[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Fri Feb 15 05:00:13 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri Feb 15 2008

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2 Peter 1:1-10  (Epistle)
1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord,
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and
virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious
promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to
perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren
nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness,
and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Mark 13:1-8  (Gospel)
1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him,
"Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great
buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be
thrown down."
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter,
James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
4 Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when
all these things will be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one
deceives you.
6 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive
many.
7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled;
for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.
8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be
famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy
Saint Onesimus, Apostle of the Seventy in his youth was a servant of
Philemon, a Christian of distinguished lineage, living in the city of
Colossae, Phrygia. Guilty of an offense against his master and fearing
punishment, St Onesimus fled to Rome, but as a runaway slave he wound
up in prison. In prison he encountered the Apostle Paul, was
enlightened by him, and was baptized.
In prison St Onesimus served the Apostle Paul like a son. St Paul was
personally acquainted with Philemon, and wrote him a letter filled
with love, asking him to forgive the runaway slave and to accept him
like a brother. He sent St Onesimus with this letter to his master,
depriving himself of help, of which he was very much in need.
After he received the letter, St Philemon not only forgave Onesimus,
but also sent him back to Rome to the apostle. St Philemon was
afterwards consecrated bishop of the city of Gaza (January 4, February
19, and November 22).
After the death of the Apostle Paul, St Onesimus served the apostles
until their end, and he was made a bishop. After the death of the holy
apostles he preached the Gospel in many lands and cities: in Spain,
Carpetania, Colossae, Patras. In his old age, St Onesimus occupied the
bishop's throne at Ephesus, after the Apostle Timothy. When they took
St Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20) to Rome for execution, Bishop
Onesimus came to meet with him with other Christians, as St Ignatius
mentions in his Epistle to the Ephesians.
During the reign of the emperor Trajan (89-117), St Onesimus was
arrested and brought to trial before the eparch Tertillus. He held the
saint in prison for eighteen days, and then sent him to prison in the
city of Puteoli. After a certain while, the eparch sent for the
prisoner and, convincing himself that St Onesimus maintained his faith
in Christ, had him stoned, after which they beheaded the saint with a
sword. A certain illustrious woman took the body of the martyr and
placed it in a silver coffin. This took place in the year 109.
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Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves
Saint Paphnutius had the gift of tears, which St John of the Ladder
says (Step 6:1) is preceded by the remembrance of death. For worldly
people, this remembrance may lead to fear and distress, but for St
Paphnutius it led to constant prayer and the guarding of his mind.
By remembering the hour of death and God's judgment, St Paphnutius was
able to free himself from worldly distractions and passions through
prayer, repentance and fasting. This, in turn, led to tears.
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Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria
The Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the
desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian
(284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that St Paphnutius be
brought to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him,
appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was
subjected to torture.
The soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus,
seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ
the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast into
prison after the tortures, St Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to
the Faith. They were all burned alive.
After a while St Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named
Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual
guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured
martyrdom. The saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our
Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with
swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all.
St Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a
stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the
stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian
himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree.
St Paphnutius is also commemorated on September 25.
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Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria
Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria was born at the beginning of the fifth
century in the city of Alexandria. She was the only child in her
family of illustrious and rich parents. Since her mother died early,
she was raised by her father, Paphnutius, a deeply believing and pious
Christian. He frequented a monastery, the igumen of which was his
spiritual guide.
When Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. He
went to the monastery to his spiritual guide to receive his blessing
for the planned wedding of his daughter. The igumen conversed with the
daughter and gave her his blessing, but St Euphrosyne yearned for the
monastic life.
She secretly accepted tonsure from a wandering monk, left her father's
house and decided to enter a monastery in order to lead her life in
solitude and prayer. She feared, however, that in a women's monastery
her father would find her. Calling herself the eunuch Smaragdos, she
went to the very same men's monastery which she had visited with her
father since childhood.
The monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men's garb, and so
they accepted her into the monastery. Here in a solitary cell, St
Euphrosyne spent 38 years in works, fasting and prayer, and attained a
high level of spiritual accomplishment.
Her father grieved over the loss of his beloved daughter and more than
once, on the advice of the igumen, he conversed with the monk
Smaragdos, revealing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. Before
her death, the nun Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving
father and asked that no one but he should prepare her body for
burial. Having buried his daughter, Paphnutius distributed all his
wealth to both the poor and to the monastery, and then he accepted
monasticism. For ten years right up to his own death, he labored in
the cell of his daughter.
Saint Euphrosyne is also commemorated on September 25.
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Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria
Saint Eusebius the Hermit lived in the fourth century and lived in
asceticism on a mountain near the village of Asicha in Syria. He led a
very strict life under the open sky, patiently enduring the summer
heat and winter cold. He wore skins for clothing, and nourished
himself on the pods of peas and beans.
Though he was elderly and infirm, he ate only fifteen figs during the
Great Forty day Fast. When many people began to flock to St Eusebius,
he went to a nearby monastery, built a small enclosure at the
monastery walls and lived in it until his death.
St Eusebius died at the age of ninety, sometime after the year 400.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius
This icon is from Vilnius (or Vilna), Lithuania, and depicts the Most
Holy Theotokos by Herself with hands crossed over Her breast. She is
crowned, and there is a circle of stars around Her head.
The Vilnius Icon is also commemorated on April 14.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia
The Dalmatian Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is from
the Dormition-Dalmatov Monastery in the Province of Perm.
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St Anthimus of Chios
No information available at this time.
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