[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Fri Apr 4 05:00:16 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri Apr 4 2008

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Isaiah 29:13-23  (6th Hour)
13 Therefore the Lord said: Inasmuch as these people draw near with
their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their
hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the
commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this
people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise
men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be
hidden.
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,
And their works are in the dark; They say, Who sees us? and, Who knows
us?
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed
as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, He did
not make me? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, He
has no understanding?
17 Is it not yet a very little while Till Lebanon shall be turned into
a fruitful field, And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes
of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
19 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor
among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is
consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off
21 Who make a man an offender by a word, And lay a snare for him who
reproves in the gate, And turn aside the just by empty words.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the
house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now
grow pale;
23 But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst,
They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear
the God of Israel.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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Genesis 12:1-7  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your
family And from your fathers house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name
great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses
you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with
him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brothers son, and all
their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had
acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So
they came to the land of Canaan.
6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the
terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, To your descendants I will
give this land. And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had
appeared to him.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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Proverbs 14:15-26  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
15 The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his
steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is
self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions
is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with
knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good, And the wicked at the gates of
the righteous.
20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, But the rich has
many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong
to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to
poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools
is folly.
25 A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His
children will have a place of refuge.
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, "the sweet-voiced nightingale of the
Church," was born in Sicily in 816 into a pious Christian family. His
parents, Plotinos and Agatha, moved to the Peloponnesos to save
themselves from barbarian invasions. When he was fifteen, St Joseph
went to Thessalonica and entered the monastery of Latomos. He was
distinguished by his piety, his love for work, his meekness, and he
gained the good will of all the brethren of the monastery. He was
later ordained as a priest.
St Gregory the Dekapolite (November 20) visited the monastery and took
notice of the young monk, taking him along to Constantinople, where
they settled together near the church of the holy Martyrs Sergius and
Bacchus. This was during the reign of the emperor Leo the Armenian
(813-820), a time of fierce iconoclast persecution.
Sts Gregory and Joseph fearlessly defended the veneration of holy
icons. They preached in the city squares and visited in the homes of
the Orthodox, encouraging them against the heretics. The Church of
Constantinople was in a was most grievous position. Not only the
emperor, but also the patriarch were iconoclast heretics.
At that time the Roman bishops were in communion with the Eastern
Church, and Pope Leo III, who was not under the dominion of the
Byzantine Emperor, was able to render great help to the Orthodox. The
Orthodox monks chose St Joseph as a steadfast and eloquent messenger
to the Pope. St Gregory blessed him to journey to Rome and to report
on the plight of the Church of Constantinople, the atrocities of the
iconoclasts, and the dangers threatening Orthodoxy.
During the journey, St Joseph was captured by Arab brigands who had
been bribed by the iconoclasts. They took him to the island of Crete,
where they handed him over to the iconoclasts, who locked him up in
prison. Bravely enduring all the deprivations, he encouraged the other
prisoners. By his prayers, a certain Orthodox bishop who had begun to
waver was strengthened in spirit and courageously accepted martyrdom.
St Joseph spent six years in prison. On the night of the Nativity of
Christ in 820 he was granted a vision of St Nicholas of Myra, who told
him about the death of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian, and the end of
the persecution.
St Nicholas gave him a paper scroll and said, "Take this scroll and
eat it." On the scroll was written: "Hasten, O Gracious One, and come
to our aid if possible and as You will, for You are the Merciful One."
The monk read the scroll, ate it and said, "How sweet are Thine
oracles to my throat" (Ps 118/119:103). St Nicholas bade him to sing
these words. After this the fetters fell off the saint, the doors of
the prison opened, and he emerged from it. He was transported through
the air and set down on a large road near Constantinople, leading into
the city.
When he reached Constantinople, St Joseph found that St Gregory the
Dekapolite was no longer among the living, leaving behind his disciple
John (April 18), who soon died. St Joseph built a church dedicated to
St Nicholas and transferred the relics of Sts Gregory and John there.
