[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Thu Mar 6 05:00:14 CST 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Thu Mar 6 2008

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Jude 1:11-25  (Epistle)
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run
greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the
rebellion of Korah.
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you
without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water,
carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice
dead, pulled up by the roots;
13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering
stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also,
saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an
ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him.
16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own
lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain
advantage.
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by
the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who
would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the
Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating
even the garment defiled by the flesh.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present
you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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Luke 23:2-34,44-56  (Gospel)
2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow
perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying
that He Himself is Christ, a King."
3 Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He
answered him and said, "It is as you say."
4 So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault
in this Man."
5 But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people,
teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.
7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he
sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had
desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things
about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.
9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.
11 Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and
mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to
Pilate.
12 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for
previously they had been at enmity with each other.
13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the
rulers, and the people,
14 said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads
the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have
found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse
Him;
15 no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed
nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.
16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him
17 (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).
18 And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and
release to us Barabbas"-
19 who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the
city, and for murder.
20 Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to
them.
21 But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"
22 Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I
have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him
and let Him go."
23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be
crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests
prevailed.
24 So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.
25 And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion
and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to
their will.
26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a
Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the
cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who
also mourned and lamented Him.
28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not
weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are
the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'
30 Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, Fall on us!" and to
the hills, "Cover us!" '
31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in
the dry?
32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to
death.
33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other
on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all
the earth until the ninth hour.
45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in
two.
46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father,
'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed
His last.
47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God,
saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"
48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what
had been done, beat their breasts and returned.
49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from
Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good
and just man.
51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from
Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the
kingdom of God.
52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb
that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.
54 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.
55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after,
and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they
rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia
The Holy 42 Martyrs of Ammoria: Constantine, Aetius (Aetitus),
Theophilus, Theodore, Melissenus, Callistus, Basoes and the others
with them. During a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus
(829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city
of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). As a result of treason on the
part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two
of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria.
During the seven years of their imprisonment they tried in vain to
persuade the captives to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. The
captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely
held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to
break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to
death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before
executing them. The martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old
Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called
himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim.
They said to the soldier Theodore, "We know that you forsook the
priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can
have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept
Mohammed." But the martyr replied, "You do not speak truthfully when
you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood
because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for
the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have
committed against Him."
The executioners took each one separately and led him off to be
beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the
service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the
"All-Blessed" Theodore, the "Unconquered" Callistus, the "Valliant"
Constantine, the "Wondrous" Theophilus and "the Most Strong" Basoes.
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Martyr Constantine of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Constantine was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. St Constantine is described as
"valiant" in the service composed for them.
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Martyr Aetitus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Aetius (Aetitus), was one of the 42 Christians martyred for
Christ at Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Theophilus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Theophilus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. St Theophilus is described as
"wondrous" in the service composed for them.
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Martyr Theodore of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Theodore was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. In the service to these martyrs, he
is described as the "all-blessed Theodore."
The Syrians said to the soldier Theodore, "We know that you forsook
the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You
can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept
Mohammed." But the martyr replied, "You do not speak truthfully when
you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood
because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for
the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have
committed against Him."
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Martyr Melissenus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Melissenus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Callistus of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Callistus was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845.
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Martyr Basoes of Ammoria in Phrygia
Saint Basoes was one of the 42 Christians martyred for Christ at
Ammoria in Asia Minor around 845. In the service to these martyrs, he
is described as the "most strong" Basoes.
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Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by
the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem
The Holy Empress Helen uncovered the Precious Cross and Nails of the
Lord at Jerusalem in 326.
At the beginning of the reign of St Constantine the Great (306-337),
the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, he and his pious
mother St Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also
planned to build a church on the site of the Lord's suffering and
Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected
with the Savior's death and Resurrection from the foul taint of
paganism.
The empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of
gold. St Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323),
requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of
the restoring the Christian holy places.
After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen began to
destroy all the pagan temples and reconsecrate the places which had
been defiled by the pagans.
In her quest for the Life-Creating Cross, she questioned several
Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained
unsuccessful. Finally, an elderly Hebrew named Jude told her that the
Cross was buried beneath the temple of Venus. St Helen ordered that
the pagan temple be demolished, and for the site to be excavated. Soon
they found Golgotha and the Lord's Sepulchre. Not far from the spot
were three crosses, a board with the inscription written by Pilate
(John 19:19), and four nails which had pierced the Lord's Body.
Now the task was to determine on which of the three crosses the Savior
had been crucified. Patriarch Macarius saw a dead person being carried
to his grave, then he ordered that the dead man be placed upon each
cross in turn. When the corpse was placed on the Cross of Christ, he
was immediately restored to life. After seeing the raising of the dead
man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross had been
found. With great joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius lifted
the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing
about.
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Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium
The Holy Hieromartyr Conon lived in Iconium (Asia Minor). After he
became a widower, he went to a monastery with his son. Because of his
devout life the saint was granted help from above. He cast out devils,
he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and preached Christ among
the pagans, converting many.
