[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sat Jan 26 2008

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Ephesians 5:1-8  (Epistle)
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for
us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even
be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which
are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous
man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk
as children of light
Scripture Reading 1 of 2


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Luke 14:1-11  (Gospel)
1 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of
the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him
closely.
2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.
3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,
"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him
go.
5 Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an
ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on
the Sabbath day?"
6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how
they chose the best places, saying to them:
8 When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down
in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;
9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to
this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2



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Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople
Saint Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, were
noted citizens of Constantinople and lived in the fifth century.
Despite their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by
their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. Wishing to give their
sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off
to the Phoenician city of Beirut.
By divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was
wrecked. The waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places.
Grieved at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God
and became monks. For a long time the parents had no news of their
children and presumed them to be dead.
Xenophon, however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the
Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to
believe that the Lord watched over their children. After several years
the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, and at Jerusalem they
met their sons, living in asceticsm at different monasteries. The
joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family.
Sts Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated
themselves to God. The monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of
their parents, went out into the wilderness, where after long ascetic
toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment.
Sts Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also
received from God the gift of wonderworking.
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Venerable Mary of Constantinople
Saint Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, were
noted citizens of Constantinople and lived in the fifth century.
Despite their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by
their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. Wishing to give their
sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off
to the Phoenician city of Beirut.
By divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was
wrecked. The waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places.
Grieved at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God
and became monks. For a long time the parents had no news of their
children and presumed them to be dead.
Xenophon, however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the
Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to
believe that the Lord watched over their children. After several years
the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, and at Jerusalem they
met their sons, living in asceticsm at different monasteries. The
joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family.
Sts Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated
themselves to God. The monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of
their parents, went out into the wilderness, where after long ascetic
toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment.
Sts Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also
received from God the gift of wonderworking.
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Venerable Arcadius of Constantinople
Saint Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, were
noted citizens of Constantinople and lived in the fifth century.
Despite their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by
their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. Wishing to give their
sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off
to the Phoenician city of Beirut.
By divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was
wrecked. The waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places.
Grieved at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God
and became monks. For a long time the parents had no news of their
children and presumed them to be dead.
Xenophon, however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the
Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to
believe that the Lord watched over their children. After several years
the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, and at Jerusalem they
met their sons, living in asceticsm at different monasteries. The
joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family.
Sts Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated
themselves to God. The monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of
their parents, went out into the wilderness, where after long ascetic
toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment.
Sts Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also
received from God the gift of wonderworking.
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Venerable John of Constantinople
Saint Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, were
noted citizens of Constantinople and lived in the fifth century.
Despite their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by
their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. Wishing to give their
sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off
to the Phoenician city of Beirut.
By divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was
wrecked. The waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places.
Grieved at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God
and became monks. For a long time the parents had no news of their
children and presumed them to be dead.
Xenophon, however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the
Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to
believe that the Lord watched over their children. After several years
the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, and at Jerusalem they
met their sons, living in asceticsm at different monasteries. The
joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family.
Sts Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated
themselves to God. The monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of
their parents, went out into the wilderness, where after long ascetic
toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment.
Sts Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also
received from God the gift of wonderworking.
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Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot
of Studion
The Transfer of the Relics of Saint Theodore, Igumen of the Studion
Monastery, from Akritian Cherson to Constantinople occurred in the
year 845. The Life of St Theodore the Studite is to be found under
November 11.
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Venerable Xenophon of Robika
Saint Xenophon of Robeika was a student of St Barlaam of Khutyn (+
1192, November 6). He was the head of the Khutyn monastery after the
igumen Isidore (+1243). Resigning as igumen, St Xenophon founded the
Trinity Monastery on the banks of the Robeika River (not far from
Novgorod). Here he fell asleep in the Lord on June 28, 1262.
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Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia
The Holy Martyrs Ananias the Presbyter, Peter the prison guard, and
seven soldiers suffered in Phoenicia in the year 295. During a
persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), St
Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of Phoenicia. He had
been arrested for confessing Christ and refusal to worship idols.
He was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on
his scorched body. After his terrible sufferings, a temple and the
idols standing in it were destroyed through the prayers of St Ananias.
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Martyr Peter, in Phoenicia
Saint Peter was a prison guard who suffered in Phoenicia in the year
295 with the holy martyr Ananias the Presbyter and seven soldiers.
