[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Apr 7 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no
torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their
departure was thought to be affliction,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at
peace.
4 For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is
full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt
offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run
like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule other peoples, and the Lord will
reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will
abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
Scripture Reading 1 of 9


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Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-6:3  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
15 But the righteous live for ever, and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem
from the hand of the Lord, because with his right hand he will cover
them, and with his arm he will shield them.
17 The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor, and will arm all
creation to repel his enemies;
18 he will put on righteousness as a breastplate, and wear impartial
justice as a helmet;
19 he will take holiness as a invincible shield,
20 and sharpen stern wrath for a sword, and creation will join with
him to fight against the madmen.
21 Shafts of lightening will fly with true aim, and will leap to the
target as a from a well-drawn bow of clouds,
22 and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult; the
water of the sea will rage against them, and rivers will relentlessly
overwhelm them;
23 a mighty wind will rise against them, and like a tempest it will
winnow them away. Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth, and
evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the
ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations.
3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord, and your sovereignty
from the Most High, who will search out your works and inquire into
your plans.
Scripture Reading 2 of 9


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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 9


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John 10:1-9  (Matins Gospel)
1 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by
the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice of strangers.
6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things
which He spoke to them.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am
the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep
did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
Scripture Reading 4 of 9


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Isaiah 37:33-38:6  (6th Hour)
33 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He
shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come
before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it.
34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall
not come into this city, Says the Lord.
35 For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My
servant Davids sake.
36 Then the angela of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the
Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose
early in the morning, there were the corpsesall dead.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned
home, and remained at Nineveh.
38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch
his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with
the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon
his son reigned in his place.
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the
prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, Thus says the
Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the
Lord,
3 and said, Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You
in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your
sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,
5 Go and tell Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your
father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I
will add to your days fifteen years.
6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of
Assyria, and I will defend this city.
Scripture Reading 5 of 9


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Genesis 13:12-18  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of
the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the
Lord.
14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: Lift
your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward,
southward, eastward, and westward;
15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants
forever.
16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that
if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants
also could be numbered.
17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I
give it to you.
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth
trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the
Lord.
Scripture Reading 6 of 9


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Proverbs 14:27-15:4  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from
the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a kings honor, But in the lack of
people is the downfall of a prince.
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is
impulsive exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the
bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors
Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a
refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is
in the heart of fools is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
35 The kings favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against
him who causes shame.
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of
fools pours forth foolishness.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil
and the good.
4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks
the spirit.
Scripture Reading 7 of 9


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Hebrews 7:26-8:12  (Epistle, St. Tikhon)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the
word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has
been perfected forever.
1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such
a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens,
2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the
Lord erected, and not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have
something to offer.
4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are
priests who offer the gifts according to the law;
5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was
divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He
said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you
on the mountain."
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is
also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better
promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would
have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are
coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house of Judah-
9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of
Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded
them, says the LORD.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and
write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be
My people.
11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother,
saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them
to the greatest of them.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
Scripture Reading 8 of 9


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John 10:9-16  (Gospel, St. Tikhon)
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the
sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and
the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about
the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My
own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down
My life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.
Scripture Reading 9 of 9



