[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Wed Nov 14 05:00:17 CST 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Wed Nov 14 2007

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by
word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had
come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come
unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that
is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these
things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his
own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will
consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness
of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because
they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they
should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4

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1 Corinthians 4:9-16  (Apostle)
9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men
condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world,
both to angels and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are
weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are
dishonored!
11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly
clothed, and beaten, and homeless.
12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless;
being persecuted, we endure;
13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the
world, the offscouring of all things until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved
children I warn you.
15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet
you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you
through the gospel.
16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
Scripture Reading 2 of 4

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Luke 15:1-10
1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear
Him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives
sinners and eats with them."
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one
which is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors,
saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost!'
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no
repentance.
8 Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does
not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she
finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors
together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I
lost!'
10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels
of God over one sinner who repents.
Scripture Reading 3 of 4

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John 1:43-51  (Apostle)
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found
Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom
Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph."
46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an
Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and
said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig
tree, I saw you."
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!
You are the King of Israel!"
50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you
under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than
these."
51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you
shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man."
Scripture Reading 4 of 4

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Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip
The Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip, was a native of the city of
Bethsaida in Galilee. He had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy
Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament
prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of
the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. The Apostle Philip is
spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ
the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August
25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five
thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews
wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper
he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8).
After the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word
of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he
restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee
he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there.
Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In
response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of
the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle
Philip.
The Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that
the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ.
Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on
watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest
and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle
Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle
restored everyone's sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in
Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of
Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4).
>From Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city
of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a
local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home,
and then baptized his whole family.
>From Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there
were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees,
the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle
Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed
several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official
Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and
restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they
repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop
at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia,
Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings.
Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones,
locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages.
Then the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis,
where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple
where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle
Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many
bitten by snakes.
Among those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos.
Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect
Amphipatos gave orders to arrest St Philip, his sister, and the
Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan
priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy
Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified.
Suddenly, an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present
at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple
of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified
him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake.
Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand
that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle
Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized
all those believing and established a bishop for them.
But the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive,
except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross.
Mariamne his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle
Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was
crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own
death at Lykaonia.
The holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with St Philip the
Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.
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St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod
Saint Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, in the world Theophilus,
was the founder of the Irap wilderness-monastery. As an orphan and not
remembering his parents, the twelve-year-old Theophilus wandered about
and eventually settled near the Komel monastery and lived on charity.
St Cornelius (May 19) accepted the pious youth into the monastery and
after three years tonsured him a monk with the name Philip. Meek,
humble and hard-working, at the request of the brethren he was
ordained to the priesthood. His striving for greater efforts led him
to withdraw to the outskirts of White Lake.
Here, having the patronage of Prince Andrew Sheleshpansky, who had
allotted him land near the River Irapa, 45 versts from Cherepovets,
the monk built a chapel in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and a
cell for himself. News about the holy wilderness-dweller spread
throughout all the surrounding area, and monks began to flock to him.
The laity also went to him for spiritual counsel, and St Philip would
instruct them in the virtues which those living in the world ought to
possess.
Soon at the place of the chapel a church was built in the Name of the
Holy Life-Creating Trinity. St Philip dwelt in the wilderness for
fifteen years and died in 1537 at age 45. His relics were placed
beneath a crypt in the Trinity temple. Over his grave was an icon,
painted by the monk Theodosius. Soon after the death of St Philip, the
Krasnoborsk Philippov monastery arose on the place of his struggles.
The celebration of St Philip was established at the end of the
sixteenth century. The manuscript service to him dates from the end of
the sixteenth century.
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St Justinian the Emperor
Saint Justinian, a major figure in the history of the Byzantine state,
was also a great champion of Orthodoxy, a builder of churches and a
Church writer. He is said to be of Slavic descent, perhaps born in
Bulgaria. During his reign (527-565) Byzantium won glory with military
victories in Persia, Africa, Italy, as a result of which paganism was
decisively routed among the Germanic Vandals and Visigoth tribes. By
command of the emperor Justinian the pagan schools in Athens were
closed. Justinian sent John, the Bishop of Ephesus, throughout the
regions of Asia Minor with the aim of spreading Christianity. John
baptized more than 70 thousand pagans.
The emperor gave orders to build ninety churches for the
newly-converted, and he generously supported church construction
within the Empire. His finest structures of the time are considered to
