[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Jun 11 2007

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Romans 7:1-13
1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the
law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?
2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband
as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the
law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she
will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free
from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married
another man.
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through
the body of Christ, that you may be married to another-to Him who was
raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were
aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.
6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we
were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and
not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the
contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I
would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall
not covet."
8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all
manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin
revived and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring
death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it
killed me.
12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and
good.
13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin,
that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is
good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly
sinful.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need
be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than
gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to
praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet
believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls.
Scripture Reading 1 of 8


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Matthew 9:36-10:8
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for
them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no
shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but
the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
His harvest.
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them
power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James
the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go
into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the
Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give.
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your
hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former
lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your
conduct,
16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges
according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time
of your stay here in fear;
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from
your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot.
Scripture Reading 2 of 8


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1 Peter 2:11-24  (Vespers, 3rd Reading, Apostles)
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they
speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which
they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment
of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men-
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as
bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to
the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one
endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you
take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it
patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He
suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges
righteously;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we,
having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you
were healed.
Scripture Reading 3 of 8


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John 21:15-25  (Matins Gospel)
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
"Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him,
"Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My
lambs."
16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you
love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He
said to him, "Tend My sheep."
17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love
Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you
love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know
that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded
yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will
stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where
you do not wish.
19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And
when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved
following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said,
"Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is
that to you? You follow Me."
23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple
would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die,
but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?"
24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these
things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they
were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could
not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
Scripture Reading 4 of 8



