woman, and as you see, I am naked. If
you would grant the request of a sinful woman, throw me your cloak so
I might cover my body, and then I can ask for your blessing."
Then Abba Zosimas was terrified, realizing that she could not have
called him by name unless she possessed spiritual insight.
Covered by the cloak, the ascetic turned to Zosimas: "Why do you want
to speak with me, a sinful woman? What did you wish to learn from me,
you who have not shrunk from such great labors?"
Abba Zosimas fell to the ground and asked for her blessing. She also
bowed down before him, and for a long time they remained on the ground
each asking the other to bless. Finally, the woman ascetic said: "Abba
Zosimas, you must bless and pray, since you are honored with the grace
of the priesthood. For many years you have stood before the holy
altar, offering the Holy Gifts to the Lord."
These words frightened St Zosimas even more. With tears he said to
her, "O Mother! It is clear that you live with God and are dead to
this world. You have called me by name and recognized me as a priest,
though you have never seen me before. The grace granted you is
apparent, therefore bless me, for the Lord's sake."
Yielding finally to his entreaties, she said, "Blessed is God, Who
cares for the salvation of men." Abba Zosimas replied, "Amen." Then
they rose to their feet. The woman ascetic again said to the Elder,
"Why have you come, Father, to me who am a sinner, bereft of every
virtue? Apparently, the grace of the Holy Spirit has brought you to do
me a service. But tell me first, Abba, how do the Christians live, how
is the Church guided?"
Abba Zosimas answered her, "By your holy prayers God has granted the
Church and us all a lasting peace. But fulfill my unworthy request,
Mother, and pray for the whole world and for me a sinner, that my
wanderings in the desert may not be useless."
The holy ascetic replied, "You, Abba Zosimas, as a priest, ought to
pray for me and for all, for you are called to do this. However, since
we must be obedient, I will do as you ask.
The saint turned toward the East, and raising her eyes to heaven and
stretching out her hands, she began to pray in a whisper. She prayed
so softly that Abba Zosimas could not hear her words. After a long
time, the Elder looked up and saw her standing in the air more than a
foot above the ground. Seeing this, Zosimas threw himself down on the
ground, weeping and repeating, "Lord, have mercy!"
Then he was tempted by a thought. He wondered if she might not be a
spirit, and if her prayer could be insincere. At that moment she
turned around, lifted him from the ground and said, "Why do your
thoughts confuse you, Abba Zosimas? I am not an apparition. I am a
sinful and unworthy woman, though I am guarded by holy Baptism."
Then she made the Sign of the Cross and said, "May God protect us from
the Evil One and his schemes, for fierce is his struggle against us."
Seeing and hearing this, the Elder fell at her feet with tears saying,
"I beseech you by Christ our God, do not conceal from me who you are
and how you came into this desert. Tell me everything, so that the
wondrous works of God may be revealed."
She replied, "It distresses me, Father, to speak to you about my
shameless life. When you hear my story, you might flee from me, as if
from a poisonous snake. But I shall tell you everything, Father,
concealing nothing. However, I exhort you, cease not to pray for me a
sinner, that I may find mercy on the Day of Judgment.
"I was born in Egypt and when I was twelve years old, I left my
parents and went to Alexandria. There I lost my chastity and gave
myself to unrestrained and insatiable sensuality. For more than
seventeen years I lived like that and I did it all for free. Do not
think that I refused the money because I was rich. I lived in poverty
and worked at spinning flax. To me, life consisted in the satisfaction
of my fleshly lust.
"One summer I saw a crowd of people from Libya and Egypt heading
toward the sea. They were on their way to Jerusalem for the Feast of
the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I also wanted to sail with them.
Since I had no food or money, I offered my body in payment for my
passage. And so I embarked on the ship.
"Now, Father, believe me, I am very amazed, that the sea tolerated my
wantonness and fornication, that the earth did not open up its mouth
and take me down alive into hell, because I had ensnared so many
souls. I think that God was seeking my repentance. He did not desire
the death of a sinner, but awaited my conversion.
