[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sat Sep 1 05:00:27 CDT 2007

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Sep 1 2007

----------------------------------------------------
------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------

Isaiah 61:1-9  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed
Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of
the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of
vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The
planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former
desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations
of many generations.
5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the
foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you
the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And
in their glory you shall boast.
7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of
confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land
they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I
will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an
everlasting covenant.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their
offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.
Scripture Reading 1 of 7

-----------------------------

Composite 24  - Leviticus 26 (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
_The Lord spoke to the sons of Israel, saying:_ If you will walk in My
statues, and keep My commandments, and do them, then will I give you
the rain in its season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the
trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And the time of your
threshing shall reach unto the gathering of the vine, and the
gathering of the vine shall reach unto the sowing; you shall eat your
bread to the full, and you shall dwell securely in your land. And I
will give peace in your land, and you shall sleep, and none shall make
you afraid; and I will destroy the cruel beasts out of your land, and
war shall not go through your land. And you shall pursue your enemies,
and they shall fall before you with slaughter. And five of you shall
pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you shall pursue ten thousand; and
your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. And I will look upon
you and bless you; I will increase you and multiply you, and establish
My covenant with you. You shall eat the old _stores_, and the oldest
of the old; and you shall carry off the old to make way for the new.
And I will establish My covenant with you, and My soul shall not be
disturbed with you. And I will walk among you and be your God, and you
shall be My people.
But if you will not hearken unto Me, nor do these My commandments, nor
submit yourselves to them, and your soul should abhor My judgments, so
that you should not keep all My commandments, so as to break My
covenant, then will I do thus to you: I will bring want upon you; you
shall sow your seed vainly, and your enemies shall eat up _the fruit
of_ your labors. And I will set My face against you, and you shall
fall before your enemies and be made subject to them that hate you;
you shall flee when no one pursues you. And I will break down the
haughtiness of your pride; I will make your heaven like iron and your
earth like brass. And your strenght shall be in vain, for your land
shall not yield its seed, nor shall the tree of your field yield its
fruit. And I will send upon you the wild beasts of the land, and the
sword falling upon you shall destroy you. And your land shall be
desolate and your gates deserted, for you walked perversely before Me;
and I will walk contrary to you in fury, _saith the Lord God, the Holy
One of Israel_.
Scripture Reading 2 of 7

-----------------------------

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-15  (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
7 But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.
8 For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by
number of years;
9 but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe
old age.
10 There was one who pleased God and was loved by him,
11 He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile
deceive his soul.
12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving
desire perverts the innocent mind.
13 Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;
14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took him
quickly from the midst of wickedness.
15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand, nor take such a thing
to heart, that God's grace and mercy are his elect, and he watches
over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 3 of 7

-----------------------------

1 Timothy 2:1-7  (Epistle, New Year)
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle-I am speaking
the truth in Christ and not lying-a teacher of the Gentiles in faith
and truth.
Scripture Reading 4 of 7

-----------------------------

Colossians 3:12-16  (Epistle, St. Simeon)
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender
mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has
a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also
must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you
were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Scripture Reading 5 of 7

-----------------------------

Luke 4:16-22  (Gospel, New Year)
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His
custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood
up to read.
17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had
opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To
preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of
sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat
down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in
your hearing."
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words
which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's
son?"
Scripture Reading 6 of 7

-----------------------------

Matthew 11:27-30  (Gospel, St. Simeon)
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows
the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the
Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Scripture Reading 7 of 7

----------------------------------------------------
------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------

