[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Wed Aug 29 05:00:20 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Wed Aug 29 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Composite 8  - Isaiah 40,41,45,48,54 (Vespers, 1st Reading)
Thus saith the Lord: "Comfort, comfort My people," says God. "Speak to
the heart of Jerusalem, you Priests, comfort her, for her humiliation
is increased, her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the
Lord's hand double for her sins. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of
our God.'
"Go up to a high mountain, you who are proclaiming glad tidings to
Zion, lift up your voice with strength, O herald of good tidings to
Jerusalem. Lift it up, fear not! I the Lord God, I have heard the poor
of Israel and will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the
mountains, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the
deserts pools of water, and the thirsty landsprings of water. Let the
heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down
righteousness; let the earth bring forth, and let it sprout forth
mercy and cause righteousness to shine forth also.
"Declare this with a shout of joy, and let this be known, proclaim it
to the end of the earth. Say, 'The Lord hath redeemed His servant
Jacob!' And if they thirst, he shall lead them through the desert, He
shall bring forth water for them out of the rock. Rejoice, O barren
one who did not bear; break forth _into singing_ and cry loud, you who
have not been in travail! For more are the children of the desolate
one than of her who has a husband."
Scripture Reading 1 of 6

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Composite 9  - Malachi 3, 4 (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
_Thus saith the Lord Almighty:_ "Behold, I send My messenger before
Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before thee, and the Lord whom you
seek, shall come into His temple. But who can endure the day of His
coming? For he is coming like fire of a furnace and like the fuller's
herb; and he shall cleanse, refining and purifying, as it were, silver
and gold. And he comes to you with judgment, and will be a swift
witness against the evil ones and against adulterers, and against
those who swear falsely by My name, against those who withhold the
hireling's wages, against those who oppress widows and beat orphans,
against those who avoid judgment in favor of strangers, and against
those who do not fear him," says the Lord Almighty.
"For I am the Lord your God, and I change not; and you, the sons of
Jacob, have turned aside from the law and have not kept it. Return to
Me, therefore, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. "And
all nations shall call you blessed, and they shall understand that I
am the Lord, who distinguishes between the righteous and between the
transgressors on that day, in which I shall act to spare those who
love me.
"Know, therefore, and remember the Law of Moses, My servant, as I
commanded you at Horeb, the statues and ordinances for all Israel. And
behold, I will send to you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and
glorious day of the Lord comes, who shall turn the heart of a father
to his son, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, lest I come
quickly and smite the earth," _saith the Lord Almighty, God, the One
of Israel._
Scripture Reading 2 of 6

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Composite 3  - Wisdom 4, 5 (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
The righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest. The righteous
man who has died will judge the ungodly who are living. For they will
see the end of the righteous, and will not understand what was said
about him; for the Lord will cast down the ungodly speechless to the
ground and shake them from the foundations; they shall become desolate
to the end; they will be in sorrows, and their memory will perish. For
they will come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their
iniquities shall stand against them to convict them.
Then the righteous man will stand with great boldness before those who
have afflicted him, and those who have made of no account his labors.
Having seen it, they shall be troubled with much fear and they will be
amazed at his most-glorious salvation. They will say within themselves
in repentance, in anguish of spirit they will groan and say: "This was
he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverb of reproach - we
fools! We accounted his life as madness, and his end to be without
honor. How is he numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot
among the Saints?
"Therefore, we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of
righteousness did not illumine us, nor did the sun shine on us. We
took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and we
walked impassible pathways, but the way of the Lord we have not
known."
Scripture Reading 3 of 6

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Matthew 14:1-13  (Matins Gospel)
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus
2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen
from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."
3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison
for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.
4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have
her."
5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude,
because they counted him as a prophet.
6 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias
danced before them and pleased Herod.
7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might
ask.
8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the
Baptist's head here on a platter."
9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and
because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.
10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.
11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and
she brought it to her mother.
12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and
went and told Jesus.
13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted
place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him
on foot from the cities.
Scripture Reading 4 of 6

