[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Sun Mar 23 2008

----------------------------------------------------
------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------
                                      
John 21:1-14  (10th Matins Gospel)
1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at
the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:
2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee,
the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him,
"We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into
the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They
answered Him, "No."
6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat,
and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to
draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the
Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his
outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not
far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with
fish.
9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals
there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just
caught."
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large
fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many,
the net was not broken.
12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the
disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"-knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and
likewise the fish.
14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples
after He was raised from the dead.
Scripture Reading 1 of 5


-----------------------------
                                      
Hebrews 1:10-2:3  (Epistle)
10 And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a
garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But
You are the same, And Your years will not fail."
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for
those who will inherit salvation?
1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have
heard, lest we drift away.
2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just reward,
3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those
who heard Him,
Scripture Reading 2 of 5


-----------------------------
                                      
Hebrews 7:26-8:2  (Epistle, Saint)
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 3 of 5


-----------------------------
                                      
Mark 2:1-12  (Gospel)
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard
that He was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room
to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to
them.
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four
men.
4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they
uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they
let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your
sins are forgiven you."
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their
hearts,
7 Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins
but God alone?
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they
reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason
about these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven
you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to
forgive sins-He said to the paralytic,
11 I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence
of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We
never saw anything like this!"
Scripture Reading 4 of 5


-----------------------------
                                      
John 10:9-16  (Gospel, Saint)
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 5 of 5



----------------------------------------------------
------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------


