[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Apr 12 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Hebrews 9:24-28  (Epistle)
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which
are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us;
25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters
the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the
world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the
judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who
eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4


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Hebrews 9:1-7  (Epistle, Theotokos)
1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine
service and the earthly sanctuary.
2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the
lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the
sanctuary;
3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is
called the Holiest of All,
4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on
all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna,
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy
seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always
went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services.
7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins
committed in ignorance;
Scripture Reading 2 of 4


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Mark 8:27-31  (Gospel)
27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea
Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who
do men say that I am?"
28 So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and
others, one of the prophets."
29 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and
said to Him, "You are the Christ."
30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about
Him.
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Scripture Reading 3 of 4


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Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28  (Gospel, Theotokos)
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and
a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and
heard His word.
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him
and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve
alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are
worried and troubled about many things.
42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which
will not be taken away from her.
27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman
from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb
that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"
28 But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word
of God and keep it!"
Scripture Reading 4 of 4



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5th Saturday of Great Lent of the Akathist to the Theotokos
On the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent, the Saturday of the Akathist, we
commemorate the "Laudation of the Virgin" Icon of the Most Holy
Theotokos.
In 625, when the emperor Heraclius was fighting the Persians, the Khan
sent forces to attack Constantinople by land and by sea. Patriarch
Sergius urged the people not to lose heart, but to trust in God.
A procession was made around the city with the Cross of the Lord, the
robe of the Virgin, the Icon of the Savior not made by hands, and the
Hodigitria Icon of the Mother of God. The Patriarch dipped the
Virgin's robe in the sea, and the city's defenders beat back the
Khan's sea forces. The sea became very rough, and many boats sank. The
invaders retreated, and the people of Constantinople gave thanks to
God and to His Most Pure Mother. On two other occasions, in 655 and
705, the Theotokos protected the city from Saracen invaders. A
feastday dedicated to the Laudation of the Virgin was established to
commemorate these victories. The Akathist to the Mother of God is
believed to originate from this period, and its use has spread from
Constantinople to other Orthodox lands.
The icon before which the Akathist was sung was given to the Dionysiou
Monastery on Mt. Athos by Emperor Alexius Comnenos. There, it began to
flow with myrrh. There were at least three wonderworking copies of
this icon in Russia before the Revolution.
This icon shows the Mother of God seated on a throne, and surrounded
by Prophets with scrolls.
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St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium
St Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium, lived during the eighth
century. He was elected as bishop by the inhabitants of Parium, who
venerated the saint as a true pastor of the flock of Christ.
When the Iconoclast heresy broke out, St Basil resolutely came out on
the side of icon veneration and refused to sign the orders for their
abolition (the "Iniquitous Scroll" of the Council of 754 which was
convened under the emperor Constantine V Copronymos (741-775). The
saint avoided any contact with the heretics and did not permit them
into his diocese. For his zeal he suffered much persecution, hunger
and deprivation.
St Basil remained faithful to the Orthodox Church until his death.
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Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona
Saint Zeno, Bishop of Verona, was born a Greek and came from Syria. In
his youth he became a monk and devoted himself to the study of Holy
Scripture. Visiting several monasteries, the saint came to the city of
Verona and settled there. The people chose him as bishop of the city.
The emperors Constantius (353-361) and Valens (364-378), were
advocates of the Arian heresy, which had been condemned at the First
Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. Under their patronage the
Arians began a persecution against the Orthodox. St Zeno bravely
endured all the oppression from the heretics.
In his sermons and letters he firmly asserted the Orthodox teaching
about the Lord Jesus Christ as the Only-Begotten Son of God, born of
the Father before all ages. St Zeno wrote sixteen long and
seventy-seven short discourses and directives. He died around the year
360.
St Gregory Dialogus (March 12) speaks of a miracle in the year 558 on
St Zeno's Feast day. There were spring floods in Italy. The River
Tiber overflowed its banks and inundated the surrounding area. The
River Atesis flowing past Verona also flooded. The water reached the
church built in honor of the hieromartyr Zeno, and came up to the
windows of the church. The doors of the temple were open, but the
water did not rush inside. It stopped at the wall, and did not harm
the church.
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St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto
St Isaac the Syrian lived during the mid-sixth century. He came to the
Italian city of Spoleto from Syria. The saint asked permission of the
church wardens to remain in the temple, and he prayed in it for two
and a half days. One of the church wardens began to reproach him with
hypocrisy and struck him on the cheek. Then the punishment of God came
upon the church warden. The devil threw him down at the feet of the
saint and cried out, "Isaac, cast me out!" Just as the saint bent over
the man, the unclean spirit fled.
