[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Jul 22 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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John 20:11-18  8th Matins Gospel
11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she
stooped down and looked into the tomb.
12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to
them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where
they have laid Him."
14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus
standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if
You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will
take Him away."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!"
(which is to say, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended
to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending
to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3


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1 Corinthians 1:10-18
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by
those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of
Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized
in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not
know whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of
no effect.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3


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Matthew 14:14-22
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.
14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved
with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a
deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes
away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."
16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them
something to eat."
17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
18 He said, "Bring them here to Me."
Scripture Reading 3 of 3



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Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene
The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the
banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum
and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have
survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on
the site.
A woman whose name has entered forever into the Gospel account was
born and grew up in Magdala. The Gospel tells us nothing of Mary's
younger years, but Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young
and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the
Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2). From the moment of
her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the
Savior.
The Gospel relates that Mary followed after the Lord, when He went
with the Apostles through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee
preaching about the Kingdom of God. Together with the pious women
Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she
served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly
shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other
women. The Evangelist Luke, evidently, has her in view together with
the other women, stating that at the moment of the Procession of
Christ onto Golgotha, when after the Scourging He took on Himself the
heavy Cross, collapsing under its weight, the women followed after Him
weeping and wailing, but He consoled them. The Gospel relates that
Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord's
Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she
remained fearlessly at the Cross together with the Mother of God and
the Apostle John.
The Evangelists also list among those standing at the Cross the mother
of the Apostle James, and Salome, and other women followers of the
Lord from Galilee, but all mention Mary Magdalene first. St John, in
addition to the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This
indicates how much she stood out from all the women who gathered
around the Lord.
She was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at
the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist
Matthew relates, she was present at the Burial of the Lord. Before her
eyes Joseph and Nicodemus went out to the tomb with His lifeless Body.
She watched as they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large
stone, entombing the Source of Life.
Faithful to the Law in which she was raised, Mary together with the
other women spent following day at rest, because it was the great day
of the Sabbath, coinciding with the Feast of Passover. But all the
rest of the peaceful day the women gathered spices to go to the Grave
of the Lord at dawn on Sunday and anoint His Body according to the
custom of the Jews.
It is necessary to mention that, having agreed to go on the first day
of the week to the Tomb early in the morning, the holy women had no
possibility of meeting with one another on Saturday. They went
separately on Friday evening to their own homes. They went out only at
dawn the following day to go to the Sepulchre, not all together, but
each from her own house.
The Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the grave at
dawn, or as the Evangelist Mark expresses, extremely early before the
rising of the sun. The Evangelist John, elaborating upon these, says
that Mary came to the grave so early that it was still dark.
Obviously, she waited impatiently for the end of night, but it was not
yet daybreak. She ran to the place where the Lord's Body lay.
Mary went to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone pushed away from the
cave, she ran away in fear to tell the close Apostles of Christ, Peter
and John. Hearing the strange message that the Lord was gone from the
tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the shroud and winding
cloths, they were amazed. The Apostles went and said nothing to
anyone, but Mary stood about the entrance to the tomb and wept. Here
in this dark tomb so recently lay her lifeless Lord.
Wanting proof that the tomb really was empty, she went down to it and
saw a strange sight. She saw two angels in white garments, one sitting
at the head, the other at the foot, where the Body of Jesus had been
placed. They asked her, "Woman, why weepest thou?" She answered them
with the words which she had said to the Apostles, "They have taken my
Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." At that moment, she
turned around and saw the Risen Jesus standing near the grave, but she
did not recognize Him.
He asked Mary, "Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?" She
answered thinking that she was seeing the gardener, "Sir, if thou hast
taken him, tell where thou hast put Him, and I will take Him away."
Then she recognized the Lord's voice. This was the voice she heard in
those days and years, when she followed the Lord through all the
cities and places where He preached. He spoke her name, and she gave a
joyful shout, "Rabbi" (Teacher).
Respect and love, fondness and deep veneration, a feeling of
thankfulness and recognition at His Splendor as great Teacher, all
came together in this single outcry. She was able to say nothing more
and she threw herself down at the feet of her Teacher to wash them
with tears of joy. But the Lord said to her: "Touch me not; for I am
not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: "I
ascend to My Father, and your Father; to My God and to your God."
She came to herself and again ran to the Apostles, to do the will of
Him sending her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the
Apostles still remained in dismay, and proclaimed to them the joyous
message, "I have seen the Lord!" This was the first preaching in the
world about the Resurrection.
The Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she
proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves.
Holy Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after
the Resurrection of Christ, but it is impossible to doubt, that if in
the terrifying minutes of Christ's Crucifixion she was the foot of His
Cross with His All-Pure Mother and St John, she must have stayed with
them during the happier time after the Resurrection and Ascension of
Christ. Thus in the Acts of the Apostles St Luke writes that all the
Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication, with certain
women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brethren.
Holy Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from
Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene
also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of
reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders
and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people
about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ
is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on
the radiant morning of the Resurrection: "I have seen the Lord!" With
this message she went all over Italy.
Tradition relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor
Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ's Resurrection.
According to Tradition, she took him a red egg as a symbol of the
Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: "Christ is Risen!"
Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly
condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful
before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of
the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator
appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate.
Mary repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the
vanity of life is not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by
the precious Blood of Christ.
Thanks to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on
the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians
over all the world. On one ancient Greek manuscript, written on
parchment, kept in the monastery library of St Athanasius near
Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the
blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in
passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: "Thus have we
received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the
very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the
Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this
joyful offering."
Mary Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of
Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his
Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of
evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses
"has bestowed much labor on us." Evidently, she extensively served the
Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed
to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching.
According to Church Tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival
of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure
from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, St Mary
Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where the holy
Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly
life and was buried.
Her holy relics were transferred in the ninth century to
Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of St Lazarus. In
the era of the Crusader campaigns they were transferred to Italy and
placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the
relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near
Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid
church is built in her honor.
The Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of St Mary Magdalene, the
woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God.
Formerly immersed in sin and having received healing, she sincerely
and irrevocably began a new life and never wavered from that path.
Mary loved the Lord Who called her to a new life. She was faithful to
Him not only when He was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds and winning
recognition as a miracle-worker, but also when all the disciples
deserted Him in fear and He, humiliated and crucified, hung in torment
upon the Cross. This is why the Lord, knowing her faithfulness,
appeared to her first, and esteemed her worthy to be first to proclaim
His Resurrection.
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Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the
Bishop of Sinope
The Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas from Sinope to
Constantinople occurred on July 22 in either the year 403 or 404. His
life is found under September 22.
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Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl
Saint Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a
Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for
five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness
near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the
Pereyaslavl monastery of Sts Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh].
Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that
they commanded him.
The holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the
brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food
only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic
tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk
sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at St Cornelius as
foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his
efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he
secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and
constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer.
Once the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from
within. Three months St Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only
water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the
igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. St Cornelius was the
sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the
garden. As if to bless the saint's labors, excellent apples grew in
the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors.
The body of St Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he
did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the
brethren. For thirty years St Cornelius lived in complete silence,
being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on
July 22, 1693, St Cornelius made his confession to the monastery
priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the
schema.
He was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction
of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, St
Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of St
Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The
holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint.
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Martyr Marcella of Chios
Saint Markella lived in the village of Volissos, Chios sometime after
the middle of the fourteenth century. Her parents were Christians, and
among the wealthiest citizens of Volissos. The saint's mother died
when she was young, and so her father, the mayor of the village, saw
to her education.
She had been trained by her mother to be respectful and devout, and to
guard her purity. She avoided associations with other girls who were
more outgoing than she was so that she would not come to spiritual
harm through such company. Her goal was to attain the Kingdom of
Heaven, and to become a bride of Christ.
St Markella increased in virtue as she grew older, fasting, praying,
and attending church services. She tried to keep the commandments and
to lead others to God. She loved and respected her father, and
comforted him in his sorrow. She told him she would take care of him
in his old age, and would not abandon him.
As an adult, St Markella was loved by everyone for her beauty and for
her spiritual gifts. The Enemy of our salvation tried to lure her into
sin by placing evil thoughts in her mind. She resisted these
temptations, and so the devil turned away from a direct confrontation
with the young woman. Instead, he incited her father with an unnatural
desire for his daughter.
Markella's father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody
and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with
the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the
saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the
Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep,
only to be awakened by her father's shouting.
The unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust,
but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter
roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near
her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father's intentions, St
Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state,
thinking that her prayer had been answered.
One day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for
her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could.
Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the
man, so they stopped speaking to him.
A shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was
leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun.
Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He
saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in
a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns.
The shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to
this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and
recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had
seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to
her hiding place with his finger.
The mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused.
Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She
emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky
shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help.
Markella continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face
and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been
shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight
once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood.
Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would
open up and swallow her.
The saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle
took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist.
Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, "I have caught you.
Now where will you go?
Drawing his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting
off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off
her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became
stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer's feet.
Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he
turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded.
In later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where St
Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known
as "The Martyrdom of St Markella," and the rock that opened to receive
her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke
off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain
covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the
ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water
flows from the opening, which cures every illness.
The flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because
when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not
the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been
stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower
extremities of St Markella's body are concealed in the rock.
The most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the
water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when
a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from
the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist.
The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many
miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all
over the world.
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