[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Thu Feb 28 05:00:15 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Thu Feb 28 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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1 John 4:20-5:21  (Epistle)
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar;
for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love
God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must
love his brother also.
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of
Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God
and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His
commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is
the Son of God?
6 This is He who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ; not only by
water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness,
because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for
this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he
who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not
believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you
may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to
death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin
not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that
he should pray about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has
been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway
of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an
understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who
is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Mark 15:1-15  (Gospel)
1 Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation
with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound
Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.
2 Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered
and said to him, "It is as you say."
3 And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered
nothing.
4 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how
many things they testify against You!"
5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.
6 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to
them, whomever they requested.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow
rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.
8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he
had always done for them.
9 But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you
the King of the Jews?"
10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of
envy.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should
rather release Barabbas to them.
12 Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me
to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"
13 So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"
14 Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they
cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"
15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them;
and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable
Procopius at Decapolis
Saint Basil the Confessor was a monk and suffered during the reign of
the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). When a persecution
started against those who venerated holy icons, St Basil and his
companion St Procopius of Decapolis (February 27) were subjected to
much torture and locked up in prison. Here both martyrs languished for
a long while, until the death of the impious emperor.
When the holy Confessors Basil and Procopius were set free along with
other venerators of holy icons, they continued in their monastic
struggles, instructing many in the Orthodox Faith and the virtuous
life. St Basil died peacefully in the year 750.
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Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ
Blessed Nicholas of Pskov lived the life of a holy fool for more than
three decades. Long before his death he acquired the grace of the Holy
Spirit and was granted the gifts of wonderworking and of prophecy. The
Pskov people of his time called him Mikula [Mikola, Nikola] the Fool.
Even during his lifetime they revered him as a saint, even calling him
Mikula the saintly.
In February 1570, after a devastating campaign against Novgorod, Tsar
Ivan the Terrible moved against Pskov, suspecting the inhabitants of
treason. As the Pskov Chronicler relates, "the Tsar came ... with
great fierceness, like a roaring lion, to tear apart innocent people
and to shed much blood."
On the first Saturday of Great Lent, the whole city prayed to be
delivered from the Tsar's wrath. Hearing the peal of the bell for
Matins in Pskov, the Tsar's heart was softened when he read the
inscription on the fifteenth century wonderworking Liubyatov
Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God (March 19) in the Monastery of St
Nicholas (the Tsar's army was at Lubyatov). "Be tender of heart," he
said to his soldiers. "Blunt your swords upon the stones, and let
there be an end to killing."
All the inhabitants of Pskov came out upon the streets, and each
family knelt at the gate of their house, bearing bread and salt to the
meet the Tsar. On one of the streets Blessed Nicholas ran toward the
Tsar astride a stick as though riding a horse, and cried out:
"Ivanushko, Ivanushko, eat our bread and salt, and not Christian
blood."
The Tsar gave orders to capture the holy fool, but he disappeared.
Though he had forbidden his men to kill, Ivan still intended to sack
the city. The Tsar attended a Molieben at the Trinity cathedral, and
he venerated the relics of holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11),
and expressed his wish to receive the blessing of the holy fool
Nicholas. The saint instructed the Tsar "by many terrible sayings," to
stop the killing and not to plunder the holy churches of God. But Ivan
did not heed him and gave orders to remove the bell from the Trinity
cathedral. Then, as the saint prophesied, the Tsar's finest horse fell
dead.
The blessed one invited the Tsar to visit his cell under the
belltower. When the Tsar arrived at the cell of the saint, he said,
"Hush, come in and have a drink of water from us, there is no reason
you should shun it." Then the holy fool offered the Tsar a piece of
raw meat.
"I am a Christian and do not eat meat during Lent", said Ivan to him.
"But you drink human blood," the saint replied.
Frightened by the fulfillment of the saint's prophecy and denounced
for his wicked deeds, Ivan the Terrible ordered a stop to the looting
and fled from the city. The Oprichniki, witnessing this, wrote: "The
mighty tyrant ... departed beaten and shamed, driven off as though by
an enemy. Thus did a worthless beggar terrify and drive off the Tsar
with his multitude of a thousand soldiers."
Blessed Nicholas died on February 28, 1576 and was buried in the
Trinity cathedral of the city he had saved. Such honors were granted
only to the Pskov princes, and later on, to bishops.
The local veneration of the saint began five years after his death. In
the year 1581, during a siege of Pskov by the soldiers of the Polish
king Stephen Bathory, the Mother of God appeared to the blacksmith
Dorotheus together with a number of Pskov saints praying for the city.
Among these was Blessed Nicholas (the account about the
Pskov-Protection Icon of the Mother of God is found under October 1).
At the Trinity cathedral they still venerate the relics of Blessed
Nicholas of Pskov, who was "a holy fool in the flesh, and by assuming
this holy folly he became a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem"
(Troparion). He also "transformed the Tsar's wild thoughts into mercy"
(Kontakion).