News of this quickly spread throughout the city. People began to flock
to the saint, offering him help and the means to build a monastery.
The humble monk refused all this. He left the city and settled in a
desolate place, where he built a small cell. Disciples gathered around
the ascetic, and so a monastery was formed. When his disciples asked
the Elder why he had declined the gifts, he replied, "A monk who
acquires possessions is no longer a monk."
St Isaac was endowed with the gift of clairvoyance. St Gregory
Dialogus (March 12) speaks of this in his "Dialogues About the Lives
and Miracles of the Italian Fathers." Once, St Isaac bade the monks to
leave their spades in the garden for the night, and in the morning he
asked them to prepare food for the workers. Some robbers, equal to the
number of spades, had come to rob the monastery, but the power of God
forced them to abandon their evil intent. They took the spades and
began to work. When the monks arrived in the garden, all the ground
had been dug up. The saint greeted the toilers and invited them to
refresh themselves with food. Then he admonished them to stop their
thievery, and gave them permission to come openly and pick the fruits
of the monastery garden.
Another time, two almost naked men came to the saint and asked him for
clothing. He told them to wait a bit, and sent a monk into the forest.
In the hollow of a tree he found the fine clothes the travelers had
hidden in order to to deceive the holy igumen. The monk brought back
the clothes, and St Isaac gave them to the wanderers. Seeing that
their fraud was exposed, they fell into great distress and shame.
It happened that a certain man sent his servant to the saint with two
beehives. The servant hid one of these hives along the way. The saint
said to the servant, "I accept the gift, but be careful when you go
back for the beehive that you hid. Poisonous snakes have entered into
it. If you stretch forth your hand, they will bite you." Thus the
saint unmasked the sins of people wisely and without malice, desiring
salvation for all.
St Isaac died in 550. This saint should not be confused with the other
St Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Ninevah, who lived during the seventh
century (January 28).
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Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine
The Monk Martyrs Menas, David and John lived in Palestine. They were
martyred in the seventh century by Arabs, who shot them through with
arrows (+ post 636, when Jerusalem was captured by the Arabs).
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Monkmartyr David of Palestine
The Monk Martyrs Menas, David and John lived in Palestine. They were
martyred in the seventh century by Arabs, who shot them through with
arrows (+ post 636, when Jerusalem was captured by the Arabs).
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Monkmartyr John of Palestine
The Monk Martyrs Menas, David and John lived in Palestine. They were
martyred in the seventh century by Arabs, who shot them through with
arrows (+ post 636, when Jerusalem was captured by the Arabs).
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Venerable Anthusa the Virginmartyr of Constantinople
Saint Anthusa of Constantinople was the daughter of the Iconoclast
emperor Constantine Copronymos (741-775) and his first wife. She and
her brother, the future emperor Leo the Khazar (775-780), were twins
born on January 25, 750. The empress suffered very much with their
birth. Constantine Copronymos summoned Abbess Anthusa of Mantinea
(July 27) from prison and entreated her prayers. The abbess predicted
the birth of the twins and their fate, and the daughter was named in
her honor.
When she grew up, the emperor began to urge her to marry. But from her
youth St Anthusa yearned for monasticism and would not agree to his
suggestions. After the death of her father, she used all her personal
property to help the poor and the orphaned. The devout empress Irene
(780-802), wife of Leo the Khazar, regarded St Anthusa with love and
esteem and invited her to be a co-regent. St Anthusa, however, did not
desire worldly honors. Being at court, she wore clothes befitting her
position as an emperor's daughter, but underneath her finery she wore
a hair-shirt.
St Anthusa was tonsured by the holy Patriarch Tarasius (784-806). She
founded at Constantinople the Omonia monastery, known for its strict
rule. St Anthusa was herself an example of humility. She did hard
work, she cleaned the church and carried water. She never sat at table
during meals, but instead served the sisters. She saw to it that no
one left the monastery without a special need.
The humble and gentle ascetic lived to the age of fifty-two, and died
peacefully in 801.
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Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina
Saint Athanasia was abbess of a monastery on the island of Aegina in
the ninth century. She was born into a pious Christian family, and her
parents were named Nicetas and Marina. Already at seven years of age
the girl studied the PSALTER, which she read constantly and with
feeling. Once, while working at the weaver's loom, St Athanasia saw a
shining star coming down to her from above, which touched her bosom
and lightened all her being, and then disappeared. From that moment,
the maiden was illumined in soul and she firmly resolved to enter a
monastery.