be the monastery at Sinai, and the church of Hagia Sophia at
Constantinople. Under St Justinian many churches were built dedicated
to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos. Since he had received a broad
education, St Justinian assiduously concerned himself with the
education of clergy and monks, ordering them to be instructed in
rhetoric, philosophy and theology.
The right-believing sovereign devoted much attention and effort to the
struggle with the Origenists of his time, who then were reviving the
Nestorian heresy. To counter their heretical speculations, the Church
hymn "Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God, Who for our
salvation..." was composed, and Justinian commanded that it be sung in
the churches. From that time to the present day, this hymn is sung at
the Divine Liturgy before the Small Entrance after the second
Antiphon.
At the command of the sovereign, the Fifth Ecumenical Council was
convened in the year 553, censuring the teachings of Origen and
affirming the definitions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council at
Chalcedon. He also attempted to secure religious unity within the
Empire through his (unsuccessful) dialogues with the
non-Chalcedonians.
The holy Emperor Justinian wished to have orderly rule and law within
the realm. Under his guidance and supervision a complete compendium of
Roman law was compiled. It has come down to us as a law codex known as
"the Justinian Codex." The "Church laws" of Justinian are included in
all the variants of the Russian collections of Canon Law.
In his personal life, St Justinian was strictly pious, and he fasted
often. During Great Lent he would not eat bread nor drink wine. He is
also remembered for promoting the idea of "symphony" between church
and state. The holy Emperor Justinian died in the year 565.
The Empress Theodora, who died in the year 548, was also numbered
among the saints with her husband. She was at first a notorious harlot
and actress, and an adherent of the Monophysite heresy, but then she
repented. After becoming empress, she led a virtuous life, maintaining
purity of both soul and body. She provided wise counsel for her
husband during his reign, and she also saved his throne during the
Nika riots of 532 by her political intelligence and expertise.
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St Theodora the Empress
Saint Theodora was the wife of St Justinian the emperor, and lived
during the sixth century.
The Empress Theodora was at first a notorious harlot and actress, and
an adherent of the Monophysite heresy, but then she repented. After
becoming empress, she led a virtuous life, maintaining purity of both
soul and body. She provided wise counsel for her husband during his
reign, and she also saved his throne during the Nika riots of 532
through her political intelligence and expertise.
St Theodora died in 548.
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St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica
Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the
year 1296 in Constantinople. St Gregory's father became a prominent
dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he
soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and
education of the fatherless boy. Endowed with fine abilities and great
diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the
full course of medieval higher education. The emperor hoped that the
youth would devote himself to government work. But Gregory, barely
twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other
sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under
the guidance of the monastic Elder St Nicodemus of Vatopedi (July 11).
There he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. A year
later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a
vision and promised him his spiritual protection. Gregory's mother and
sisters also became monastics.
After the demise of the Elder Nicodemus, St Gregory spent eight years
of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nicephorus, and
after the latter's death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of St
Athanasius (July 5). Here he served in the trapeza, and then became a
church singer. But after three years, he resettled in the small skete
of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. The
head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of
unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by
monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth
century: Evagrius Pontikos and St Macarius of Egypt (January 19).
Later on, in the eleventh century St Simeon the New Theologian (March
12) provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying
in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice.
The experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart),
requiring solitude and quiet, is called "Hesychasm" (from the Greek
"hesychia" meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called
"hesychasts."
During his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully
imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential
part of his life. In the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish
invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was
then ordained to the holy priesthood.
St Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit.
Five days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on
Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. He celebrated
divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his
teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. Sometimes he visited
theological gatherings of the city's educated youth, headed by the
future patriarch, Isidore. After he returned from a visit to
Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near
Thessalonica the region of Bereia. Soon he gathered here a small
community of solitary monks and guided it for five years.
In the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which
put St Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of
Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm.
About the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in
Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises
on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he
received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound
on the works of St Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose
"apophatic" ("negative", in contrast to "kataphatic" or "positive")
theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the
Western Churches. Soon Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became
acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts'. Saying that it
was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a
heretical error. Journeying from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from
there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam
entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the
created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the
Transfiguration). He ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the
methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the
hesychasts.
St Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal
admonitions at first. But seeing the futility of such efforts, he put
his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the "Triads in
Defense of the Holy Hesychasts" (1338). Towards the year 1340 the
Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a
general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called "Hagiorite
Tome." At the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia
Sophia St Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the
nature of the light of Mount Tabor. On May 27, 1341 the Council
accepted the position of St Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable
in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are
directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the
light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. The
teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was
anathemized and fled to Calabria.
But the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from
over. To these latter belonged Barlaam's disciple, the Bulgarian monk
Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the
emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward
their opinion. Akyndinos, whose name means "one who inflicts no harm,"
actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote
a series of tracts in which he declared St Gregory and the Athonite
monks guilty of causing church disorders. The saint, in turn, wrote a
detailed refutation of Akyndinos' errors. The patriarch supported
Akyndinos and called St Gregory the cause of all disorders and
disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for
four years. In 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal
throne by Isidore (1347-1349), St Gregory Palamas was set free and was
made Archbishop of Thessalonica.
In 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his
teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept
St Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. On one of
his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands
of the Turks. Even in captivity, St Gregory preached to Christian
prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were
astonished by the wisdom of his words. Some of the Moslems were unable
to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had
not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, St
Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica.
St Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his
death, healing those afflicted with illness. On the eve of his repose,
St John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words "To the
heights! To the heights!" St Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord
on November 14, 1359. In 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople
Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who
compiled the Life and Services to the saint.
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New Hieromartyr Demetrius (Benevolenskii) of Tver
No information available at this time.
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