[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sat Feb 9 05:00:20 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Feb 9 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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1 Thessalonians 5:14-23  (Epistle)
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the
fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue
what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies.
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may
your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4

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Hebrews 7:7-17  (Epistle, Meeting)
7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom
it is witnessed that he lives.
9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to
speak,
10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met
him.
11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for
under it the people received the law), what further need was there
that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek,
and not be called according to the order of Aaron
12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a
change of the law.
13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe,
from which no man has officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe
Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek,
there arises another priest
16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment,
but according to the power of an endless life.
17 For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order
of Melchizedek."
Scripture Reading 2 of 4

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Luke 17:3-10  (Gospel)
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke
him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in
a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say
to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in
the sea,' and it would obey you.
7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will
say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit
down to eat'?
8 But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper,
and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and
afterward you will eat and drink'?
9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were
commanded him? I think not.
10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are
commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was
our duty to do.'
Scripture Reading 3 of 4

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Luke 2:22-40  (Gospel, Meeting)
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses
were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the
Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the
womb shall be called holy to the LORD"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of
the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and
this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents
brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of
the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According
to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your
people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were
spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold,
this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and
for a sign which will be spoken against
35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a
husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not
depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night
and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke
of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom;
and the grace of God was upon Him.
Scripture Reading 4 of 4