When St Athanasia reached the age of sixteen, her parents entreated
her to marry. She consented, but after sixteen days her husband was
killed by barbarians who invaded Aegina.
St Athanasia decided to take advantage of her unexpected freedom and
dedicate herself to God. Then the emperor Michael the Stammerer
(820-829) issued a decree ordering all young widows and virgins to
take husbands. Therefore, St Athanasia was forced to marry again. It
is said that her second husband was a Moslem, whom she converted by
her holy way of life.
She led a pious and virtuous life. She did housework, helped the sick
and those in need, and took in wanderers. On Sundays and feastdays she
invited family and acquaintances to her home and read the Holy
Scriptures to them. Under her influence, her husband entered a
monastery, and progressed in virtue and holiness. Soon, he departed to
the Lord.
The saint gave away her property, became a nun, and founded a women's
monastery in a remote place. After four years, the sisters asked St
Athanasia to become the abbess of the small community. In spite of her
position, the saint surpassed all the others in meekness and humility.
She asked about the infractions of the sisters with love, not anger.
Although St Athanasia had the title of abbess, she regarded herself as
the least of the sisters and always had in mind the commandment of the
Savior: "Whoever would be first among you, let him be your servant"
(Mt. 20:27). The saint never permitted the sisters to wait on her, not
even to pour water over her hands.
St Athanasia wore a hair-shirt, and over it clothes of coarse sheep's
wool. She slept very little, and prayed most of the night. By day she
labored together with the sisters. On most days she ate only bread and
water, and that in moderation, and only after the ninth hour of the
day. She never ate cheese or fish except on Pascha and on the twelve
Great Feasts. During Lent, she did not eat bread or drink water. She
would only eat some vegetables every other day.
On the island of Aegina lived a certain monk named Matthew, who had
been an igumen. Each night he read the whole PSALTER, and also read
prayers. The saint slept sitting up and only for a short time. He
could not refrain from tears when the Psalms were chanted, while
reading prayers, or offering the Bloodless Sacrifice.
He wore only a coarse hair-shirt, and through his temperance and
struggles his body became completely withered. He had a special love
for St John the Theologian. Once, during the the Divine Liturgy he saw
the Apostle standing by the altar table.
The saint healed a paralytic with his mantle; by making the Sign of
the Cross he corrected the face of a man distorted by the actions of
the devil; he cast out demons and worked many other miracles. St
Matthew blessed St Athanasia to go to a more isolated place with her
sisters. She built a monastery on a desolate hill of the island near
an ancient church of the Protomartyr Stephen.
St Athanasia was granted the gift of healing by God. After she healed
a man afflicted with a malady of the eyes, a crowd of people began to
flock to her in order to receive healing from their infirmities of
soul and body. From the abundant gifts brought to the monastery, she
built three churches at the monastery: one dedicated to the Most Holy
Theotokos, another to the holy Prophet John the Forerunner, and the
third to St Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Her increasing celebrity distressed the saint, and she took the two
sisters closest to her in spirit (Maria and Eupraxia) and went
secretly to Constantinople. There, as a simple nun, she entered one of
the women's monasteries, where she lived for seven years.
Again, her holy life attracted attention. The sisters of the Aegina
monastery learned where their abbess had gone, and they went to her
imploring her to return. Submitting to the will of God, she returned
to the monastery she founded. Soon after this she had a vision of two
radiant men, giving her a document which said: "Here is your freedom,
take it and rejoice."
St Athanasia spent the twelve days before her death in unceasing
prayer. On the eve of the Dormition of the Most HolyTheotokos she
summoned the sisters and said that she was able to read the PSALTER
only as far as the twelfth Psalm. The saint asked them to continue
reading the PSALTER for her in church. The sisters went to church and
there fulfilled her request, and then they came to bid the saint
farewell. She blessed them and asked them to celebrate the Feast of
the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos solemnly and joyfully, and
also to provide a meal for the poor and destitute. Then, after Divine
Liturgy, they could bury her body. With these words, St Athanasia fell
asleep in the Lord on August 14, 860.
The saint predicted that she would receive glory in Heaven forty days
after her death. On the fortieth day, two devout sisters were granted
to see St Athanasia and two radiant men standing before the royal
doors of the iconostasis. They clothed her with a purple robe
embroidered with gold, pearls, and precious stones. They set a crown
on her head, handed her a gleaming staff, and led her through the
royal doors into the altar.
