[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Tue Jan 15 05:00:13 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue Jan 15 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Hebrews 4:1-13  (Epistle)
1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear
lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the
word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in those who heard it.
3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I
swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the
works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way:
"And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";
5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to
whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after
such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His
voice, Do not harden your hearts."
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have
spoken of another day.
9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his
works as God did from His.
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall
according to the same example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and
of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are
naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Luke 21:12-19  (Gospel)
12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and
persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You
will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.
13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on
what you will answer;
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries
will not be able to contradict or resist.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and
friends; and they will put some of you to death.
17 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.
18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
19 By your patience possess your souls.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Venerable Paul of Thebes
Saint Paul of Thebes was born in Egypt around 227 in the Thebaid of
Egypt. Left orphaned, he suffered many things from a greedy relative
over his inheritance. During the persecution against Christians under
the emperor Decius (249-251), St Paul learned of his brother-in-law's
insidious plan to deliver him into the hands of the persecutors, and
so he fled the city and fled into the wilderness.
Settling into a mountain cave, St Paul dwelt there for ninety-one
years, praying incessantly to God both day and night. He sustained
himself on dates and bread, which a raven brought him, and he clothed
himself with palm leaves.
St Anthony the Great (January 17), who also lived as an ascetic in the
Thebaid desert, had a revelation from God concerning St Paul. St
Anthony thought that there was no other desert dweller such as he.
Then God said to him, "Anthony, there is a servant of God more
excellent than you, and you should go and see him."
Anthony went into the desert and came to St Paul's cave. Falling to
the ground before the entrance to the cave, he asked to be admitted.
The Elders introduced themselves, and then embraced one another. They
conversed through the night, and St Anthony revealed how he had been
led there by God. St Paul disclosed to St Anthony that for sixty years
a bird had brought him half a loaf of bread each day. Now the Lord had
sent a double portion in honor of St Paul's visit. The next morning,
St Paul spoke to Anthony of his approaching death, and instructed him
to bury him. He also asked St Anthony to return to his monastery and
bring back the cloak he had received from St Athanasius. He did not
really need a garment, but wished to depart from his body while St
Anthony was absent.
As he was returning with the cloak, St Anthony beheld the soul of St
Paul surrounded by angels, prophets, and apostles, shining like the
sun and ascending to God. He entered the cave and found Abba Paul on
his knees with his arms outstretched. St Anthony mourned for him, and
wrapped him in the cloak. He wondered how he would bury the body, for
he had not remembered to bring a shovel. Two lions came running from
the wilderness and dug a grave with their claws.
St Anthony buried the holy Elder, and took his garment of palm leaves,
then he returned to his own monastery. St Anthony kept this garb as a
precious inheritance, and wore it only twice a year, on Pascha and
Pentecost.
St Paul of Thebes died in the year 341, when he was 113 years old. He
did not establish a single monastery, but soon after his end there
were many imitators of his life, and they filled the desert with
monasteries. St Paul is honored as the first desert-dweller and
hermit.
In the twelfth century St Paul's relics were transferred to
Constantinople and placed in the Peribleptos monastery of the Mother
of God, on orders of the emperor Manuel (1143-1180). Later, they were
taken to Venice, and finally to Hungary, at Ofa. Part of his head is
in Rome.
St Paul of Thebes, whose Life was written by St Jerome, is not to be
confused with St Paul the Simple (October 4).
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Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller"
Saint John the Hut-Dweller was the son of rich and illustrious
parents, and was born in Constantinople the early fifth century. He
received a fine education, and he mastered rhetoric and philosophy by
the age of twelve. He also loved to read spiritual books. Perceiving
the vanity of worldly life, he chose the path that was narrow and
extremely difficult. Filled with longing to enter a monastery, he
confided his intention to a passing monk. John made him promise to
come back for him when he returned from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem,
and take him to his monastery.
He asked his parents for a Gospel so that he might study the words of
Christ. John's parents hired a calligrapher to copy the text, and had
the volume bound in a golden cover studded with gems. John read the
Gospel constantly, delighting in the Savior's words.