Church New Year
The first day of the Church New Year is also called the beginning of
the Indiction. The term Indiction comes from a Latin word meaning, "to
impose." It was originally applied to the imposition of taxes in
Egypt. The first worldwide Indiction was in 312 when the Emperor
Constantine (May 21) saw a miraculous vision of the Cross in the sky.
Before the introduction of the Julian calendar, Rome began the New
Year on September 1.
According to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September
1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah
61:1-2), the Savior proclaimed, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me;
because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has
sent me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord" This scene is depicted in a Vatican
manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1).
Tradition says that the Hebrews entered the Promised Land in
September.
_________________________________________________________________
St Simeon Stylites, the Elder
Saint Simeon the Stylite was born in the Cappadocian village of Sisan
of Christian parents, Sisotian and Martha. At thirteen years of age he
began to tend his father's flock of sheep. He devoted himself
attentively and with love to this, his first obedience.
Once, after he heard the Beatitudes in church, he was struck by their
profundity. Not trusting to his own immature judgment, he turned
therefore with his questions to an experienced Elder. The Elder
readily explained to the boy the meaning of what he had heard. The
seed fell on good soil, and it strengthened his resolve to serve God.
When Simeon was eighteen, he received monastic tonsure and devoted
himself to feats of the strictest abstinence and unceasing prayer. His
zeal, beyond the strength of the other monastic brethren, so alarmed
the igumen that he told Simeon that to either moderate his ascetic
deeds or leave the monastery.
St Simeon then withdrew from the monastery and lived in an empty well
in the nearby mountains, where he was able to carry out his austere
struggles unhindered. After some time, angels appeared in a dream to
the igumen, who commanded him to bring back Simeon to the monastery.
The monk, however, did not long remain at the monastery. After a short
while he settled into a stony cave, situated not far from the village
of Galanissa, and he dwelt there for three years, all the while
perfecting himself in monastic feats. Once, he decided to spent the
entire forty days of Great Lent without food or drink. With the help
of God, the monk endured this strict fast. From that time he abstained
from food completely during the entire period of the Great Lent, even
from bread and water. For twenty days he prayed while standing, and
for twenty days while sitting, so as not to permit the corporeal
powers to relax.
A whole crowd of people began to throng to the place of his efforts,
wanting to receive healing from sickness and to hear a word of
Christian edification. Shunning worldly glory and striving again to
find his lost solitude, the monk chose a previously unknown mode of
asceticism. He went up a pillar six to eight feet high, and settled
upon it in a little cell, devoting himself to intense prayer and
fasting.
Reports of St Simeon reached the highest church hierarchy and the
imperial court. Patriarch Domninos II (441-448) of Antioch visited the
monk, celebrated Divine Liturgy on the pillar and communed the ascetic
with the Holy Mysteries.
Elders living in the desert heard about St Simeon, who had chosen a
new and strange form of ascetic striving. Wanting to test the new
ascetic and determine whether his extreme ascetic feats were pleasing
to God, they sent messengers to him, who in the name of these desert
fathers were to bid St Simeon to come down from the pillar.
In the case of disobedience they were to forcibly drag him to the
ground. But if he was willing to submit, they were to leave him on his
pillar. St Simeon displayed complete obedience and deep Christian
humility. The monks told him to stay where he was, asking God to be
his helper.
St Simeon endured many temptations, and he invariably gained the
victory over them. He relied not on his own weak powers, but on the
Lord Himself, Who always came to help him. The monk gradually
increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. His final pillar
was 80 feet in height. Around him a double wall was raised, which
hindered the unruly crowd of people from coming too close and
disturbing his prayerful concentration.
Women, in general, were not permitted beyond the wall. The saint did
not make an exception even for his own mother, who after long and
unsuccessful searches finally succeeded in finding her lost son. He
would not see her, saying, "If we are worthy, we shall see one another
in the life to come." St Martha submitted to this, remaining at the
foot of the pillar in silence and prayer, where she finally died. St
Simeon asked that her coffin be brought to him. He reverently bid
farewell to his dead mother, and a joyful smile appeared on her face.
St Simeon spent 80 years in arduous monastic feats, 47 years of which
he stood upon the pillar. God granted him to accomplish in such
unusual conditions an indeed apostolic service. Many pagans accepted
Baptism, struck by the moral staunchness and bodily strength which the
Lord bestowed upon His servant.
The first one to learn of the death of the saint was his close
disciple Anthony. Concerned that his teacher had not appeared to the
people for three days, he went up on the pillar and found the dead
body stooped over at prayer. Patriarch Martyrius of Antioch performed
the funeral before a huge throng of clergy and people. They buried him
near his pillar. At the place of his ascetic deeds, Anthony
established a monastery, upon which rested the special blessing of St
Simeon.
We pray to St Simeon for the return to the Church of those who have
forsaken Her, or have been separated from Her.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites
Saint Martha lived in Cilicia of Asia Minor during the fourth and
fifth centuries, and came from a poor family. She and her husband
Sisotion were the parents of St Simeon the Stylite.
At the age of eighteen, Simeon received the monastic tonsure without
his parents' knowledge. Many years later, Martha came to the saint's
pillar in order to see him. Simeon sent word to her not to come, for
if they were worthy, they would see each other in the life to come.
Martha insisted on seeing him, and he had someone tell her to wait for
a while in silence. St Martha agreed to this, and waited at the foot
of the hill where her son's pillar stood. There she departed to the
Lord.
When he heard that his mother had died, St Simeon ordered that her
body be brought to the foot of his pillar. He prayed over his mother's
body for some time shedding many tears, and witnesses said that a
smile appeared on St Martha's face.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Aithalas of Persia
The Holy Martyr Aithalas the Deacon, by order of the Persian emperor
Sapor II, was put to death by stoning in the year 380 for confessing
Christ.
_________________________________________________________________
40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace
The 40 Holy Virgins and Saint Ammoun the Deacon, were from
Adrianopolis in Macedonia. Deacon Ammoun was their guide in Christian
Faith. They were captured by Baudos the governor, and were tortured
because they would not offer sacrifice to idols.
The holy martyrs endured many cruel torments, which were intended to
force them to renounce Christ and worship idols. Later, they were sent
to Heraklea in Thrace to appear before the tyrant Licinius. The
valiant martyrs remained unshakeable, however.
St Ammoun and eight of the virgins were beheaded, ten virgins were
burned, six of them died after heated metal balls were put into their
mouths, six were stabbed with knives, and the rest were struck in the
mouth and stabbed in the heart with swords.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Ammoun the Deacon and Teacher of the Holy 40 Women
Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace
Saint Ammoun the Deacon was from Adrianopolis in Macedonia, and
instructed forty holy virgins in the Christian Faith. They were
captured by Baudos the governor, and were tortured because they would
