[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

Fri May 25 05:00:44 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri May 25 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Composite 8  - Isaiah 40, 41, 45, 48, 54 (Vespers, 1st Reading,
Forerunner)
Thus saith the Lord: "Comfort, comfort My people," says God. "Speak to
the heart of Jerusalem, you Priests, comfort her, for her humiliation
is increased, her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the
Lord's hand double for her sins. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of
our God.'
"Go up to a high mountain, you who are proclaiming glad tidings to
Zion, lift up your voice with strength, O herald of good tidings to
Jerusalem. Lift it up, fear not! I the Lord God, I have heard the poor
of Israel and will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the
mountains, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the
deserts pools of water, and the thirsty landsprings of water. Let the
heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down
righteousness; let the earth bring forth, and let it sprout forth
mercy and cause righteousness to shine forth also.
"Declare this with a shout of joy, and let this be known, proclaim it
to the end of the earth. Say, 'The Lord hath redeemed His servant
Jacob!' And if they thirst, he shall lead them through the desert, He
shall bring forth water for them out of the rock. Rejoice, O barren
one who did not bear; break forth _into singing_ and cry loud, you who
have not been in travail! For more are the children of the desolate
one than of her who has a husband."
Scripture Reading 1 of 8

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Composite 9  - Malachi 3, 4 (Vespers, 2nd Reading, Forerunner)
_Thus saith the Lord Almighty:_ "Behold, I send My messenger before
Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before thee, and the Lord whom you
seek, shall come into His temple. But who can endure the day of His
coming? For he is coming like fire of a furnace and like the fuller's
herb; and he shall cleanse, refining and purifying, as it were, silver
and gold. And he comes to you with judgment, and will be a swift
witness against the evil ones and against adulterers, and against
those who swear falsely by My name, against those who withhold the
hireling's wages, against those who oppress widows and beat orphans,
against those who avoid judgment in favor of strangers, and against
those who do not fear him," says the Lord Almighty.
"For I am the Lord your God, and I change not; and you, the sons of
Jacob, have turned aside from the law and have not kept it. Return to
Me, therefore, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. "And
all nations shall call you blessed, and they shall understand that I
am the Lord, who distinguishes between the righteous and between the
transgressors on that day, in which I shall act to spare those who
love me.
"Know, therefore, and remember the Law of Moses, My servant, as I
commanded you at Horeb, the statues and ordinances for all Israel. And
behold, I will send to you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and
glorious day of the Lord comes, who shall turn the heart of a father
to his son, and the heart of a man to his neighbor, lest I come
quickly and smite the earth," _saith the Lord Almighty, God, the One
of Israel._
Scripture Reading 2 of 8

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Composite 3  - Wisdom 4, 5 (Vespers, 3rd Reading, Forerunner)
The righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest. The righteous
man who has died will judge the ungodly who are living. For they will
see the end of the righteous, and will not understand what was said
about him; for the Lord will cast down the ungodly speechless to the
ground and shake them from the foundations; they shall become desolate
to the end; they will be in sorrows, and their memory will perish. For
they will come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their
iniquities shall stand against them to convict them.
Then the righteous man will stand with great boldness before those who
have afflicted him, and those who have made of no account his labors.
Having seen it, they shall be troubled with much fear and they will be
amazed at his most-glorious salvation. They will say within themselves
in repentance, in anguish of spirit they will groan and say: "This was
he whom we had sometimes in derision and a proverb of reproach - we
fools! We accounted his life as madness, and his end to be without
honor. How is he numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot
among the Saints?
"Therefore, we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of
righteousness did not illumine us, nor did the sun shine on us. We
took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction, and we
walked impassible pathways, but the way of the Lord we have not
known."
Scripture Reading 3 of 8

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Luke 7:17-30  (Matins Gospel)
17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the
surrounding region.
18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these
things.
19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus,
saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
20 When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent
us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for
another?' "
21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and
evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you
have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel
preached to them.
23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.
24 When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the
multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness
to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
25 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?
Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in
kings' courts.
26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and
more than a prophet.
27 This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger
before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'
28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of
God is greater than he.
29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors
justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for
themselves, not having been baptized by him.
Scripture Reading 4 of 8