During a persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian
(284-305), St Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of
Phoenicia. He had been arrested for confessing Christ and for his
refusal to worship idols.
Peter and seven other soldiers who came to believe in Christ were
stationed to guard Ananias and witnessed his suffering. They were
drowned in the sea after lengthy torture.
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7 Martyred Soldiers in Phoenicia
The Holy Martyrs Ananias the Presbyter, Peter the Prison Guard, and
seven soldiers suffered in Phoenicia in the year 295. During a
persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), St
Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of Phoenicia. He had
been arrested for confessing Christ and for his refusal to worship
idols.
He was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on
his scorched body. After his terrible sufferings, a temple and the
idols standing in it were destroyed through the prayers of St Ananias.
The holy martyr was thrown into prison. Peter and seven other soldiers
who came to believe in Christ were stationed to guard Ananias and
witnessed his suffering. They were drowned in the sea after lengthy
torture.
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St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai
Saint Simeon the Elder was so named in order to distinguish him from
St Simeon the Stylite (September 1). He practiced asceticism in Syria
in the fifth century, and in his childhood years went out into the
Syrian wilderness and lived in a cave in complete solitude.
Unceasing prayer, meditation, and contemplation of God were his
constant occupation. The ascetic ate only the grass which grew about
his cave. When people began to come to him to receive guidance, he
wished to preserve his silence, so he left his cave and settled on one
of the mountains of the Aman range. But here also his solitude was
disturbed by many visitors. St Simeon withdrew to Mount Sinai, where
formerly the Prophet Moses (September 4) received a revelation from
God.
By divine Providence, the holy ascetic returned to Aman after a short
stay on Sinai and founded two monasteries: one at the top of the
mountain, the other at its base. As head of these monasteries, St
Simeon guided the monks, warning them about the wiles of the Enemy of
mankind, and he taught them how to struggle against temptations. He
inspired and encouraged them in ascetic deeds, rousing them to think
of their salvation. Because of the holiness of his life St Simeon
received from God the gift of wonderworking.
After the many labors of his ascetic life, St Simeon departed to God
around the year 390.
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St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St
Theodore of Studion
Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of St Theodore
the Studite (November 11), and together they pursued a life of
asceticism under the guidance of St Platon (April 5) in the monastery
at Sakkudion, Bithynia.
Because of his ascetic life, St Joseph was unanimously chosen
archbishop of the city of Thessalonica. He and his brother opposed the
unlawful marriage of the emperor Constantine VI (780-797), for which
he was tortured then banished to a barren island. The emperor Michael
Rangabes (811-813) freed St Joseph from imprisonment.
Under the emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) the holy hierarch and
his brother St Theodore suffered once more for their veneration of
holy icons. Though they subjected him to torture, he remained
steadfast in his faith. The iconoclast emperor ordered him to sign the
iconoclast confession of faith, and when he refused they threw him
into an even more foul prison.
Under the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) St Joseph was set
free, together with other monks who had suffered for their veneration
of icons. He spent his final years at the Studion Monastery, where he
died in 830.
St Joseph is renowned as a hymnographer. He composed triodia for Holy
Week, several stikhera of the LENTEN TRIODION, a Canon for the Sunday
of Prodigal Son (which is filled with the spirit of profound
repentance), and other hymns. He wrote several sermons for feastdays,
of which the best known is the Sermon on the Exaltation of the
Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.
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St Theodore of Studion
Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of St Theodore
the Studite (November 11), and together they pursued a life of
asceticism under the guidance of St Platon (April 5) in the monastery
at Sakkudion, Bithynia.
Because of his ascetic life, St Joseph was unanimously chosen
archbishop of the city of Thessalonica. He and his brother opposed the
unlawful marriage of the emperor Constantine VI (780-797), for which
he was tortured then banished to a barren island. The emperor Michael
Rangabes (811-813) freed St Joseph from imprisonment.
Under the emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) the holy hierarch and
his brother St Theodore suffered once more for their veneration of
holy icons. Though they subjected him to torture, he remained
steadfast in his faith. The iconoclast emperor ordered him to sign the
iconoclast confession of faith, and when he refused they threw him
into an even more foul prison.
