[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Jul 23 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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1 Corinthians 11:31-12:6
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may
not be condemned with the world.
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one
another.
34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come
together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be
ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols,
however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of
God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except
by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who
works all in all.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4


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1 Corinthians 12:12-26  (Tuesday)
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-whether Jews
or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have all been made to drink into
one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the
body," is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of
the body," is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the
whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just
as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor
again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker
are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,
on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have
greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body,
having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members
should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if
one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Scripture Reading 2 of 4


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Matthew 18:1-11
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is
greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of
them,
3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and
become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of
heaven.
4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to
sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but
woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from
you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather
than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting
fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from
you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than
having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
10 Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I
say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My
Father who is in heaven.
11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
Scripture Reading 3 of 4


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Matthew 18:18-22; 19:1-2,13-15  (Tuesday)
18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning
anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in
heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there
in the midst of them.
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up
to seventy times seven.
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He
departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the
Jordan.
2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His
hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not
forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
Scripture Reading 4 of 4



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Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev
The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most venerable
sacred items of the Orthodox Church. Located at the Dormition
Cathedral, Pochaev, Ukraine, the icon is renowned throughout the
Slavic world and is venerated by Orthodox Christians throughout the
world. Christians of other confessions also come to venerate the
wonderworking image of the Most Holy Theotokos, together with the
Orthodox. The wonderworking icon has been kept at the Pochaev Lavra,
an ancient bastion of Orthodoxy, for about 400 years. (The account of
the transfer of the icon to the Pochaev monastery is found under
September 8). The miracles which issued forth from the holy icon are
numerous and are testified to in the monastery books with the
signatures of the faithful who have been delivered from unclean
spirits, liberated from captivity, and sinners brought to their
senses.
In the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by Uniates. Even in this
difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery chronicle notes 539
miracles from the glorified Orthodox icon. During the time of the
Uniate rule in the second half of the eighteenth century, for example,
the Uniate nobleman Count Nicholas Pototski became a benefactor of the
Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. Having
accused his coachman of overturning the carriage with frenzied horses,
the count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning
towards Pochaev Hill, reached his hands upwards and cried out: "Mother
of God, manifest in the Pochaev Icon, save me!" Pototski several times
tried to shoot the pistol, which had never let him down, but the
weapon misfired. The coachman remained alive. Pototski then
immediately went to the wonderworking icon and decided to devote
himself and all his property to the building-up of the monastery. From
his wealth the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as buildings for
the brethren.
The return of Pochaev into the bosom of Orthodoxy in 1832 was marked
by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who
had come on pilgrimage to the holy things together with her
seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away.
In memory of this event, the Volhynia archbishop and Lavra
archimandrite Innocent (1832-1840) established the reading of the
Akathist on Saturdays before the wonderworking icon. During the time
of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a
separate chapel was constructed in the galleries of the Holy Trinity
church in memory of the victory over the Tatars, which was dedicated
on July 23, 1875.
The Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week and on
September 8.
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Martyr Trophimus and 14 Others in Lycia
The Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and thirteen martyrs with
them, suffered during the persecution against Christians under the
emperor Diocletian (284-305). Brought to trial, they bravely confessed
themselves Christians and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. After
fierce tortures, they broke the legs of the holy martyrs and threw
them into a fire. Strengthened by the Lord, they came out of the fire
completely unharmed, and they glorified Christ all the more. Unable to
break the will of the holy confessors, the torturers beheaded them.
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Martyr Theophilus and 14 Others in Lycia
The Holy Martyrs Theophilus, Trophimus, and thirteen martyrs with
them, suffered during the time of the persecution against Christians
under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Brought to trial, they bravely
confessed themselves Christians and refused to offer sacrifice to
idols. After fierce tortures, they broke the legs of the holy martyrs
and threw them into a fire. Strengthened by the Lord, they came out of
the fire completely unharmed, and they glorified Christ all the more.
Unable to break the will of the holy confessors, the torturers
beheaded them.
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13 Martyrs with Trophimus and Theophilus in Lycia
The Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and and thirteen martyrs with
them, suffered during the persecution against Christians under the
emperor Diocletian (284-305). Brought to trial, they bravely confessed
themselves Christians and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. After
fierce tortures, they broke the legs of the holy martyrs and threw
them into a fire. Strengthened by the Lord, they came out of the fire
completely unharmed, and they glorified Christ all the more. Unable to
break the will of the holy confessors, the torturers beheaded them.
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Synaxis of the Saints of Smolensk
