[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Sun May 6 05:00:24 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun May 6 2007

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John 20:1-10  (7th Matins Gospel)
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb.
2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple,
whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out
of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."
3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to
the tomb.
4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and
came to the tomb first.
5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying
there; yet he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he
saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with
the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also;
and he saw and believed.
9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again
from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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Acts 11:19-26, 29-30
19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over
Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching
the word to no one but the Jews only.
20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they
had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord
Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed
and turned to the Lord.
22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in
Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and
encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue
with the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a
great many people were added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.
26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was
that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a
great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in
Antioch.
29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to
send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of
Barnabas and Saul.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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John 4:5-42
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the
plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His
journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a
drink."
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a
Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no
dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and
who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked
Him, and He would have given you living water."
11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the
well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and
drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?
13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will
thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never
thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a
fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not
thirst, nor come here to draw."
16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to
her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is
not your husband; in that you spoke truly.
19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in
Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.
21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you
will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for
salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such
to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth.
25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is
called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."
26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He
talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are
You talking with her?"
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and
said to the men,
29 Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this
be the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."
32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought
Him anything to eat?"
34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,
and to finish His work.
35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the
harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the
fields, for they are already white for harvest!
36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal
life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
37 For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'
38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have
labored, and you have entered into their labors.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of
the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with
them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what
you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is
indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
The Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman, her sons
Victor (named Photinus) and Joses; and her sisters Anatola, Phota,
Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake; Nero's daughter Domnina; and the Martyr
Sebastian: The holy Martyr Photina was the Samaritan Woman, with whom
the Savior conversed at Jacob's Well (John. 4:5-42).
During the time of the emperor Nero (54-68), who displayed excessive
cruelty against Christians, St Photina lived in Carthage with her
younger son Joses and fearlessly preached the Gospel there. Her eldest
son Victor fought bravely in the Roman army against barbarians, and
was appointed military commander in the city of Attalia (Asia Minor).
Later, Nero called him to Italy to arrest and punish Christians.
Sebastian, an official in Italy, said to St Victor, "I know that you,
your mother and your brother, are followers of Christ. As a friend I
advise you to submit to the will of the emperor. If you inform on any
Christians, you will receive their wealth. I shall write to your
mother and brother, asking them not to preach Christ in public. Let
them practice their faith in secret."
St Victor replied, "I want to be a preacher of Christianity like my
mother and brother." Sebastian said, "O Victor, we all know what woes
await you, your mother and brother." Then Sebastian suddenly felt a
sharp pain in his eyes. He was dumbfounded, and his face was somber.
For three days he lay there blind, without uttering a word. On the
fourth day he declared, "The God of the Christians is the only true
God." St Victor asked why Sebastian had suddenly changed his mind.
Sebastian replied, "Because Christ is calling me." Soon he was
baptized, and immediately regained his sight. St Sebastian's servants,
after witnessing the miracle, were also baptized.
Reports of this reached Nero, and he commanded that the Christians be
brought to him at Rome. Then the Lord Himself appeared to the
confessors and said, "Fear not, for I am with you. Nero, and all who
serve him, will be vanquished." The Lord said to St Victor, "From this
day forward, your name will be Photinus, because through you, many
will be enlightened and will believe in Me." The Lord then told the
Christians to strengthen and encourage St Sebastian to peresevere
until the end.
All these things, and even future events, were revealed to St Photina.
She left Carthage in the company of several Christians and joined the
confessors in Rome.
At Rome the emperor ordered the saints to be brought before him and he
asked them whether they truly believed in Christ. All the confessors
refused to renounce the Savior. Then the emperor gave orders to smash
the martyrs' finger joints. During the torments, the confessors felt
no pain, and their hands remained unharmed.
Nero ordered that Sts Sebastian, Photinus and Joses be blinded and
locked up in prison, and St Photina and her five sisters Anatola,
Phota, Photis, Paraskeva and Kyriake were sent to the imperial court
under the supervision of Nero's daughter Domnina. St Photina converted
both Domnina and all her servants to Christ. She also converted a
sorcerer, who had brought her poisoned food to kill her.
Three years passed, and Nero sent to the prison for one of his
servants, who had been locked up. The messengers reported to him that
Sts Sebastian, Photinus and Joses, who had been blinded, had
completely recovered, and that people were visiting them to hear their
preaching, and indeed the whole prison had been transformed into a
bright and fragrant place where God was glorified.
Nero then gave orders to crucify the saints, and to beat their naked
bodies with straps. On the fourth day the emperor sent servants to see
whether the martyrs were still alive. But, approaching the place of
the tortures, the servants fell blind. An angel of the Lord freed the
martyrs from their crosses and healed them. The saints took pity on
the blinded servants, and restored their sight by their prayers to the
Lord. Those who were healed came to believe in Christ and were soon
baptized.
