[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Tue Mar 6 05:00:20 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue Mar 6 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Isaiah 9:9-10:4  (6th Hour)
9 All the people will know Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria Who
say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against
him, And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall
devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned
away, But His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they
seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm
branch and bulrush in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches
lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are
led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have
mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and
an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is
not turned away, But His hand is stretched out stil
18 For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and
thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up
like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts The land is burned up, And
the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his
brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall
devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the
flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they
shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But
His hand is stretched out still.
1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
2 To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor
of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the
fatherless.
3 What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation
which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where
will you leave your glory?
4 Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall
fall among the slain. For all this His anger is not turned away, But
His hand is stretched out still.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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Genesis 7:1-5  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1 Then the Lord said to Noah, Come into the ark, you and all your
household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in
this generation.
2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and
his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his
female;
3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the
species alive on the face of all the earth.
4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty
days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth
all living things that I have made.
5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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Proverbs 8:32-9:11  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
32 Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who
keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate
me love death.
1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also
furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places
of the city,
4 Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! As for him who lacks
understanding, she says to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes
a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a
just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be
added to you.
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia
The Holy 42 Martyrs of Ammoria: Constantine, Aetius (Aetitus),
Theophilus, Theodore, Melissenus, Callistus, Basoes and the others
with them. During a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus
(829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city
of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). As a result of treason on the
part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two
of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria.
During the seven years of their imprisonment they tried in vain to
persuade the captives to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. The
captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely
held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to
break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to
death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before
executing them. The martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old
Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called
himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim.
They said to the soldier Theodore, "We know that you forsook the
priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can
have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept
Mohammed." But the martyr replied, "You do not speak truthfully when
you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood
because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for
the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have
committed against Him."
The executioners took each one separately and led him off to be
beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the
service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the
"All-Blessed" Theodore, the "Unconquered" Callistus, the "Valliant"
Constantine, the "Wondrous" Theophilus and "the Most Strong" Basoes.
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Martyr Constantine of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Constantine was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. St Constantine is described as
"valiant" in the service composed for them.
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Martyr Aetitus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Aetius (Aetitus), was one of the 42 Christians martyred for
Christ at Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Theophilus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Theophilus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. St Theophilus is described as
"wondrous" in the service composed for them.
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Martyr Theodore of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Theodore was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. In the service to these martyrs, he
is described as the "all-blessed Theodore."
The Syrians said to the soldier Theodore, "We know that you forsook
the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You
can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept
Mohammed." But the martyr replied, "You do not speak truthfully when
you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood
because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for
the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have
committed against Him."
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Martyr Melissenus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Melissenus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Callistus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Callistus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Basoes of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Basoes was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. In the service to these martyrs, he
is described as the "most strong" Basoes.
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Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by
the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem
The Holy Empress Helen uncovered the Precious Cross and Nails of the
Lord at Jerusalem in 326.
At the beginning of the reign of St Constantine the Great (306-337),
the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, he and his pious
mother St Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also
planned to build a church on the site of the Lord's suffering and
Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected
with the Savior's death and Resurrection from the foul taint of
paganism.
The empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of
gold. St Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323),
requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of
the restoring the Christian holy places.
After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen began to
destroy all the pagan temples and reconsecrate the places which had
been defiled by the pagans.
In her quest for the Life-Creating Cross, she questioned several
Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained
unsuccessful. Finally, an elderly Hebrew named Jude told her that the
Cross was buried beneath the temple of Venus. St Helen ordered that
the pagan temple be demolished, and for the site to be excavated. Soon
they found Golgotha and the Lord's Sepulchre. Not far from the spot
were three crosses, a board with the inscription written by Pilate
(John 19:19), and four nails which had pierced the Lord's Body.
Now the task was to determine on which of the three crosses the Savior
had been crucified. Patriarch Macarius saw a dead person being carried
to his grave, then he ordered that the dead man be placed upon each
cross in turn. When the corpse was placed on the Cross of Christ, he
was immediately restored to life. After seeing the raising of the dead
man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross had been
found. With great joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius lifted
the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing
about.
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Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium
The Holy Hieromartyr Conon lived in Iconium (Asia Minor). After he
became a widower, he went to a monastery with his son. Because of his
devout life the saint was granted help from above. He cast out devils,
he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and preached Christ among
the pagans, converting many.
Reports of him reached the governor Dometian, a persecutor of
Christians. St Conon was brought to trial and they ordered him to
offer sacrifice to idols, but since he would not, he was handed over
for torture. The seventeen-year-old son of the martyr, Deacon Conon,
was also brought to trial.
