[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Feb 23 2008

----------------------------------------------------
------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------
                                      
2 Timothy 3:1-9  (Epistle)
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal,
despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such
people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make
captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various
lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist
the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest
to all, as theirs also was.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2


-----------------------------
                                      
Luke 20:46-21:4  (Gospel)
46 Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love
greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and
the best places at feasts,
47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.
These will receive greater condemnation.
1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the
treasury,
2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
3 So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more
than all;
4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,
but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2



----------------------------------------------------
------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------


Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna
Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was "fruitful in every good
work" (Col. 1:10), was born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna
in Asia Minor. He was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction
of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. After the
death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and
began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. He
was very fond of and close to St Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February
6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the
Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood.
The holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. St
Polycarp was especially close to St John, and sometimes accompanied
him on his apostolic journeys.
Shortly before his death, St Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp
be made Bishop of Smyrna. When St Polycarp was consecrated as a
bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. St Polycarp guided his
flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the
clergy. St Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a
high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him,
he wrote to St Polycarp, "This age is in need of you if it is to reach
God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a
port."
The emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and
started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans
demanded that the judge search for St Polycarp, "the father of all the
Christians" and "the seducer of all Asia."
During this time St Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock,
stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. When the soldiers came
for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for
time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. His suffering
and death are recorded in the "Epistle of the Christians of the Church
of Smyrna to the Other Churches," one of the most ancient memorials of
Christian literature.
Having been brought to trial, St Polycarp firmly confessed his faith
in Christ, and was condemned to be burned alive. The executioners
wanted to nail him to a post, but he declared that God would give him
the strength to endure the flames, so they could merely tie him with
ropes. The flames encircled the saint but did not touch him, coming
together over his head in the shape of a vault. Seeing that the fire
did him no harm, the pagans stabbed him with a dagger. So much blood
flowed from this wound that it extinguished the flames. The body of
the hieromartyr Polycarp was then cremated. The Christians of Smyrna
reverently gathered up what remained of his holy relics, and each year
they celebrated the day of his martyrdom.
A story has been preserved about St Polycarp by his disciple, St
Irenaeus of Lyons, which Eusebius cites in his ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
(V, 20):
"I was still very young when I saw you in Asia Minor at Polycarp's,"
writes St Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, "but I would still be able
to point out the place where Blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, and
be able to depict his walk, his mannerisms in life, his outward
appearance, his speaking to people, his companionable wandering with
John, and how he himself related, together with other eyewitnesses of
the Lord, those things that he remembered from the words of others. He
also told what he heard from them about the Lord, His teachings and
miracles....
Through the mercy of God to me, I then already listened attentively to
Polycarp and wrote down his words, not on tablets, but in the depths
of my heart. Therefore, I am able to bear witness before God, that if
this blessed and apostolic Elder heard something similar to your
fallacy, he would immediately stop up his ears and express his
indignation with his usual phrase: 'Good God! That Thou hast permitted
me to be alive at such a time!'"
During his life the holy bishop wrote several Epistles to the flock
and letters to various individuals. The only one that has survived to
the present day is his Epistle to the Philippians which, St Jerome
testifies, was read in the churches of Asia Minor at divine services.
It was written by the saint in response to the request of the
Philippians to send them some letters of the hieromartyr Ignatius
(December 20) which St Polycarp had in his possession.
The composer H.I.F. Bibier (1644-1704) has written a Sonata "Scti
Polycarpi" for eight trumpets in honor of the holy martyr.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Polycarp of Briansk
Saint Polycarp of Briansk In the world, he was Prince Peter Ivanovich
Boryatinsky, a descendant of St Michael, Prince of Chernigov
(September 20). This supposition has been put forward because
Boryatinsky is connected with the destiny of the Briansk Savior
Transfiguration monastery.
The name of Prince Peter Boryatinsky is often encountered in documents
of the sixteenth century. Thus, he was among those sent off to wage
war against the Swedish king at the river Sestra. In 1576, he was
named voevod at Tula. In 1580, Boryatinsky, having been appointed
voevod at Kholm, was captured by the Lithuanians under a siege headed
by Panin. Upon his release from captivity under Boris Godinov,
Boryatinsky returned home in disgrace.
In 1591 he was named voevod at Tiumen, but after several years he left
the world, settled at Briansk and received monastic tonsure with the
name Polycarp. From his means the monk built a monastery of the
Transfiguration of the Lord and established in it a Rule of strict
ascetical life. St Polycarp was the first Superior of this monastery.
He died and was buried there in 1620 or 1621.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Saint John, disciple of St Limnaeus (February 22), lived in Syria in
the fifth century, and chose for himself the ascetic struggle of "a
shelterless life." He settled on a hill, sheltered from the wind on
