[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Fri Jun 8 05:00:32 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri Jun 8 2007

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Romans 5:17-6:2
17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much
more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men,
resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the
free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by
one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Matthew 9:14-17
14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the
Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"
15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as
long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the
bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the
patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins
break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put
new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore
Stratelates
The Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates suffered for Christ in
Heraklea on February 8, 319. At the time of his sufferings the holy
Great Martyr Theodore ordered his servant Varus to bury his body on
the estate of his parents in Euchaita. The transfer of the relics of
the Great Martyr Theodore took place on June 8, 319.
On this day we also recall a miracle of the icon of the Great Martyr
Theodore in a church dedicated to him at a place called Karsat, near
Damascus. A group of Saracens had turned this church into their
residence. There was a fresco on the wall depicting Theodore. One of
the Saracens shot an arrow into the icon of the Great Martyr. From the
saint's face, where the arrow had stuck into the wall, blood flowed
before the eyes of everyone. A short while later, the Saracens who had
settled in the church killed each other. Accounts of this miracle are
given by the Anastasius of Mt. Sinai (April 20) and John of Damascus
(December 4).
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St Theodore the Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal
No information available at this time.
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Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl
The holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslav.
In their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle
with the Tatars (Mongols). St Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to
the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks
and sorrows. The city and the villages were devastated from the
invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and
food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about
everyone. Besides this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the
Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this
reason to the Horde. He suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of
his only son.
All his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and
he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. He did not enter into
disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate
among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled
with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took
sick and died in the year 1249.
After him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove
to imitate his brother, but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw
pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. In 1257 the Tatars fell upon
Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in
this battle he gave up his life for his country. In the year 1501 the
incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in
the Yaroslav cathedral.
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Finding of the relics of St Constantine the Prince of
Yaroslavl
The holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslav.
In their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle
with the Tatars (Mongols). St Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to
the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks
and sorrows. The city and the villages were devastated from the
invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and
food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about
everyone. Besides this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the
Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this
reason to the Horde. He suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of
his only son.
All his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and
he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. He did not enter into
disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate
among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled
with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took
sick and died in the year 1249.
After him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove
to imitate his brother, but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw
pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. In 1257 the Tatars fell upon
Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in
this battle he gave up his life for his country. In the year 1501 the
incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in
the Yaroslav cathedral.
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St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch
Saint Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, a Syrian, was a military general
under the emperors Anastasius (491-518) and Justin (518-527). The
saint was distinguished for his virtue, piety, and compassion for all
the destitute.
In the year 526 the Lord punished Antioch for Christians falling into
the heresies of Nestorius and Eutyches, an earthquake destroyed this
magnificent city. A large number of the inhabitants perished.
Patriarch Euphrasios was crushed beneath a fallen column.
The emperor summoned Ephraim to oversee the restoration of the ruined
city. Among the workers was a bishop who left his see for unknown
reasons. He predicted to Ephraim his election to the patriarchal
throne and asked him not to abandon deeds of charity, and to struggle
firmly against the heretics. In the year 527 Ephraim was indeed
elected to the patriarchal throne. He governed his flock firmly and
wisely by the example of his life. He also defended it against
heretical teachings through his sermons and letters.
The following event gives some idea of his faith. Near Herakleia was a
stylite practicing asceticism, who had fallen into heresy. Learning
about the ascetic, Ephraim went to him and urged him to be reunited to
the Orthodox Church. The stylite was not agreeable. He decided to
frighten the patriarch and he offered to kindle a large bonfire, so
that they both might enter the fire. The bonfire was set, but the
stylite did not dare to go into it. The patriarch prayed to the Lord
Jesus Christ to show that his was the correct faith and, removing his
omophorion, he put it in the bonfire. After three hours the firewood
was consumed, but the omophorion of the saint was taken out unharmed.
The stylite was converted from his heresy and reunited to the Church.
Ephraim fell asleep in the Lord in the year 425.
