[Readingsandsaints] Readings and saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat May 26 2007

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Acts 28:1-31
1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was
called Malta.
2 And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire
and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and
because of the cold.
3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the
fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they
said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he
has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live."
5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall
down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm
come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
7 In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the
island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us
courteously for three days.
8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and
dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on
him and healed him.
9 So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had
diseases also came and were healed.
10 They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they
provided such things as were necessary.
11 After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose
figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island.
12 And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.
13 From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day
the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli,
14 where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven
days. And so we went toward Rome.
15 And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet
us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he
thanked God and took courage.
16 Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to
the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself
with the soldier who guarded him.
17 And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders
of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them:
"Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or
the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as
18 who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there
was no cause for putting me to death.
19 But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to
Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation.
20 For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and
speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this
chain.
21 Then they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea
concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or
spoken any evil of you.
22 But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this
sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.
23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his
lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of
God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and
the Prophets, from morning till evening.
24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some
disbelieved.
25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after
Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah
the prophet to our fathers,
26 saying, 'Go to this people and say: Hearing you will hear, and
shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard
of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with
their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with
their hearts and turn, So that I should heal th
28 Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been
sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great
dispute among themselves.
30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and
received all who came to him,
31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern
the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4


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1 Thessalonians 4:13-17  (Departed)
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those
who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will
bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede
those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead
in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.
Scripture Reading 2 of 4


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John 21:15-25
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 3 of 4


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John 5:24-30  (Departed)
24 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in
Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into
judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear
will live.
26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to
have life in Himself,
27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is
the Son of Man.
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are
in the graves will hear His voice
29 and come forth-those who have done good, to the resurrection of
life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation.
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is
righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the
Father who sent Me.
Scripture Reading 4 of 4



