[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sun Dec 9 05:00:20 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Dec 9 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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The Scripture Readings for
[32][LINK] December 9, 2007 [33][LINK]
Scripture Reading 1 of 5
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[37]Today's commemorated feasts and saints... _28th Sunday after
Pentecost (12th of Luke) - Tone 3. The Conception by Righteous Anna of
the Most Holy Theotokos._ Prophetess Anna (Hannah), mother of the
Prophet Samuel (ca. 1100 B.C.). St. Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus
(6th c.). St. Stephen the "New Light" of Constantinople (10th c.).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, _"UNEXPECTED JOY."_
Luke 24: 36-53  (6th Matins Gospel)
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of
them, and said to them, "Peace to you."
37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen
a spirit.
38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise
in your hearts?
39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and
see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said
to them, "Have you any food here?"
42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which
were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms
concerning Me."
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the
Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was
necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And you are witnesses of these things.
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the
city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands
and blessed them.
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from
them and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
Scripture Reading 1 of 5
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14. http://oca.org/CHRISTIndex.asp?SID=6
15. http://oca.org/HSIndex.asp?SID=7
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19. http://oca.org/PHOTOGALLERYindex.asp?SID=11
20. http://oca.org/DOCIndex.asp?SID=12
21. http://oca.org/MDIndex.asp?SID=13
22. https://secure.oca.org/ocpc/scripts/prodList.asp
23. http://oca.org/RHIndex.asp?SID=15
24. http://oca.org/PGindex.asp?SID=5
25. http://oca.org/MEMIndex.asp?SID=18
26. http://oca.org/News.asp?ID=949&SID=19
27. http://oca.org/?SID=25
28. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=PDF
29. http://oca.org/FSIndex.asp?SID=4
30. http://oca.org/OCSelect-Prayer.asp?SID=2&name=Before%20Reading%20the%20Holy%20Scripture
31. http://oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=180&SID=2
32. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=&M=12&D=8
33. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=&M=12&D=10
34. http://oca.org/?SID=25&M=12&D=9&ReadingNum=2
35. http://oca.org/ReadingPrint.asp?ID=&D=9&M=12&SearchMonth=&SearchDay=&SearchName=NA&SearchChapter=&SearchVerse=&TestReading=&ReadingNum=1
36. http://oca.org/ReadingPrint.asp?ID=&D=9&M=12&SearchMonth=&SearchDay=&SearchName=NA&SearchChapter=&SearchVerse=&TestReading=&ReadingNum=1
37. http://oca.org/FSlives.asp?SID=4
38. http://oca.org/?SID=25&M=12&D=9&ReadingNum=2
39. http://oca.org/?SID=25
40. http://oca.org/?SID=25&ID=PDF
41. http://oca.org/FSIndex.asp?SID=4
42. http://oca.org/OCSelect-Prayer.asp?SID=2&name=Before%20Reading%20the%20Holy%20Scripture
43. http://oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=180&SID=2
44. http://www.oca.org/
45. http://oca.org/Headlines.asp?SID=19
46. http://oca.org/CUContact.asp?SID=20
47. http://oca.org/Reading.asp?SID=25
48. http://oca.org/CALindex.asp?SID=22
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50. http://oca.org/WHATSNEWindex.asp?SID=23
51. http://oca.org/CUContact.asp?SID=20

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Colossians 1:12-18
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in the light.
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into
the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for
Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the
preeminence.
Scripture Reading 2 of 5

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Galatians 4:22-31  (St Anna)
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a
bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh,
and he of the freewoman through promise,
24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one
from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar-
25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to
Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children-
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break
forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many
more children Than she who has a husband."
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him
who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman
and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the
son of the freewoman."
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the
free.
Scripture Reading 3 of 5

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Luke 17:12-19
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who
were lepers, who stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us!"
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the
priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with
a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he
was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where
are the nine?
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except
this foreigner?
19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you
well."
Scripture Reading 4 of 5