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St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North
America
St Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America was born as
Vasily Ivanovich Belavin on January 19, 1865 into the family of Ioann
Belavin, a rural priest of the Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese.
His childhood and adolescence were spent in the village in direct
contact with peasants and their labor. From his early years he
displayed a particular religious disposition, love for the Church as
well as rare meekness and humility.
When Vasily was still a boy, his father had a revelation about each of
his children. One night, when he and his three sons slept in the
hayloft, he suddenly woke up and roused them. He had seen his dead
mother in a dream, who foretold to him his imminent death, and the
fate of his three sons. She said that one would be unfortunate
throughout his entire life, another would die young, while the third,
Vasily, would be a great man. The prophecy of the dead woman proved to
be entirely accurate in regard to all three brothers.
>From 1878 to 1883, Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary.
The modest seminarian was tender and affectionate by nature. He was
fair-haired and tall of stature. His fellow students liked and
respected him for his piety, brilliant progress in studies, and
constant readiness to help comrades, who often turned to him for
explanations of lessons, especially for help in drawing up and
correcting numerous compositions. Vasily was called "bishop" and
"patriarch" by his classmates.
In 1888, at the age of 23, Vasily Belavin graduated from the St
Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman, and returned to the Pskov
Seminary as an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. The whole
seminary and the town of Pskov became very fond of him. He led an
austere and chaste life, and in 1891, when he turned 26, he took
monastic vows. Nearly the whole town gathered for the ceremony. He
embarked on this new way of life consciously and deliberately,
desiring to dedicate himself entirely to the service of the Church.
The meek and humble young man was given the name Tikhon in honor of St
Tikhon of Zadonsk.
He was transferred from the Pskov Seminary to the Kholm Theological
Seminary in 1892, and was raised to the rank of archimandrite.
Archimandrite Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on October 19,
1897, and returned to Kholm for a year as Vicar Bishop of the Kholm
Diocese. Bishop Tikhon zealously devoted his energy to the
establishment of the new vicariate. His attractive moral make-up won
the general affection, of not only the Russian population, but also of
the Lithuanians and Poles. On September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was
made Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. As head of the Orthodox
Church in America, Bishop Tikhon was a zealous laborer in the Lord's
vineyard.
He did much to promote the spread of Orthodoxy, and to improve his
vast diocese. He reorganized the diocesan structure, and changed its
name from "Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska" to "Diocese of the
Aleutians and North America" in 1900. Both clergy and laity loved
their archpastor, and held him in such esteem that the Americans made
Archbishop Tikhon an honorary citizen of the United States.
On May 22, 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for St Nicholas Cathedral
in New York, and was also involved in establishing other churches. On
November 9, 1902, he consecrated the church of St Nicholas in Brooklyn
for the Syrian Orthodox immigrants. Two weeks later, he consecrated St
Nicholas Cathedral in NY.
In 1905, the American Mission was made an Archdiocese, and St Tikhon
was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. He had two vicar bishops:
Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and St Raphael (Hawaweeny) in
Brooklyn to assist him in administering his large, ethnically diverse
diocese. In June of 1905, St Tikhon gave his blessing for the
establishment of St Tikhon's Monastery.
In 1907, he returned to Russia, and was appointed to Yaroslavl, where
he quickly won the affection of his flock. They came to love him as a
friendly, communicative, and wise archpastor. He spoke simply to his
subordinates, never resorting to a peremptory or overbearing tone.
When he had to reprimand someone, he did so in a good-natured,
sometimes joking manner, which encouraged the person to correct his
mistakes.
When St Tikhon was transferred to Lithuania on December 22, 1913, the
people of Yaroslavl voted him an honorary citizen of their town. After
his transfer to Vilna, he did much in terms of material support for
various charitable institutions. There too, his generous soul and love
of people clearly manifested themselves. World War I broke out when
His Eminence was in Vilna. He spared no effort to help the poor
residents of the Vilna region who were left without a roof over their
heads or means of subsistence as a result of the war with the Germans,
and who flocked to their archpastor in droves.
After the February Revolution and formation of a new Synod, St Tikhon
became one of its members. On June 21, 1917, the Moscow Diocesan
Congress of clergy and laity elected him as their ruling bishop. He
was a zealous and educated archpastor, widely known even outside his
country.
On August 15, 1917, a local council was opened in Moscow, and
Archbishop Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan, and then
elected as chairman of the council. The council had as its aim to
restore the life of Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical
principles, and its primary concern was the restoration of the
Patriarchate. All council members would select three candidates, and
then a lot would reveal the will of God. The council members chose
three candidates: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, the wisest,
Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod, the strictest, and Metropolitan Tikhon
of Moscow, the kindest of the Russian hierarchs.
On November 5, following the Divine Liturgy and a Molieben in the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a monk removed one of the three
ballots from the ballot box, which stood before the Vladimir Icon of
the Mother of God. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced
Metropolitan Tikhon as the newly elected Patriarch. St Tikhon did not
change after becoming the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In
accepting the will of the council, Patriarch Tikhon referred to the
scroll that the Prophet Ezekiel had to eat, on which was written,
"Lamentations, mourning, and woe." He foresaw that his ministry would