Among his labors, Ephraim defended the teaching of the Orthodox Church
on the union of two natures, the divine and the human, in the Person
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria
Saint Zosimus of Phoenicia was born in the Syrian village of Synda,
near the city of Tyre. He accepted monasticism and was zealous in his
fasting, prayer, labors and other virtues. The monk received from God
the gift of clairvoyance. When he was at Caesarea, he foresaw the
terrible earthquake which destroyed Antioch in the year 526.
Once, the patrician Arkesilaos visited the monk. During this time a
messenger informed Arkesilaos that his wife had punctured her eye with
a needle and was in terrible pain. But the monk put his guest at ease
and said that the holy Bishop John the Chozebite (October 3) had his
wife.
Zosimus attained such a degree of spiritual accomplishment that wild
beasts were submissive to him. Once on the way to Caesarea a hungry
lion pounced upon the monk's donkey, and dragged it away to eat it.
Finding the beast, the monk said, "Friend, I have not the strength to
carry the load because of old age. You carry it, and then return into
the wilderness and again be fierce according to your nature." The lion
meekly carried the load to Caesarea, then the monk set him free.
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Glorification of St John of Kronstadt
Saint John of Kronstadt was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church
in 1990. He is also commemorated on December 20.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslavl
The Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God Little is known of this, one
of the earliest Russian icons, except that it belonged to the holy
Princes Basil and Constantine (July 3). The lower chapel of the Ilinsk
church in Yaroslavl was dedicated to the wonderworking****
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Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake
This holy icon belonged to St Cyril of White Lake (June 9), and he
kept it in his cell.
St Cyril was living at the Simonov Monastery, but his soul yearned for
solitude, and he asked the Mother of God to show him a place conducive
for salvation. One night he was reading an Akathist in his cell before
the Hodigitria icon of the Mother of God, and had just reached the
eighth Kontakion, "Seeing the strange Nativity, let us become
strangers to the world and transport our minds to heaven." Then he
heard a voice say, "Go to White Lake (Belozersk), where I have
prepared a place for you."
He left the Simonov Monastery and at the desolate and sparsely
populated White Lake, he found the place which he had seen in the
vision. St Cyril and his companion St Therapon of White Lake and
Mozhaisk (May 27), set up a cross and dug a cell in the ground near
Mount Myaura at Siversk Lake.
The White Lake Icon is also commemorated on July 28.
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Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta
Saint Tevdore was a simple priest who labored in the 16th century in
the village of Kvelta. At that time the Ottoman Empire and Persia were
locked in a bitter feud over control of the Near East. At the
beginning of 1609 the Ottomans conquered first the city of Baghdadi,
then part of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. In June of that year they
launched an attack on eastern Georgia.
At that time the Georgian ruler was the young King Luarsab II. When
the Ottomans penetrated Kartli, the king was absent, abiding in his
summer residence, Tskhireti Castle. But the Ottomans knew the location
of his castle, and they also knew that his troops were small in
number. They plotted to lay siege to the castle, capture the king, and
ultimately annex all of Georgia.
The Ottomans quickly crossed the Trialeti mountain range and advanced
into Manglisi, pillaging the lands and laying waste to the people as
they went. Miraculously, the Manglisi Church of the Most Holy Mother
of God remained unharmed. One chronicler wrote: A dense fog surrounded
the church and village, concealing it from the enemy__
St. Luarsab had received no warning of the attack, and the enemy was
just minutes from his castle.
In the village of Kvelta, not far fromManglisi, the Turks captured the
priest Tevdore, a man sincere before God and devoted to his king and
motherland. Fr. Tevdore was unable to escape to the woods with the
other villagers, so he locked the doors to the church and concealed
its sacred treasures. When the Ottoman Turks found Fr. Tevdore, they
commanded him to lead them to Tskhireti Castle and threatened to kill
him if he refused.
Hoping to deceive them, Tevdore led the Ottomans along a narrow, rocky
mountain path away from Tskhireti Castle. Many horses and soldiers
fell from the path to their deaths.
But after some time the Ottomans realized that the priest had led them
in the wrong direction. Embittered and hungry for revenge, they
beheaded Fr. Tevdore.
As a result of St. Tevdores great sacrifice, St. Luarsab had time to
strengthen his fortifications, assemble his armies, and finally
annihilate the enemy.
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