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Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria
The Hieromartyr Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria, and those with
him. The priest Proterius lived in Alexandria during the patriarchal
tenure of Dioscorus (444-451), an adherent of the Monophysite heresy
of Eutyches. Proterius fearlessly denounced the heretics and confessed
the Orthodox Faith.
In 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, the heresy of
Eutyches was condemned and the teaching of Christ as Perfect God and
Perfect Man, existing in these two natures "unconfusedly" and
"indivisibly" [and "immutably" and "inseparably"] was set forth. The
heretic Dioscorus was deposed and exiled, and Proterius, distinguished
for his strict and virtuous life, was placed upon the patriarchal
throne of Alexandria.
However, many supporters of Dioscorus remained in Alexandria.
Rebelling against the election of Proterius, they rioted and burned
the soldiers who were sent out to pacify them. The pious emperor
Marcian (450-457) deprived the Alexandrians of all the privileges they
were accustomed to, and sent new and reinforced detachments of
soldiers. The inhabitants of the city then quieted down and begged
Patriarch Proterius to intercede with the emperor to restore their
former privileges to them. The kindly saint consented and readily
obtained their request.
After the death of Marcian the heretics again raised their heads.
Presbyter Menignus ("the Cat"), himself striving for the patriarchal
dignity, and taking advantage of the absence of the prefect of the
city, was at the head of the rioters. St Proterius decided to leave
Alexandria, but that night he saw in a dream the holy Prophet Isaiah,
who said to him, "Return to the city, I am waiting to take you." The
saint realized that this was a prediction of his martyric end. He
returned to Alexandria and concealed himself in a baptistry.
The insolent heretics broke into this refuge and killed the Patriarch
and six men who were with him. The fact that it was Holy Saturday and
the Canon of Pascha was being sung did not stop them. In their insane
hatred they tied a rope to the body of the murdered Patriarch, and
dragged it through the streets. They beat and lacerated it, and
finally they burned it, scattering the ashes to the wind.
The Orthodox reported this to the holy Emperor Leo (457-474) and St
Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3). An army arrived at
Alexandria, the rebellion was crushed, and Menignus was brought to
trial and exiled.
Regarding the death of the Hieromartyr Proterius, four Thracian
bishops of his time wrote: "We consider His Holiness Proterius to be
in the ranks and choir of the saints, and we beseech God to be
compassionate and merciful to us through his prayers."
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Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia
The Hieromartyr Nestor, Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia During a
persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), he
was arrested while praying in his home. He learned of the suffering
awaiting him through a peculiar vision. He saw a lamb prepared for
sacrifice.
The ruler of the city of Magydos sent him for trial to Perge. On the
way there St Nestor was strengthened in spirit when he heard a Voice
from Heaven, after which an earthquake occurred. After cruel tortures
at Perge the hieromartyr was crucified in the year 250.
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Venerable Marana of Syria
Saints Marana and Kyra, sisters by birth, lived during the fourth
century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. Their parents were
illustrious and rich, but the sisters left home and departed the city
when they had reached maturity.
Having cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up
the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a
narrow opening through which food was passed to them. Their little hut
had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements.
On their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured
hunger. During a three year period, they ate food only once every
forty days. Their former servants came to them, wanting to join their
ascetic life. The saints put them in a separate hut next to their own
enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to
deeds of prayer and fasting.
The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop
Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his RELIGIOSA HISTORIA. Out of respect for his
hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their
dwelling. Theodoret conversed with them and persuaded them to remove
the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. Kyra, who was weak in
body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit
upright. Once he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains.
So they lived in asceticism for forty years. They disturbed their
solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the
Sepulchre of the Lord. During their journey (which took twenty days)
they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. On the way
back, they also went without eating. They did the same thing at
another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr
Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria.
Sts Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. Their ascetical life
equalled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, and they
received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior.
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Venerable Kyra of Syria
Saints Marana and Kyra, sisters by birth, lived during the fourth
century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. Their parents were
illustrious and rich, but the sisters left home and departed the city
when they had reached maturity.
Having cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up
the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a
narrow opening through which food was passed to them. Their little hut
had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements.
On their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured
hunger. During a three year period, they ate food only once every
forty days. Their former servants came to them, wanting to join their
ascetic life. The saints put them in a separate hut next to their own
enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to
deeds of prayer and fasting.
The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop
Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his RELIGIOSA HISTORIA. Out of respect for his
hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their
dwelling. Theodoret conversed with them and persuaded them to remove
the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. Kyra, who was weak in
body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit
upright. Once he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains.
So they lived in asceticism for forty years. They disturbed their
solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the
Sepulchre of the Lord. During their journey (which took twenty days)
they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. On the way
back, they also went without eating. They did the same thing at
another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr
Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria.
Sts Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. Their ascetical life
equalled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, and they
received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior.
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Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria
Saint Domnica (Domnina) was a Syrian nun, and a companion of Sts
Marana and Kyra.
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