"So I arrived in Jerusalem and spent all the days before the Feast
living the same sort of life, and maybe even worse.
"When the holy Feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable Cross of the
Lord arrived, I went about as before, looking for young men. At
daybreak I saw that everyone was heading to the church, so I went
along with the rest. When the hour of the Holy Elevation drew nigh, I
was trying to enter into the church with all the people. With great
effort I came almost to the doors, and attempted to squeeze inside.
Although I stepped up to the threshold, it was as though some force
held me back, preventing me from entering. I was brushed aside by the
crowd, and found myself standing alone on the porch. I thought that
perhaps this happened because of my womanly weakness. I worked my way
into the crowd, and again I attempted to elbow people aside. However
hard I tried, I could not enter. Just as my feet touched the church
threshold, I was stopped. Others entered the church without
difficulty, while I alone was not allowed in. This happened three or
four times. Finally my strength was exhausted. I went off and stood in
a corner of the church portico.
"Then I realized that it was my sins that prevented me from seeing the
Life-Creating Wood. The grace of the Lord then touched my heart. I
wept and lamented, and I began to beat my breast. Sighing from the
depths of my heart, I saw above me an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Turning to Her, I prayed: "O Lady Virgin, who gave birth in the flesh
to God the Word! I know that I am unworthy to look upon your icon. I
rightly inspire hatred and disgust before your purity, but I know also
that God became Man in order to call sinners to repentance. Help me, O
All-Pure One. Let me enter the church. Allow me to behold the Wood
upon which the Lord was crucified in the flesh, shedding His Blood for
the redemption of sinners, and also for me. Be my witness before Your
Son that I will never defile my body again with the impurity of
fornication. As soon as I have seen the Cross of your Son, I will
renounce the world, and go wherever you lead me."
"After I had spoken, I felt confidence in the compassion of the Mother
of God, and left the spot where I had been praying. I joined those
entering the church, and no one pushed me back or prevented me from
entering. I went on in fear and trembling, and entered the holy place.
"Thus I also saw the Mysteries of God, and how God accepts the
penitant. I fell to the holy ground and kissed it. Then I hastened
again to stand before the icon of the Mother of God, where I had given
my vow. Bending my knees before the Virgin Theotokos, I prayed:
"'O Lady, you have not rejected my prayer as unworthy. Glory be to
God, Who accepts the repentance of sinners. It is time for me to
fulfill my vow, which you witnessed. Therefore, O Lady, guide me on
the path of repentance.'"
"Then I heard a voice from on high: 'If you cross the Jordan, you will
find glorious rest.'
"I immediately believed that this voice was meant for me, and I cried
out to the Mother of God: 'O Lady, do not forsake me!'
"Then I left the church portico and started on my journey. A certain
man gave me three coins as I was leaving the church. With them I
bought three loaves of bread, and asked the bread merchant the way to
the Jordan.
"It was nine o'clock when I saw the Cross. At sunset I reached the
church of St John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan. After
praying in the church, I went down to the Jordan and washed my face
and hands in its water. Then in this same temple of St John the
Forerunner I received the Life-Creating Mysteries of Christ. Then I
ate half of one of my loaves of bread, drank water from the holy
Jordan, and slept there that night on the ground. In the morning I
found a small boat and crossed the river to the opposite shore. Again
I prayed that the Mother of God would lead me where She wished. Then I
found myself in this desert."
Abba Zosimas asked her, "How many years have passed since you began to
live in the desert?"
"'I think," she replied, "it is forty-seven years since I came from
the Holy City."
Abba Zosimas again asked, "What food do you find here, Mother?"
And she said, "I had with me two and a half loaves of bread when I
crossed the Jordan. Soon they dried out and hardened Eating a little
at a time, I finished them after a few years."
Again Abba Zosimas asked, "Is it possible you have survived for so
many years without sickness, and without suffering in any way from
such a complete change?"