In an impotent rage Nero gave orders to flay the skin from St Photina
and to throw the martyr down a well. Sebastian, Photinus and Joses had
their legs cut off, and they were thrown to dogs, and then had their
skin flayed off. The sisters of St Photina also suffered terrible
torments. Nero gave orders to cut off their breasts and then to flay
their skin. An expert in cruelty, the emperor readied the fiercest
execution for St Photis: they tied her by the feet to the tops of two
bent-over trees. When the ropes were cut the trees sprang upright and
tore the martyr apart. The emperor ordered the others beheaded. St
Photina was removed from the well and locked up in prison for twenty
days.
After this Nero had her brought to him and asked if she would now
relent and offer sacrifice to the idols. St Photina spit in the face
of the emperor, and laughing at him, said, "O most impious of the
blind, you profligate and stupid man! Do you think me so deluded that
I would consent to renounce my Lord Christ and instead offer sacrifice
to idols as blind as you?"
Hearing such words, Nero gave orders to again throw the martyr down
the well, where she surrendered her soul to God (ca. 66).
On the Greek Calendar, St Photina is commemorated on February 26.
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Righteous Job the Long-Suffering
The righteous Job (whose name means "persecuted"), God's faithful
servant, was the perfect image of every virtue. The son of Zarah and
Bossorha (Job 42), Job was a fifth-generation descendent of Abraham.
He was a truthful, righteous, patient and pious man who abstained from
every evil thing. Job was very rich and blessed by God in all things,
as was no other son of Ausis (his country, which lay between Idoumea
and Arabia). However, divine condescension permitted him to be tested.
Job lost his children, his wealth, his glory, and every consolation
all at once. His entire body became a terrible wound covered with
boils. Yet he remained steadfast and patient in the face of his
misfortune for seven years, always giving thanks to God.
Later, God restored his former prosperity, and he had twice as much as
before. Job lived for 170 years after his misfortune, completing his
earthly life in 1350 B.C. at the age of 240. Some authorities say that
Job's afflictions lasted only one year, and that afterwards he lived
for 140 years, reaching the age of 210.
Job's explanations are among the most poetic writings in the Old
Testament book which bears his name. It is one of the most edifying
portions of Holy Scripture. Job teaches us that we must endure life's
adversities patiently and with trust in God. As St Anthony the Great
(January 17) says, without temptations, it is impossible for the
faithful to be saved.
The Orthodox Church reads the book of Job, the first of the seven
wisdom books of the Old Testament, during Holy Week, drawing a
parallel between Job and Christ as righteous men who suffered through
no fault of their own. God allowed Satan to afflict Job so that his
faithfulness would be proven. Christ, the only sinless one, suffered
voluntarily for our sins. The Septuagint text of Job 42:17 says that
Job "will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up." This passage
is read on Great and Holy Friday, when the composite Gospel at Vespers
speaks of the tombs being opened at the moment the Savior died on the
Cross, and the bodies of the saints were raised, and they appeared to
many after Christ's Resurrection (Mt.27:52)
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Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea
The Holy Martyrs Barbarus the Soldier, Bacchus, Callimachus and
Dionysius lived during the fourth century and served in the army of
the emperor Julian the Apostate.
St Barbarus was secretly a Christian, and in a war with the Franks he
gained victory in single combat against a mighty enemy soldier. For
this he received great honor in the army and the acclamation of the
emperor, and was given the title of comitus (imperial bodyguard).
After the victory over the Franks, Bacchus wanted to offer sacrifice
to the pagan gods, and he deferred to Barbarus as the victor, allowing
him to have the honor of making the first sacrificial offering.
St Barbarus openly confessed himself a Christian and refused to offer
the sacrifice. He was subjected to much torture for this, by order of
Julian the Apostate. They suspended the saint and tore his body until
his insides were falling out. St Barbarus called out to the Lord for
help, and then an angel of God appeared and healed his wounds, so that
not a trace of them remained.
Seeing this miracle, the military commander Bacchus and two soldiers,
Callimachus and Dionysius, believed in Christ and repudiated the pagan
gods. For this, they were immediately beheaded. They continued to
torture St Barbarus. They tied him to a wheel and lit a fire under it,
and they sprinkled the body of the sufferer with oil. But here also
the power of God preserved the holy martyr unharmed. The fire burned
many of the torturers, however, killing two. After this they continued
to torment the holy Martyr Barbarus for another seven days.
Through miraculous help from on high, the saint remained unharmed.
