[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Mon Jan 14 05:00:14 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Jan 14 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Hebrews 3:5-11,17-19  (Epistle)
5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a
testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we
hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the
end.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His
voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial
in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty
years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always
go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.'
11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' "
17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who
sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to
those who did not obey?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Luke 20:27-44  (Gospel)
27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection,
came to Him and asked Him,
28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies,
having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take
his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died
without children.
30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.
31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and
they left no children, and died.
32 Last of all the woman died also.
33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all
seven had her as wife.
34 Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and
are given in marriage.
35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are
sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are
raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob.'
38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live
to Him.
39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have
spoken well."
40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.
41 And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son
of David?
42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: 'The LORD said to my
Lord, Sit at My right hand,
43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '
44 Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Leavetaking of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ
The Leavetaking of the Feast of Theophany takes place on January 14.
The entire office of the Feast is repeated except for the Entrance,
festal readings, Litya, Blessing of Loaves 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.
_________________________________________________________________
Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu
The Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and Raithu. There were two
occasions when the monks and hermits were murdered by the barbarians.
The first took place in the fourth century when forty Fathers were
killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were slain at Raithu on the same
day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Isaiah, slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Isaiah was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Sava, slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Sava was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Moses and his Disciple Moses slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Moses was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Moses the Disciple slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Moses the Disciple was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at
Sinai and Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits
were murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth
century when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine
were slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Jeremiah slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Jeremiah was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Paul slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Paul was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Adam slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Adam was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Sergius slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Sergius was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Domnus slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Domnus was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Proclus slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Proclus was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Hypatius slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Hypatius was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Isaac slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Isaac was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Macarius, slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Macarius was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
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Martyr Mark slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Mark was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Benjamin slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Benjamin was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Eusebius slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Eusebius was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Elias slain at Sinai and Raithu
Saint Elias was one of the Holy Monastic Fathers Slain at Sinai and
Raithu. There were two occasions when the monks and hermits were
murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century
when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were
slain at Raithu on the same day.
Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was
also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk,
witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of
how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them
all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the
peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified,
and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them.
That day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at
Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted
his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart.
The second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was
also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: St Nilus the
Faster (November 12). The Arabs permitted some of the monks run for
their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From
this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack
their cells.
The Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they
spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they
gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy
Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics
of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders
Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic
Fathers are: Isaiah, Sava, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah,
Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark,
Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias.
_________________________________________________________________
St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of
Georgia
The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George
and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her
father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother,
Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino
reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and
moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Ninos father was tonsured a monk. He
bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the
Jordan.
After Sosana had been separated from her husband, Patriarch Juvenal
ordained her a deaconess. She left her daughter Nino in the care of an
old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the Christian Faith and
related to her the stories of Christs life and His suffering on earth.
It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christs Robe had arrived in
Georgia, a country of pagans.
Soon Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her
blessing to travel to Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the
Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy
Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, Go
to the country that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you and I will
be your protector.
But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great
responsibility and answered, How can I, a fragile woman, perform such
a momentous task, and how can I believe that this vision is real? In
response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of
grapevines and proclaimed, Receive this cross as a shield against
visible and invisible enemies!
When she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened
it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her
own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the
grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.)
Nino related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed
to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in
front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, O Lord,
God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant
that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy
Holy Resurrection. O Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and
a spiritual father. And as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all
those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom
to proclaim Thy glad tidings.
When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia
and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian,
a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284305) fell
in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but St. Nino,
Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The
furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a
messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286344), to put him on
guard.
King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletians example,
was charmed by Rhipsimias beauty and resolved to marry her. But St.
Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had
her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. St.
Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and
she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates persecutions by hiding among
some rose bushes.
When she finally arrived in Georgia, St. Nino was greeted by a group
of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, and she received a blessing
from God to preach to the pagans of this region.
With the help of her acquaintances St. Nino soon reached the city of
Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then traveled to Mtskheta with a
group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan
idol Armazi. There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian
people trembled before the idols. She was exceedingly sorrowful and
prayed to the Lord, O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation that
all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son,
Jesus Christ.
Suddenly a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky,
shattering the pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled,
scattering across the city.
St. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the
king, with the family of the royal gardener. The gardener and his wife
were childless, but through St. Ninos prayers God granted them a
child. The couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True
God, and became disciples of St. Nino. Wherever St. Nino went, those
who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great
numbers. St. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she
declared Christ to be the True God.
King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression
St. Ninos preaching had made on the Georgian nation. One day while he
was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ.
According to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face
death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. But in the midst of
the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. All alone, King Mirian became
greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. When
his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope and, miraculously,
he turned to Christ: God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide
my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I will erect a cross
and venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. I vow to be
obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!
Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, and
KingMirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to the
city, he immediately informed St. Nino of his decision. As a result of
the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was
established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith.
St. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and,
according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her
last breath. King Mirian later erected a church in honor of St. George
over her grave.
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St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu
Saint Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic He attained
such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a light
shone upon him while he prayed. He foretold the time of his death to
his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the
Sinai Fathers.
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Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai
Saint Theodulus was the son of St Nilus the Faster (November 12), and
he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth
century. While still a child, St Theodulus left the world and went to
Mount Sinai with his father.
During a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into
the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice
to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the
Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, St Nilus. The
barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him
a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them.
Brought by the brigands to the city of Eluza, St Theodulus was
ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his
grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Sts Theodulus
and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until
the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to
Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed
in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.
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Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near
Chalcedon
Saint Stephen lived during the eighth century. Impressed by the lives
of the great ascetics, he made the rounds of many monasteries in
Palestine, and in the wilderness visited also the great Fathers
Euthymius the Great (January 20), Sava the Sanctified (December 5) and
Theodosius the Great (January 11). Tonsured into monasticism, St
Stephen founded his own monastery in Bithynia, near Mount Oxos near
Chalcedon. Many monks gathered at the monastery near Moudania in Asia
Minor, which was called "chenolakkos" ["by the goose-pond"].
The holy ascetic foresaw his own death, and certain of the brethren
were granted to behold his glorious departure into Heaven with the
angels.
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St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland
Saint Kentigern was from Lothian (in Scotland), and may have been of
royal blood. He left home at an early age and was brought up by a
hermit named Servan (July 1) on the Firth of Forth. It was St Servan
who gave him the name Mungo (or dear friend).
St Kentigern Mungo labored in Strathclyde, and founded a monastery
where the city of Glasgow stands today. He was made a bishop, taking
Glasgow for his See.
Driven from Scotland by the enmity of a local ruler, St Kentigern went
to Wales and founded the monastery of St Asaph. Eventually, he
returned to Scotland and resumed his missionary work, baptizing many
people.
In 584 he met St Columba (June 9), and exchanged croziers with him. St
Kentigern was a strict ascetic who traveled everywhere on foot. It is
believed that he died in Glasgow around 612 at the age of eighty-five.
A Gothic cathedral was built over his shrine in the thirteenth
century.
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