be filled with affliction and tears, but through all his suffering, he
remained the same accessible, unassuming, and kindly person.
All who met St Tikhon were surprised by his accessibility, simplicity
and modesty. His gentle disposition did not prevent him from showing
firmness in Church matters, however, particularly when he had to
defend the Church from her enemies. He bore a very heavy cross. He had
to administer and direct the Church amidst wholesale church
disorganization, without auxiliary administrative bodies, in
conditions of internal schisms and upheavals by various adherents of
the Living Church, renovationists, and autocephalists.
The situation was complicated by external circumstances: the change of
the political system, by the accession to power of the godless regime,
by hunger, and civil war. This was a time when Church property was
being confiscated, when clergy were subjected to court trials and
persecutions, and Christ's Church endured repression. News of this
came to the Patriarch from all ends of Russia. His exceptionally high
moral and religious authority helped him to unite the scattered and
enfeebled flock. At a crucial time for the church, his unblemished
name was a bright beacon pointing the way to the truth of Orthodoxy.
In his messages, he called on people to fulfill the commandments of
Christ, and to attain spiritual rebirth through repentance. His
irreproachable life was an example to all.
In order to save thousands of lives and to improve the general
position of the church, the Patriarch took measures to prevent clergy
from making purely political statements. On September 25, 1919, when
the civil war was at its height, he issued a message to the clergy
urging them to stay away from political struggle.
The summer of 1921 brought a severe famine to the Volga region. In
August, Patriarch Tikhon issued a message to the Russian people and to
the people of the world, calling them to help famine victims. He gave
his blessing for voluntary donations of church valuables, which were
not directly used in liturgical services. However, on February 23,
1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a decree
making all valuables subject to confiscation.
According to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were regarded as
sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve such total
confiscation, especially since many doubted that the valuables would
be used to combat famine. This forcible confiscation aroused popular
indignation everywhere. Nearly two thousand trials were staged all
over Russia, and more than ten thousand believers were shot. The
Patriarch's message was viewed as sabotage, for which he was
imprisoned from April 1922 until June 1923.
His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon did much on behalf of the Russian
Orthodox Church during the crucial time of the so-called Renovationist
schism. He showed himself to be a faithful servant and custodian of
the undistorted precepts of the true Orthodox Church. He was the
living embodiment of Orthodoxy, which was unconsciously recognized
even by enemies of the church, who called its members "Tikhonites."
When Renovationist priests and hierarchs repented and returned to the
church, they were met with tenderness and love by St Tikhon. This,
however, did not represent any deviation from his strictly Orthodox
policy. "I ask you to believe me that I will not come to agreement or
make concessions which could lead to the loss of the purity and
strength of Orthodoxy," the Patriarch said in 1924.
Being a good pastor, who devoted himself entirely to the church's
cause, he called upon the clergy to do the same: "Devote all your
energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ,
especially today, when unbelief and atheism are audaciously attacking
the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of
you!"
It was extremely painful and hard for the Patriarch's loving,
responsive heart to endure all the Church's misfortunes. Upheavals in
and outside the church, the Renovationist schism, his primatial
labors, his concern for the organization and tranquility of Church
life, sleepless nights and heavy thoughts, his confinement that lasted
more than a year, the spiteful and wicked baiting of his enemies, and
the unrelenting criticism sometimes even from the Orthodox, combined
to undermine his strength and health.
In 1924, Patriarch Tikhon began to feel unwell. He checked into a
hospital, but would leave it on Sundays and Feast Days in order to
conduct services. On Sunday, April 5, 1925, he served his last
Liturgy, and died two days later. On March 25/April 7, 1925 the
Patriarch received Metropolitan Peter and had a long talk with him. In
the evening, the Patriarch slept a little, then he woke up and asked
what time it was. When he was told it was 11:45 P.M., he made the Sign
of the Cross twice and said, "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee."
He did not have time to cross himself a third time.
Almost a million people came to say farewell to the Patriarch. The
large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not contain
the crowd, which overflowed the monastery property into the square and
adjacent streets. St Tikhon, the eleventh Patriarch of Moscow, was
primate of the Russian Church for seven and a half years.
On September 26/October 9, 1989, the Council of Bishops of the Russian
Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Tikhon and numbered him among the
saints. For nearly seventy years, St Tikhon's relics were believed
lost, but in February 1992, they were discovered in a concealed place
in the Donskoy Monastery.
It would be difficult to imagine the Russian Orthodox Church without
Patriarch Tikhon during those years. He did so much for the Church and
for the strengthening of the Faith itself during those difficult years
of trial. Perhaps the saint's own words can best sum up his life: "May
God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of
the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake."
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Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski
Saint Daniel of Pereslavl (in the world Demetrius) was born around
1460 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His parents were the pious
Constantine and Theodosia (in monasticism Thekla).
>From his childhood, Daniel had a love for the pious life and Christian
deeds. He became a monk in the monastery of St Paphnutius of Borovsk.
He attained spiritual maturity under the guidance of St Leucius of
Volokolamsk (August 17).
Afterwards, in his native land, he dedicated himself to love for
neighbor. He buried the neglected, the poor, and those without family.