"Believe me, Abba Zosimas," the woman said, "I spent seventeen years
in this wilderness (after she had spent seventeen years in
immorality), fighting wild beasts: mad desires and passions. When I
began to eat bread, I thought of the meat and fish which I had in
abundance in Egypt. I also missed the wine that I loved so much when I
was in the world, while here I did not even have water. I suffered
from thirst and hunger. I also had a mad desire for lewd songs. I
seemed to hear them, disturbing my heart and my hearing. Weeping and
striking myself on the breast, I remembered the vow I had made. At
last I beheld a radiant Light shining on me from everywhere. After a
violent tempest, a lasting calm ensued.
"Abba, how shall I tell you of the thoughts that urged me on to
fornication? A fire seemed to burn within me, awakening in me the
desire for embraces. Then I would throw myself to the ground and water
it with my tears. I seemed to see the Most Holy Virgin before me, and
She seemed to threaten me for not keeping my vow. I lay face downward
day and night upon the ground, and would not get up until that blessed
Light encircled me, dispelling the evil thoughts that troubled me.
"Thus I lived in this wilderness for the first seventeen years.
Darkness after darkness, misery after misery stood about me, a sinner.
But from that time until now the Mother of God helps me in
everything."
Abba Zosimas again inquired, "How is it that you require neither food,
nor clothing?"
She answered, "After finishing my bread, I lived on herbs and the
things one finds in the desert. The clothes I had when I crossed over
the Jordan became torn and fell apart. I suffered both from the summer
heat, when the blazing heat fell upon me, and from the winter cold,
when I shivered from the frost. Many times I fell down upon the earth,
as though dead. I struggled with various afflictions and temptations.
But from that time until the present day, the power of God has guarded
my sinful soul and humble body. I was fed and clothed by the
all-powerful word of God, since man does not live by bread alone, but
by every word proceeding from the mouth of God (Dt 8:3, Mt.4:4, Luke
4:4), and those who have put off the old man (Col 3:9) have no refuge,
hiding themselves in the clefts of the rocks (Job 24:8, Heb 11:38).
When I remember from what evil and from what sins the Lord delivered
me, I have imperishible food for salvation."
When Abba Zosimas heard that the holy ascetic quoted the Holy
Scripture from memory, from the Books of Moses and Job and from the
Psalms of David, he then asked the woman, "Mother, have you read the
Psalms and other books?"
She smiled at hearing this question, and answered, "Believe me, I have
seen no human face but yours from the time that I crossed over the
Jordan. I never learned from books. I have never heard anyone read or
sing from them. Perhaps the Word of God, which is alive and acting,
teaches man knowledge by itself (Col 3:16, 1 Thess 2:13). This is the
end of my story. As I asked when I began, I beg you for the sake of
the Incarnate Word of God, holy Abba, pray for me, a sinner.
"Furthermore, I beg you, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and
Savior, tell no one what you have heard from me, until God takes me
from this earth. Next year, during Great Lent, do not cross the
Jordan, as is the custom of your monastery."
Again Abba Zosimas was amazed, that the practice of his monastery was
known to the holy woman ascetic, although he had not said anything to
her about this.
"Remain at the monastery," the woman continued. "Even if you try to
leave the monastery, you will not be able to do so. On Great and Holy
Thursday, the day of the Lord's Last Supper, place the Life-Creating
Body and Blood of Christ our God in a holy vessel, and bring it to me.
Await me on this side of the Jordan, at the edge of the desert, so
that I may receive the Holy Mysteries. And say to Abba John, the
igumen of your community, 'Look to yourself and your brothers (1 Tim
4:16), for there is much that needs correction. Do not say this to him
now, but when the Lord shall indicate."
Asking for his prayers, the woman turned and vanished into the depths
of the desert.
For a whole year Elder Zosimas remained silent, not daring to reveal
to anyone what he had seen, and he prayed that the Lord would grant
him to see the holy ascetic once more.