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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Memorial Saturday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical
Council
Today we remember all pious and Orthodox Christians who have fallen
asleep in the Lord, and also recall the dread Day of Judgment. May
Christ our God be merciful to them, and to us.
Two Epistles (Acts 28:1-31, I Thess. 4:13-17) and two Gospels (JN
21:14-25, JN 5:24-30) are appointed to be read at Liturgy. The
readings from Acts and the Gospel of St John, which began on Pascha,
now come to an end. The book of Acts does not end, as might be
expected, with the death of Sts Peter and Paul, but remains
open-ended.
In his article "With all the Saints," Fr Justin Popovich says that the
Lives of the Saints are nothing less than a "continuation of the Acts
of the Apostles." Just as the book of Acts describes the works of
Christ which the Apostles accomplished through Christ, Who was
dwelling in them and working through them, the saints also preach the
same Gospel, live the same life, manifest the same righteousness,
love, and power from on High. As we prepare for the Sunday of All
Saints, we are reminded that each of us is called to a life of
holiness.
On this seventh Saturday of Pascha, St John Chrysostom's "Homily on
Patience and Gratitude" is appointed to be read in church. It is also
prescribed to be read at the funeral service of an Orthodox Christian.
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Apostle Carpus of the Seventy
Saint Carpus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen and sent forth to
preach by Christ (Luke 10:1). He was bishop of Verria in Macedonia.
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Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy came from the Galilean city
of Capernaum and was the father of the Apostles James and Matthew.
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Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria
The Holy Martyr George the New was born into an illustrious Bulgarian
family, living in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sredets (now the city
of Sofia). St George's childless parents, John and Mary, in their
declining years entreated the Lord to send them a child. Their prayer
was answered, and they baptized the infant with the name of the holy
Great Martyr George (April 23).
Young George received a fine upbringing, he attentively studied the
Holy Scriptures, and he was pious and chaste. His parents died when
George was twenty-five. At that time Bulgaria found itself under the
rule of the Turks, who forcibly converted Christians to Islam.
Once, several Moslems tried to convert George. They put a fez on the
saint's head. This is a red circular hat which Moslems wear to enter
their house of prayer. But George threw the fez on the ground. The
Turks brought the martyr to their governor with beatings and abuse.
The governor was impressed with St George's appearance and bearing,
and he urged him to accept Islam, promising honors and wealth from
Sultan Selim (1512-1520). The saint boldly and steadfastly confessed
his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and reproached the errors of
Islam. The governor in a rage gave orders to beat St George with rods,
but the saint persevered in his confession of faith in Christ.
The governor ordered the tortures to be increased. The passion-bearer
bore all his sufferings, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for help.
Then they led the martyr through the city to the beat of a drum and
shouts: "Do not insult Mohammed nor abase the Moslem faith".
Finally, a large fire was lit in the city, to burn St George. Weakened
by his wounds, the saint fell to the ground. They threw him into the
fire still alive, and they threw corpses of dogs on top of him so that
Christians would not be able to find the relics of the martyr.
Suddenly, a heavy rain fell and extinguished the fire. With the onset
of darkness, the place where the body of the martyr was thrown was
illumined with a bright light. They gave permission to a certain
Christian priest to take the venerable relics of the martyr for
burial. Informed about the occurrence, Metropolitan Jeremiah and his
clergy went to the place of execution. In the ashes of the fire they
located the body of the holy Martyr George and carried it to the
church of St George the Great Martyr in the city of Sredets.
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Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot
of Kalyazin
The Uncovering of the Relics of St Macarius of Kalyazin occurred on
May 26, 1521. A merchant from the city of Dmitrov, Michael Voronkov,
offered the means for the construction of a stone church to replace
the decaying wooden one at the Kalyazin monastery.
The igumen of the monastery, Joasaph, set up a cross at the spot
designated for the altar, and gave a blessing to dig the trench for
the foundation. During the work a grave was discovered, exuding an
ineffable fragrance. Igumen Joasaph immediately recognized the grave
of the monastery's founder, St Macarius, who reposed in the year 1483.
The brethren of the monastery and a crowd of people sang a Panikhida
during the transfer of the coffin to the church. From that day the
incorrupt relics of the saint began to work healings. A report about
this was made to Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow (1522-1539), who
convened a Council at Moscow. After examining testimony about the
sanctity of Macarius, he established a Feast day for the
newly-appeared saint. The relics were solemnly transferred to the
church of the Holy Trinity.
Theodosius of Tver composed the service for the Uncovering of the
Relics. Until 1547, St Macarius was venerated only at this monastery.
During the Moscow Council of 1547 under Metropolitan Macarius
(1543-1564), St Macarius of Kalyazin was numbered among the saints,
and his name added to the calendar of other Russian saints to be
celebrated throughout all of Russia.
The Life of St Macarius of Kalyazin is found under March 17, the day
of his blessed repose.
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Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus
According to Tradition, the Holy Martyrs Abercius and Helen were
children of the holy Apostle Alphaeus. For confessing faith in Christ,
St Abercius was tied naked to a beehive and died from the bees' sting.
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Martyr Helen the Daughter of the Apostle Alphaeus
According to Tradition, the Holy Martyrs Helen and Abercius, were
children of the holy Apostle Alphaeus. For confessing faith in Christ,
St Helen, was pelted with stones.
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St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople
Saint John Psichaita the Confessor lived during the end of the eighth
or the beginning of the ninth century. In his youth he left the
secular world and became a monk in the Psichaita Lavra (in the suburbs
of Constantinople).
Because of his holy life and deeds, he received from God the gift to
cast out demons and to heal the sick. During this time the heresy of
the iconoclasts was raging, and those venerating holy icons were
subjected to persecution.
St John was led away for interrogation, and they tried to force him to
sign a document renouncing the veneration of holy icons. Instead of
renouncing the holy icons, the saint denounced his persecutors,
calling the emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741) a heretic. Therefore,
they sent St John into exile. He died, having suffered much from the
iconoclasts.
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St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England
Saint Augustine was from Italy, and a disciple of St Felix, Bishop of
Messana. St Gregory Dialogus (March12) chose him to lead a mission of
forty monks to evangelize the people of Britain. They arrived at
Ebbsfleet (on the isle of Thanet) in Kent in 597.
King Ethelbert, whose Frankish wife Bertha was a Christian, welcomed
them. They were allowed to base their mission at the ancient church of
St Martin in Canterbury, which was restored for their use. This church
had been built during the Roman occupation of Britain, and the queen
often went there to pray. At first, the king was reluctant to give up
his pagan beliefs, but he promised not to harm them, and to supply
them with whatever they needed. He also promised that he would not
prevent them from preaching Christianity. St Augustine later converted
the king to Christianity, along with thousands of his subjects. The
holy right-believing King Ethelbert is commemorated on February 25.
Bede says that St Augustine was consecrated as Archbishop of Britain
by Archbishop Etherius of Arles (others say that it was his successor
St Virgilius of Arles [March 5] who consecrated St Augustine).
Returning to Britain, he threw himself into the work of evangelizing
the country with renewed zeal. St Augustine built Christ Church,
predecessor of the present cathedral at Canterbury, and consecrated it
on June 9, 603 (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). He also
founded the monastery of Sts Peter and Paul east of the city. Here St
Augustine, the Archbishops of Canterbury, and the Kings of Kent were
buried. The monastery, now in ruins, was later known as St Augustine's
Monastery.
The saint was instrumental in founding the dioceses of Rochester and
London. In 604 he consecrated St Justus (November 10) and St Mellitus
(April 24) as bishops for those Sees. St Augustine also helped the
king draft the earliest Anglo-Saxon laws, and founded a school in
Canterbury.
Saint Augustine was not completely successful in all his efforts,
however. He was not able to achieve unity with the already existing
Christian communities who followed Celtic practices. He met with some
of their bishops to urge them to abandon their Celtic traditions and
to accept the Roman practices. He invited them to cooperate with him
in evangelizing the country, but they refused to give up their ancient
traditions. . Before meeting with St Augustine in 603, the Celtic
bishops asked a holy hermit whether or not to accept Augustine as
their leader. The hermit replied, "If he rises to greet you, then
accept him. If he remains seated, then he is arrogant and unfit to be
your leader, and you should reject him." Unfortunately, St Augustine
did not rise to greet them. Perhaps St Augustine was, to some degree,
a bit tactless and too insistent on conformity to Roman customs. On
the other hand, Celtic resentment against Roman authority also
contributed to the stormy relationship.
Known in his lifetime as a wonderworker, St Augustine fell asleep in
the Lord on May 26, 604. He was laid to rest at the entrance of the
unfinished church of Sts Peter and Paul. When the church was dedicated
in 613, his holy relics were placed inside. An epitaph was composed
for his tomb. In part, it reads: "Here lies the Lord Augustine, first
Archbishop of Canterbury, sent here by blessed Gregory, bishop of the
city of Rome, who with the help of God, and aided by miracles, guided
King Ethelbert and his people from the worship of idols to the Faith
of Christ."
St Bede (May 27) gives detailed information about St Augustine's
mission to Britain in his HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE
(Book I, 23-33. Book II, 1-3).
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