[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Sun Mar 2 05:00:16 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Mar 2 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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John 20:1-10  (7th Matins Gospel)
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb.
2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple,
whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out
of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."
3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to
the tomb.
4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and
came to the tomb first.
5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying
there; yet he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he
saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with
the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also;
and he saw and believed.
9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again
from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Scripture Reading 1 of 3

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1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2  (Epistle)
8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we
the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling
block to those who are weak.
10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's
temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to
eat those things offered to idols?
11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for
whom Christ died?
12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak
conscience, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat
meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our
Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you
are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Scripture Reading 2 of 3

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Matthew 25:31-46  (Gospel)
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the
left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:
35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave
Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I
was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see
You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and
clothe You?
39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you
did it to Me.'
41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me,
you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels:
42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you
gave Me no drink;
43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not
clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did
not minister to You?'
45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did
not do it to Me.'
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life.
Scripture Reading 3 of 3

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Sunday of Meatfare of the Last Judgment
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the Last
Judgment. It reminds us that while trusting in Christ's love and
mercy, we must not forget His righteous judgment when He comes again
in glory. If our hearts remain hardened and unrepentant, we should not
expect the Lord to overlook our transgressions simply because He is a
good and loving God. Although He does not desire the death of a
sinner, He also expects us to turn from our wickedness and live (Ezek.
33:11). This same idea is expressed in the prayer read by the priest
after the penitent has confessed his or her sins (Slavic practice).
The time for repentance and forgiveness is now, in the present life.
At the Second Coming, Christ will appear as the righteous Judge, Who
will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom. 2:6). Then the
time for entreating God's mercy and forgiveness will have passed.
As Father Alexander Schmemann reminds us in his book GREAT LENT (Ch.
1:4), sin is the absence of love, it is separation and isolation. When
Christ comes to judge the world, His criterion for judgment will be
love. Christian love entails seeing Christ in other people, our
family, our friends, and everyone else we may encounter in our lives.
We shall be judged on whether we have loved, or not loved, our
neighbor. We show Christian love when we feed the hungry, give drink
to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick or in
prison. If we did such things for the least of Christ's brethren, then
we also did them for Christ (Mt.25:40). If we did not do such things
for the least of the brethren, neither did we do them for Christ
(Mt.25:45).
Today is the last day for eating meat and meat products until Pascha,
though eggs and dairy products are permitted every day during the
coming week. This limited fasting prepares us gradually for the more
intense fasting of Great Lent.
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Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia
The Hieromartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was
Bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus. During a time of persecution against
Christians under the impious emperor Licinius (311-324), St Theodotus
openly preached Christ, calling on the pagans to abandon idolatry and
turn to the true God. Sabinus, the governor of Cyprus, ordered that
Bishop Theodotus be arrested and brought to trial.
When he heard about this order, the saint did not wait for the
soldiers to be sent after him, but immediately went to the governor
saying, "I, whom you seek, am here. I have shown myself in order to
preach Christ my God."
The governor ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy, suspended
from a tree, raked with sharp implements, and then be taken to prison.
Five days later St Theodotus was brought to the governor, who presumed
that after his tortures the bishop would prefer to renounce Christ,
rather than endure new sufferings.
However, St Theodotus did not cease to preach about Christ. At first
they put the saint on an iron grate, under which they lit a fire, and
then hammered nails into his feet and let him go. Many witnessed the
sufferings of the martyr. Astonished at the saint's endurance and his
divinely-inspired speech, they came to believe in Christ. Learning of
this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and throw the saint into
prison.
During the reign of St Constantine the Great (May 21), the freedom to
confess their faith was given to all Christians, and among those set
free from prison was St Theodotus. The saint returned to Cyrenia and
after two years serving as bishop he peacefully fell asleep in the
Lord in about the year 326.
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St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver
Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, was born at Tver, and in his early
years received monastic tonsure in the Kiev Caves monastery. Even
among the monks of this ancient monastery, distinguished for their
piety, Arsenius was noted for his saintly life as well as for his
strictness in keeping his monastic vows, his knowledge of the Church
typikon, his study of Holy Scripture, and his love for work.
