[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Feb 3 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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2 Timothy 3:1-9
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal,
despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such
people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make
captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various
lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist
the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest
to all, as theirs also was.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2


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Luke 20:46-21:4
46 Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love
greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and
the best places at feasts,
47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.
These will receive greater condemnation.
1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the
treasury,
2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
3 So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more
than all;
4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,
but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2



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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple
On this first day of the Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord, the
Church commemorates the righteous Simeon and Anna the prophetess. The
following words are ascribed to Christ in Ode 9 of the Canon: "I am
not held by the Elder; it is I Who hold him, for he asks Me for
forgiveness."
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Holy and Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver
Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver was, according to the testimony of
the holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25).
God promised him that he would not die until the promised Messiah,
Christ the Lord, came into the world.
Ancient historians tell us that the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II
Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.) wished to include texts of Holy Scripture
in the famous Library at Alexandria. He invited scholars from
Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin sent their wise men. The Righteous Simeon
was one of the seventy scholars who came to Alexandria to translate
the Holy Scriptures into Greek. The completed work was called "The
Septuagint," and is the version of the Old Testament used by the
Orthodox Church.
St Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet Isaiah, and read the
words: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring
forth a Son" (Is 7:14). He thought that "virgin" was inaccurate, and
he wanted to correct the text to read "woman." At that moment an angel
appeared to him and held back his hand saying, "You shall see these
words fulfilled. You shall not die until you behold Christ the Lord
born of a pure and spotless Virgin."
>From this day, St Simeon lived in expectation of the Promised Messiah.
One day, the righteous Elder received a revelation from the Holy
Spirit, and came to the Temple. It was on the very day (the fortieth
after the Birth of Christ) when the All-Pure Virgin Mary and St Joseph
had come to the Temple in order to perform the ritual prescribed by
Jewish Law.
When St Simeon beheld their arrival, the Holy Spirit revealed to him
that the divine Child held by the All-Pure Virgin Mary was the
Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Elder took the Child in
his arms and said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to
enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke
2:29-32).
There is a Christian epigram (Number 46) in THE GREEK ANTHOLOGY which
is addressed to St Simeon. It tells the righteous Elder to receive the
Child Who was born before Adam, and Who will deliver Simeon from this
life and bring him to eternal life. A similar idea is expressed in the
Aposticha (Slavic use) for the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord
(December 24). There the Mother of God refers to her Son as "older
than ancient Adam."
Simeon blessed the All-Pure Virgin and St Joseph, and turning to the
Mother of God he said, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken
against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35).
The holy Evangelist continues: "And there was one Anna, a prophetess,
the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age,
and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and
she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And
coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of
Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem" (Luke
2:36-38).
The holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver died at a great age
(Tradition says he was 360). His holy relics were transferred to
Constantinople in the sixth century. His grave was seen by the Russian
pilgrim St Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod (October 8) in
1200.
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Holy and Righteous Anna the Prophetess
According to St Luke's Gospel, "And there was one Anna, a prophetess,
the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age,
and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and
she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And
coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of
Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem" (Luke
2:36-38).
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Holy Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich
The Holy Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, son of Prince
Vladimir and Princess Photina of Uglich, and nephew of St Basil
(Basilko) of Rostov (March 4), was born on October 1, 1235. Upon the
death of his father (in 1248) and his older brother Andrew (in 1261),
St Roman, at the age of twenty-six, took upon himself the governance
of Uglich and became a father to his subjects.
He established a poor-house and took in the destitute, who came to him
from everywhere. In the principality he built fifteen more churches.
St Roman was present every day at the divine services, and he often
conversed with pious monks.
After the death of his wife in 1280, he devoted himself entirely to
ascetic exploits of fasting, prayer and works of righteousness. He
built the city Romanov (now Tutaev) on the high bank of the Volga. The
holy prince died peacefully on February 3, 1285 and was buried in the
Church of the Transfiguration in Uglich.
In 1486, the relics of St Roman were found to be incorrupt and were
transferred into the new cathedral Church of the Transfiguration. In
the year 1595 with the blessing of Patriarch Job in consequence of the
fame concerning miracles the relics were witnessed to by the
Metropolitan (later Patriarch) St Hermogenes (February 17), and St
Roman was numbered among the saints. In 1609, the holy relics were
burned along with the church during an invasion by the Poles.
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Azariah the Holy Prophet
The name Azariah means "whom God helps." The holy prophet lived during
King Asa's reign (2 Chron. 15:1).
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Martyr Papias at Perge in Pamphylia
Saint Papias was martyred with St Claudianus at Perge, Pamphylia in
250.
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Martyr Diodorus at Perge in Pamphylia
Saint Diodorus was martyred with St Papias in 250.
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Martyr Claudianus at Perge in Pamphylia
Saint Claudianus was martyred with St Papias in 250.
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Martyr Adrian at Caesarea, Cappadocia
Saint Adrian of Baneas of Caesarea in Cappadocia. suffered martyrdom
under Governor Firmilianus. He was put to death by the sword, but
entered into eternal life.
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Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia
Saint Eubulus, like St Adrian, was from Baneas, in Caesarea of
Cappadocia. He went to Caesarea to visit Christians in prison, and was
arrested by Governor Firmilianus. He was thrown to the wild beasts,
and thereby received the crown of martyrdom.
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Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia
Saint Blaise of Caesarea lived in the third century. He was from
Caesarea in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) and was a shepherd.
When a persecution against Christians began, St Blaise surrendered
himself into the hands of the torturers. They subjected him to
torture, and beat him with leather thongs, but the Lord healed his
wounds. They then threw Blaise into a cauldron of boiling water, but
he remained there unharmed. The pagan soldiers, seeing this miracle,
came to believe in Christ.