The monk kept his promise to come back for John, and they went
secretly to Bithynia. At the monastery of the "Unsleeping"
(Akoimitoi), he received monastic tonsure. The young monk began his
ascetical labors with zeal, astonishing the brethren with his
unceasing prayer, humble obedience, strict abstinence, and
perseverance at work.
After six years, he began to undergo temptations. He remembered his
parents, how much they loved him, and what sorrow he caused them. He
regretted leaving them, and was filled with a burning desire to see
them again.
St John explained his situation to the igumen St Marcellus (December
29) and he asked to be released from the monastery. He begged the
igumen for his blessing and prayers to return home. He bid farewell to
the brethren, hoping that by their prayers and with the help of God,
he would both see his parents and overcome the snares of the devil.
The igumen then blessed him for his journey.
St John returned to Constantinople, not to resume his former life of
luxury, but dressed as a beggar, and unknown to anyone. He settled in
a corner by the gates of his parents' home. His father noticed the
"pauper," and began to send him food from his table, for the sake of
Christ. John lived in a small hut for three years, oppressed and
insulted by the servants, enduring cold and frost, unceasingly
conversing with the Lord and the holy angels.
Before his death, the Lord appeared to the monk in a vision, revealing
that the end of his sorrows was approaching, and that in three days he
would be taken into the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, he asked the
steward to give his mother a message to come to him, for he had
something to say to her.
At first, she did not wish to go, but she was curious to know what
this beggar had to say to her. Then he sent her another message,
saying that he would die in three days. John thanked her for the
charity he had received, and told her that God would reward her for
it. He then made her promise to bury him beneath his hut, dressed in
his rags. Only then did the saint give her his Gospel, which he always
carried with him, saying, "May this console you in this life, and
guide you to the next life."
She showed the Gospel to her husband, saying that it was similar to
the one they had given their son. He realized that it was, in fact,
the very Gospel they had commissioned for John. They went back to the
gates, intending to ask the pauper where he got the Gospel, and if he
knew anything about their son. Unable to restrain himself any longer,
he admitted that he was their child. With tears of joy they embraced
him, weeping because he had endured privation for so long at the very
gates of his parental home.
The saint died in the mid-fifth century, when he was not quite
twenty-five years old. On the place of his burial the parents built a
church, and beside it a hostel for strangers. When they died, they
were buried in the church they had built.
In the twelfth century the head of the saint was taken by Crusaders to
Besançon (in France), and other relics of the saint were taken to
Rome.
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Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr
The Monk Martyr Pansophius, was a son of the Alexandrian proconsul
Nilus. After the death of his father, he distributed his inheritance
to the poor and settled in the desert, where he lived in asceticism
for twenty-seven years.
During the persecution by Decius (249-251) St Pansophius was brought
to trial before the prefect of Alexandria. The monk boldly confessed
his faith in Christ and denounced pagan errors, for which he was
fiercely beaten with rods. He died from these beatings, thereby
receiving a martyr's crown (249-251).
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St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river
Pshina in Bulgaria
Saint Prochorus of Pshina pursued asceticism in the Bransk wilderness
at the River Pshina, and he founded a monastery there. He is renowned
as one of the great ascetics of monastic life. He died at the end of
the tenth century. Miracles occurred from the saint's relics.
According to the Serbian Chronicles, the pious King Miliutin
(1276-1320) built a church in honor of St Prochorus.
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Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria
Saint Gabriel, founder of the Lesnov monastery near the city of
Kratov. Receiving a large inheritance after the death of his parents,
he rejected marriage and became a monk on a mountain at Lesnov. There
he built a church in the name of the Archangel Michael, and gathered
many monks around him. He appointed an igumen, and left all his
inheritance to the monastery. He then hid himself in a mine, where he
lived in asceticism for thirty years, conquering demonic temptations
through prayer and fasting.
He then returned to the Lesnov monastery and ended his life in peace.
After thirty years, his relics were uncovered, and healings worked
through them. Long afterwards, they were transferred to Trnovo
[Tirnova] in Bulgaria.