all sides, and lived there for twenty-five years. He ate only bread
and salt, and he exhausted his body under heavy chains. When one of
the nearby ascetics planted an almond tree on the hill so that St John
could enjoy its shade and get out of the vicious heat, the saint told
him to cut it down. This he did in order to deny his body any respite.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Antiochus, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Sts Antiochus and Antoninus also lived in asceticism with St John.
They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an
advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and
overcoming every obstacle.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Antoninus, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Sts Antoninus and Antiochus also lived in asceticism with St John.
They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an
advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and
overcoming every obstacle.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
St Moses lived in Syria in the fifth century.Iimitating St John, he
settled on a high mountain near the village of Rama. He was a disciple
of St Polychronius, and lived with him. Emulating his Elder in
everything, St Moses was the very model of an austere ascetical life.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Zebinas, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
St Zebinas lived in Syria during the fifth century. He lived an
ascetical life on the same mountain as St Moses. He never sat down
during his Rule of prayer, but sometimes he leaned on his staff. The
neighboring inhabitants venerated St Zebinas, and they received great
help in their sorrows and needs through his prayers.
He reached a great old age, then departed to the Lord.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Polychronius, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Saint Polychronius lived in Syria in the fifth century. He was the
disciple of St Zebinas, and imitated the life of his Elder, spending
both day and night in fasting and vigil. St Polychronius had no
chains, but he dug up a heavy oaken root from the earth and carried it
on his shoulders when he prayed. St Polychronius asked God to send
rain during a drought, and he filled up a stone vessel with oil for
the needy.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Saint Moses settled on a high mountain near the village of Rama. He
was a disciple of St Polychronius. Emulating his Elder in everything,
St Moses was the very model of austere ascetical life.
St Moses died in Syria in the fifth century.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Damian, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts
Saint Damian lived in Syria in the fifth century. He withdrew to a
monastery named Ieros and lived there in asceticism. In his cell he
had only a small box of lentils from which he ate.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the
"Unsleeping Ones"
Saint Alexander, Founder of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones,"
was born in Asia and received his education at Constantinople. He
spent some time in military service but, sensing a calling to other
service, he left the world and receivedmonastic tonsure in one of the
desert monasteries near Antioch under the guidance of Igumen Elias.
Having advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he
received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. The
saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy
Gospel with him. Afterwards, the Lord summoned him to preach to
pagans. He converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who
afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank
of bishop and for thirty years he occupied the bishop's cathedra in
the city of Edessa.
Finally, St Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks
gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful
asceticism and spiritual experience. A monastery of 400 monks
eventually sprang up there.
Then the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer
never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by
night. For three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to
him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule.
He received an answer by divine revelation. All the monks were divided
into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two
choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine
services were celebrated in church. Hence the name "Monastery of
Unsleeping Ones," since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God.
St Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years.
Thereafter, having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he
set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on
Persia, to preach the Gospel. Having arrived at Constantinople,
capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there
with his Rule of unceasing praise. The abba died at a great old age
after fifty years of monastic struggles. His death occurred in the
year 430.
St Alexander is also commemorated on July 3.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos
Saint Damian lived in the thirteenth century. He was a hesychast on
Mt. Athos, and struggled in the skete of Esphigmenou monastery, on a
mountain called Samareia, between the monasteries of Hilandar and
Esphigmenou, and also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian
Monasticism, St Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in
asceticism.
Known for his ascetic life and for the miracles he performed, he was
truly obedient and kept the injunctions of the Fathers.
St Damian reposed in his cell in the year 1280, and a miraculous
fragrance issued from his grave for forty days. His Life was written
by his friend St Cosmas of Zographou Monastery (September 22).
_________________________________________________________________
Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou
Saint Damian of Philotheou was a disciple of St Dometius (August 7).
He was from the village of Richovon (Merichovon) near Agrapha. He went
to Mt. Athos when he was quite young, and received the monastic
tonsure at Philotheou Monastery. After spending some time there, he
withdrew to a hermitage under the guidance of an Elder named Dometius.
After three years, he heard a voice telling him to go forth and teach.
He obeyed these instructions, preaching in many areas of Greece. He
urged his fellow Christians to repent of their sins, to abstain from
all vices, to obey God's commandments, and to devote themselves to
God-pleasing works.
As he was on his way to a village, St Damian was arrested by the Turks
and thrown into prison. After fifteen days of torture, he was hanged
and then thrown into a fire.
St Damian received the crown of martyrdom on February 23, 1568.
_________________________________________________________________
New Hieromartyr Nicholas (Dmitrov) of Tver
No information available at this time.
_________________________________________________________________
St Gorgonia, sister of St Gregory the Theologian
Saint Gorgonia, The sister of St Gregory the Theologian, she was
distinguished for her great virtue, piety, meekness, sagacity, and
toil. Her house was a haven for the poor. The mother of five children,
she died around the year 372 at the age of thirty-nine. Her last words
were, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep" (Psalm 4:8).
_________________________________________________________________