When the first week of Great Lent came again, St Zosimas was obliged
to remain at the monastery because of sickness. Then he remembered the
woman's prophetic words that he would not be able to leave the
monastery. After several days went by, St Zosimas was healed of his
infirmity, but he remained at the monastery until Holy Week.
On Holy Thursday, Abba Zosimas did what he had been ordered to do. He
placed some of the Body and Blood of Christ into a chalice, and some
food in a small basket. Then he left the monastery and went to the
Jordan and waited for the ascetic. The saint seemed tardy, and Abba
Zosimas prayed that God would permit him to see the holy woman.
Finally, he saw her standing on the far side of the river. Rejoicing,
St Zosimas got up and glorified God. Then he wondered how she could
cross the Jordan without a boat. She made the Sign of the Cross over
the water, then she walked on the water and crossed the Jordan. Abba
Zosimas saw her in the moonlight, walking toward him. When the Elder
wanted to make prostration before her, she forbade him, crying out,
"What are you doing, Abba? You are a priest and you carry the Holy
Mysteries of God."
Reaching the shore, she said to Abba Zosimas, "Bless me, Father." He
answered her with trembling, astonished at what he had seen. "Truly
God did not lie when he promised that those who purify themselves will
be like Him. Glory to You, O Christ our God, for showing me through
your holy servant, how far I am from perfection."
The woman asked him to recite both the Creed and the "Our Father."
When the prayers were finished, she partook of the Holy Mysteries of
Christ. Then she raised her hands to the heavens and said, "Lord, now
let Your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen Your
salvation."
The saint turned to the Elder and said, "Please, Abba, fulfill another
request. Go now to your monastery, and in a year's time come to the
place where we first time spoke."
He said, "If only it were possible for me to follow you and always see
your holy face!"
She replied, "For the Lord's sake, pray for me and remember my
wrechedness."
Again she made the Sign of the Cross over the Jordan, and walked over
the water as before, and disappeared into the desert. Zosimas returned
to the monastery with joy and terror, reproaching himself because he
had not asked the saint's name. He hoped to do so the following year.
A year passed, and Abba Zosimas went into the desert. He reached the
place where he first saw the holy woman ascetic. She lay dead, with
arms folded on her bosom, and her face was turned to the east. Abba
Zosimas washed her feet with his tears and kissed them, not daring to
touch anything else. For a long while he wept over her and sang the
customary Psalms, and said the funeral prayers. He began to wonder
whether the saint would want him to bury her or not. Hardly had he
thought this, when he saw something written on the ground near her
head: "Abba Zosimas, bury on this spot the body of humble Mary. Return
to dust what is dust. Pray to the Lord for me. I reposed on the first
day of April, on the very night of the saving Passion of Christ, after
partaking of the Mystical Supper."
Reading this note, Abba Zosimas was glad to learn her name. He then
realized that St Mary, after receiving the Holy Mysteries from his
hand, was transported instantaneously to the place where she died,
though it had taken him twenty days to travel that distance.
Glorifying God, Abba Zosimas said to himself, "It is time to do what
she asks. But how can I dig a grave, with nothing in my hands?" Then
he saw a small piece of wood left by some traveler. He picked it up
and began to dig. The ground was hard and dry, and he could not dig
it. Looking up, Abba Zosimas saw an enormous lion standing by the
saint's body and licking her feet. Fear gripped the Elder, but he
guarded himself with the Sign of the Cross, believing that he would
remain unharmed through the prayers of the holy woman ascetic. Then
the lion came close to the Elder, showing its friendliness with every
movement. Abba Zosimas commanded the lion to dig the grave, in order
to bury St Mary's body. At his words, the lion dug a hole deep enough
to bury the body. Then each went his own way. The lion went into the
desert, and Abba Zosimas returned to the monastery, blessing and
praising Christ our God.