Seeing in this miracle the manifest power of God, many pagans were
converted to the true God. St Barbarus finally completed his glorious
endeavor by being beheaded by the sword in the year 362. The martyr's
body was buried in the city of Methona in the Peloponnesus by the
pious Bishop Philikios.
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Martyr Bacchus in Morea
The Holy Martyrs Bacchus, Barbarus the Soldier, Callimachus and
Dionysius lived during the fourth century and served in the army of
the emperor Julian the Apostate.
When the military commander Bacchus and two soldiers, Callimachus and
Dionysius, saw St Barbarus healed by an angel, they believed in Christ
and repudiated the pagan gods. For this, they were immediately
beheaded.
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Martyr Dionysius in Morea
The Holy Martyrs Dionysius, Barbarus the Soldier, Bacchus, Callimachus
lived during the fourth century and served in the army of the emperor
Julian the Apostate.
When the military commander Bacchus and two soldiers, Callimachus and
Dionysius, saw St Barbarus healed by an angel, they believed in Christ
and repudiated the pagan gods. For this, they were immediately
beheaded.
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Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber
The Holy Martyr Barbarus, formerly a robber, lived in Greece and for a
long time he committed robberies, extortions and murders. But the
Lord, Who does not desire the death of a sinner, turned him to
repentance. Once, when Barbarus was sitting in a cave and gazing upon
his stolen possessions, the grace of God touched his heart. He thought
about the inevitability of death, and about the dread Last Judgment.
Pondering over the multitude of his wicked deeds, he was distressed in
his heart and he decided to make a beginning of repentance, saying,
"The Lord did not despise the prayer of the robber hanging beside Him.
May He spare me through His ineffable mercy."
Barbarus left all his treasures behind in the cave and he went to the
nearest church. He did not conceal his wicked deeds from the priest,
and he asked to be accepted for repentance. The priest gave him a
place in his own home, and St Barbarus followed him, going about on
his hands and knees like a four-legged animal, since he considered
himself unworthy to be called a man. In the household of the priest he
lived with the cattle, eating with the animals and considering himself
more wicked than any creature. Having received absolution from his
sins from the priest, Barbarus went into the woods and lived there for
twelve years, naked and without clothing, suffering from the cold and
heat. His body became dirty and blackened all over.
Finally, St Barbarus received a sign from on high that his sins were
forgiven, and that he would die a martyr's death. Once, merchants came
to the place where St Barbarus labored. In the deep grass before them
they saw something moving. Thinking that this was an animal, they shot
several arrows from their bows. Coming closer, they were terrified to
see that they had mortally wounded a man. St Barbarus begged them not
to grieve. He told them about himself and he asked that they relate
what had happened to the priest at whose house he had once lived.
After this, St Barbarus yielded up his spirit to God. The priest, who
had accepted the repentance of the former robber, found his body
shining with a heavenly light. The priest buried the body of St
Barbarus at the place where he was killed. Afterwards, a curative
myrrh began to issue forth from the grave of the saint, which healed
various maladies. His relics are located at the monastery of Kellios
in Thessaly, near the city of Larissa.
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Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of
Radonezh
St Micah of Radonezh was one of the first disciples of St Sergius of
Radonezh, and lived with him in the same cell, and under his guidance
he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. For his meekness of
soul and purity of heart, St Micah was permitted to witness the
appearance of the Mother of God to his great teacher. Once, after St
Sergius had completed the morning Rule of prayer, sat down to rest for
awhile, but suddenly he said to his disciple, "Be alert, my child, for
we shall have a wondrous visitation."
Hardly had he uttered these words when a voice was heard, "The
All-Pure One draws near." Suddenly there shone a light brighter than
the sun. St Micah fell down upon the ground in fear, and lay there as
if he were dead. When St Sergius lifted up his disciple, he asked,
"Tell me, Father, what is the reason for this wondrous vision? My soul
has nearly parted from my body from fright." St Sergius then informed
his disciple about the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos.
St Micah fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1385.
St Micah's relics rest in a crypt at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. On
December 10, 1734, over St Micah's tomb, a church was consecrated in
honor of the Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy
Apostles Peter and John the Theologian to St Sergius of Radonezh.
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Translation of the relics of St Sava, 1st Archbishop of
Serbia
No information available at this time.
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Martyr Callimachus in Morea
The Holy Martyrs Callimachus, Barbarus the Soldier, Bacchus, and
Dionysius lived during the fourth century and served in the army of
the emperor Julian the Apostate.
When the military commander Bacchus and two soldiers, Callimachus and
Dionysius, saw St Barbarus healed by an angel, they believed in Christ
and repudiated the pagan gods. For this, they were immediately
beheaded.
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St Seraphim of Lebadeia
No information available at this time.
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