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Luke 8:16-21  (St Anna)
16 No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it
under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see
the light.
17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything
hidden that will not be known and come to light.
18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will
be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will
be taken from him.
19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach
Him because of the crowd.
20 And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your
brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."
21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are
these who hear the word of God and do it."
Scripture Reading 5 of 5

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The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of
God
St Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of
the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi.
She married St Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee.
For a long time St Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through
the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to
them that they would be the parents of a daughter, Who would bring
blessings to the whole human race.
The Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of
God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death,
corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of
the future merits of Her Son. Only Christ was born perfectly holy and
sinless, as St Ambrose of Milan teaches in Chapter Two of his
Commentary on Luke.The Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her
mortality, and in being subject to temptation, although She committed
no personal sins. She was not a deified creature removed from the rest
of humanity. If this were the case, She would not have been truly
human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been
truly human either. If Christ does not truly share our human nature,
then the possibilty of our salvation is in doubt.
The Conception of the Virgin Mary by St Anna took place at Jerusalem.
The many icons depicting the Conception by St Anna show the Most Holy
Theotokos trampling the serpent underfoot.
"In the icon Sts Joachim and Anna are usually depicted with hands
folded in prayer; their eyes are also directed upward and they
contemplate the Mother of God, Who stands in the air with outstretched
hands; under Her feet is an orb encircled by a serpent (symbolizing
the devil), which strives to conquer all the universe by its power."
There are also icons in which St Anna holds the Most Holy Virgin on
her left arm as an infant. On St Anna's face is a look of reverence. A
large ancient icon, painted on canvas, is located in the village of
Minkovetsa in the Dubensk district of Volhynia diocese. From ancient
times this Feast was especially venerated by pregnant women in Russia.
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Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel
The Holy Prophetess Hannah dwelt in marriage with Elkanah, but she was
childless. Elkanah took to himself another wife, Phennena, who bore
him children. Hannah grieved strongly over her misfortune, and every
day she prayed for an end to her barrenness, and vowed to dedicate her
child to God.
Once, as she prayed fervently in the Temple, the priest Heli thought
that she was drunk, and he began to reproach her. But the saint poured
out her grief, and after she received a blessing, she returned home.
After this Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named
Samuel (which means "Asked from God").
When the child reached the age of boyhood, the mother herself
presented him to the priest Heli, and Samuel remained with him to
serve before the Tabernacle (1 Kings/1 Samuel 2: 1-21).
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St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus
Saint Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus, was born into a Christian
family on Cyprus, and he studied many sciences, but most of all he
devoted himself to the reading of Holy Scripture. He became so
accomplished in piety and good works, that he was granted the gift of
wonderworking by the Lord. Following the death of St Damian, bishop of
Cyprus, St Sophronius was chosen to replace him. As bishop, he proved
himself a true father to his flock.
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St Stephen the "New Light" of Constantinople
Saint Stephen the New Light was born at Constantinople in 838 and
received a fine education. Under Patriarch Methodius, Stephen received
monastic tonsure and shut himself in a cell attached to the church of
St Peter in Constantinople. Later he went into seclusion, and over
fifty years he constantly increased his ascetic efforts.
Toward the end of his life the saint acquired great grace from the
Lord, shining in the constellation of the saints like the ancient
ascetics of the Orthodox Church, so that he came to be called the "New
Light." According to the Prologue, he died in the year 912 and was
buried in the church of St Antipas.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Unexpected joy"
The "Unexpected Joy" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in
this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a
youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some
youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in
the book of St Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges
6: 36-40].
The sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was
praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going
out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the
Lord's hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he
exclaimed, "O Lady, who has done this?" The Mother of God replied,
"You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew."
Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness.
For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and
the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the
forgiveness of his sins.
The "Unexpected Joy" icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May
1.
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Hieromonk Anthimus the Athonite, "Fool for Christ"
No information available at this time
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