Under Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev (1380-1382) he served as
archdeacon, and when the Metropolitan was absent, he governed the
administration of the Kiev metropolitanate. On July 3, 1390 he went
with Metropolitan Cyprian to Tver, where at the request of Prince
Micjae of Tver, a Council of Russian and Greek hierarchs had been
convened to pass judgment upon Bishop Euthymius of Tver.
The prince and the bishop were involved in a lengthy dispute, and many
of the people of Tver made serious accusations against the bishop.
After unsuccessful attempts to restore peace to the Tver church,
Metropolitan Cyprian deposed Euthymius as bishop and sent him off to
Moscow to the Chudov monastery.
St Arsenius was appointed to the Tver cathedra, but he was both
troubled and afraid to accept this position, in view of the great
enmity and spite in that place. Upon the return of Metropolitan
Cyprian and archdeacon Arsenius to Moscow, the Prince sent his nobles
to the Metropolitan with a petition to consecrate Arsenius as Bishop
of Tver. This time Arsenius also refused. In the words of the
chronicle for the year 1390 "even at the Metropolitan's entreaty,
Archdeacon Arsenius would not go to Tver."
After threatening Arsenius with suspension, the Metropolitan and the
Prince finally got him to agree to accept episcopal consecration,
which took place on August 15, 1390. Among the bishops taking part in
the laying on of hands was St Stephen, Bishop of Perm (April 26).
Bishop Arsenius, as a man of great prayer and peacemaker, was able to
end much of the discord in the Tver principality. During his
episcopacy, from 1390 to 1409, cathedrals were built and consecrated
in honor of the Archangel Michael at Staritsa and Mikulina, and the
Savior-Transfiguration cathedral was restored with the construction of
a cathedral belltower. The saint founded the Zheltikov monastery on
the river Tmaka near Tver, where a church was built in honor of Sts
Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (1394), and a stone Dormition
cathedral.
Desiring that the monks of this new monastery would always be edified
by the asceticism of the Fathers of the Caves, St Arsenius gave orders
to compile a list from the Kiev Caves Paterikon, using the most
ancient manuscripts of this precious memorial of Russian literature.
This compilation was known as the Arseniev Redaction.
The saint died on March 2, 1409, and was buried in the Zheltikov
monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he
founded. In 1483 his relics were found incorrupt and were placed in
the monastery cathedral. In the same year hieromonk Theodosius
composed a Life and a Canon in honor of the holy bishop.
At a Council of 1547 St Arsenius' commemoration was established
throughout all the Church.
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Virginmartyr Euthalia of Sicily
The Holy Martyr Euthalia lived with her mother and brother in Leontina
on the island of Sicily. Euthalia's mother, a pagan, suffered for a
long while with an issue of blood. Once, the Martyrs Alphaeus,
Philadelphus and Cyprian (May 10) appeared to her in a dream and told
her she would be healed only if she believed in Christ and was
baptized.
After being baptized with her daughter, she was healed of her
infirmity. When Euthalia's pagan brother Sirmianus learned of the
baptism, went into a violent rage. The mother succeeded in fleeing,
but St Euthalia confessed herself a Christian and suffered martyrdom.
After fierce tortures, the saint was beheaded with a sword.
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Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea
The Holy Martyr Troadius suffered for Christ in Neocaesarea, Pontus
under the emperor Decius (249-251), enduring horrible tortures. St
Gregory of Neocaesarea (November 17) foretold his martyrdom and
witnessed his sufferings in a vision. He also saw the soul of St
Troadius departing from his body and hastening joyfully to Heaven.
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Venerable Agathon of Egypt
Saint Agathon of Egypt, a contemporary of St Macarius the Great
(January 19) and a disciple of St Lot (October 22), he lived in
asceticism in a skete in Egypt. He was distinguished by exceptional
meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men.
Once, monks who had heard of his discernment came to St Agathon to see
if they could make him lose his temper. They asked him, "Are you Abba
Agathon, a fornicator and a proud man?"
"Yes, that is true," the monk replied.
"Are you the Agathon who is always talking nonsense?" the monks
inquired.
"I am," the saint agreed.
