[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sun Jan 27 05:00:29 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Jan 27 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Composite 2  - Proverbs 10, 3, 8 (Vespers, 1st Reading)
The memory of the righteous is with praise and the blessing of the
Lord is upon his head. Blessed is the man who has found wisdom and the
mortal who has understanding. For it is better to purchase her than
treasuries of gold and silver. She is more precious than precious
stones and all that is precious is unworthy of her. For length of days
and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are
riches and glory. Out of her mouth proceeds righteousness and she
bears law and mercy upon her tongue.
Hear me, O child, for I will speak noble things. Blessed is the man
who keeps my ways, for my ways are the way of life, and in them is
prepared favor from the Lord. Therefore, I pray you, and utter my
voice to the sons of men: For I, wisdom, have dwelt with counsel and
knowledge and I have called upon understanding. Counsel and safety are
mine, understanding and strength are mine. I love those who love me
and those seeking me shall find grace.
Understand craftiness, O you who are simple, and imbibe knowledge, you
who are untaught. Hear me again, for I will speak noble things: I will
open _my mouth_ and from my lips _shall_ come what is right. For my
throat shall meditate truth; false lips are an abomination before me.
All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing in them that
is twisted or perverse. They are all straight to him who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
I shall instruct you in truth, so that your hope will be in the Lord
and you shall be filled with the Spirit.
Scripture Reading 1 of 8

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Composite 4  - Proverbs 10; Wisdom of Solomon 6, 7, 8, 9 (Vespers, 2nd
Reading)
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom; the lips of the wise
man know grace. The mouth of the wise speaks wisdom, and the truth
delivers them from death. If a righteous man dies, hope is not, for
the son of the righteous is born to life, and in his own good things
he acquires the fruit of righteousness. There is always light for the
righteous and they obtain grace and glory from the Lord. The tongue of
the wise is a good sister-in-law, and in their hearts rests wisdom.
The Lord loves the hearts of the holy, and acceptable to Him are all
the undefiled in the way.
The wisdom of the Lord illumines the faces of the wise. For she takes
hold of those desiring her by making herself first known to them. She
is easily seen by those who love her. He who rises early to seek her
shall have no difficulty, and those keeping vigil for the sake of her
shall quickly be without sorrows. For she goes about seeking those
worthy of her, and graciously reveals herself in the pathways. Against
wisdom evil does not prevail.
Therefore I was a lover of her beauty; I loved her and sought her out
from my youth. I desired to make her my bride, and even the Master of
All loved her. For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and a
discoverer of His works. Her labors are virtues, for she teaches
temperance and prudence, justice and courage; nothing in life is more
necessary for men than these. And if anyone desires much knowledge,
she knows the things of old, and beholds things to come; she
understands turns of speech and the solution of riddles; she has
foreknowledge of signs and wonders and the outcome of times and
seasons. She is a mediator of good things for all, for immortality is
in her, and glory in the company of her words.
Therefore I appealed to the Lord and prayed to Him, and said to Him
with all my heart: "O God of _my_ fathers and Lord of mercy, Who hast
made all things by Thy word, and by Thy wisdom hast fashioned man that
he should have dominion over the creatures made by Thee, that he
should rule the world in holiness and righteusness: Give me wisdom
that sits by Thy throne, and cast me not away from among Thy children,
for I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid. Send her forth from
the heavens, from Thy holy abode, and from the throne of Thy glory,
that she may be with me, in understanding, and preserve me in her
glory. For the thoughts of mortals are miserable, and their intentions
likely to fail."
Scripture Reading 2 of 8

