[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Sep 29 2007

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1 Corinthians 15:39-45
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of
men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the
glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is
another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and
another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in
glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in
corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in
weakness, it is raised in power.
44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is
a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being."
The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2


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Luke 5:17-26
17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there
were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of
every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord
was present to heal them.
18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom
they sought to bring in and lay before Him.
19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because
of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his
bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are
forgiven you."
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is
this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to
them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23 Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say,
'Rise up and walk'?
24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to
forgive sins-He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you,
arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying
on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled
with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"
Scripture Reading 2 of 2



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Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine
Saint Cyriacus was born at Corinth to the priest John and his wife
Eudokia. Bishop Peter of Corinth, who was a relative, seeing that
Cyriacus was growing up as a quiet and sensible child, made him a
reader in church. Constant reading of the Holy Scriptures awakened in
him a love for the Lord and of a yearning for a pure and saintly life.
Once, when the youth was not yet eighteen years old, he was deeply
moved during a church service by the words of the Gospel: "If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow Me" (Mt.16:24). He believed these words applied to him, so he
went right to the harbor without stopping at home, got onto a ship and
went to Jerusalem.
After visiting the holy places, Cyriacus dwelt for several months at a
monastery not far from Sion in obedience to the igumen Abba
Eustorgius. With his blessing, he made his way to the wilderness Lavra
of St Euthymius the Great (January 20). St Euthymius, discerning in
the youth great gifts of God, tonsured him into the monastic schema
and placed him under the guidance of St Gerasimus (March 4), pursuing
asceticism at the Jordan in the monastery of St Theoctistus.
St Gerasimus, seeing the youthfulness of Cyriacus, ordered him to live
in the community with the brethren. The young monk easily accomplished
the monastic obediences: he prayed fervently, he slept little, he ate
food only every other day, nourishing himself with bread and water.
During Great Lent it was the custom of St Gerasimus to go into the
Rouva wilderness, returning to the monastery only on Palm Sunday.
Seeing Cyriacus' strict abstinence, he decided to take him with him.
In complete solitude the ascetics redoubled their efforts. Each Sunday
St Gerasimus imparted the Holy Mysteries to his disciple.
After the death of St Gerasimus, the twenty-seven-year-old Cyriacus
returned to the Lavra of St Euthymius, but he was no longer among the
living. St Cyriacus asked for a solitary cell and there he pursued
asceticism in silence, communicating only with the monk Thomas. But
soon Thomas was sent to Alexandria where he was consecrated bishop,
and St Cyriacus spent ten years in total silence. At 37 years of age
he was ordained to the diaconate.
When a split occurred between the monasteries of St Euthymius and St
Theoctistus, St Cyriacus withdrew to the Souka monastery of St
Chariton (September 28). At this monastery they received even tonsured
monks as novices, and so was St Cyriacus received. He toiled humbly at
the regular monastic obediences. After several years, St Cyriacus was
ordained priest and chosen canonarch and did this obedience for
eighteen years. St Cyriacus spent thirty years at the monastery of St
Chariton.
Strict fasting and total lack of evil distinguished St Cyriacus even
among the ascetics of the Lavra. In his cell each night he read the
Psalter, interrupting the reading only to go to church at midnight.
The ascetic slept very little. When the monk reached seventy years of
age, he went to the Natoufa wilderness taking with him his disciple
John.
In the desert the hermits fed themselves only with bitter herbs, which
through the prayer of St Cyriacus was rendered edible. After five
years one of the inhabitants found out about the ascetics and brought
to them his demon-possessed son, and St Cyriacus healed him. From that
time many people began to approach the monk with their needs, but he
sought complete solitude and fled to the Rouva wilderness, where he
dwelt five years more. But the sick and those afflicted by demons came
to him in this wilderness, and the saint healed them all with the Sign
of the Cross and by anointing them with oil.
At his 80th year of life St Cyriacus fled to the hidden Sousakim
wilderness, where two dried up streams passed by. According to
Tradition, the holy Prophet David brought Sousakim to attention: "Thou
hast dried up the rivers of Etham" (Ps 73/74:15). After seven years,
brethren of the Souka monastery came to him, beseeching his spiritual
help during a period of debilitating hunger and illness, which God
permitted. They implored St Cyriacus to return to the monastery, and
he settled in a cave, in which St Chariton had once lived.