The saint founded a monastery on the site of the cemetery.
He died April 7, 1540. He is also commemorated on December 30 and July
28.
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Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia
The Holy Martyr Calliopius was born in Perge, Pamphylia of the pious
woman Theoklia, wife of a renowned senator. Theoklia was childless for
a long time. She fervently prayed for a son, vowing to dedicate him to
God.
Soon after the birth of her son Theoklia was widowed. When St
Calliopius reached adolescence, a fierce persecution against
Christians began. Theoklia, learning that her son would be denounced
as a Christian, sent him to Cilicia in Asia Minor.
When the saint arrived at Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia there was a
celebration in honor of the pagan gods. They invited the youth to take
part in the proceedings, but he said he was a Christian and refused.
They reported this to the prefect of the city Maximus. St Calliopius
was brought before him to be tried. At first, he attempted to persuade
Calliopius to worship the gods, promising to give him his own daughter
in marriage. After the youth rejected this offer, Maximus subjected
him to terrible tortures. He ordered the martyr to be beaten on the
back with iron rods, and on the stomach with ox-hide thongs. Finally,
the prefect had him tied to an iron wheel, and he was roasted over a
slow fire. After these tortures, they threw the martyr Calliopius into
prison.
When Theoklia heard about the sufferings of her son, she wrote her
last will, freed her slaves, distributed her riches to the poor, and
hastened to St Calliopius. The brave mother gave money to the guard
and got into the prison to see her son. There she encouraged him to
endure suffering to the end for Christ.
When on the following day the saint refused to renounce Christ,
Maximus gave orders to crucify the martyr. The day of execution
happened to be Great Thursday, when the Savior's last meal with His
disciples is commemorated.
Theoklia begged the guard to crucify her son head downward, since she
considered it unworthy for him to be crucified like the Lord. Her wish
was granted. The holy martyr hung on the cross overnight and died on
Great Friday in the year 304.
When the holy martyr was removed from the cross, Theoklia gave glory
to the Savior. She embraced the lifeless body of her son and gave up
her own spirit to God. Christians buried their bodies in a single
grave.
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Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope
The Holy Martyr Rufinus the Deacon, the Martyr Aquilina and 200
Soldiers with them suffered in around the year 310 in the city of
Sinope on the Black Sea during the reign of the emperor Maximian
(305-311). When the holy deacon Rufinus was put into prison for
confessing Christianity, the martyr Aquilina showed concern.
Therefore, she was also placed under guard. In prison they converted
200 soldiers to Christ by their miracles, and all of them were
beheaded by the sword.
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Martyr Aquilina at Sinope
Saint Aquilina, St Rufinus the Deacon, and 200 Soldiers suffered
around the year 310 in the city of Sinope on the Black Sea during the
reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). When the holy deacon Rufinus
was put into prison for confessing Christianity, the martyr Aquilina
showed concern. Therefore, she was also placed under guard. In prison
they converted 200 soldiers to Christ by their miracles, and all of
them were beheaded by the sword.
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Martyred 200 Soldiers with Aquilina and Rufinus at Sinope
These 200 soldiers suffered with St Rufinus the Deacon and St Aquilina
around the year 310 in the city of Sinope on the Black Sea during the
reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). The soldiers were converted
when they witnessed the miracles of the martyrs in prison. They were
all beheaded by the sword.
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Venerable Serapion of Egypt
Saint Serapion lived during the fifth century in Egypt. He was called
the linen cloth-wearer (Sindonite) since he wore only a coarse linen
garb called a "sindon." From his youth the monk lived like the birds
of the air, without a shelter.
For several days at a time he did not eat, not having the means to buy
bread. He gave away his sindon to a beggar who was shivering from the
cold, and he himself was naked.
A certain Greek philosopher, wishing to test the non-covetousness of
the monk, gave him a gold coin and watched him. The saint went to the
bakery, bought one loaf of bread, gave the merchant the gold coin and
left, having no regard for the value of the money.
St Serapion led many on the way of salvation. Once, he was the servant
of a Greek actor, whom he converted to Christ. The actor, imitating
the example of the holy life of the saint, believed and was baptized
together with all his family. He asked St Serapion to remain with him
not as a servant, but as a guide and friend, but the monk went away,
not taking any of the money offered him.
Traveling to Rome, St Serapion got on a ship, but paid nothing to the
ship owners. At first they began to reproach him for this, but
noticing that the Elder had gone five days already without eating,
they began to feed him for the sake of God, and in this they fulfilled
the command of the Lord.
At Rome, the saint continued to wander about, going from house to
house, having nothing, accumulating only spiritual wealth for himself
and for his neighbor.
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St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene
Saint George, Metropolitan of Mytilene, from his youth he led a
monastic life, and was especially accomplished in the virtue of
humility. In the reign of Leo the Isaurian (716-741) the saint
underwent persecution from the iconoclasts and became a Confessor.
During the reign of the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797)
St George was elevated to the archbishopal cathedra of the city of
Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. His life was radiant with prudence
and purity and resembled the life of angels. He possessed a gift of
wonderworking, cast out unclean spirits and healed incurable diseases.
The saint distinguished himself by his compassion, and he helped all
the needy. In 815, during the reign of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian
(813-820), the holy archpastor was banished and sent to Cherson, where
he died after the year 820.
At the hour of his death a bright star shone in the heavens over the
city of Mytilene.
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