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St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady
Saint Ita, "the Foster Mother of the Irish Saints," was born in the
fifth century. She, like many of the Irish saints, was of the
nobility. Her parents were devout Christians who lived in County
Waterford. She founded a school and convent at Kiledy (Cille Ide)
which still bears her name near Newcastle West in Co. Limerick. A holy
well still marks the site of her church.
When she decided to settle in Kileedy, a local chieftain offered her a
grant of land for the support of the convent. St Ita accepted four
icons, which she cultivated. The convent became known as a training
ground for young boys, many of whom became famous churchmen. She
received St Brendan the Voyager (May 16) when he was only a year old,
and kept him until he was six. She also cared for her nephew St
Mochaemhoch (March 13) in his infancy. She called him "Pulcherius,"
because he was such a handsome child.
Many people sought her spiritual counsels, and she also seems to have
practiced medicine to some degree. Her life was spent in repentance
and asceticism.
St Ita once told St Brendan that the three things most displeasing to
God are: A face that hates mankind, a will that clings to the love of
evil, and placing one's entire trust in riches (Compare Proverbs
6:16-19).
The three things most pleasing to God are: The firm belief of a pure
heart in God, the simple religious life, and liberality with charity.
St Ita fell asleep in the Lord in 570. Her Feast Day is a local
holiday in the district, and her name is a popular one for Irish
girls.
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Venerable Salome of Ujarma
Saints Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia were the helpers and
closest companions of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. St. Nino
herself had converted them to the Christian Faith.
Salome was the wife of Revi, the son of King Mirian, and Perozhavra
was married to the ruler of the Kartli region. Both women were queens,
but they succeeded in serving St. Nino while retaining their imperial
roles. St. Nino taught them to pray, and the0women fasted regularly
and performed good works. As a result of their influential social
status, the two queens were able to help St. Nino tremendously in
spreading the Christian Faith.
After the conversion of Kartli, with inspiration from St. Nino and by
the order of King Mirian, St. Salome erected a cross in Ujarma in the
Kakheti region.
When St. Nino fell ill in the village of Bodbe, the queens Salome and
Perozhavra stood by her bed and wept bitterly at having to part with
their beloved teacher and healer. They entreated St. Nino, who was
finishing her last hours on this earth, saying, Tell us, our Queen,
how did you come to our country to free our souls, and where were you
raised? Tell us how to continue your good works. You who have
delivered us from bondage to the enemy, tell us, what shall we do?
>From the information that St. Nino then related to them, Sts. Salome
and Perozhavra wrote _The Life of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia_.
The Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia commemorates them on January
15, the day following the commemoration of St. Nino.
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St Barlaam of Keretsk
Saint Barlaam of Keretsk served during the sixteenth century as a
priest in the Keretsk area of the Kolsk peninsula on the White Sea. He
was venerated as the patron of White Sea industrial workers and
sea-farers. He was glorified by posthumous miracles, saving those in
danger of drowning.
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Venerable Perozhavra of Sivnia
Saints Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia were the helpers and
closest companions of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. St. Nino
herself had converted them to the Christian Faith.
Salome was the wife of Revi, the son of King Mirian, and Perozhavra
was married to the ruler of the Kartli region. Both women were queens,
but they succeeded in serving St. Nino while retaining their imperial
roles. St. Nino taught them to pray, and the0women fasted regularly
and performed good works. As a result of their influential social
status, the two queens were able to help St. Nino tremendously in
spreading the Christian Faith.
After the conversion of Kartli, with inspiration from St. Nino and by
the order of King Mirian, St. Salome erected a cross in Ujarma in the
Kakheti region.
When St. Nino fell ill in the village of Bodbe, the queens Salome and
Perozhavra stood by her bed and wept bitterly at having to part with
their beloved teacher and healer. They entreated St. Nino, who was
finishing her last hours on this earth, saying, Tell us, our Queen,
how did you come to our country to free our souls, and where were you
raised? Tell us how to continue your good works. You who have
delivered us from bondage to the enemy, tell us, what shall we do?
>From the information that St. Nino then related to them, Sts. Salome
and Perozhavra wrote _The Life of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia_.
The Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia commemorates them on January
15, the day following the commemoration of St. Nino.
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