Under the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) St Joseph was set
free, together with other monks who had suffered for their veneration
of icons. He spent his final years at the Studion Monastery, where he
died in 830.
St Joseph is renowned as a hymnographer. He composed triodia for Holy
Week, several stikhera of the LENTEN TRIODION, a Canon for the Sunday
of Prodigal Son (which is filled with the spirit of profound
repentance), and other hymns. He wrote several sermons for feastdays,
of which the best known is the Sermon on the Exaltation of the
Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.
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Blessed David IV the King of Georgia
At the end of the 11th century the Georgian Church underwent a trial
of physically and spiritually catastrophic proportions.
The Seljuk sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah (10731092), captured the
village of Samshvilde, imprisoned its leader, Ioane Orbeliani, son of
Liparit, ravaged Kvemo (Lower) Kartli, and finally captured all of
Georgia, despite the isolated victories of King Giorgi II (10721089).
The fearful Georgians fled their homes to hide in the mountains and
forests.
Tempted and deeply distressed by the difficult times, the nation that
had once vowed its unconditional love for Christ began to fall into
sin and corruption. People of all ages and temperaments sinned against
God and turned to the path of perdition. God manifested His wrath
toward the Georgian people by sending a terrible earthquake that
devastated their Paschal celebrations.
In the year 1089, during this period of devastation and despair, King
Giorgi II abdicated, designating his sixteen-year-old only son, Davit
(later known as the Restorer), heir to the throne. It is written that
the Heavenly Father said: _I have found David My servant, with My holy
oil have I annointed him_ (Ps. 88:19).
The newly crowned King Davit took upon himself enormous responsibility
for the welfare of the Church. He supported the efforts of the Council
of Ruisi-Urbnisi to restore and reinforce the authority of the
Georgian Church and suppress the conceited feudal lords and unworthy
clergymen. During King Davits reign, the governments most significant
activities were carried out for the benefit of the Church. At the same
time, the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi reasserted the vital role of the
Orthodox Faith in rescuing the Georgian people from the godless mire
into which they had sunk.
Foremost among King Davits goals at the beginning of his reign was the
repatriation of those who had fled Georgia during the Turkish rule.
The king summoned his noblemen and began to reunify the nation. The
kings efforts to reunify Georgia began in the eastern region of
Kakheti-Hereti, but the Turks and traitorous feudal lords were
unwilling to surrender the power they had gained in the area.
Nevertheless, King Davits army was in Gods hands, and the Georgians
fought valiantly against the massive Turkish army. King Davit himself
fought like any other soldier: three of his horses were killed, but he
mounted a fourth to finish the fight with a fantastic victory. The
Turkish presence was eliminated from his country.
Soon, however, the uncompromising Seljuk sultan Mehmed (Muhammad) I of
Baghdad (11051118) ordered an army of one hundred thousand soldiers to
march on Georgia. When King Davit heard of the enemys approach, he
immediately assembled a force of fifteen hundred men and led them
towards Trialeti. A battle began in the early morning, and with Gods
help the enemy was defeated. Simultaneously, the kings adviser, Giorgi
of Chqondidi, (Giorgi of Chqondidi was King Davits teacher and closest
adviser. He held the post of chancellor-procurator. At the council of
Ruisi-Urbnisi, King Davit introduced a new law, combining the office
of chancellor-procurator with the archbishopric of Chqondidi, the most
influential episcopate in Georgia.) recaptured the town of Rustavi,
and in 1115 the Georgian army recovered the ravine of the Mtkvari
River. One year later, the Turks, who had been encamped between the
towns of Karnipori and Basiani, were banished from the country. The
Great Wars continued, and the holy king was crowned with new
victories. Davits son Demetre (later the venerable Damiane), a young
man distinguished in wisdom, holiness, appearance and courage, was a
great asset to his father. The prince led a war on Shirvan, captured
Kaladzori, and returned to his father with slaves and great riches,
the spoils of war in those days. One year later, the villages of Lore
and Agarani were rejoined to Georgia.