After persuasion failed to make him renounce the True Faith, both
father and son were subjected to cruel tortures. They were stripped
and laid on a red-hot cot, they were drenched with hot oil, they were
thrown into a cauldron with boiling tin, sulfur and tar, they were
suspended upside down and scorched with a choking smoke. Preserved by
God, the martyrs remained unharmed.
The irate torturers then resorted to a horrible way to destroy the
preachers: sawing them in two with a wooden saw. Learning of this
sentence, the saints asked time to pray and they cried out to the
Lord, "We give thanks to You, O Lord, for permitting us to suffer for
Your Name! We beseech You to grant peace to Your Church, put its
persecutors to shame, strengthen and increase those who believe in
You, grant us to come to You, and give peace unto our souls."
The Voice of God was heard from above, calling the holy sufferers.
Having signed themselves with the Sign of the Cross, the holy martyrs
gave up their souls to the Lord. At once, there was an earthquake, and
all the pagan temples in the city collapsed.
Monks secretly buried the bodies of the martyrs at the monastery where
the saints had labored in asceticism during life. This occurred during
the reign of Aurelian in the years 270-275. The relics of the holy
martyrs were later transferred to Italy, to the city of Acerno
(Campania).
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Martyr Conon with his father of Iconium
The Holy Hieromartyr Conon lived in Iconium (Asia Minor). After he
became a widower, he went to a monastery with his son. Because of his
devout life the saint was granted help from above. He cast out devils,
he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and preached Christ among
the pagans, converting many.
Reports of him reached the governor Dometian, a persecutor of
Christians. St Conon was brought to trial and they ordered him to
offer sacrifice to idols, but since he would not, he was handed over
for torture. The seventeen-year-old son of the martyr, Deacon Conon,
was also brought to trial.
After persuasion failed to make him renounce the True Faith, both
father and son were subjected to cruel tortures. They were stripped
and laid on a red-hot cot, they were drenched with hot oil, they were
thrown into a cauldron with boiling tin, sulfur and tar, they were
suspended upside down and scorched with a choking smoke. Preserved by
God, the martyrs remained unharmed.
The irate torturers then resorted to a horrible way to destroy the
preachers: sawing them in two with a wooden saw. Learning of this
sentence, the saints asked time to pray and they cried out to the
Lord, "We give thanks to You, O Lord, for permitting us to suffer for
Your Name! We beseech You to grant peace to Your Church, put its
persecutors to shame, strengthen and increase those who believe in
You, grant us to come to You, and give peace unto our souls."
The Voice of God was heard from above, calling the holy sufferers.
Having signed themselves with the Sign of the Cross, the holy martyrs
gave up their souls to the Lord. At once, there was an earthquake, and
all the pagan temples in the city collapsed.
Monks secretly buried the bodies of the martyrs at the monastery where
the saints had labored in asceticism during life. This occurred during
the reign of Aurelian in the years 270-275. The relics of the holy
martyrs were later transferred to Italy, to the city of Acerno
(Campania).
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Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus
Saint Arcadius from his youth devoted himself to monastic efforts. The
saint struggled on the island of Cyprus during the time of the emperor
Constantine the Great (206-337). He was the teacher of the holy
Martyrs Julian the Physician and Eubolos, executed under Julian the
Apostate (361-363). Bewailing the martyric death of his disciples and
having consigned their bodies to the earth, St Arcadius soon departed
to the Lord.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Blessed Heaven"
The "Blessed Heaven" Icon of the Mother of God is on the iconostasis
of the Moscow Archangel cathedral in the Kremlin. Previously, this
icon was at Smolensk and brought to Moscow by Sophia, daughter of the
Lithuanian prince Vitovt, when she became the wife of Prince Basil of
Moscow (1389-1425).
On the icon, the Mother of God is depicted in full stature, with a
scepter in Her right hand. On Her left arm is the Divine Infant, and
both of them are crowned. Certain people call also this icon of the
Mother of God "What Shall we call Thee?"
This icon is also commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints.
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Icon of the Mother of God "Czestochowa"
The wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be
found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of
Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy
icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18).
Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans
conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near
Pella. The icon was given to St Helen (May 21) when she visited the
Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her.
Starting in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places,
including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the
city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress
of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon.
Prince Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured
southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the
Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the
fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the
city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood
began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or
some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at
the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them,
and many of them died.
Following this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to
take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As
preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome
with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and
that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near
Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and
gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks.
Many years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and
plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa
Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held
back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and
threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the
Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of
the second man shriveled up.
The other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them
died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the
monastery's treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking
Czestochowa Icon was left behind.
King Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the
seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated
until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the
icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles
were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov,
King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen
of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection.
Many miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are
recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies
of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries.
Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in
the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka
in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit
day), in the Kazan Cathedral at St Petersburg, and in several other
places.
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