[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Wed Jan 17 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-6:3  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
15 But the righteous live for ever, and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem
from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover
them, and with his arm he will shield them.
17 The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor, and will arm all
creation to repel his enemies;
18 he will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and wear impartial
justice as a helmet;
19 he will take holiness as a invincible shield,
20 and sharpen stern wrath for a sword, and creation will join with
him to fight against the madmen.
21 Shafts of lightening will fly with true aim, and will leap to the
target as a from a well-drawn bow of clouds,
22 and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult; the
water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will relentlessly
overwhelm them;
23 a mighty wind will rise against them, and like a tempest it will
winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth, and
evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the
ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations.
3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty
from the Most High, who will search out your works and inquire into
your plans.
Scripture Reading 1 of 6


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Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no
torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their
departure was thought to be affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at
peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is
full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt
offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run
like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule other peoples, and the Lord will
reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will
abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 2 of 6


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Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-15  (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
7 But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.
8 For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by
number of years;
9 but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe
old age.
10 There was one who pleased God and was loved by him,
11 He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile
deceive his soul.
12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving
desire perverts the innocent mind.
13 Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;
14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took him
quickly from the midst of wickedness.
15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, nor take such a thing
to heart, that God's grace and mercy are his elect, and he watches
over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 3 of 6


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Matthew 11:17-21  (Matins Gospel)
17 and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We
mourned to you, And you did not lament.'
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a
demon.'
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a
glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But
wisdom is justified by her children.
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty
works had been done, because they did not repent:
21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty
works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Scripture Reading 4 of 6


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Hebrews 13:17-21  (Saint)
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out
for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with
joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience,
in all things desiring to live honorably.
19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you
the sooner.
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the
dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant,
21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you
what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory forever and ever. Amen.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6


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Luke 6:17-23  (Saint)
17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd
of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and
Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear
Him and be healed of their diseases,
18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they
were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out
from Him and healed them all.
20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed
are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed
are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And
revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is
great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6