The governor, wishing to show that the martyr remained unharmed
because the water had cooled, jumped into the cauldron and died.
Having brought many to faith in Christ, St Blaise peacefully
surrendered his soul to God. They thrust the saint's shepherd's staff
into the ground, and it grew up into a large tree, which covered with
its branches a church built over his relics.
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St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan
Saint Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin was
born on August 1, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk, Belsk district,
Smolensk diocese, where his father served as deacon. At the age of
five he lost his mother. He completed the Belsk religious school, and
afterwards the Smolensk Theological Seminary. In 1857 Ivan Kasatkin
entered the Saint Peterburg Theological Academy. On June 24, 1860, in
the academy temple of the Twelve Apostles, Bishop Nectarius tonsured
him with the name Nicholas.
On June 29, the Feast of the foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the
monk Nicholas was ordained deacon. The next day, on the altar feast of
the academy church, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. Later, at
his request, Father Nicholas was assigned to Japan as head of the
consular church in the city of Hakodate.
At first, the preaching of the Gospel in Japan seemed completely
impossible. In Father Nicholas's own words: "the Japanese of the time
looked upon foreigners as beasts, and on Christianity as a villainous
sect, to which only villains and sorcerers could belong." He spent
eight years in studying the country, the language, manners and customs
of the people among whom he would preach.
In 1868, the flock of Father Nicholas numbered about twenty Japanese.
At the end of 1869 Hieromonk Nicholas reported in person to the Synod
in Peterburg about his work. A decision was made, on January 14, 1870,
to form a special Russian Spiritual Mission for preaching the Word of
God among the pagan Japanese. Father Nicholas was elevated to the rank
of archimandrite and appointed as head of this Mission.
Returning to Japan after two years in Russia, he transferred some of
the responsibility for the Hakodate flock to Hieromonk Anatolius, and
began his missionary work in Tokyo. In 1871 there was a persecution of
Christians in Hakodate. Many were arrested (among them, the first
Japanese Orthodox priest Paul Sawabe). Only in 1873 did the
persecution abate somewhat, and the free preaching of Christianity
became possible.
In this year Archimandrite Nicholas began the construction of a stone
building in Tokyo which housed a church, a school for fifty men, and
later a religious school, which became a seminary in 1878.
In 1874, Bishop Paul of Kamchatka arrived in Tokyo to ordain as
priests several Japanese candidates recommended by Archimandrite
Nicholas. At the Tokyo Mission, there were four schools: for
catechists, for women, for church servers, and a seminary. At Hakodate
there were two separate schools for boys and girls.
In the second half of 1877, the Mission began regular publication of
the journal "Church Herald." By the year 1878 there already 4115
Christians in Japan, and there were a number of Christian communities.
Church services and classes in Japanese, the publication of religious
and moral books permitted the Mission to attain such results in a
short time. Archimandrite Nicholas petitioned the Holy Synod in
December of 1878 to provide a bishop for Japan.
Archimandrite Nicholas was consecrated bishop on March 30, 1880 in the
Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Returning to Japan, he
resumed his apostolic work with increased fervor. He completed
construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo,
he translated the service books, and compiled a special Orthodox
theological dictionary in the Japanese language.
Great hardship befell the saint and his flock at the time of the
Russo-Japanese War. For his ascetic labor during these difficult
years, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop.
In 1911, half a century had passed since the young hieromonk Nicholas
had first set foot on Japanese soil. At that time there were 33,017
Christians in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church,
including 1 Archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 singing
instructors, and 116 catechiSts
On February 3, 1912, Archbishop Nicholas departed peacefully to the
Lord at the age of seventy-six. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox
Church glorified him on April 10, 1970, since the saint had long been
honored in Japan as a righteous man, and a prayerful intercessor
before the Lord.
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St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver
Saint Simeon, Bishop of Tver was descended from the Polotsk princes.
He was the seventh bishop of Polotsk and the first bishop of the Tver
diocese. The saint's cathedra was first at Polotsk, but hostile
attacks and conflicts with the Lithuanian princes, and the murder of
the Polotsk prince (his relative) in 1263, compelled him to move to
Tver (Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich had become Great Prince of Russia,
and he chose Tver as his ruling city).
St Simeon was well-disposed and kind to the down-trodden and
destitute, attentive to the monastic and priestly orders, and a
zealous defender of truth.
The Nikonov Chronicle relates that this holy bishop was "knowledgeable
about medicine, and well versed in the books of Holy Scripture; he was
a teacher, a virtuous man, concerned for the needy, widows and
orphans, a defender of the down-trodden and deliverer of the
oppressed."
History preserves for us a conversation of St Simeon with Prince
Constantine of Polotsk who, wishing to make a jest about his court,
asked the saint at supper: "Where shall the courts be in that world?"
Simeon answered, "Those courts shall also be where the prince is."
The prince did not care for this, and he said, "A court might judge
unjustly, and take bribes, or torture people, and is it I who do the
harm?" The bishop explained to him, "If a prince is good and
God-fearing, and is concerned for the people, and loves truth and he
appoints good, God-fearing, intelligent and truth-loving men to his
council, that prince shall be in Paradise and his court with him. If,
however, a prince is without the fear of God, and is not concerned for
Christians and does not think of orphans and widows, and if he
appoints wicked counselors who lack integrity in order to bring him
money, that prince shall be in Hell and his court with him."
St Simeon died on February 3, 1289.
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St Jacob, the Archbishop of Serbia
No information available at this time.
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