St Cyriacus rendered great help to the Church in the struggle with the
spreading heresy of the Origenists. By prayer and by word, he brought
the wayward back to the true path, and strengthened the Orthodox in
their faith. Cyril, the author of the Life of St Cyriacus, and a monk
of the Lavra of St Euthymius, was a witness when St Cyriacus predicted
the impending death of the chief heretics Nonos and Leontius, and soon
the heresy would cease to spread.
The Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded St Cyriacus to keep to the
Orthodox teaching in its purity: Having appeared to him in a dream
together with the Sts John the Baptist and John the Theologian, She
refused to enter into the cell of the monk because in it was a book
with the words of the heretic Nestorius. "In your cell is My enemy,"
She said (The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to St Cyriacus is
commemorated on June 8).
At the age of ninety-nine, St Cyriacus again went off to Susakim and
lived there with his disciple John. In the wilderness a huge lion
waited on St Cyriacus, protecting him from robbers, but it did not
bother wandering brethren and it ate from the monk's hand.
Once in the heat of summer, all the water in the hollow of a rock
dried up, where the ascetics had stored water during the winter, and
there was no other source of water. St Cyriacus prayed, and rain fell,
filling the pit with water.
For the two years before his death St Cyriacus returned to the
monastery and again settled into the cave of St Chariton. Until the
end of his life the righteous Elder preserved his courage, and prayed
with fervor. He was never idle, either he prayed, or he worked. Before
his death St Cyriacus summoned the brethren and blessed them all. He
quietly fell asleep in the Lord, having lived 109 years.
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Martyr Dada of Persia
The Martyrs Dadas, Gabeddas and Kazdoa accepted death for Christ under
the Persian emperor Sapor. Dadas was chief steward under Sapor, and
Sts Gabeddas and Kazdoa were the cruel emperor's own children.
Not knowing that St Dadas was a Christian, the emperor appointed him
as governor of one of the Persian districts. When it was discovered,
he was stripped of all honors, sent to the court of the cruel torturer
Andromelik and was condemned to be burned. Approaching the stake, St
Dadas shielded himself with the Sign of the Cross, and the fire went
out.
Seeing this miracle, the emperor's stunned son Gabeddas believed in
Christ and in the hearing of all, confessed his faith. The judge
reported this to the emperor, and he commanded St Gabeddas to be
fiercely tortured. But in all the sufferings divine strength preserved
the saint.
An angel of the Lord comforted him, and each time the Lord restored
health and strength to him. Beholding the miraculous healing of the
holy martyr, many prisoners in the prison with him became Christians,
even the sorcerer Gargal, and thus accepted martyrdom. The emperor's
daughter Kazdoa, sister of the Martyr Gabeddas, secretly visited him
in prison and brought him water.
Another time Kazdoa saw her brother when the torturers tortured him
anew. The holy martyr was hung on a cross, and a volley of arrows shot
at him, but the arrows bounced off and struck the archers. Seeing his
sister, he prevailed upon her to believe in Christ. St Kazdoa
confessed herself a Christian, and by the command of her father the
emperor Sapor, she was cruelly beaten and thrown into prison where her
brother languished.
Suffering from her wounds, St Kazdoa asked her brother to pray for
her. St Gabeddas, having said the prayer, assured his sister that she
would suffer no more. On the following day during new tortures St
Gabeddas, saw two presbyters Dadias and Abdi, asked them to bring oil
and water, since he deeply wanted to receive holy Baptism.
At this moment a cloud overshadowed the martyr, from which poured out
water and oil, and a voice was heard: "Servant of God, you have
already received Baptism." The face of the martyr became radiant, and
in the air was the fragrance of perfume. The torturer commanded the
saint to be pierced with spears, and after several hours he died with
prayer on his lips.
His body was cut into three parts, but the priests Dadias, Abdi and
the deacon Armazates took the holy relics and buried them reverently.
The body of the holy Martyr Dadas, whom they also tortured for a long
time and cut in parts, was also secretly buried by Christians.
