[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Wed Apr 2 05:00:16 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Wed Apr 2 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Isaiah 26:21-27:9  (6th Hour)
21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also
disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.
1 In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will
punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent;
And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
2 In that day sing to her, A vineyard of red wine!
3 I, the Lord, keep it, I water it every moment; Lest any hurt it, I
keep it night and day.
4 Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in
battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
5 Or let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me;
And he shall make peace with Me.
6 Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall
blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit.
7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He
been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him?
8 In measure, by sending it away, You contended with it. He removes it
by His rough wind In the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is
all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of
the altar Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and
incense altars shall not stand.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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Genesis 9:18-10:1  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and
Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth
was populated.
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in
his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and
told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their
shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their
father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their
fathers nakedness.
24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done
to him.
25 Then he said: Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be
to his brethren.
26 And he said: Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan
be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And
may Canaan be his servant.
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he
died.
1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and
Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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Proverbs 12:23-13:9  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims
foolishness.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to
forced labor.
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word
makes it glad.
26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of
the wicked leads them astray.
27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence
is mans precious possession.
28 In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no
death.
1 A wise son heeds his fathers instruction, But a scoffer does not
listen to rebuke.
2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the
unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide
his lips shall have destruction.
4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the
diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes
to shame.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness
overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who
makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a mans life is his riches, But the poor does not hear
rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked
shall be extinguished.
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Venerable Titus the Wonderworker
Saint Titus the Wonderworker displayed zeal for the monastic life from
his youth. He pursued asceticism in the ninth century at the Studion
monastery near Constantinople. By his deeds of fasting, purity of life
and mild disposition, St Titus gained the love of the brethren, and at
their request he was ordained priest.
Fervent of faith, the saint stood up for the Orthodox veneration of
icons during the Iconoclast persecution. Because of his virtuous life,
God granted him the gift of wonderworking. The saint was translated to
the Lord in his old age.
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Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia
The Holy Martyrs Amphianus and Edesius were brothers. They lived in
the city of Patara (province of Lycia) in the family of the pagan
governor. They went to the city of Beirut to study the pagan sciences.
There they became ardent followers of Christ.
The holy brothers left their pagan parents and went to Alexandrian
Caesarea, where they found an instructor, St Pamphilius (February 16),
and under his guidance they became accomplished in the spiritual life,
spending their time in prayer and the study of sacred books.
By decree of the emperor Maximian (305-313), a zealous pagan and cruel
persecutor of Christians, all the inhabitants of Caesarea were
required to offer public sacrifice. Many Christians, including Sts
Amphianus and Edesius, had to hide in order to avoid sacrificing to
idols.
When the city prefect of Caesarea was about to offer sacrifice to
idols, St Amphianus boldly went into the temple, took the prefect's
hand, and urged him to abandon his error and believe in Christ.
By order of the governor, soldiers seized St Amphianus, fiercely beat
him and then threw him in prison. Two days later they led him to
trial, where they beat him with iron rods and burned his body with
bundles of flax soaked in oil.
The brave youth, steadfastly confessing his faith in Christ, was then
thrown into the sea with a stone about his neck. Suddenly a storm
arose, and the waves carried the martyr's body to shore, where it was
buried by Christians.
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Martyr Edesius (Aidesius) of Lycia
The Holy Martyrs Edesius and Amphianus were brothers. They lived in
the city of Patara (province of Lycia) in the family of the pagan
governor. They went to the city of Beirut to study the pagan sciences.
There they became ardent followers of Christ.
The holy brothers left their pagan parents and went to Alexandrian
Caesarea, where they found an instructor, St Pamphilius (February 16),
and under his guidance they became accomplished in the spiritual life,
spending their time in prayer and the study of sacred books.
By decree of the emperor Maximian (305-313), a zealous pagan and cruel
persecutor of Christians, all the inhabitants of Caesarea were
required to offer public sacrifice. Many Christians, including Sts
Amphianus and Edesius, had to hide in order to avoid sacrificing to
idols.
Amphianus was arrested when he tried to prevent the city prefect of
Caesarea from offering sacrifice. He was tortured, then thrown into
the sea with a stone about his neck. Suddenly a storm arose, and the
waves carried the martyr's body to shore, where it was buried by
Christians. The martyr's brother, St Edesius, was tortured and sent to
the copper mines.
After a while they freed St Edesius and sent him to Alexandria. There
he boldly denounced the governor Hierokles for his extreme cruelty
towards Christians. St Edesius was tortured and then drowned.
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Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria
The Holy Martyr Polycarp suffered for his bold denunciation of the
emperor Maxmian (305-313) for spilling innocent Christian blood in the
city of Alexandria.
He openly confessed himself a Christian and went to voluntary torture.
After cruel sufferings, the martyr was beheaded.
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St George Matskevereli of Georgia
A few biographical details about St. George of Atsquri have been
preserved in the writings of the famous 10th-century Georgian
hagiographers George Merchule and Basil of Zarzma.
St. George of Atsquri lived at the end of the 9th and the beginning of
the 10th centuries. A member of the aristocratic and pious Shuartqeli
family, St. George was raised and educated in the environs of Georgias
renowned Opiza Monastery in Klarjeti.
Four years after the death of the great feudal lord George
Chorchaneli, St. George succeeded him as ruler of the Samtskhe region.
At that time a bitter conflict arose over who was the rightful heir to
Chorchanelis inheritance.
While serving as the chief political leader of Samtskhe, St. George
also directed the regions spiritual life, wisely administering the
ancient Atsquri diocese for many years. According to tradition, the
diocese of Atsquri was founded by the holy Apostle Andrew the
First-called, who left there the Not-Made-By-Hands icon of the Most
Holy Theotokos (known as the Atsquri Icon of theMother of God) as an
offering to the Georgian Church.
Though his literary works have not been preserved, St. George is also
commemorated as a great writer of the Church.
In his book _The Life of St. Grigol of Khandzta_, St. George Merchule
notes that St. George of Atsquri made some of the most significant
contributions to the biographical writings on St. Grigol of Khandzta.
St. George of Atsquri was a close companion of St. Serapion of Zarzma.
He was present at his burial and contributed much to the
hagiographical writings on his life and works.
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