Arriving at the monastery, Abba Zosimas related to the monks and the
igumen, what he had seen and heard from St Mary. All were astonished,
hearing about the miracles of God. They always remembered St Mary with
faith and love on the day of her repose.
Abba John, the igumen of the monastery, heeded the words of St Mary,
and with the help of God corrected the things that were wrong at the
monastery. Abba Zosimas lived a God-pleasing life at the monastery,
reaching nearly a hundred years of age. There he finished his temporal
life, and passed into life eternal.
The monks passed on the life of St Mary of Egypt by word of mouth
without writing it down.
"I however," says St Sophronius of Jerusalem (March 11), "wrote down
the Life of St Mary of Egypt as I heard it from the holy Fathers. I
have recorded everything, putting the truth above all else."
"May God, Who works great miracles and bestows gifts on all who turn
to Him in faith, reward those who hear or read this account, and those
who copy it. May he grant them a blessed portion together with St Mary
of Egypt and with all the saints who have pleased God by their pious
thoughts and works. Let us give glory to God, the Eternal King, that
we may find mercy on the Day of Judgment through our Lord Jesus
Christ, to Whom is due all glory, honor, majesty and worship together
with the Unoriginate Father, and the Most Holy and Life-Creating
Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
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Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal
Saint Euthymius of Suzdal was born in the year 1316 at
Nizhni-Novgorod. From early childhood he was taught his letters and
received a spiritual upbringing. He received monastic tonsure at the
Nizhegorod Caves monastery under its founder, St Dionysius (later the
Archbishop of Suzdal, commemorated June 26 and October 15).
The ascetic struggles of St Euthymius were so great that St Dionysius
advised him to lessen them. In 1352 Prince Boris of Suzdal sought to
establish a men's monastery in his city, and he requested the
Nizhegorod Caves monastery to send a monk to establish the monastery.
The choice of the saintly igumen fell upon St Euthymius.
After the arrival of St Euthymius in the northern part of the city
beyond the Kamenka River, St John of Suzdal (October 15) set up a
cross on the site of the future monastery cathedral before a
tremendous crowd of people. The prince himself began to dig the ground
for the foundation, and St Euthymius made three grave stones for
himself, vowing to remain in the new monastery until the very end of
his life.
So, the the Savior-Euthymius monastery was founded, where soon more
than three hundred monks gathered under the guidance of the saint. The
monastery adopted the cenobitic rule. The saint insisted that each of
the monks be prepared to fulfill whatever obedience they were given.
St Euthymius went often to the Trinity-Sergiev monastery to St Sergius
of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5). St Euthymius was a strict
ascetic and a great man of prayer. He toiled incessantly for the
benefit of all the brethren. St Euthymius died on April 1, 1404.
On July 4, 1507 while a foundation trench was being dug for a new
cathedral church, his incorrupt relics were uncovered. The saint was
glorified at a Council in 1549.
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Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria
The Holy Martyr Abraham the Bulgar, Vladimir Wonderworker, lived
during the thirteenth century, and was descended from the Kamska
Bulgars and brought up as a Moslem. He was good and kindly towards the
destitute, and when the Lord enlightened him with the light of reason,
he accepted Christianity.
In the city of Bolgara, on the lower stretches of the Volga, St
Abraham began to preach to his fellow countrymen about the true God.
They seized him and tried to force him to renounce Christ, but the
saint remained firm in his confession. They tortured the martyr
fiercely and for a long while, but he endured everything with
unshakable patience.
On April 1, 1229 they quartered the holy Martyr Abraham, and then cut
off his venerable head. Russian Christians living in the city buried
the saint's body in the Christian cemetery. On March 6, 1230, the
relics of St Abraham were transferred by the Great Prince St George
Vsevolodovich of Vladimir (February 4) to the Dormition cathedral of
the Knyaginin (Princess) monastery. His memory began to be celebrated
from that time.
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Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves
St Gerontius lived during the fourteenth century. He was a monk of the
Kiev Caves Monastery and fulfilled the obedience of canonarch (leader
of church singing). He spent all his life at the monastery, in ascetic
deeds of abstinence, obedience, and prayer.