At midnight the Martyr Gabeddas appeared to the priest Dadias, gave
him a vessel with oil and sent him to the martyr Kazdoa to anoint her
with oil and give her the Holy Mysteries. The priest did this and, at
the very last, said to the holy martyr: "Sleep, sister, until the
coming of the Lord," and St Kazdoa departed to the Lord. The mother of
the holy martyr prepared her for burial and with joy buried her with
the Martyr Gabeddas.
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Martyr Gabdelas of Persia
The Martyrs Dadas, Gabeddas and Kazdoa accepted death for Christ under
the Persian emperor Sapor. Dadas was chief steward under Sapor, and
Sts Gabeddas and Kazdoa were the cruel emperor's own children.
Not knowing that St Dadas was a Christian, the emperor appointed him
as governor of one of the Persian districts. When it was discovered,
he was stripped of all honors, sent to the court of the cruel torturer
Andromelik and was condemned to be burned. Approaching the stake, St
Dadas shielded himself with the Sign of the Cross, and the fire went
out.
Seeing this miracle, the emperor's stunned son Gabeddas believed in
Christ and in the hearing of all, confessed his faith. The judge
reported this to the emperor, and he commanded St Gabeddas to be
fiercely tortured. But in all the sufferings divine strength preserved
the saint.
An angel of the Lord comforted him, and each time the Lord restored
health and strength to him. Beholding the miraculous healing of the
holy martyr, many prisoners in the prison with him became Christians,
even the sorcerer Gargal, and thus accepted martyrdom. The emperor's
daughter Kazdoa, sister of the Martyr Gabeddas, secretly visited him
in prison and brought him water.
Another time Kazdoa saw her brother when the torturers tortured him
anew. The holy martyr was hung on a cross, and a volley of arrows shot
at him, but the arrows bounced off and struck the archers. Seeing his
sister, he prevailed upon her to believe in Christ. St Kazdoa
confessed herself a Christian, and by the command of her father the
emperor Sapor, she was cruelly beaten and thrown into prison where her
brother languished.
Suffering from her wounds, St Kazdoa asked her brother to pray for
her. St Gabeddas, having said the prayer, assured his sister that she
would suffer no more. On the following day during new tortures St
Gabeddas, saw two presbyters Dadias and Abdi, asked them to bring oil
and water, since he deeply wanted to receive holy Baptism.
At this moment a cloud overshadowed the martyr, from which poured out
water and oil, and a voice was heard: "Servant of God, you have
already received Baptism." The face of the martyr became radiant, and
in the air was the fragrance of perfume. The torturer commanded the
saint to be pierced with spears, and after several hours he died with
prayer on his lips.
His body was cut into three parts, but the priests Dadias, Abdi and
the deacon Armazates took the holy relics and buried them reverently.
The body of the holy Martyr Dadas, whom they also tortured for a long
time and cut in parts, was also secretly buried by Christians.
At midnight the Martyr Gabeddas appeared to the priest Dadias, gave
him a vessel with oil and sent him to the martyr Kazdoa to anoint her
with oil and give her the Holy Mysteries. The priest did this and, at
the very last, said to the holy martyr: "Sleep, sister, until the
coming of the Lord," and St Kazdoa departed to the Lord. The mother of
the holy martyr prepared her for burial and with joy buried her with
the Martyr Gabeddas.
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Martyr Kazdoa (Kasdoe) of Persia
The Martyrs Dadas, Gabeddas and Kazdoa accepted death for Christ under
the Persian emperor Sapor. Dadas was chief steward under Sapor, and
Sts Gabeddas and Kazdoa were the cruel emperor's own children.
Not knowing that St Dadas was a Christian, the emperor appointed him
as governor of one of the Persian districts. When it was discovered,
he was stripped of all honors, sent to the court of the cruel torturer
Andromelik and was condemned to be burned. Approaching the stake, St
Dadas shielded himself with the Sign of the Cross, and the fire went
out.
Seeing this miracle, the emperor's stunned son Gabeddas believed in
Christ and in the hearing of all, confessed his faith. The judge
reported this to the emperor, and he commanded St Gabeddas to be
fiercely tortured. But in all the sufferings divine strength preserved
the saint.
