[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Tue Mar 27 04:00:32 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue Mar 27 2007

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Isaiah 49:6-10  (6th Hour)
6 Indeed He says, It is too small a thing that You should be My
Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved
ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That
You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.
7 Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him
whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of
rulers: Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because
of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Isr
8 Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in
the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give
You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them
to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That You may say to the prisoners, Go forth, To those who are in
darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed along the roads, And their
pastures shall be on all desolate heights.
10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall
strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the
springs of water He will guide them.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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Genesis 31:3-16  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and
to your family, and I will be with you.
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,
5 and said to them, I see your fathers countenance, that it is not
favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with
me.
6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father.
7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but
God did not allow him to hurt me.
8 If he said thus: The speckled shall be your wages, then all the
flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: The streaked shall be your
wages, then all the flocks bore streaked.
9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to
me.
10 And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I
lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped
upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.
11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I
said, Here I am.
12 And He said, Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on
the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen
all that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you
made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the
land of your family.
14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there still any
portion or inheritance for us in our fathers house?
15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and
also completely consumed our money.
16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really
ours and our childrens; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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Proverbs 21:3-21  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than
sacrifice.
4 A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are
sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of
everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those
who seek death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them, Because they refuse to
do justice.
8 The way of a guilty man is perverse; But as for the pure, his work
is right.
9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared
with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in
his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; But when the
wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself
and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back,
strong wrath.
15 It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come
to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the
assembly of the dead.
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil
will not be rich.
18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, And the unfaithful
for the upright.
19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and
angry woman.
20 There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.
21 He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness,
and honor.
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica
The Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica suffered in the third or
fourth century. She was a slave of the Jewish woman Pautila (or
Pantilla), wife of one of the military commanders of Thessalonica.
Pautila constantly mocked her slave for her faith in Christ, and tried
to convert her to Judaism. St Matrona, who believed in Christ from her
youth, still prayed to the Savior Christ, and secretly went to church
unbeknownst to her vengeful mistress.
Pautila, learning that St Matrona had been to church, asked, "Why
won't you come to our synagogue, instead of attending the Christian
church?" St Matrona boldly answered, "Because God is present in the
Christian church, but He has departed from the Jewish synagogue."
Pautila went into a rage and mercilessly beat St Matrona, tied her up,
and shut her in a dark closet. In the morning, Pautila discovered that
St Matrona had been freed of her bonds by an unknown Power.
In a rage Pautila beat the martyr almost to death, then bound her even
more tightly and locked her in the closet. The door was sealed so that
no one could help the sufferer. The holy martyr remained there for
four days without food or water, and when Pautila opened the door, she
again found St Matrona free of her bonds, and standing at prayer.
Pautila flogged the holy martyr and left the skin hanging in strips
from her body. The fierce woman locked her in the closet again, where
St Matrona gave up her spirit to God.
Pautila had the holy martyr's body thrown from the roof of her house.
Christians took up the much-suffered body of the holy martyr and
buried it. Later, Bishop Alexander of Thessalonica built a church
dedicated to the holy martyr. Her holy relics, glorified by many
miracles, were placed in this church.
The judgment of God soon overtook the evil Pautila. Standing on the
roof at that very place where the body of St Matrona had been thrown,
she stumbled and fell to the pavement. Her body was smashed, and so
she received her just reward for her sin.
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Martyr Manuel
The Holy Martyrs Manuel and Theodosius suffered for their faith in
Christ in 304 in Sirmium. Seeing how the pagans put Christians to
death every day, they believed in Christ and resolved to suffer for
their faith. They boldly confessed themselves as Christians before the
governor. The governor and those around him marvelled at their
bravery.
By order of the governor, Sts Manuel and Theodosius were thrown into
prison, and a strict watch was set over them. After several days the
governor gave orders to bring the saints from prison, and he urged
them to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the idols. The holy
martyrs, however, were steadfast in their confession.
Then the governor ordered Sts Manuel and Theodosius to be suspended
from a tree, and scraped with sharp iron hooks. The martyrs were
stabbed with a sharp trident, and then beheaded.