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Acts 27:1-44
1 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered
Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the
Augustan Regiment.
2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail
along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica,
was with us.
3 And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly
and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.
4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of
Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and
Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and
he put us on board.
7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off
Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the
shelter of Crete off Salmone.
8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens,
near the city of Lasea.
9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous
because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
10 saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster
and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives."
11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and
the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority
advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach
Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest,
and winter there.
13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained
their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.
14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called
Euroclydon.
15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we
let her drive.
16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we
secured the skiff with difficulty.
17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the
ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands,
they struck sail and so were driven.
18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they
lightened the ship.
19 On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own
hands.
20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small
tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given
up.
21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst
of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have
sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.
22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life
among you, but only of the ship.
23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I
belong and whom I serve,
24 saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar;
and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just
as it was told me.
26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.
27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and
down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they
were drawing near some land.
28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when
they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it
to be fifteen fathoms.
29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped
four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.
30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they
had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out
anchors from the prow,
31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay
in the ship, you cannot be saved."
32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall
off.
33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food,
saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued
without food, and eaten nothing.
34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your
survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.
35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to
God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to
eat.
36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.
37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.
38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw
out the wheat into the sea.
39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed
a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if
possible.
40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile
loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind
and made for shore.
41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground;
and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was
being broken up by the violence of the waves.
42 And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them
should swim away and escape.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their
purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard
first and get to land,
44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so
it was that they all escaped safely to land.
Scripture Reading 5 of 8

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2 Corinthians 4:6-15   (Forerunner)
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of
the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are
perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is
written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and
therefore speak,
14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up
with Jesus, and will present us with you.
15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread
through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of
God.
Scripture Reading 6 of 8

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John 17:18-26
18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the
world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be
sanctified by the truth.
20 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe
in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be
one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and
that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as
You have loved Me.
24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me
where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for
You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known
You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that
the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
Scripture Reading 7 of 8

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Matthew 11:2-15  (Forerunner)
2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent
two of his disciples
3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for
another?"
4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which
you hear and see:
5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the
deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel
preached to them.
6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.
7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning
John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken
by the wind?
8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?
Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and
more than a prophet.
10 For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger
before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'
11 Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not
risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Scripture Reading 8 of 8

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Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious
Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
The Third Discovery of the Venerable Head of the Holy Prophet,
Forerunner and Baptist John occurred in about the year 850 (see the
account of the First and Second Discoveries on February 24). The head
of St John the Forerunner was found in the city of Emesia during a
time of unrest at Constantinople connected with the exile of St John
Chrysostom (November 13).
It was transferred to Komana during the Saracen raids (about 820-820)
and it was hidden in the ground during a period of iconoclastic
persecution. When the veneration of icons was restored, Patriarch
Ignatius (847-857) saw in a vision the place where the head of St John
the Forerunner was hidden. The patriarch communicated this to the
emperor, who sent a delegation to Komana. There the head was found a
third time arond the year 850.
Afterwards the head was again transferred to Constantinople, and here
on May 25 it was placed in a church at the court. Part of the head is
on Mt. Athos. The Third Discovery of the Head of John the Baptist is
commemorated on May 25.
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Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus
The Hieromartyr Therapon, Bishop of Cyprus, lived a life of asceticism
in a monastery, and afterwards he served as a bishop on the island of
Cyprus. At the time of the persecution under Diocletian (284-305), St
Therapon bravely confessed the name of Christ and died a martyric
death.
The relics of the hieromartyr were at first located on Cyprus and were
glorified by numerous miracles. Later, in the year 806, they were
transferred to Constantinople. The relics were moved because of a
danger of invasion by the Saracens. As the ship sailed to
Constantinople, myrrh began to flow from the relics, and travellers on
the ship were miraculously saved during a storm by their prayers to St
Therapon.
Upon arrival at Constantinople, the relics of the hieromartyr were
placed in a temple built in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of
Eleousa or "the Merciful" (November 12).
In the year 806 the relics were again transferred into a temple built
in honor of the Hieromartyr Therapon, myrrh flowed from them, and
miracles took place. Through the prayers of St Therapon, those who are
seriously ill are healed, and the dying restored to life.
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Hieromartyr Urban the Pope of Rome
No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Helper of the sinners" from
Koretsk
No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.
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