An angel of the Lord comforted him, and each time the Lord restored
health and strength to him. Beholding the miraculous healing of the
holy martyr, many prisoners in the prison with him became Christians,
even the sorcerer Gargal, and thus accepted martyrdom. The emperor's
daughter Kazdoa, sister of the Martyr Gabeddas, secretly visited him
in prison and brought him water.
Another time Kazdoa saw her brother when the torturers tortured him
anew. The holy martyr was hung on a cross, and a volley of arrows shot
at him, but the arrows bounced off and struck the archers. Seeing his
sister, he prevailed upon her to believe in Christ. St Kazdoa
confessed herself a Christian, and by the command of her father the
emperor Sapor, she was cruelly beaten and thrown into prison where her
brother languished.
Suffering from her wounds, St Kazdoa asked her brother to pray for
her. St Gabeddas, having said the prayer, assured his sister that she
would suffer no more. On the following day during new tortures St
Gabeddas, saw two presbyters Dadias and Abdi, asked them to bring oil
and water, since he deeply wanted to receive holy Baptism.
At this moment a cloud overshadowed the martyr, from which poured out
water and oil, and a voice was heard: "Servant of God, you have
already received Baptism." The face of the martyr became radiant, and
in the air was the fragrance of perfume. The torturer commanded the
saint to be pierced with spears, and after several hours he died with
prayer on his lips.
His body was cut into three parts, but the priests Dadias, Abdi and
the deacon Armazates took the holy relics and buried them reverently.
The body of the holy Martyr Dadas, whom they also tortured for a long
time and cut in parts, was also secretly buried by Christians.
At midnight the Martyr Gabeddas appeared to the priest Dadias, gave
him a vessel with oil and sent him to the martyr Kazdoa to anoint her
with oil and give her the Holy Mysteries. The priest did this and, at
the very last, said to the holy martyr: "Sleep, sister, until the
coming of the Lord," and St Kazdoa departed to the Lord. The mother of
the holy martyr prepared her for burial and with joy buried her with
the Martyr Gabeddas.
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Venerable Theophanes the Merciful of Gaza
Saint Theophanes the Merciful was an inhabitant of the Syrian city of
Gaza. He was very kind and merciful. He took in vagrants, he helped
the poor and the sick, and he spent all his substance on help for the
needy, while he himself remained in want.
St Theophanes did not grieve at all over the loss of his property, but
he lost his health, and sickness caused him great suffering. His body
began to swell up, to rot, and to give off a stench. This ordeal the
monk also endured in good spirit, giving thanks to God for all things.
A fierce storm raged while he was dying, and his wife grieved that she
would not be able to give him proper burial. The saint comforted her:
"Weep not, woman, for up to now the trial has lasted, but here comes
help from the Merciful God, since in the hour of my death the storm
will cease, by the will of God." So it occurred: just as he gave up
his soul to God, calmness prevailed. After death the body of St
Theophanes became completely cleansed of wounds and decay and became
fragrant, giving forth abundant healing myrrh.
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St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia
Saint Onuphrius of Gareji (Otar Machutadze in the world) lived and
labored in the 18th century. He was a Kartlian aristocrat famed for
his wealth, hospitality, and charity.
Longing for the ascetic life, Otar wore a hair shirt under his
distinguished raiment and unceasingly prayed to God for the strength
to lead the monastic life. He revealed his will to his wife: I thirst
to turn from this world and draw nearer to Christ, he said. Therefore,
I beg your forgiveness for all my transgressions, both voluntary and
involuntary.
His faithful wife consented and permitted him to go in peace. Otar
traveled with his two eldest sons to Tbilisi, blessed them, and bade
them farewell for the last time. Then he set off for the David-Gareji
Monastery, which at that time was led by the kindhearted superior
Archimandrite Herman.
Archimandrite Herman received Otar with great joy, and after a short
time he tonsured him a monk with the name Onuphrius.