A monastery was founded near the church.
St Joseph received a portion of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew
from a certain virtuous man. He built a church in memory of the holy
apostle. He loved and honored St Bartholomew, and he was distressed
that there was no Canon glorifying the holy Apostle. He desired to
adorn the Feast of St Bartholomew with hymns, but he did not dare to
compose them himself.
For forty days St Joseph prayed with tears, preparing for the Feast of
the holy apostle. On the eve of the Feast the Apostle Bartholomew
appeared to him in the altar. He pressed the holy Gospel to Joseph's
bosom, and blessed him to write church hymns with the words, "May the
right hand of the Almighty God bless you, may your tongue pour forth
waters of heavenly wisdom, may your heart be a temple of the Holy
Spirit, and may your hymnody delight the entire world." After this
miraculous appearance, St Joseph composed a Canon to the Apostle
Bartholomew, and from that time he began to compose hymns and Canons
in honor of the Mother of God, of the saints, and in honor of St
Nicholas, who liberated him from prison.
During the revival of the iconoclast heresy under the emperor
Theophilus (829-842), St Joseph suffered a second time from the
heretics. He was exiled to Cherson [Chersonessus] for eleven years.
The Orthodox veneration of holy icons was restored under the holy
empress Theodora (February 11) in 842, and St Joseph was made keeper
of sacred vessels at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Because of his
bold denunciation of the brother of the empress, Bardas, for unlawful
cohabitation, the saint was again sent into exile and returned only
after Bardas died in 867.
Patriarch Photius (February 6) restored him to his former position and
appointed him Father-confessor for all the clergy of Constantinople.
Having reached old age, St Joseph fell ill. On Great and Holy Friday,
the Lord informed him of his approaching demise in a dream. The saint
made an inventory of the church articles in Hagia Sophia, which were
under his official care, and he sent it to Patriarch Photius.
For several days he prayed intensely, preparing for death. He prayed
for peace for the Church, and the mercy of God for his soul. Having
received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, St Joseph blessed all who came
to him, and with joy he fell asleep in the Lord (+ 863). The choirs of
the angels and the saints, whom St Joseph had glorified in his
hymnology, carried his soul to Heaven in triumph.
In 890, his biographer John the deacon of the Great Church wrote about
the spirit and power of St Joseph's Canons: "When he began to write
verses, then the hearing was taken with a wondrous pleasantness of
sound, and the heart was struck by the power of the thought. Those who
strive for a life of perfection find a respite here. Writers, having
left off with their other versification, from this one treasure-trove,
from the writings of St Joseph, began to scoop out his treasure for
their own songs, or better to say, daily they scoop them out.
And finally, all the people carry it over into their own language, so
as to enlighten with song the darkness of night, or staving off sleep,
to continue with the vigil until sunrise. If anyone were peruse the
life of a saint of the Church on any given day, they would see the
worthiness of St Joseph's hymns and acknowledge his glorious life.
Actually, since the lives and deeds of almost every saint are adorned
with praises, is not he worthy of immortal glory, who has worthily and
exquisitely known how to glorify them?
Now let some saints glorify his meekness, and others his wisdom, and
others his works, and all together glorify the grace of the Holy
Spirit, Who so abundantly and immeasurably has bestown his gifts on
him."
Most of the Canons in the MENAION are St Joseph's work. His name may
be found in the Ninth Ode as an acrostic. He also composed many of the
hymns in the PARAKLETIKE.
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Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus
Saint George lived during the ninth century. His parents arranged a
marriage for him, but he refused to marry the woman they had chosen.
He entered the monastery on Mount Malea in the Peloponessos, and many
disciples gathered around him. He was able to see the future, and
predicted his own death three years before it occurred. He fell asleep
in the Lord in the sixth century.
In the service to him, St George is called an earthly angel and a
wonderworker.