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Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve
The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one
of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit
on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles
Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and
Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities,
and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his
sister, the holy virgin St Mariamnne.
Traversing the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship
and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison.
In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the
Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of
Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous
viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles
Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with
many miracles.
At Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been
blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in
Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and
a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles
were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from
their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave
orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn
down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with
the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the
worship of the ancestral gods.
Thinking that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the
clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But St
Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared
touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was
crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure
in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the
pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to
take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew
had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down.
The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of
Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and St Mariamne left the city and
moved on.
Preaching the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she
peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India,
where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he
converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the
country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus
and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the
daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In
gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept
them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of
mankind.
Then Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those
close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities
of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues
of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king's
brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and
crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to
proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders
from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and
cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and
buried him.
In about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were
transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians
seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle
Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea.
But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave
the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power
of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the
ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy
relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy,
and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome.
The holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of St Joseph the
Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the
relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, St Joseph conveyed them to his own
monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of
the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. St
Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the
saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do
so.
On the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, St Joseph saw
him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from
the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, "May the
Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world." And from
that time St Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only
the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of
many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Sts John
Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain
other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being
the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).
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Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy
Holy Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy was born on the island of Cyprus
into the family of the tribe of Levi, and he was named Joseph. He
received his education at Jerusalem, being raised with his friend and
fellow student Saul (the future Apostle Paul) under the renowned
teacher of the Law, Gamaliel. Joseph was pious, he frequented the
Temple, he strictly observed the fasts and avoided youthful
distractions. During this time period our Lord Jesus Christ began His
public ministry. Seeing the Lord and hearing His Divine Words, Joseph
believed in Him as the Messiah. Filled with ardent love for the
Savior, he followed Him. The Lord chose him to be one of His Seventy
Apostles. The other Apostles called him Barnabas, which means "son of
consolation." After the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven, Barnabas sold
land belonging to him near Jerusalem and he brought the money to the
feet of the Apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4:36-37).
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem after his conversion and sought to join
the followers of Christ, everyone there was afraid of him since he had
persecuted the Church only a short while before. Barnabas, however,
came with him to the Apostles and reported how the Lord had appeared
to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:26-28).
Saint Barnabas went to Antioch to encourage the believers, "Having
come and having seen the grace of God, he rejoiced and he urged all to
cleave to the Lord with sincerity of heart" (Acts 11:23). Then he went
to Tarsus, and brought the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where for about a
year they taught the people. It was here that the disciples first
began to be called Christians (Acts 11:26). With the onset of famine,
and taking along generous alms, Paul and Barnabas returned to
Jerusalem. When King Herod killed St James the son of Zebedee, and had
the Apostle Peter put under guard in prison to please the Jews, Sts
Barnabas and Paul and Peter were led out of the prison by an angel of
the Lord.
They hid out at the house of Barnabas' aunt Maria. Later, when the
persecution had quieted down, they returned to Antioch, taking with
them Maria's son John, surnamed Mark. Under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, the prophets and teachers there imposed hands upon
Barnabas and Paul, and sent them off to do the work to which the Lord
had called them (Acts 13:2-3). Arriving in Seleucia, they sailed off
to Cyprus and in the city of Salamis they preached the Word of God in
the Jewish synagogues.
On Paphos they came across a sorcerer and false prophet named
Bar-Jesus, who was close with the proconsul Sergius. Wishing to hear
the Word of God, the proconsul invited the saints to come to him. The
sorcerer attempted to sway the proconsul from the Faith, but the
Apostle Paul denounced the sorcerer, who through his words suddenly
fell blind. The proconsul believed in Christ (Acts 13:6-12).
>From Paphos Barnabas and Paul set sail for Pergamum of Pamphylia, and
then they preached to the Jews and the Gentiles at Pisidian Antioch
and throughout all that region. The Jews rioted and expelled Paul and
Barnabas. The saints arrived in Iconium, but learning that the Jews
wanted to stone them, they withdrew to Lystra and Derben. There the
Apostle Paul healed a man, crippled in the legs from birth. The people
assumed them to be the gods Zeus and Hermes and wanted to offer them
sacrifice. The saints just barely persuaded them not to do this (Acts
14:8-18).
When the question arose whether those converted from the Gentiles
should accept circumcision, Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem. There
they were warmly received by the Apostles and elders. The preachers
related "what God had wrought with them and how He had opened the door
of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 14:27).
After long deliberations the Apostles collectively resolved not to
impose any sort of burden upon Gentile Christians except what was
necessary: to refrain from the pollutions of idols, and from
fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood (Acts
15:19-20). Letters were sent with Barnabas and Paul, and they again
preached at Antioch, and after a certain while they decided to visit
the other cities where they had visited earlier. St Barnabas wanted to
take Mark along with him, but St Paul did not want to, since earlier
