[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sat Dec 22 05:00:17 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Dec 22 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Galatians 3:8-12  (Saturday Before)
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by
faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all
the nations shall be blessed."
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for
it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things
which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is
evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live
by them."
Scripture Reading 1 of 4

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Ephesians 5:1-8
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for
us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even
be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which
are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous
man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk
as children of light
Scripture Reading 2 of 4

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Luke 13:18-29  (Saturday Before)
18 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it?
19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden;
and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested
in its branches.
20 And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of
meal till it was all leavened.
22 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and
journeying toward Jerusalem.
23 Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He
said to them,
24 Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you,
will seek to enter and will not be able.
25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord,
Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know
you, where you are from,'
26 then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and
You taught in our streets.'
27 But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.
Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'
28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and
yourselves thrust out.
29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the
south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
Scripture Reading 3 of 4

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Luke 16:10-15
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and
he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who
will give you what is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these
things, and they derided Him.
15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before
men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men
is an abomination in the sight of God.
Scripture Reading 4 of 4

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord
The Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord begins on December 20. From
now on, most of the liturgical hymns will be concerned with the birth
of the Savior.
At Vespers for this third day of the prefeast of the Nativity we sing,
"Christ is born on earth to crush the power of evil, to enlighten
those in darkness, and to free the captives. Let us go forth to meet
Him."
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Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions"
The Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by
birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian's persecution of
Christians. Her father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a
Christian. St Anastasia's teacher in her youth was an educated and
pious Christian named Chrysogonus. After the death of her mother, her
father gave St Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but
feigning illness, she preserved her virginity.
Clothing herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one
servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed
captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. When her
servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a
beating and locked her up at home. St Anastasia then began to
correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be
patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord's
will. He also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea.
After a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out
with a delegation to Persia. After the death of her husband, St
Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering.
Diocletian was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of
Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a
single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. St
Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance.
The emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make
him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded
and thrown into the sea. The body and severed head of the holy martyr
were carried to shore by the waves. There by divine Providence, the
relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a
coffer, and concealed them at his home.
St Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was
at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who
lived nearby. He told him to send St Anastasia to them to encourage
them. St Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same
day. Nine days later, the words of St Chrysogonus were fulfilled.
Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and St Anastasia visited the three
maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their
souls to the Lord, she buried them.
Having carried out her teacher's request, the saint went from city to
city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical
arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide,
healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. Because of her
labors, St Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions
(Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from
the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances.
She made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding
in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it
was learned that she was a Christian. Meanwhile, St Anastasia was
arrested in Illyricum. This occurred just after all the Christian
captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of
Diocletian. St Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding
no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she
was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried
to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After
his unsuccessful attempts to persuade St Anastasia to offer sacrifice
to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome.
The cunning pagan offered St Anastasia the choice between luxury and
riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious
stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture.
The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. St Anastasia
refused the riches and chose the tools of torture.
But the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave
her three days to reconsider. Charmed by Anastasia's beauty, the pagan
priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch
her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that
he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to
appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died.
St Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted
themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. Before long, St
Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son,
Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without
protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot
oven.
St Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation.
She remained in prison without food for sixty days. St Theodota
appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. Seeing that
hunger caused St Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her
to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus,
who was condemned for his Christian faith.
The prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea.
The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. St
Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When
they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by
Sts Anastasia and Eutychianus. All were captured and received a
martyr's crown. St Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and
burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body,
which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house.
In the fifth century the relics of St Anastasia were transferred to
Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later
the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the
monastery of St Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.
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Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia
Saint Chrysogonus was the teacher of the Great Martyr St Anastasia.
When Diocletian learned that the prisons of Rome were overcrowed with
Christians who resisted torture, he ordered them all to be killed in a
single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. St
Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance.
The emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make
him renounce his faith. Therefore, he had him beheaded and thrown into
the sea. The body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to
shore by the waves. There by divine Providence, the relics were found
by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed
them at his home.
St Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that Sts Agape,
Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby, would
soon endure martyrdom. He told him to send St Anastasia to them to
encourage them. St Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on
the same day. Nine days later, the words of St Chrysogonus were
fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and St Anastasia visited
the three maidens before their torture. When these three martyrs gave
up their souls to the Lord, she buried their bodies.
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Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian
Saint Theodota was a young widow with three children, whom she raised
in piety. The Great Martyr St Anastasia lived with her in Macedonia,
and the two women visited Christians in prison and took care of them.
Arrested as a Christian, Theodota was sent to Nicetas, the governor of
Bithynia, for interrogation. Since she refused to deny Christ, she and
her three children were sentenced to death, beaten, and thrown into a
fiery furnace.
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Martyr Evodus who suffered under Diocletian
Saint Evodus was the eldest son of St Theodota. He, his mother, and
his two brothers stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings
without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a
fiery furnace and so received the crown of martyrdom.
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Martyr Eutychianus who suffered under Diocletian
Saint Eutychianus was one of the prisoners sentenced to be drowned
with the Great Martyr St Anastasia. Before he was imprisoned, he had
endured tortures because he was a Christian, and his wealth had been
confiscated.
The prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea.
The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. St
Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When
they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by
Sts Anastasia and Eutychianus. All were captured and received a
martyr's crown.
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Martyrs who suffered under Diocletian
One hundred and twenty men became Christians when they witnessed the
miraculous deliverance of the Great Martyr Anastasia and St
Eutychianus from a sinking boat. St Theodota appeared and steered the
ship to shore.
These 120 martyrs were baptized by St Eutychianus and St Anastasia,
then were captured and put to death for confessing Christ.
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