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Martyr Theodosius
The Holy Martyrs Theodosius and Manuel suffered for their faith in
Christ in 304 in Sirmium. Seeing how the pagans put Christians to
death every day, they believed in Christ and resolved to suffer for
their faith. They boldly confessed themselves as Christians before the
governor. The governor and those around him marvelled at their
bravery.
By order of the governor, Sts Manuel and Theodosius were thrown into
prison, and a strict watch was set over them. After several days the
governor gave orders to bring the saints from prison, and he urged
them to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the idols. The holy
martyrs, however, were steadfast in their confession.
Then the governor ordered Sts Manuel and Theodosius to be suspended
from a tree, and scraped with sharp iron hooks. The martyrs were
stabbed with a sharp trident, and then beheaded.
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Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt
Saint John the Clairvoyant of Egypt was born at the beginning of the
fourth century. He lived in the city of Likopolis (Middle Egypt) and
was a carpenter. At the age of twenty-five he went to a monastery,
where he received monastic tonsure.
For five years St John lived in various monasteries, and then wanting
complete solitude, he went to the Thebaid and lived on Mount Bolcha.
St John then spent many years in solitude, never leaving the spot. He
conversed with visitors through a small window, through which he also
received food and other necessities.
After thirty years of seclusion,St John received the gift of
clairvoyance from God. He predicted to the emperor Theodosius the
Great (379-395) victory over his adversaries Maximus and Eugenius, and
a military victory over the Gauls. He also foretold future events in
the lives of his visitors, and gave them guidance. The ascetic gave
holy oil to the sick who visited him, and anointed them with it,
healing them of various maladies.
St John predicted that the historian Palladius, who wrote his Life,
would become a bishop. The prediction of the seer was fulfilled, and
Palladius was made Bishop of Bithynia (Asia Minor).
St John in his instructions commanded first of all to have humility:
"Imitate the virtuous life of the holy Fathers according to the
measure of your strength and if you fulfill everything, do not become
overconfident or praise yourself. For there are many people who
reached perfection in virtue and became puffed up with pride, plunging
from the heights into the abyss.
"Examine yourselves carefully to see if your conscience is pure, so
that purity may not be driven from your mind. Do not allow your
thoughts to wander during prayer. Do you, out of vanity, wish to gain
a reputation for asceticism? Or do you wish to have only the
appearance of asceticism? Take heed lest any passion overcome you.
Take heed that thoughts of worldly things do not enter your mind
during prayer, since there is nothing more foolish than to pray to God
with your lips, while your thoughts are far from Him. This often
happens with those who do not absolutely renounce the world, but
rather seek approval from men. A man whose mind is given over to
worldly and perishable things, cannot behold God with his spiritual
eyes. It is fitting that one who seeks after God will remove his mind
from every earthly thing, and direct the gaze of his understanding
towards God. He who has attained a little knowledge of God (for no one
can receive the whole of it), is able to acquire knowledge of many
things, and will see the mysteries which the knowledge of God will
show him. He sees future events before they happen, and like a saint
he will receive glorious revelations. He will work miracles, and will
receive everything that he asks from God."
"Love silence, child, live always in divine contemplation and pray
that God will grant you a pure mind, free from sinful thoughts. Worthy
of praise is the ascetic who lives in the world, practices the
virtues, renders kindness to strangers or distributes alms, or who
helps others in their work, or lives without anger. Such a man is
praiseworthy, since he dwells in virtue, fulfilling the commands of
God, while not neglecting earthly affairs."
"He who leaves the transitory things of this world to others is better
and more worthy of praise, for he denies himself, takes up his cross,
and cleaves to Christ. He constantly embraces the things of heaven,
and escapes earthly things. He will not allow himself to be turned
aside by any other cares. Such a man, through his good deeds and the
praises which he offers to God, is free and unfettered by any ties
whatsoever. He stands before God in security, and his mind is not
distracted by any other cares. He who is in this condition continually
converses with God."
St John brought much spiritual benefit to people with these and
similar salvific teachings, through his instructive discourses, and by
his personal example in the angelic life.
St John of Egypt survived into old age and fell asleep in the Lord in
395, at the age of ninety.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "Sweet Kissing"
No information available at this time.
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Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist"
There are other icons of this name which are commemorated on January
12 (Hilandar Icon "Of the Akathist"), and October 10 (Zographou Icon
"Of the Akathist").
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