he had left them. A quarrel arose, and they separated. Paul took Silas
with him and went to Syria and Cilicia, while Barnabas took Mark with
him to Cyprus (Acts 15:36-41).
Having multiplied the number of believers, St Barnabas traveled to
Rome, where he was perhaps the first to preach Christ.
St Barnabas founded the episcopal see at Mediolanum (now Milan), and
upon his return to Cyprus he continued to preach about Christ the
Savior. Then the enraged Jews incited the pagans against Barnabas, and
they led him out beyond the city and stoned him, and then built a fire
to burn the body. Later on, having come upon this spot, Mark took up
the unharmed body of St Barnabas and buried it in a cave, placing upon
the saint's bosom, in accord with his final wishes, the Gospel of
Matthew which he had copied in his own hand.
St Barnabas died in about the year 62, at age seventy-six. In time,
the burial spot was forgotten, but numerous signs took place at this
spot. In the year 448, during the time of the emperor Zeno, St
Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to Archbishop Anthimus of
Cyprus and indicated the place where his relics were buried. Starting
to dig at the indicated spot, Christians found the incorrupt body of
the saint, and upon his chest was the Holy Gospel.
It was during this time that the Church of Cyprus began to be regarded
as Apostolic in origin, and received the right of choosing its head.
Thus St Barnabas defended Cyprus against the pretensions of the
opponent of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the heretic surnamed
Knapheios, who had usurped the patriarchal throne at Antioch and tried
to gain dominion over the Church of Cyprus.
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Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga
Saint Barnabas of Vetluga was born in Great Ustiug. Before going off
into the wilderness he was a priest in one of the city churches. In
1417 the monk settled at one of the banks of the River Vetluga at Red
Hill, where he labored in solitude for 28 years, "toiling for God in
psalmody and prayer, he subsisted on grass and acorns." In the words
of the author of his Life, there came also to St Barnabas "wild
animals, and many bears lived near his cell. He, however, walked among
them, as though among cattle, watching after them and delighting with
them; rejoicing in the great God that these beasts had become tame for
him."
There was not a single human habitation in the area of Red Hill as far
off as 50 versts. Occasionally wilderness people would visit "for a
blessing," and he would predict to them that after his repose on the
banks of the River Vetluga "God would multiply the human habitation,
and upon the place of his dwelling monks would live."
According to Tradition, in 1439, before he settled at the River Unzha,
St Macarius (July 25) came there for instruction and guidance. St
Barnabas died in old age on June 11, 1445. After the death of the
ascetic, at the place of his efforts many monks came to dwell "from
various lands" and "after them farmers" and "many people did spread
all along this river all the way to the great River Volga." At Red
Hill the monks built two churches, one in honor of the Most Holy
Trinity, and the other, over the grave of the monk, dedicated to St
Nicholas the Wonderworker. They founded a cenobitic monastery, which
received as its name "the Varnavinsk wilderness-monastery." The Life
of Saint Barnabas was written in 1639 by a monk of the Varnavinsk
monastery, "the most venerable hieromonk Joseph (Dyadkin), who later,
in the imperial city of Moscow, was in charge of the directory of book
printing." For the authentication and verification of the miracles,
which occurred at the grave of the monk, in that same year of 1639
there was an uncovering of the holy relics under the direction of
Patriarch Joasaph.
With the passing of time at the place of the Varnavinsk monastery
there arose the district town Varnavin, and the chief church of the
monastery became the cathedral church dedicated to the Holy Apostle
Barnabas.
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Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot
of Novy Torg
Transfer of the Relics of Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg (+ January 28,
1053) took place in the year 1572 under Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod.
The Feast day was established under Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow
(1584-1587).
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Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a
Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, "It Is Truly
Meet..." Or Axion Estin
The "It is Truly Meet" Icon of the Mother of God is in the high place
of the altar of the cathedral church of the Karyes monastery on Mount
Athos.
One Saturday night an Elder went to Karyes for the all-night Vigil. He
left, instructing his disciple to remain behind and read the service
in their cell. As it grew dark, the disciple heard a knock on the
door. When he opened the door, he saw an unknown monk who called
himself Gabriel, and he invited him to come in. They stood before the
icon of the Mother of God and read the service together with reverence
and compunction.
During the Ninth Ode of the Canon, the disciple began to sing "My soul
magnifies the Lord" with the Irmos of St Cosmas the Hymnographer
(October 14), "More honorable than the Cherubim."
The stranger sang the next verse, "For He has regarded the low estate
of His handmaiden." Then he chanted something the disciple had never
heard before, "It is truly meet to bless Thee, O Theotokos,
ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God" Then he
continued with, "More honorable than the Cherubim."
While the hymn was being sung, the icon of the Theotokos shone with a
heavenly light. The disciple was moved by the new version of the
familiar hymn, and asked his guest to write the words down for him.
When the stranger asked for paper and ink, the disciple said that they
did not have any.
The stranger took a roof tile and wrote the words of the hymn on its
surface with his finger. The disciple knew then that this was no
ordinary monk, but the Archangel Gabriel. The angel said, "Sing in
this manner, and all the Orthodox as well." Then he disappeared, and
the icon of the Mother of God continued to radiate light for some time
afterward.
The Eleousa Icon of the Mother of God, before which the hymn "It Is
Truly Meet" was first sung, was transferred to the katholikon at
Karyes. The tile, with the hymn written on it by the Archangel
Gabriel, was taken to Constantinople when St Nicholas Chrysoberges
(December 16) was Patriarch.
Numerous copies of the "It Is Truly Meet" Icon are revered in Russian
churches. At the Galerna Harbor of Peterburg a church with five
cupolas was built in honor of the Merciful Mother of God, and into it
they put a grace-bearing copy of the "It Is Truly Meet" icon sent from
Athos.
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Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet"
During the reign of the emperors Basil and Constantine
Porphyrogenitos, and the patriarchate of St Nicholas Chrysoberges
(984-995), a certain Elder and his disciple lived near Karyes, the
administrative center of the Holy Mountain.
One Saturday evening, the Elder decided to go to Karyes to participate
in the Vigil service for Sunday. He left, instructing his disciple to
remain behind and read the service in their cell. As it grew dark, the
disciple heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he saw an
unknown monk who called himself Gabriel, and he invited him to come
in. They stood before the icon of the Mother of God and read the
service together with reverence and compunction. During the Ninth Ode
of the Canon, the disciple began to sing "My soul magnifies the Lord"
with the Irmos of St Cosmas the Hymnographer (October 14), "More
honorable than the Cherubim."
The stranger sang the next verse, "For He has regarded the low estate
of His handmaiden." Then he chanted something the disciple had never
heard before, "It is truly meet to bless Thee, O Theotokos,
ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God" Then he
continued with, "More honorable than the Cherubim."
While the hymn was being sung, the icon of the Theotokos shone with a
heavenly light. The disciple was moved by the new version of the
familiar hymn, and asked his guest to write the words down for him.
When the stranger asked for paper and ink, the disciple said that they
did not have any.
The stranger took a roof tile and wrote the words of the hymn on its
surface with his finger. The disciple knew then that this was no
ordinary monk, but the Archangel Gabriel. The angel said, "Sing in
this manner, and all the Orthodox as well." Then he disappeared, and
the icon of the Mother of God continued to radiate light for some time
afterward.
The tile was taken to Constantinople when St Nicholas Chrysoberges
(December 16) was Patriarch.
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St Metrophanes Chi Sung and the martyrs of the Boxer Rising
No information available at this time.
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Hieromartyr Metrophanes (Chi Sung), first Chinese priest and
the martyrs of the Boxer Rising in China
No information available at this time.
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Martyrs of the Boxer Rising
No information available at this time.
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