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Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves
Saint Joseph the Much-Ailing lived during the fourteenth century. In
his grievous illness he turned to God with prayer and vowed that if
the Lord granted him health, he would then serve the brethren of the
Kiev Caves monastery until the end of his days.
After his return to health, he entered the Kiev Caves monastery,
received monastic tonsure, and began to work at deeds of fasting and
prayer, and to serve the brethren with love. After his death St Joseph
was buried in the Far Caves (his memory is likewise celebrated on the
Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves on August 28).
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Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk
Saint Zosimas of Vorbozomsk was the founder of a monastery dedicated
to the Annuniciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on an island in Lake
Vorbozoma, twenty-three versts south of White Lake. The monastery was
founded in the fifteenth century. In 1501, the head of the monastery
was Igumen Jonah, a disciple of St Zosimas.
The monastery was one of the numerous wilderness-monasteries modeled
after the so-called "Trans-Volga" monasteries, which were scattered
around the St Cyril of White Lake monastery. St Zosimas died in the
first half of the sixteenth century. The saint wrote counsels and
letters to his spiritual daughter Anastasia.
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Venerable Zosimas of Palestine
Saint Zosimas was born near the end of the fifth century, and lived in
a monastery by the Jordan River. He met St Mary of Egypt (April 1),
gave her Holy Communion, then buried her.
St Zosimas lived to be one hundred years old, then fell asleep in the
Lord around 560.
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Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her
sister and servant
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) and her sister and servants
were martyred for Christ between the years 341 and 343. St Pherbutha
and her sister were sisters of Bishop Simeon of Seleucia, who suffered
for Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor between the years 341-344.
Both sisters and their servants had been brought to the court by the
empress to attend her. St Pherbutha was distinguished by her
extraordinary beauty, and the empress suggested that she marry in
order to gain high position. The saint refused, since she had made a
vow of virginity and total service to God.
Soon the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to treat
the empress, saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her extraordinary
beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The saint answered
that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor St Pherbutha, and her sister and servants were brought to
trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
The chief judge, the sorcerer Mauptis, was captivated by the beauty of
the holy virgin Pherbutha, and he secretly sent his servant to her in
the prison offering to free her and her companions, if only she would
consent to become his wife. The two other judges secretly made similar
offers to the holy virgin, one after the other.
St Pherbutha resolutely refused all these offers, saying that she was
a bride of Christ and could never consent to an earthly marriage.
After this, the martyrs were found guilty of being Christians and of
working magic in poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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Virginmartyr sister of Pherbutha
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha and her sister and servants were martyred
for Christ between the years 341 and 343. Both sisters and their
servants had been brought to the court by the empress to attend her.
One day the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to
treat the empress saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her
extraordinary beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The
saint answered that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a
bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor, St Pherbutha, her sister and servants were brought to trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
St Pherbutha, her sister and her servants, were found guilty of being
Christians and of poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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Virginmartyr servant of Pherbutha
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha and her sister and servants were martyred
for Christ between the years 341 and 343. Both sisters and their
servants had been brought to the court by the empress to attend her.
One day the empress fell ill. The sorcerers who were brought in to
treat the empress saw St Pherbutha and were struck by her
extraordinary beauty. One of them asked her to become his wife. The
saint answered that she was a Christian and had vowed to remain a
bride of Christ.
The offended sorcerer reported to the emperor that the sickness of the
empress was caused by poison given her by servants. By order of the
emperor, St Pherbutha, her sister and servants were brought to trial.
At the trial the holy martyrs fearlessly declared that they were
innocent of any crime, and that they were prepared to accept death for
Christ.
St Pherbutha, her sister and her servants, were found guilty of being
Christians and of poisoning the empress, and they were sentenced to
death. The pagan priests said that the bodies of the Christians should
be cut into pieces. They placed three pieces on one side, and three
pieces on the other side. Then they told the empress to walk between
the body parts in order to receive healing. The bodies of the holy
martyrs were thrown into a ditch, from which Christians secretly
retrieved them and buried them.