Before her death, St Athanasia ordered the nuns to feed the poor for
forty days. The sisters, however, did not fulfill her request and set
out the memorial meal for only ten days. The saint appeared to some of
the sisters and said, "Let everyone know that alms given for a
departed soul for forty days after death, and food offered to the
hungry, appease God. If the departed souls are sinful, they receive
forgiveness from God. If they are righteous, then the good deeds bring
God's mercy on the souls of those who perform them.
Then she thrust her staff into the ground and became invisible. The
staff left behind sprouted the next day and became a live tree. A year
after the saint's death, they led a possessed woman to the grave. When
they dug up the ground, they then noticed a fragrance and removed the
coffin. After she touched it, the demoniac was immediately healed.
Then they opened the lid of the coffin and saw the saint's incorrupt
body, from which myrrh flowed.
St Athanasia looked like she was asleep. Her face shone brightly, her
body was preserved incorrupt and soft, and even her hands were supple.
The priests decided to place her body in church. When they transferred
the body into a new coffin, the nuns removed the hair-shirt from her
holy relics and wanted to dress her in silken clothes, but the hands
of St Athanasia were so firmly clasped to her bosom, that the nuns
could not dress her in the silken garb. Even in death the saint
displayed her love for poverty. Then one of the sisters knelt down and
began to pray to the saint, saying, "O lady, hear us as you heard us
when you lived with us. Now consent to be dressed in these clothes,
our humble gift to you." St Athanasia, as though alive, lifted and
extended her hands into the clothing.
The holy relics of St Athanasia were put into a crypt and became a
source of healings.
The Life of St Athanasia is found in Vatican codex 1660, which dates
from the year 916.
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Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos
Saint Acacius the New was a monk at the Holy Trinity monastery of St
Dionysius of Olympus (January 24) at Zagora. After visiting several
monasteries on Mount Athos, the saint on the advice of his
father-confessor, Father Galacteon, settled in the skete monastery of
St Maximus the Hut-Burner ("Kavsokalyvites", January 13), who
repeatedly appeared to the ascetic.
The exploits of St Acacius were extremely severe: in place of bread he
ate dry grass, which he crushed with a piece of marble. When asked how
much a monk ought to sleep, he said that for a true monk half an hour
even was sufficient. He said, "In order to conquer the flesh, a monk
must practice two virtues: fasting and vigil." In spite of his age and
illness, he was an example of this.
Once, when St Acacius had come on a Sunday to the skete church, the
igumen Neophytus handed him his own staff and said, "Father, take the
staff, and be the Superior for all these brethren until your last
breath." St Acacius kissed the hand of the igumen, and accepted the
staff with all humility. Although previously he had walked with a
staff because of his age, from that time forward the righteous one no
longer held a staff in his hand.
For his exalted exploits St Acacius was granted the gifts of unceasing
mental prayer and divine revelations. He fell asleep in the Lord on
April 12, 1730, being nearly a hundred years old.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Murom
The Murom Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to Murom from Kiev
by the enlightener of this remote region, the holy Prince Constantine
(May 21), in the twelfth century.
St Constantine urged the pagans to accept Christianity, but they were
stubborn and decided to murder the prince. Learning of this, the saint
came out to the pagans with the Icon of the Mother of God he had
brought from Kiev. The grace issuing forth from Her countenance
touched the hearts of the pagans. They asked for the prince's
forgiveness and agreed to be baptized.
St Basil of Ryazan (July 3) sailed from Murom to Ryazan on his
mantiya, while carrying this icon. The Murom icon was originally
commemorated during the Apostles' Fast, but the celebration was moved
to April 12 (the Feast of St Basil).
In the Murom icon, Christ leans against His Mother's shoulder, and He
holds a scroll which says, "I am the light of the world."
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Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich
The Belynich Icon of the Mother of God initially was in one of the
Orthodox churches of the Mogilev district. After the emergence of the
Unia (1596) the icon passed into the hands of the Catholics and was
placed in a church of the Belynich Catholic monastery, founded in
1622-1624 by the hetman of Great Lithuania, Lev Sapega, on the banks
of the River Druta, 45 versts from Mogilev. The icon was venerated
both by Catholics and by Orthodox. In 1832 the monastery was
dissolved, and the Catholic church became a parish church.
In 1876 the icon was given to the Orthodox after the restoration of
the monastery. On April 12 of that year the first Divine Liturgy was
served in the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on the
altar table consecrated by an Orthodox bishop.
The Belynich Icon of the Mother of God is venerated throughout the
Christian world.
On this day we also remember the Transfer of the Venerable Belt of the
Mother of God from Zila to Constantinople in the year 942.
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