St Gerontius was buried in the Far Caves. His memory is celebrated
also together with the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves, on
August 28.
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Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete
Saint Macarius was born at Constantinople in 785. While still a child,
he lost his parents. The saint fervently read the Scriptures and came
to realize that earthly things are temporary and perishable, and that
heavenly things are permanent and imperishable. Therefore, he decided
to devote his life entirely to God. He entered the Pelekete monastery
in Bithynia, where at the time the igumen was the renowned ascetic, St
Hilarion (March 28).
After the death of St Hilarion, St Macarius was unanimously chosen as
igumen by the brethren. During the reign of the Byzantine Emperors Leo
V the Armenian (813-820) and Michael II the Stammerer (820-829), St
Macarius suffered as a confessor for the veneration of holy icons. He
was sent to the island of Aphousia, where he died in about the year
830.
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Martyr Gerontius
The Martyrs Gerontius and Basilides suffered martyrdom for Christ in
the third century. They were beheaded by the sword.
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Martyr Basilides
The Martyrs Basilides and Gerontius suffered martyrdom for Christ in
the third century. They were beheaded by the sword.
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Righteous Achaz (Ahaz)
No information available at this time.
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St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia
No information available at this time.
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St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ
No information available at this time.
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Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina
Paul I. Plikhanov was born in the city of Samara on July 5,1845, the
son of John and Natalia Plikhanov. His mother died in childbirth, and
his father later remarried so that his son would have a mother.
Although his stepmother was very strict, she was a real mother to him,
and he loved her very much.
As a descendant of the Orenburg Cossacks, Paul was enrolled in the
Polotsk Cadet Corps. He completed his studies at the Orenburg Military
School and received an officer's commission. He later graduated from
the Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers' School, and also served at the
headquarters of the Kazan military district and eventually rose to the
rank of colonel.
Once, as he was sick with pneumonia, Paul sensed that he was about to
die. He asked his orderly to read the Gospel to him, and passed out.
Then he had a vision in which the heavens seemed to open, and he was
afraid because of the great light. His whole sinful life passed before
him, and he was overcome with repentance. A voice told him he should
go to Optina Monastery, but the doctors did not think he would
recover. His health did improve, however, and the colonel visited
Optina. In August 1889 the Elder of the Monastery was St Ambrose
(October 10), who told Paul to set his worldly affairs in order. Two
years later, St Ambrose blessed him to cut all ties to the world and
told him to enter Optina within three months.
It was not easy for the colonel to resign his commission within the
specified three month period, because obstacles were placed in his
way. In fact, he was offered a promotion to the rank of general, and
was asked to delay his retirement. Some people even tried to arrange a
marriage for him, laughing at his intention to go to the monastery.
Only his stepmother was happy that he wished to become a monk. On the
very last day of the three months he concluded his affairs and arrived
at Optina. However, St Ambrose was already laid out in his coffin in
the church.
St Anatole I (January 25) succeeded Fr Ambrose as Elder, and he
assigned Paul to Hieromonk Nectarius (April 29) as his cell attendant.
He was accepted as a novice in 1892, and tonsured as a rassophore in
1893. Over the next ten years he advanced through the various stages
of monastic life, including ordination as deacon (1902), and as priest
(1903). The monk Paul was secretly tonsured into the mantiya in
December of 1900 because of a serious illness. When they asked him
what name he wished to receive, he said it did not matter. They named
him in honor of St Barsanuphius of Tver and Kazan (April 11). Although
he recovered, they did not give him the mantiya until December of 1902
after the Liturgy when it was revealed that he had been tonsured on
his sickbed.
On September 1, 1903 Fr Barsanuphius was appointed to assist Elder
Joseph, the skete Superior, in the spiritual direction of the skete
brethren and the sisters of the Shamordino convent.