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Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great
Saint Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, and the
long ascetical sermon in The Life of St Anthony by St Athanasius
(Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule.
He was born in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the
Thebaid, in the year 251. His parents were pious Christians of
illustrious lineage. Anthony was a serious child and was respectful
and obedient to his parents. He loved to attend church services, and
he listened to the Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered
what he heard all his life.
When St Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his parents, but
he was responsible for the care of his younger sister. Going to church
about six months later, the youth reflected on how the faithful,in the
Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions and gave the
proceeds to the Apostles for the needy.
Then he entered the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ
speaks to the rich young man: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what
you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; and come follow Me" (Mt.19:21). Anthony felt that these words
applied to him. Therefore, he sold the property that he received after
the death of his parents, then distributed the money to the poor, and
left his sister in the care of pious virgins in a convent.
Leaving his parental home, St Anthony began his ascetical life in a
hut not far from his village. By working with his hands, he was able
to earn his livelihood and also alms for the poor. Sometimes, the holy
youth also visited other ascetics living in the area, and from each he
sought direction and benefit. He turned to one particular ascetic for
guidance in the spiritual life.
In this period of his life St Anthony endured terrible temptations
from the devil. The Enemy of the race of man troubled the young
ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his chosen
path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with lewd
thoughts and carnal feelings. But the saint extinguished that fire by
meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment, thereby
overcoming the devil.
Realizing that the devil would undoubtedly attack him in another
manner, St Anthony prayed and intensified his efforts. Anthony prayed
that the Lord would show him the path of salvation. And he was granted
a vision. The ascetic beheld a man, who by turns alternately finished
a prayer, and then began to work. This was an angel, which the Lord
had sent to instruct His chosen one.
St Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of life. He
partook of food only after sunset, he spent all night praying until
dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. But the devil would not
cease his tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the
guise of monstrous phantoms. The saint however protected himself with
the Life-Creating Cross. Finally the Enemy appeared to him in the
guise of a frightful looking black child, and hypocritically declaring
himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the saint into vanity and
pride. The saint, however, vanquished the Enemy with prayer.
For even greater solitude, St Anthony moved farther away from the
village, into a graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little
bread on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb. Then the devils
pounced upon the saint intending to kill him, and inflicted terrible
wounds upon him. By the providence of the Lord, Anthony's friend
arrived the next day to bring him his food. Seeing him lying on the
ground as if dead, he took him back to the village. They thought the
saint was dead and prepared for his burial. At midnight, St Anthony
regained consciousness and told his friend to carry him back to the
tombs.
St Anthony's staunchness was greater than the wiles of the Enemy.
Taking the form of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force the
saint to leave that place, but he defeated them by trusting in the
Lord. Looking up, the saint saw the roof opening, as it were, and a
ray of light coming down toward him. The demons disappeared and he
cried out, "Where have You been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn't You
appear from the very beginning to end my pain?"
The Lord replied, "I was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your
struggle. Now, since you have not yielded, I shall always help you and
make your name known throughout all the world." After this vision St
Anthony was healed of his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was
then thirty-five years of age.
Having gained spiritual experience in his struggle with the devil, St
Anthony considered going into the Thebaid desert to serve the Lord. He
asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for guidance at the beginning
of his monastic journey) to go into the desert with him. The Elder,
while blessing him in the then as yet unheard of exploit of being a
hermit, decided not to accompany him because of his age.
St Anthony went into the desert alone. The devil tried to hinder him,
by placing a large silver disc in his path, then gold, but the saint
ignored it and passed by. He found an abandoned fort on the other side
of the river and settled there, barricading the entrance with stones.
His faithful friend brought him bread twice a year, and there was
water inside the fort.
St Anthony spent twenty years in complete isolation and constant
struggle with the demons, and he finally achieved perfect calm. The
saint's friends removed the stones from the entrance , and they went
to St Anthony and besought him to take them under his guidance. Soon
St Anthony's cell was surrounded by several monasteries, and the saint
acted as a father and guide to their inhabitants, giving spiritual
instruction to all who came into the desert seeking salvation. He
increased the zeal of those who were already monks, and inspired
others with a love for the ascetical life. He told them to strive to
please the Lord, and not to become faint-hearted in their labors. He
also urged them not to fear demonic assaults, but to repel the Enemy
by the power of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord.
In the year 311 there was a fierce persecution against Christians, in
the reign of the emperor Maximian. Wishing to suffer with the holy
martyrs, St Anthony left the desert and went to Alexandria. He openly
ministered to those in prison, he was present at the trial and
interrogations of the confessors, and accompanying the martyrs to the
place of execution. It pleased the Lord to preserve him, however, for
the benefit of Christians.
At the close of the persecution, the saint returned to the desert and