In spite of his victories, King Davit knew that it would be difficult
for his meager army to protect the recovered cities and fortresses,
while continuing to serve as a permanent military force. Thus it
became necessary to establish a separate, permanent standing army. The
wise king planned to draft men from among the Qipchaks, a northern
Caucasian tribe, to form this army. He was well acquainted with the
character of these people, and confident that they were brave and
seasoned in war. Furthermore, Davits wife, Queen Gurandukhti, was a
daughter of Atrak, the Qipchaks ruler. Atrak joyfully agreed to the
request of his son-in-law, the king.
As a true diplomat seeking to maintain peaceful relations with the
Qipchaks, King Davit took his adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, and
traveled to the region of Ossetia in the northern Caucasus. There
Giorgi of Chqondidi, an adviser to his master and participant in his
great works and victories, reposed in the Lord. Following this, the
dispirited King Davit declared that his kingdom would grieve for forty
days. But he accomplished what he had set out to do, and selected
forty thousand Qipchaks to add to the five thousand Georgian soldiers
he had already enlisted. From that point on King Davit had a standing
army of forty-five thousand men.
The kings enormous army finally uprooted the Turkish presence in and
around Georgia permanently. The defeated Turks returned in shame to
their sultan in Baghdad, draped in black as a sign of grief and
defeat. Nevertheless, the unyielding sultan Mahmud II (11181131)
rallied a coalition of Muslim countries to attack Georgia. The sultan
summoned the Arab leader Durbays bin Sadaka, commanded his own son
Malik (11521153) to serve him, gathered an army of six hundred
thousand men, and marched once more towards Georgia.
It was August of 1121. Before heading off to battle, King Davit
inspired his army with these words: Soldiers of Christ! If we fight
bravely for our Faith, we will defeat not only the devils servants,
but the devil himself. We will gain the greatest weapon of spiritual
warfare when we make a covenant with the Almighty God and vow that we
would rather die for His love than escape from the enemy. And if any
one of us should wish to retreat, let us take branches and block the
entrance to the gorge to prevent this. When the enemy approaches, let
us attack fiercely!
None of the soldiers thought of retreating. The kings stunning battle
tactics and the miracles of God terrified the enemy. As it is written,
The hand of God empowered him, and the Great-martyr George visibly led
him in battle. The king annihilated the godless enemy with his
powerful right hand.
The battle at Didgori enfeebled the enemy for many years. The
following year, in 1122, King Davit recaptured the capital city of
Tbilisi, which had borne the yoke of slavery for four hundred years.
The king returned the city to its mother country. In 1123 King Davit
declared the village of Dmanisi a Georgian possession, and thus, at
last, unification of the country was complete.
One victory followed another, as the Lord defended the king who
glorified his Creator.
In 1106 King Davit had begun construction of Gelati Monastery in
western Georgia, and throughout his life this sacred complex was the
focus of his efforts on behalf of the revival of the Georgian Church.
Gelati Monastery was the most glorious of all the existing temples to
God. To beautify the building, King Davit offered many of the great
treasures he had acquired as spoils of war. Then he gathered all the
wise, upright, generous, and pious people from among his kinsmen and
from abroad and established the Gelati Theological Academy. King Davit
helped many people in Georgian churches both inside and outside his
kingdom. The benevolent king constructed a primitive ambulance for the
sick and provided everything necessary for their recovery. He visited
the infirm, encouraging them and caring for them like a father. The
king always took with him a small pouch in which he carried alms for
the poor.
The intelligent and well-lettered king spent his free time reading the
Holy Scriptures and studying the sciences. He even carried his books
with him to war, soliciting the help of donkeys and camels to
transport his library. When he tired of reading, King Davit had others
read to him, while he listened attentively. One of the kings
biographers recalls, Each time Davit finished reading the Epistles, he
put a mark on the last page. At the end of one year, we counted that
he had read them twenty-four times.
King Davit was also an exemplary writer. His Hymns of Repentance are
equal in merit to the works of the greatest writers of the Church.
This most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his
heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the
sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the
Almighty God for forgiveness.
King Davit completed his will in 1125, and in the same year he
abdicated and designated his son Demetre to be his successor. He
entrusted his son with a sword, blessed his future, and wished him
many years in good health and service to the Lord. The king reposed
peacefully at the age of fifty-three.
St. Davit the Restorer was buried at the entrance to Gelati Monastery.
His final wish was carved in the stone of his grave: _This is My rest
for ever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen her_ (Ps.
131:15).
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St Theodore of Ajareli
No information available at this time.
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