No information available at this time.
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Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna
Hieromartyr Apollinarius, Bishop of Ravenna: During the reign of the
Roman emperor Claudius (41-54), the holy Apostle Peter came to Rome
from Antioch, and he ordained Apollinarius, who had come with him, to
be Bishop of Ravenna. Arriving in Ravenna as a stranger, St
Apollinarius asked shelter of a local inhabitant, the soldier
Irenaeus, and in conversation with him revealed for what purpose he
had come.
Irenaeus had a blind son, whom St Apollinarius healed, having turned
to the Lord with prayer. The soldier Irenaeus and his family were the
first in Ravenna to believe in Christ. The saint stayed at the house
of Irenaeus and preached about Christ to everyone wanting to hear what
he said. One of the miracles performed by St Apollinarius was the
healing of Thekla, the incurably sick wife of the Ravenna tribune. She
arose from her bed completely healthy, through the prayers of the
saint. Not only did she believe in Christ, but so did the tribune. At
the house of the tribune St Apollinarius constructed a small church,
where he celebrated Divine Liturgy. St Apollinarius ordained two
presbyters, Aderetus and Calocyrus, and also two deacons for the
newly-baptized people of Ravenna.
St Apollinarius preached the Gospel at Ravenna for twelve years, and
the number of Christians steadily increased. Pagan priests complained
about the bishop to the governor Saturninus. St Apollinarius was
brought to trial and subjected to grievous tortures. Thinking that he
had died, the torturers took him out of the city to the seacoast and
threw him into the water. The saint, however, was alive. A certain
pious Christian widow helped him and gave him shelter in her home. St
Apollinarius stayed at her home for six months, and continued secretly
to preach about Christ. The saint's whereabouts became known when he
restored the power of speech to an illustrious resident of the city
named Boniface, whose wife requested the saint to help her husband.
After this miracle many pagans were converted to Christ, and they
again brought St Apollinarius to trial and tortured him, setting his
bare feet on red-hot coals. They removed him from the city a second
time, but the Lord again kept him alive. The saint did not cease
preaching until they expelled him from the city. For a certain time St
Apollinarius found himself elsewhere in Italy, where he continued to
preach the Gospel as before. Returning to Ravenna to his flock, St
Apollinarius again went on trial and was sentenced to banishment.
In heavy fetters, he was put on a ship sailing to Illyrica to the
River Danube. Two soldiers were responsible for conveying him to his
place of exile. Three of the clergy voluntarily followed their bishop
into exile. Along the way the vessel was wrecked and everyone drowned,
except for St Apollinarius, his clergy and the two soldiers. The
soldiers, listening to St Apollinarius, believed in the Lord and
accepted Baptism. Not finding any shelter, the travellers came to
Mycea, where St Apollinarius healed a certain illustrious inhabitant
from leprosy, and for which both he and his companions received
shelter at his home. In this land St Apollinarius preached tirelessly
about Christ and he converted many of the pagans to Christianity, for
which he was subjected to persecution on the part of unbelievers. They
beat up the saint mercilessly, and placing him on a ship sailing for
Italy, they sent him back.
After a three year absence, St Apollinarius returned to Ravenna and
was joyfully received by his flock. The pagans, however, having fallen
upon the church where the saint served the Divine Liturgy, scattered
those at prayer, and dragged the saint to the idolatrous priests in
the pagan temple of Apollo, where the idol fell just as they brought
the saint in, and it shattered. The pagan priests brought St
Apollinarius for trial to Taurus, the new governor of the district.
Apollinarius performed a new miracle, healing the son of the governor,
who had been blind from birth. In gratitude for the healing of his
son, Taurus tried to protect St Apollinarius from the angry crowd. He
sent him to his own estate outside the city. Although the son and wife
of Taurus were baptized, he feared the anger of the emperor, and did
not accept Baptism. However, he conducted himself with gratitude and
love towards his benefactor.
St Apollinarius lived for five years at the estate of Taurus and
preached without hindrance about salvation. During this time pagan
priests sent letters of denunciation to the emperor Vespasian with a
request for a sentence of death or exile of the Christian "sorcerer"
Apollinarius. But the emperor told the pagan priests that the gods
were sufficiently powerful to take revenge for themselves, if they
felt themselves insulted. All the wrath of the pagans fell upon St
Apollinarius: they caught hold of him when the saint left the city for
a nearby settlement, and they beat him fiercely. Christians found him
barely alive and took him to the settlement, where he lived for seven
days. During his final illness the saint did not cease to teach his
flock. He predicted that after the persecutions ended, Christians
would enter upon better times when they could openly and freely
confess their faith. Having given those present his archpastoral
blessing, the hieromartyr Apollinarius fell asleep in the Lord. St
Apollinarius was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-eight years and he died
in the year 75.
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Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of
God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the
Tatars and Turks
The celebration in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God on
July 23 was established in memory of the deliverance of the Dormition
Lavra monastery from a Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675.
In the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the
reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed
of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon
the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak
monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much defense
against a siege. The igumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and
laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors: the Most Holy
Theotokos and St Job of Pochaev (October 28).
The monks and the laypeople prayed fervently, prostrating themselves
before the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God and the reliquary
with the relics of St Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as
the Tatars were planning an assault on the monastery, the igumen
ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words,
"O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts," the Most Holy Theotokos suddenly
appeared over the church, in "an unfurled gleaming-white maphorion,"
with angels holding unsheathed swords. St Job stood beside the Mother
of God, bowing to Her and beseeching Her to defend the monastery.
The Tatars believed the heavenly army was a vision, and in confusion
they began to shoot arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and St Job, but
the arrows fell backwards and wounded those who shot them. Terror
seized the enemy. In a flight of panic and without looking, they
trampled upon and killed each other. The defenders of the monastery
attempted pursuit and took many prisoners. Some of the prisoners
afterwards accepted the Christian Faith and remained at the monastery
thereafter.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All who sorrow" (with
coins) in St Petersburg
The Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" (With Coins) was
glorified in the year 1888 in Petersburg, when during the time of a
terrible thunderstorm lightning struck in a chapel. All was burned or
singed, except for this icon of the Queen of Heaven. It was knocked to
the floor, and the poor box broke open at the same time. Somehow,
twelve small coins (half-kopeck pieces), became attached to the icon.
A church was built in 1898 on the site of the chapel.
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Hieromartyr Vitalius, Bishop of Ravenna
No information available at this time.
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