At the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war in 1904, Fr Barsanuphius
was sent to the Far East as a military chaplain, where he ministered
to wounded soldiers. The war ended in August 1905, and St Barsanuphius
returned to Optina on November 1, 1905.
Since Elder Joseph had become too old and frail to administer the
skete's affairs, Fr Barsanuphius was appointed as Superior of the
skete in his place. Fr Barsanuphius soon reestablished order and
discipline, paid off debts, repaired buildings, etc. As Superior, he
combined strictness with paternal concern and tenderness for those
under him.
St Barsanuphius, like the other Elders of Optina, possessed the gifts
of clairvoyance and of healing people afflicted with physical and
spiritual ailments. One of his spiritual sons, Fr Innocent Pavlov,
recalled his first Confession with the Elder. He became fearful
because Fr Barsanuphius seemed to know his innermost thoughts,
reminding him of people and events which he had forgotten. The saint
spoke gently and told him that it was God who had revealed to him
these things about Fr Innocent. "During my lifetime, do not tell
anyone about what you are experiencing now," he said, "but you may
speak of it after my death."
St Barsanuphius loved spiritual books, especially the Lives of the
Saints. He often told people that those who read these Lives with
faith benefit greatly from doing so. The answers to many of life's
questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints, he said.
They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand
firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge
victorious. Although the Lives of the Saints were widely available, it
saddened the Elder that more people did not read them.
St Barsanuphius commemorated many saints each day during his Rule of
prayer, and this was not accidental. Each saint, he once explained,
had some particular importance in his life. If, for example, some
significant event took place, he would look to see which saints were
commemorated on that day, then he would begin to commemorate them each
day. Later he noticed that on their Feast Day, they would often
deliver him from some danger or trouble. On December 17, 1891, the
commemoration of the Prophet Daniel and the three holy youths, he left
Kazan and never returned. That was the day he decided to leave the
world, and St Barsanuphius felt that God had delivered him from a
furnace of passions. Just as the three youths were delivered from the
fiery furnace because they would not bow down before idols, the Elder
always believed that he left the world unharmed because he refused to
bow down before the idols of lust, pride, gluttony, etc.
By 1908, St Barsanuphius seemed to fall ill more frequently, and began
to speak of his approaching death. In April of that year, someone sent
him a package containing the Great Schema. Fr Barsanuphius had long
desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema before his death, but he
had told no one of this except for the archimandrite. Therefore, he
regarded this as a sign that he would soon die.
One night in July 1910, the Elder became so ill that he had to leave
church during Vigil and return to his cell. The next morning, July 11,
he was so weak that he could not sit up by himself. That evening he
was tonsured into the Great Schema.
Fr Barsanuphius began to recover, but there were new problems in the
monastery. New monks came in from spiritually lax environments. They
did not understand the ascetical nature of monasticism or the whole
notion of eldership, and so they began to clamor for reform and
change. They wanted to assume positions of authority, and to close the
skete. Because of their complaints, Fr Barsanuphius was removed from
Optina and assigned as igumen of the Golutvinsky Monastery. When he
arrived to take up his duties, Fr Barsanuphius found the monastery in
a state of physical and spiritual decline. Nevertheless, he did not
lose heart, and soon the monastery began to revive. More people began
to visit, once they heard that an Optina Elder had come to Goluvinsky,
and the monastery's financial position also began to improve. However,
the rebellious brethren caused him great sorrow, and he had to expell
some of them
At the beginning of 1913, St Barsanuphius became ill again and asked
Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow for permission to retire to Optina,
but that was not to be. He fell asleep in the Lord on April 1, and his
body remained in the church of Golotvino until April 6 (which was also
Lazarus Saturday). After the funeral, his body was placed on a train
and sent to Optina for burial. The train arrived at Kozelsk Station on
April 8, and the coffin was carried to Optina by clergy.
The Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina
Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Sts
Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and
Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next
day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of St John the
Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of
the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date
for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest
in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
The Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for
universal veneration on August 7, 2000.
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