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Acts 13:25-32   (Forerunner)
25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'Who do you think I
am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of
whose feet I am not worthy to loose.'
26 Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among
you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.
27 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they
did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read
every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.
28 And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate
that He should be put to death.
29 Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him,
they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30 But God raised Him from the dead.
31 He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from
Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.
32 And we declare to you glad tidings-that promise which was made to
the fathers.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6

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Mark 6:14-30  (Forerunner)
14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.
And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore
these powers are at work in him."
15 Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet,
or like one of the prophets."
16 But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he
has been raised from the dead!"
17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in
prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had
married her.
18 Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have
your brother's wife."
19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but
she could not;
20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and
he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard
him gladly.
21 Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast
for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.
22 And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased
Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me
whatever you want, and I will give it to you."
23 He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to
half my kingdom."
24 So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she
said, "The head of John the Baptist!"
25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying,
"I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a
platter."
26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and
because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.
27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to
be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,
28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the
girl gave it to her mother.
29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse
and laid it in a tomb.
30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both
what they had done and what they had taught.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6

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The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist John
The Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the
Baptist: The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29)
provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the
year 32 after the Birth of Christ.
Following the Baptism of the Lord, St John the Baptist was locked up
in prison by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the
Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. (After the death of king Herod the
Great, the Romans divided the territory of Palestine into four parts,
and put a governor in charge of each part. Herod Antipas received
Galilee from the emperor Augustus).
The prophet of God John openly denounced Herod for having left his
lawful wife, the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas, and then instead
cohabiting with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip (Luke
3:19-20). On his birthday, Herod made a feast for dignitaries, the
elders and a thousand chief citizens. Salome, the daughter of Herod,
danced before the guests and charmed Herod. In gratitude to the girl,
he swore to give her whatever she would ask, up to half his kingdom.
The vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked that
she be given the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod became
apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a
prophet, whom earlier he had heeded. He also feared the people, who
loved the holy Forerunner. But because of the guests and his careless
oath, he gave orders to cut off the head of St John and to give it to
Salome.
According to Tradition, the mouth of the dead preacher of repentance
once more opened and proclaimed: "Herod, you should not have the wife
of your brother Philip." Salome took the platter with the head of St
John and gave it to her mother. The frenzied Herodias repeatedly
stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a needle and buried his holy
head in a unclean place. But the pious Joanna, wife of Herod's steward
Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptist in an earthen vessel on the
Mount of Olives, where Herod had a parcel of land. (The Uncovering of
the Venerable Head is celebrated (February 24). The holy body of John
the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried at
Sebastia, there where the wicked deed had been done.
After the murder of St John the Baptist, Herod continued to govern for
a certain time. Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent Jesus
Christ to him, Whom he mocked (Luke 23:7-12).
The judgment of God came upon Herod, Herodias and Salome, even during
their earthly life. Salome, crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell
through the ice. The ice gave way in such a way that her body was in
the water, but her head was trapped above the ice. It was similar to
how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but now she
flailed helplessly in the icy water. Thus she was trapped until that
time when the sharp ice cut through her neck.
Her corpse was not found, but they brought the head to Herod and
Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of St John the
Baptist. The Arab king Aretas, in revenge for the disrespect shown his
daughter, made war against Herod. The defeated Herod suffered the
wrath of the Roman emperor Caius Caligua (37-41) and was exiled with
Herodias first to Gaul, and then to Spain.
The Beheading of St John the Baptist, a Feast day established by the
Church, is also a strict fast day because of the grief of Christians
at the violent death of the saint. In some Orthodox cultures pious
people will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat food
that is round in shape on this day.
Today the Church makes remembrance of Orthodox soldiers killed on the
field of battle, as established in 1769 at the time of Russia's war
with the Turks and the Poles.
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St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy
The New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the
Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. His parents gave him
over to military studies. When the youth was twenty years old, he
happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. The master wanted to
sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told
his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. The
collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of
duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the
collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem
prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to
appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested
that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to
the chief tax-collector.
The official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr,
who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy
Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn
answered, "You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use
what you wish."
He knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from
the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a
follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. When he had received such an
answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah
together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the
Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion.
To the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses,
the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he
would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. They subjected
him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they
continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and
exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.
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