Blessed Onuphrius was a peaceful, humble and obedient man and a
tireless ascetic. He would keep vigil through the night, and after the
morning prayers he would go down to the ravine and continue to chant
psalms, shedding tears over his past transgressions. He ate just one
meal a day of bread and water, after the hour of Vespers. Once the
Dagestanis attacked the David-Gareji Monastery, plundered the church,
and took captive several monks including Onuphrius, the priests Maxime
and Ioakime, and four deacons. Onuphrius was the oldest among them.
The unbelievers planned to stab him to death, but the Lord protected
him from their evil scheme.
According to the will of the All-mercifulGod, Onuphrius was freed and
returned to the monastery.
The brotherhood was impoverished after the invasion, so Archimandrite
Herman sent St. Onuphrius on a mission to solicit alms. It was
difficult for St. Onuphrius to depart from the monastery, but he
unquestioningly obeyed the will of his superior: the former aristocrat
began to walk from door to door, begging for charity. At Tskhinvali in
Samachablo St. Onuphrius attracted the attention of a crowd of people
leading a young, demon-possessed man. The saint approached them and
discovered that they were bringing the young man to a fortuneteller
for help.
With love and great boldness St. Onuphrius addressed the crowd,
saying, My children, such behavior is not fitting for Christian
believers. Bring the young man to me!
The young mans mother fell on her knees before him, begging for help,
but St. Onuphrius raised her up and proclaimed: I have come bearing
earth from the grave of St. David of Gareji. This will help your son!
He dissolved a pinch of the earth in water and gave it to the young
man to drink, and he was immediately healed.
St. Onuphrius took with him his youngest son, John, and returned to
the monastery with a great quantity of provisions.
Once a certain Arab with a wounded eye came to the monastery seeking
help. St. Onuphrius washed his eye in water from the holy spring of
David-Gareji, and he was immediately healed.
Later St. Onuphrius desired to be tonsured into the great schema. The
superior was hesitant, and told Onuphrius to remain for twenty or
thirty days at the grave of St. David praying and supplicating God to
reveal His will. The saint remained there in prayer, and after thirty
days God revealed to the abbot that Fr. Onuphrius was truly worthy of
this honor. Then Schemamonk Onuphrius gave a vow of silence and began
to sleep on a tattered mat. Under his clothing he wore a heavy chain,
and he left his cell only to attend the divine services.
Soon Blessed Onuphrius became so exhausted that he was no longer able
to stand. The brothers begged him to lie on a bed and rest his head on
a pillow, but the blessed Onuphrius opened his mouth for the first
time since taking the vow of silence and said, I vow to end my days on
this mat.
St. Onuphrius endured his infirmities with thanksgiving and repeated
the Jesus Prayer incessantly. When people came to receive his
blessing, he would welcome them, saying, Let me kiss the edge of your
garments and wash your feet with my tears!
Sensing that the end of his days was approaching, St. Onuphrius
partook of the Holy Gifts and, eighteen days later, on the Feast of
Theophany, fell asleep in the Lord.
St. Onuphrius was buried on the south side of the grave of St. David
of Gareji, near the altar window.
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St Cyprian of Ustiug
Saint Cyprian of Ustiug was a rich landowner, but turning from the
vanities of the world, he received the angelic schema with the name
Cyprian at the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Gledeno.
The inhabitants of the newly-established city of Ustiug begged St
Cyprian to build a monastery somewhere near the city. St Cyprian, went
about the city and observed its layout, then chose a place near
shallow lakes at the Ostrozh falls and he started to construct a cell.
By the year 1212, he began to build a monastery in honor of the
Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a church in
the name of St Michael, the Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts. The
inhabitants of Ustiug, seeing the godliness of the holy ascetic,
brought him all the necessities for building the monastery, and many
began to pursue asceticism together with St Cyprian, who received
everyone with joy and with love.
The holy monastery grew, and according to the account in the Ustiug
Chronicle, St Cyprian "was chosen head of the holy monastery and
pastor of the flock of Christ," but out of humility he did not accept
the priestly office. By his bed, there was a stone, evidence of the
monk's ascetic deeds. During his night prayers, the ascetic held it in
his hands so as to maintain vigilance and be constantly at prayer. St
Cyprian died on September 29, 1276 and was buried in the monastery he
founded. Afterwards, at his tomb, a church was built in honor of the
Feast of Mid-Pentecost.
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