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Leavetaking of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple
The Leavetaking of the Meeting of the Lord usually falls on February
9, but may be moved if the Feast falls during the period of the
Triodion. In that case, the Typikon must be consulted for information
on the Leavetaking.
Usually, the entire office of the Feast is repeated except for the
Entrance, festal readings, and Litya at Vespers, and the Polyeleos and
festal Gospel at Matins. The festal Antiphons are not sung at Liturgy,
and the Epistle and Gospel of the day are read.
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Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria
The Holy Martyr Nicephorus lived in the city of Syrian Antioch. In
this city lived also the presbyter Sapricius, with whom Nicephorus was
very friendly, so that they were considered as brothers. They
quarreled because of some disagreement, and their former love changed
into enmity and hate.
After a certain time Nicephorus came to his senses, repented of his
sin and more than once asked Sapricius, through mutual friends, to
forgive him. Sapricius, however, did not wish to forgive him.
Nicephorus then went to his former friend and fervently asked
forgiveness, but Sapricius was adamant.
At this time the emperors Valerian (253-259) and Gallius (260-268)
began to persecute Christians, and one of the first brought before the
court was the priest Sapricius. He firmly confessed himself a
Christian, underwent tortures for his faith and was condemned to death
by beheading with a sword. As they led Sapricius to execution,
Nicephorus tearfully implored his forgiveness saying, "O martyr of
Christ, forgive me if I have sinned against you in any way."
The priest Sapricius remained stubborn, and even as he approached
death he refused to forgive his fellow Christian. Seeing the hardness
of his heart, the Lord withdrew His blessing from Sapricius, and would
not let him receive the crown of martyrdom. At the last moment, he
suddenly became afraid of death and agreed to offer sacrifice to
idols. In vain did St Nicephorus urge Sapricius not to lose his reward
through apostasy, since he already stood on the threshold of the
heavenly Kingdom.
St Nicephorus then said to the executioner, "I am a Christian, and I
believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Execute me in place of Sapricius."
The executioners reported this to the governor. He decided to free
Sapricius, and to behead Nicephorus in his place. Thus did St
Nicephorus inherit the Kingdom and receive a martyr's crown.
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Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk
In 1764, the body of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk was discovered
incorrupt during restoration work on the Ascension monastery's Tikhvin
church. Many miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote
places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer.
This moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify
the saint in the year 1800.
In 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout
all Russia on November 26, since the Icon of the Mother of God "of the
Sign" is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27).
Today we commemorate the uncovering of his relics in 1805.
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Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves
The holy hieromonk Pancratius performed the divine services with much
grace, and received the gift of working miracles. He shared his gifts
with those who asked, healing the sick with fasting, prayer, and by
anointing them with holy oil.
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Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk
Saint Nicephorus of Vazhe Lake came to St Alexander of Svir (April 17)
in the year 1510 and was warmly received by him. In 1518 he made a
visit, with the blessing of his mentor, to St Cyril of New Lake
(February 4). When Nicephorus approached New Lake, he was fatigued by
his long journey and lay down in the darkness and fell asleep.
St Cyril through hastened by boat to row across the lake and awoke
him. St Nicephorus spent eight days in spiritual conversation with the
saint. Nicephorus then journeyed to Kiev to venerate the relics of the
saints of the Caves.
Upon his return, and with the blessing of St Alexander, he settled at
Vazhe Lake, where St Gennadius pursued asceticism. St Nicephorus built
the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived
until his own death.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, in the Zadne-Nikiforov
wilderness, a church was built and dedicated to Sts Nicephorus and
Gennadius of Vazhe Lake. The relics of the saints were put to rest in
a hidden place in the monastery they founded.
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Venerable Gennadius of Vazheozersk
Saint Gennadius of Vazhe Lake was the son of rich parents but, giving
away everything, he became a disciple of St Alexander of Svir and
lived with him in asceticism as a hermit by the river Svira.
Afterwards, with blessing of St Alexander, he went to Vazhe Lake,
twelve versts from the Svir monastery. And here, having built a cell,
he spent his solitary ascetic life with two of his disciples.
Before his death, St Gennadius told his disciple, "Here at this place
shall be a church and a monastery." The holy ascetic reposed on
January 8, 1516.
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Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily
The Hieromartyrs Marcellus, Philagrius and Pancratius were disciples
of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: St Marcellus,
of Sicily; Philagrius, of Cyprus, and Pancratius, of Taormina. They
were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.
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Hieromartyr Philagrius the Bishop of Cyprus
The Hieromartyrs Philagrius, Marcellus and Pancratius were disciples
of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: St Marcellus,
of Sicily; Philagrius, of Cyprus, and Pancratius, of Taormina. They
were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.
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Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taoromina in Sicily
The Hieromartyrs Pancratius, Marcellus and Philagrius were disciples
of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: St Marcellus,
of Sicily; Philagrius, of Cyprus, and Pancratius, of Taormina. They
were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.
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Venerable Shio Mgvime
Saint Shio was one of the twelve disciples of St John Zedazeni. They
were holy Syrian (Cappadocian) ascetics, the founders of Georgian
monasticism, who arrived in Georgia from Cappadocia in the mid-sixth
century. The holy Thirteen Cappadocian Fathers were actually
Georgians, who received their spiritual schooling at the renowned
Lavra of St Simeon the Stylite and at other monasteries of Syria and
Mesopotamia, intending to return to their native land and assist in
its Christian enlightenment.
St Shio is also commemorated on May 9.
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Virginmartyr Apollonia
Saint Apollonia was an elderly virgin and deaconess of Alexandria,
whose martyrdom was described by St Dionysius of Alexandria (October
5) in one of his letters.
When Decius became emperor in 249, he launched the greatest attack
upon Christianity up to that time, becoming the first emperor to call
for its total exterminaion. St Dionysius says that the persecution
started at Alexandria a year before it began in other places, incited
by a certain "prophet and poet of evil," who stirred up the people
against the Christians.
Backed by the power of the government, the pagans massacred
Christians, believing that they were serving their false gods by doing
so. The "aged and excellent virgin Apollonia" was seized and struck in
the face until all her teeth were knocked out. The mob built a fire
outside the city and threatened to burn her alive unless she agreed to
worship the idols and sacrifice to the emperor's genius.
St Apollonia asked the pagans to let go of her for a moment so that
she could pray. As soon as they did, she leaped into the flames and
was consumed, receiving a double crown of martyrdom and virginity.
Because of the nature of her torments, she is sometimes depicted with
a golden tooth hanging from a necklace, or holding a tooth in a pair
of pincers. She is invoked by those suffering from toothache.
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St Romanos of Cilicia
No information available at this time.
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