"Are you Agathon the heretic?" the monks persisted.
St Agathon said, "I am not a heretic."
They asked the saint why he agreed with them when they accused him of
vices, but then denied this last charge. Agathon replied, "I accepted
the first accusations, since that was beneficial for my soul. But
heresy is separation from God, and I do not wish to be separated from
God."
Astonished at his discernment, they returned to their monastery,
edified.
When asked which was more important for salvation, bodily asceticism
or interior vigilance, St Agathon said, "Man is like a tree. Bodily
asceticism is the foliage, but interior vigilance is the fruit. Holy
Scripture says that "every tree which does not bring forth good fruit
shall be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Mt.3:10). Therefore, we
should focus our attention on the fruit. But a tree also needs the
protection of its foliage, which is bodily asceticism."
St Agathon died in about the year 435. For three days before his
repose the monk sat in silence and concentration, as though disturbed
about something. When the monks questioned him, he answered that he
saw himself before the Judgment Seat of God. "How is it possible that
you, Father, should fear judgment?" they asked him.
"I have done my best to keep the commandments of the Lord, but I am a
man. How can I be certain that my deeds have been pleasing to God?"
"Do you not trust that all the good deeds which you have accomplished
are pleasing to God?" asked the monks.
"I have no such hope until I see God. His judgment is not man's
judgment." Having said this, the saint departed to the Lord.
St Agathon is commemorated on January 8 on the Greek calendar.
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440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily
400 Martyrs Slain by the Lombards in Sicily refused to participate in
idol worship and were massacred by the Lombards (a Germanic tribe) in
the year 579. Among those who perished, the names of the presbyter
Sanctulus and the hermit Hospicius have been preserved.
St Gregory Dialogus (March 12) has written of them.
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St Sabbatius of Tver
Saint Sabbatius of Tver pursued asceticism with the blessing of St
Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, at a distance 15 versts from Tver. St
Sabbatius established a monastery there, known for the strictness and
holiness of its rule. Such ascetics as St Joseph of Volokolamsk
(September 9) and St Cornelius of Komel (May 19) went there to be
instructed in monasticism. The chains found in the cave where St
Sabbatius practiced silence testify to his ascetic deeds. He died no
later than the year 1434.
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Icon of the Mother of God "Enthroned"
The "Enthroned" (or "Reigning") Icon of the Mother of God appeared on
March 2, 1917, the day of Tsar Nicholas's abdication, in the village
of Kolomskoye near Moscow.
In February 1917, an elderly woman named Eudokia saw the Mother of God
in a dream telling her to go to Kolomskoye to find a large blackened
icon in a church. After the vision was repeated three times, she went
to Kolomskoye to search for the icon with the priest Nicholas.
In the basement of the church they found the icon and started wiping
off the accumulated dust. Then they were able to see the Most Holy
Theotokos wearing a crown and sitting on a throne. Immediately, Father
Nicholas celebrated a service of Thanksgiving and an Akathist.
News of the icon's discovery spread throughout Russia, and there were
several miracles of healing from physical and mental infirmities. As
time went by, the icon renewed itself and became brighter and
brighter. Particularly striking was the blood-red robe of the Virgin.
Since the icon was revealed just as the Tsar abdicated, many people
believed that the Queen of Heaven had assumed royal authority over the
Russian land, and so the icon became known as the "Enthroned" (or
Reigning) icon. It was discovered that the icon had come from the
Ascension convent in Moscow. In 1812, before Napoleon's invasion, this
icon and others were sent to Kolomskoye's Ascension church for
safekeeping. Apparently forgotten, the icons were never returned to
Moscow.
A Service and Akathist to the "Enthroned" Icon were composed with the
assistance of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (+ 1925). Many copies of
the icon were venerated throughout Russia, but these were confiscated
by the Soviets. The Service and Akathist to the icon were also
forbidden to be served.
The original icon is said to be in the Novodevichy Museum in Moscow,
and there is a copy in the Church of the Kazan Mother of God in
Kolomskoye.
The "Enthroned" or "Reigning" Icon, which belongs to the Panachranta
type, shows the Theotokos seated on a throne with Her Son.
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