Reports of him reached the governor Dometian, a persecutor of
Christians. St Conon was brought to trial and they ordered him to
offer sacrifice to idols, but since he would not, he was handed over
for torture. The seventeen-year-old son of the martyr, Deacon Conon,
was also brought to trial.
After persuasion failed to make him renounce the True Faith, both
father and son were subjected to cruel tortures. They were stripped
and laid on a red-hot cot, they were drenched with hot oil, they were
thrown into a cauldron with boiling tin, sulfur and tar, they were
suspended upside down and scorched with a choking smoke. Preserved by
God, the martyrs remained unharmed.
The irate torturers then resorted to a horrible way to destroy the
preachers: sawing them in two with a wooden saw. Learning of this
sentence, the saints asked time to pray and they cried out to the
Lord, "We give thanks to You, O Lord, for permitting us to suffer for
Your Name! We beseech You to grant peace to Your Church, put its
persecutors to shame, strengthen and increase those who believe in
You, grant us to come to You, and give peace unto our souls."
The Voice of God was heard from above, calling the holy sufferers.
Having signed themselves with the Sign of the Cross, the holy martyrs
gave up their souls to the Lord. At once, there was an earthquake, and
all the pagan temples in the city collapsed.
Monks secretly buried the bodies of the martyrs at the monastery where
the saints had labored in asceticism during life. This occurred during
the reign of Aurelian in the years 270-275. The relics of the holy
martyrs were later transferred to Italy, to the city of Acerno
(Campania).
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Martyr Conon with his father of Iconium
The Holy Hieromartyr Conon lived in Iconium (Asia Minor). After he
became a widower, he went to a monastery with his son. Because of his
devout life the saint was granted help from above. He cast out devils,
he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and preached Christ among
the pagans, converting many.
Reports of him reached the governor Dometian, a persecutor of
Christians. St Conon was brought to trial and they ordered him to
offer sacrifice to idols, but since he would not, he was handed over
for torture. The seventeen-year-old son of the martyr, Deacon Conon,
was also brought to trial.
After persuasion failed to make him renounce the True Faith, both
father and son were subjected to cruel tortures. They were stripped
and laid on a red-hot cot, they were drenched with hot oil, they were
thrown into a cauldron with boiling tin, sulfur and tar, they were
suspended upside down and scorched with a choking smoke. Preserved by
God, the martyrs remained unharmed.
The irate torturers then resorted to a horrible way to destroy the
preachers: sawing them in two with a wooden saw. Learning of this
sentence, the saints asked time to pray and they cried out to the
Lord, "We give thanks to You, O Lord, for permitting us to suffer for
Your Name! We beseech You to grant peace to Your Church, put its
persecutors to shame, strengthen and increase those who believe in
You, grant us to come to You, and give peace unto our souls."
The Voice of God was heard from above, calling the holy sufferers.
Having signed themselves with the Sign of the Cross, the holy martyrs
gave up their souls to the Lord. At once, there was an earthquake, and
all the pagan temples in the city collapsed.
Monks secretly buried the bodies of the martyrs at the monastery where
the saints had labored in asceticism during life. This occurred during
the reign of Aurelian in the years 270-275. The relics of the holy
martyrs were later transferred to Italy, to the city of Acerno
(Campania).
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Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus
Saint Arcadius from his youth devoted himself to monastic efforts. The
saint struggled on the island of Cyprus during the time of the emperor
Constantine the Great (206-337). He was the teacher of the holy
Martyrs Julian the Physician and Eubolos, executed under Julian the
Apostate (361-363). Bewailing the martyric death of his disciples and
having consigned their bodies to the earth, St Arcadius soon departed
to the Lord.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Blessed Heaven"
The "Blessed Heaven" Icon of the Mother of God is on the iconostasis
of the Moscow Archangel cathedral in the Kremlin. Previously, this
icon was at Smolensk and brought to Moscow by Sophia, daughter of the
Lithuanian prince Vitovt, when she became the wife of Prince Basil of
Moscow (1389-1425).
On the icon, the Mother of God is depicted in full stature, with a
scepter in Her right hand. On Her left arm is the Divine Infant, and
both of them are crowned. Certain people call also this icon of the
Mother of God "What Shall we call Thee?"
This icon is also commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints.
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Icon of the Mother of God "Czestochowa"
The wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be
found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of
Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy
icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18).
Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans
conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near
Pella. The icon was given to St Helen (May 21) when she visited the
Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her.
Starting in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places,
including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the
city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress
of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon.
Prince Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured
southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the
Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the
fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the
city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood
began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or
some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at
the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them,
and many of them died.
Following this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to
take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As
preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome
with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and
that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near
Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and
gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks.
Many years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and
plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa
Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held
back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and
threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the
Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of
the second man shriveled up.
The other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them
died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the
monastery's treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking
Czestochowa Icon was left behind.
King Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the
seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated
until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the
icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles
were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov,
King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen
of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection.
Many miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are
recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies
of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries.
Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in
the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka
in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit
day), in the Kazan Cathedral at St Petersburg, and in several other
places.
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