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Composite 5  - Wisdom of Solomon 4, 6, 7, 2 (Vespers, 3rd Reading)
When the righteous is praised, the people rejoice: For his memory is
immortality, since it is known both by the Lord and by men, for his
soul was pleasing to the Lord. Therefore love wisdom, O men, and live.
Desire her and be instructed: For her beginning is love and the
keeping of her laws. Honor wisdom that you may reign forever.
I will tell you and not hide the mysteries of God from you. For He is
the Guide of wisdom, the Corrector of the wise and the Artisan of all
thoughts and deeds. Wisdom will teach with all understanding: For in
her is a Spirit, intelligent and holy, the Radiance of the Everlasting
Light and the Image of the Grace of God.
She fashions friends of God and prophets. For she is more beautiful
than the sun and above all the order of the stars. Compared with the
light she is found to be first. She delivered from infirmities those
pleasing her and guided them on the paths of righteousness. She gave
to them understanding to be holy and to preserve them from those who
would ensnare them, and she granted them strength in struggles, so
that all might understand that the most powerful of all is piety, and
that evil might not prevail against wisdom, nor judgment pass away
without convicting the wicked.
Having reasoned unrighteously, they said to themselves, "Let us
oppress the righteous man and not spare his venerableness, nor let us
be ashamed of the gray hairs of the old man of many years. But let our
might be our law and let us seize the righteous, because he is
inconvenient to us and is opposed to our deeds; he reproaches us for
apostasy against the law and divulges the sins of our training.
"He declares to us to have knowledge of God and calls himself a child
of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight
of him is a burden to us, because his life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are very different. We are considered by him to be an
insult, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the end of the
righteous blessed.
"Let us see if his words are true; let us test him to see what will
happen to him. Let us torment him with revilement and tortures, that
we may understand his meekness and test his guilelessness. Let us
condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to his own words, he
shall be respected."
Thus they reasoned, but were deceived, for their wickedness blinded
them. They did not know the mysteries of God, nor did they discern
that Thou alone art God, having the power of life and death: Who
savest in times of affliction and delivereth from every evil; Who art
compassionate and merciful, granting Grace to His venerable ones, and
opposing the proud with His arm.
Scripture Reading 3 of 8

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Mark 16:1-8  (2nd Matins Gospel)
1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of
James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came
to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from
the door of the tomb for us?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled
away-for it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white
robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where
they laid Him.
7 But go, tell His disciples-and Peter-that He is going before you
into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.
8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled
and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were
afraid.
Scripture Reading 4 of 8

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Colossians 3:12-16  (Epistle)
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender
mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has
a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also
must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you
were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Scripture Reading 5 of 8

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Hebrews 7:26-8:2  (Epistle, St. John)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens;
27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the
word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has
been perfected forever.
1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such
a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens,
2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the
Lord erected, and not man.
Scripture Reading 6 of 8

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Matthew 25:14-30  (Gospel)
14 For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country,
who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another
one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on
a journey.
16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with
them, and made another five talents.
17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his
lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled
accounts with them.
20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other
talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have
gained five more talents besides them.'
21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you
were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many
things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you
delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents
besides them.'
23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you
have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many
things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I
knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and
gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.
Look, there you have what is yours.'
26 But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy
servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where
I have not scattered seed.
27 'So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at
my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28 'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten
talents.
29 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be
taken away.
30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Scripture Reading 7 of 8

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John 10:9-16  (Gospel, St. John)
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the
sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and
the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about
the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My
own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down
My life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.
Scripture Reading 8 of 8

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Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the
Archbishop of Constantinople
Saint John Chrysostom This great ecumenical teacher and hierarch died
in the city of Comana in the year 407 on his way to a place of exile.
He had been condemned by the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia because
of his daring denunciation of the vices ruling over Constantinople.
The transfer of his venerable relics was made in the year 438, thirty
years after the death of the saint during the reign of Eudoxia's son
emperor Theodosius II (408-450).
St John Chrysostom had the warm love and deep respect of the people,
and grief over his untimely death lived on in the hearts of
Christians. St John's disciple, St Proclus, Patriarch of
Constantinople (434-447), during services in the Church of Hagia
Sophia, preached a sermon praising St John. He said, "O John, your
life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave
is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord
Jesus ChriSt O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and
place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated
the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint."
Those who were present in church, deeply touched by the words of St
Proclus, did not allow him even to finish his sermon. With one accord
they began to entreat the Patriarch to intercede with the emperor, so
that the relics of St John might be brought back to Constantinople.
The emperor, overwhelmed by St Proclus, gave his consent and gave the
order to transfer the relics of St John. But those he sent were unable
to lift the holy relics until the emperor realized that he had sent
men to take the saint's relics from Comana with an edict, instead of
with a prayer. He wrote a letter to St John, humbly asking him to
forgive his audacity, and to return to Constantinople. After the
message was read at the grave of St John, they easily took up the
relics, carried them onto a ship and arrived at Constantinople.
The coffin with the relics was placed in the Church of Holy Peace
(Hagia Eirene). When Patriarch Proclus opened the coffin, the body of
St John was found to be incorrupt. The emperor approached the coffin
with tears, asking forgiveness for his mother, who had banished St
John. All day and night people did not leave the coffin.
In the morning the coffin was brought to the Church of the Holy
Apostles. The people cried out, "Father, take up your throne." Then
Patriarch Proclus and the clergy standing by the relics saw St John
open his mouth and say, "Peace be to all." Many of the sick were
healed at his tomb.
The celebration of the transfer of the relics of St John Chrysostom
was established in the ninth century.
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