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New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres
The holy New Martyr Nicetas was a Slav from Albania, but we know
nothing of his family or his early life. He lived on Mt. Athos in the
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon, then lived in the Skete of St
Anne. Burning with a desire for martyrdom, he decided to travel to
Serres. He arrived on March 30, 1808 (Great and Holy Monday) and
stopped at a local monastery. In speaking to the igumen, he revealed
that he was a hieromonk from Mt. Athos. At midnight, the igumen was
making his customary rounds of the monastery when he saw someone
standing in the moonlight praying on the church porch.
As he came closer, he could see that it was Father Nicetas, who
revealed his intention to shed his blood for Christ. After speaking
with the saint for a while, the igumen continued his rounds and left
Fr .Nicetas to pray.
In the morning, Fr Nicetas received Communion from the Presanctified
Gifts, then went to a mosque outside the city. There he debated
religion with a Moslem teacher and his disciples. St Nicetas
approached one of them, noticing that he was lame.
The saint asked the man why he did not seek healing from his
infirmity. The man said that it was impossible for him to be cured,
since he had been born this way.
The monk replied that the man could be cured easily, if he would agree
to obey him. The afflicted man looked at him with amazement and asked,
"How must I obey you?"
"Believe in Jesus Christ as the one true God. If you are baptized, I
promise you that you will be healthy and no trace of your lameness
will remain."
The man said nothing, but went to his teacher to report what the monk
had said to him. The teacher questioned St Nicetas about where he had
come from, and what he had said to his disciple.
Fearlessly, the warrior of Christ told him he was from Albania and had
come to preach Christianity. Feeling pity for the lame man, he had
advised him to believe in Christ so that he might receive his bodily
health and the Kingdom of Heaven after death.
The teacher sent word to the mayor that a monk had come to their city
and was speaking against their religion. St Nicetas was locked up in
prison for the night, and the next day he was interrogated by Moslem
religious leaders. Since they could not defeat him with reason, they
tortured him and hanged him in the evening of Great and Holy Saturday
in 1808. He was left hanging until Bright Tuesday, when Christians
were given permission to take his body and bury it.
Two separate services have been composed in honor of St Nicetas, one
in Slavonic and the other in Greek. A comparison of the two services
reveals a difference of opinion about the saint's national origin.
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St Isidore the Bishop of Seville
Saint Isidore was born in the middle of the sixth century, and was
related to the Visigoth royal family who converted to Orthodoxy from
Arianism during his lifetime.
St Isidore was the brother of three saints: St Leander (February 27),
St Fulgentius, and St Florentina. Orphaned at an early age, he was
educated by his older brother Leander. The range of his knowledge was
extensive, and included the study of Hebrew and Greek. He also wrote
biographies of biblical figures and other illustrious men.
A prollific writer, St Isidore wrote on religious, historical and
scientific topics. His ETYMOLOGIES (or ORIGINS) was a compendium of
the knowledge of his time, and was used through the Middle Ages.
Today, however, his history of the Goths and Vandals is of greater
interest. He even composed a monastic Rule, although he was not a
monk.
The tireless bishop also composed treatises refuting the Arian and
Monophysite heresies. He participated in a council at Toledo in 610,
and presided at the second Council of Seville in 618 or 619.
St Isidore fell asleep in the Lord in 636, and his holy relics were
later transferred to Leon. Dante mentions him in his PARADISO (X,
130).
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Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica
Saint Theonas was a disciple of St James of Kastoria (November 1), and
lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He lived for some
time in the Pantokrator and Simonopetra Monasteries on Mt. Athos. He
founded the Monastery of St Anastasia, and was consecrated as
Archbishop of Thessalonica. He died in peace.
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St George Mtsire of Georgia
No information available at this time.
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