continued his exploits. The Lord granted the saint the gift of
wonderworking, casting out demons and healing the sick by the power of
his prayer. The great crowds of people coming to him disrupted his
solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner desert where
he settled atop a high elevation. But the brethren of the monasteries
sought him out and asked him to visit their communities.
Another time St Anthony left the desert and arrived in Alexandria to
defend the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaean and Arian heresies.
Knowing that the name of St Anthony was venerated by all the Church,
the Arians said that he adhered to their heretical teaching. But St
Anthony publicly denounced Arianism in front of everyone and in the
presence of the bishop. During his brief stay at Alexandria, he
converted a great multitude of pagans to Christ.
People from all walks of life loved the saint and sought his advice.
Pagan philosophers once came to Abba Anthony intending to mock him for
his lack of education, but by his words he reduced them to silence.
Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) and his sons wrote to St
Anthony and asked him for a reply. He praised the emperor for his
belief in Christ, and advised him to remember the future judgment, and
to know that Christ is the true King.
St Anthony spent eighty-five years in the solitary desert. Shortly
before his death, he told the brethren that soon he would be taken
from them. He instructed them to preserve the Orthodox Faith in its
purity, to avoid any association with heretics, and not to be
negligent in their monastic struggles. "Strive to be united first with
the Lord, and then with the saints, so that after death they may
receive you as familiar friends into the everlasting dwellings."
The saint instructed two of his disciples, who had attended him in the
final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in the desert and not in
Alexandria. He left one of his monastic mantles to St Athanasius of
Alexandria (January 18), and the other to St Serapion of Thmuis (March
21). St Anthony died peacefully in the year 356, at age 105, and he
was buried in the desert by his disciples.
The Life of the famed ascetic St Anthony the Great was written by St
Athanasius of Alexandria. This is the first biography of a saint who
was not a martyr, and is considered to be one of the finest of St
Athanasius' writings. St John Chrysostom recommends that this Life be
read by every Christian.
"These things are insignificant compared with Anthony's virtues,"
writes St Athanasius, "but judge from them what the man of God Anthony
was like. From his youth until his old age, he kept his zeal for
asceticism, he did not give in to the desire for costly foods because
of his age, nor did he alter his clothing because of the infirmity of
his body. He did not even wash his feet with water. He remained very
healthy, and he could see well because his eyes were sound and
undimmed. Not one of his teeth fell out, but near the gums they had
become worn due to his advanced age. He remained strong in his hands
and feet.... He was spoken of everywhere, and was admired by everyone,
and was sought even by those who had not seen him, which is evidence
of his virtue and of a soul dear to God."
The following works of St Anthony have come down to us:
Twenty Sermons on the virtues, primarily monastic (probably spurious).
Seven Letters to various Egyptian monasteries concerning moral
perfection, and the monastic life as a spiritual struggle.
A Rule for monastics (not regarded as an authentic work of St
Anthony).
In the year 544 the relics of St Anthony the Great were transferred to
Alexandria, and after the conquest of Egypt by the Saracens in the
seventh century, they were transferred to Constantinople. The holy
relics were transferred from Constantinople in the tenth-eleventh
centuries to a diocese outside Vienna. In the fifteenth century they
were brought to Arles (in France), to the church of St Julian.
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Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod
Saint Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157.
Once in church he heard the words of Christ: "If anyone would come
after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me"
(Mt.16:24), the saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic
tonsure under St Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery.
When he was dying, St Barlaam appointed St Anthony as igumen in his
place; but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at
the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. Here
he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own
life.
According to Tradition, St Anthony made a journey to Constantinople,
and returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died.
St Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. In the year 1330
his relics were found incorrupt, and from that time they were
glorified by many miracles.
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Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero
Saint Anthony of Black Lake founded the Mother of God monastery at
Black Lake [Chernoezero] in the Novgorod area, not far from the city
of Chernopovets. The monastery was on an island of the Schirsk
countryside. The monastery twice suffered complete destruction: in
1581, from the Lithuanians; and in 1682, from the Swedes. The
monastery was closed in 1764.
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St Anthony of Krasny Kholm
Saint Anthony of Krasny Kholm was initially a wilderness-dweller in
the vicinity of White Lake. The hieromonk arrived in the region of
Tver and settled near "Pretty Hillock" ["Krasny kholm"], at the bank
of the River Mologa, building a chapel and cell there. After the
discovery of an icon of St Nicholas, a stone church was built and a
monastery founded, headed by the saint, who taught the brethren both
by word and by example throughout his life. St Anthony died in 1481.
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Holy Emperor Theodosius the Great
The Holy Emperor Theodosius the Great during his reign (379-395) he
delivered a decisive blow to paganism by issuing an edict, under which
any sort of service to the pagan gods was considered a violation of
the law. The zealous proponent of Orthodoxy promulgated many laws in
defense of the Church and against heretics. He convened the Second
Ecumenical Council (381).
He ended his life in Milan in 395 at the age of fifty. St Theodosius
often said that he was more fortunate to be a member of Christ's holy
Church than an emperor.
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St Achilles the Confessor
Saint Achilles the Confessor lived the life of a hermit in Egypt, and
died during the fifth century.
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