not offer sacrifice to idols.
The holy martyrs endured many cruel torments, which were intended to
force them to renounce Christ and worship idols. Later, they were sent
to Heraklea in Thrace to appear before the tyrant Licinius. The
valiant martyrs remained unshakeable, however.
St Ammoun and eight of the virgins were beheaded, ten virgins were
burned, six of them died after heated metal balls were put into their
mouths, six were stabbed with knives, and the rest were struck in the
mouth and stabbed in the heart with swords.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia
The Holy Martyrs Callista and her brothers Evodus and Hermogenes, with
other Christians of Nicomedia, were brought to trial before the pagan
governor for confessing their faith in Christ. Refusing to offer
sacrifice to idols, they were cut down by the sword.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Evodus with his brother and sister at Nicomedia
The Holy Martyr Evodus, his sister Callista and brother Hermogenes
with other Christians of Nicomedia, were brought to trial before the
pagan governor for confessing their faith in Christ. Refusing to offer
sacrifice to idols, they were cut down by the sword.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Hermogenes with his brother and sister at Nicomedia
The Holy Martyr Hermogenes, his sister Callista and brother Evodus,
with other Christians of Nicomedia, were brought to trial before the
pagan governor for confessing their faith in Christ. Refusing to offer
sacrifice to idols, they were cut down by the sword.
_________________________________________________________________
Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi)
Saint Joshua (Jesus), the son of Navi, was leader of the Israelites
after the death of the Prophet Moses. He was born in Egypt around 1654
B.C. and succeeded Moses when he was eighty-five. He ruled the
Israelites for twenty-five years.
Joshua conquered the Promised Land, and led the Hebrew nation into it.
The Lord worked a great miracle through Joshua. He stopped the Jordan
from flowing, allowing the Israelites to cross over on foot as if on
dry land (Joshua 3). St Michael, the Leader of the Heavenly Hosts,
appeared to Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15).
The walls of Jericho fell down by themselves after the Ark of the
Covenant was carried around the city for seven days (Joshua 6:20).
Finally, during a battle with the enemy, Joshua, by God's will, halted
the motion of the sun (Joshua 10:13) and prolonged the day until
victory was won.
After the end of the war, Joshua divided the Promised Land among the
Twelve Tribes of Israel. He died at 110 years of age (1544 B.C.),
commanding the nation to preserve the Law of Moses. All these events
are recounted in the Book of Joshua, the sixth book of the Old
Testament.
_________________________________________________________________
Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena
Monastery
The Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was trhrown into Lake
Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the
iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from
the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery.
_________________________________________________________________
Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane"
The Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the
famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was
to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount
Boldina, and where in the eleventh century St Anthony of the Kiev
Caves struggled in asceticism.
St Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book
THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: "The end of the booklet,
but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count
them?" The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its
copies.
The Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the
mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra
in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a
quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John
Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity
Sergiev Lavra.)
On the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May
1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church
named for St Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was
consecrated on October 27, 1851 by St Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow
(November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the
Gethsemane skete.
In this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the
history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of St Anthony
of the Caves, of St Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Sts Cyril
and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the
nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come
forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God.
It is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on
the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the
twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova,
was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years.
Living at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the
celebration of the Repose of St Sergius (September 25), Thekla
recovered completely. St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October
6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun
Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast
of St Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the
details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 St Innocent arrived at
the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served
before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears.
By September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole
series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon
of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by
suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing,
people from every class of society came with firm faith to the
wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had
been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of
the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the
founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the
hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+
April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the
hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the
Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon.
The initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on
the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was
transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the
present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at
Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of St Sergius, in
the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral,
painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness
monastery.
_________________________________________________________________
St Meletius the New
Saint Meletius the New was born in Cappadocia in 1035. Many people
regarded him as an imbecile, but God "hath made foolish the wisdom of
this world" (I Cor. 1:20), and it has also pleased Him "by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21). So
the Lord used the saint to draw many souls to Himself.
St Meletius was given the gift of prophecy, and performed many
miracles. He built a monastery on Mt. Cytheron in Boeotia in central
Greece, which was named for him.
After living as a hermit for many years, St Meletius fell asleep in
the Lord on Mt. Cytheron in 1105.
_________________________________________________________________
Icon of the Mother of God, the "All Blessed"
(New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) The original "All
Blessed" (Pammakaristos) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is in
Constantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. It is a mosaic icon
dating from the middle of the eleventh century.
In 1905, Patriarch Joachim III presented a copy of the icon to the
city of Kazan in Russia.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Evanthia
No information available at this time.
_________________________________________________________________