2nd Sunday of Great Lent St Gregory Palamas
This Sunday was originally dedicated to St Polycarp of Smyrna
(February 23). After his glorification in 1368, a second commemoration
of St Gregory Palamas (November 14) was appointed for the Second
Sunday of Great Lent as a second "Triumph of Orthodoxy."
Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the
year 1296 in Constantinople. St Gregory's father became a prominent
dignitiary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but
he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and
education of the fatherless boy. Endowed with fine abilities and great
diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the
full course of medieval higher education. The emperor hoped that the
youth would devote himself to government work. But Gregory, barely
twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other
sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under
the guidance of the monastic Elder St Nicodemus of Vatopedi (July 11).
There he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. A year
later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a
vision and promised him his spiritual protection. Gregory's mother and
sisters also became monastics.
After the demise of the Elder Nicodemus, St Gregory spent eight years
of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nicephorus, and
after the latter's death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of St
Athanasius (July 5). Here he served in the trapeza, and then became a
church singer. But after three years, he resettled in the small skete
of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. The
head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of
unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by
monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth
century: Evagrius Pontikos and St Macarius of Egypt (January 19).
Later on, in the eleventh century St Simeon the New Theologian (March
12) provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying
in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice.
The experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart),
requiring solitude and quiet, is called "Hesychasm" (from the Greek
"hesychia" meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called
"hesychasts."
During his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully
embued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential
part of his life. In the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish
invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was
then ordained to the holy priesthood.
St Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit.
Five days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on
Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. He celebrated
divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his
teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. Sometimes he visited
theological gatherings of the city's educated youth, headed by the
future patriarch, Isidore. After he returned from a visit to
Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near
Thessalonica the region of Bereia. Soon he gathered here a small
community of solitary monks and guided it for five years.
In the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which
put St Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of
Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm.
About the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in
Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises
on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he
received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound
on the works of St Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose
"apophatic" ("negative", in contrast to "kataphatic" or "positive")
theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the
Western Churches. Soon Barlaam journeyed to Mt. Athos, where he became
acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts'. Saying that it
was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a
heretical error. Journeying from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from
there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam
entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the
created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the
Transfiguration). He ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the
methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the
hesychasts.
St Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal
admonitions at first. But seeing the futility of such efforts, he put
his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the "Triads in
Defense of the Holy Hesychasts" (1338). Towards the year 1340 the
Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a
general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called "Hagiorite
Tome." At the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia
Sophia St Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the
nature of the light of Mount Tabor. On May 27, 1341 the Council
accepted the position of St Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable
in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are
directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the
light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. The
teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was
anathemized and fled to Calabria.
But the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from
over. To these latter belonged Barlaam's disciple, the Bulgarian monk
Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the
emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward
their opinion. Akyndinos, whose name means "one who inflicts no harm,"
actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote
a series of tracts in which he declared St Gregory and the Athonite
monks guilty of causing church disorders. The saint, in turn, wrote a
detailed refutation of Akyndinos' errors. The patriarch supported
Akyndinos and called St Gregory the cause of all disorders and
disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for
four years. In 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal
throne by Isidore (1347-1349), St Gregory Palamas was set free and was
made Archbishop of Thessalonica.
In 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his
teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept
St Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. On one of
his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands
of the Turks. Even in captivity, St Gregory preached to Christian
prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were
astonished by the wisdom of his words. Some of the Moslems were unable
to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had
not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, St
Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica.
St Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his
death, healing those afflicted with illness. On the eve of his repose,
St John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words "To the
heights! To the heights!" St Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord
on November 14, 1359. In 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople
Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who
compiled the Life and Services to the saint.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Nikon in Sicily
The Monk Martyr Nikon was born at Neapolis (Naples). His father was a
pagan, and his mother a Christian. He was not baptized, but his mother
secretly instructed him in the tenets of Christianity. Nikon was still
a pagan when he reached adulthood. He served as a soldier, and showed
unusual courage and strength.
Once, Nikon and his military company were surrounded by enemies. In
deadly peril, he remembered the Christian precepts of his mother and,
signing himself with the Sign of the Cross, he prayed to God, vowing
to be baptized if he were saved. Filled with unusual strength, he
killed many of the enemy, and put the rest to flight.
He managed to return home, giving thanks to God for preserving his
life. With the blessing of his mother, he set off in search of a
priest. This was no easy thing to do in a time of persecution. St
Nikon took a ship to the island of Chios. He went up on a high
mountain and spent eight days in fasting and prayer, entreating the
Lord to help him.
An angel of God appeared to St Nikon in a dream, showing him the way.
St Nikon went to Mount Ganos, where many monks were hidden, headed by
Theodosius the Bishop of Cyzicus. St Nikon received from the bishop
both the mystery of Baptism and the angelic schema (i.e., monastic
tonsure). Living in the cave church, St Nikon became an example for
all the brethren.
When St Nikon had lived on the mountain for three years, an angel
revealed to the bishop that St Nikon should be consecrated bishop, and
should move to the province of Sicily with all the monks. Bishop
Theodosius obeyed the angel, and then died after he had entrusted the
190 monks to St Nikon. After he buried Bishop Theodosius, St Nikon
sailed to Sicily with the brethren, and so was saved from approaching
barbarians.
By God's grace, St Nikon came to his native city Neapolis. He found
his mother still alive, and he remained with her for the final day of
her life. His mother collapsed on his chest with tears of joy and
kissed him. Making a prostration to the ground, she said, "I give
thanks to You, O Lord, for You have permitted me to see my son as a
monk, and as a bishop. Now, my Lord, hear Your servant, and receive my
soul." When she had finished this prayer, the righteous woman died.
Those present glorified God and buried her with psalmody.
Rumors of St Nikon's arrival spread through the city, and ten
soldiers, his former companions, came to see him. After conversing
with the saint they believed and were baptized, and went with him to
Sicily. Having arrived on the island, St Nikon settled with the monks
in a desolate area, called Gigia, near the river Asinum.
Many years passed, and there was another persecution against
Christians. Quintilian, the governor of Sicily, was informed that
Bishop Nikon was living nearby with many monks. All 199 monks were
seized and beheaded, but they left St Nikon alive in order to torture
him.
They burned him with fire, yet he remained unharmed. They tied him to
the tails of wild horses to be dragged over the ground, but the horses
would not budge from the spot. They cut out the saint's tongue, threw
him off a high cliff, and finally beheaded him. The body of the
hieromartyr Nikon was left in a field to be eaten by wild beasts and
birds.
A certain shepherd, possessed by an evil spirit, went to that place,
and finding the body of the saint, he immediately fell to the ground
on his face. The unclean spirit, vanquished by the power of the saint,
had thrown him to the ground and gone out from him with a loud shriek:
"Woe is me, woe is me, where can I flee from Nikon?"
The healed shepherd related this to the people. The bishop of the city
of Messina also learned of this, then he and his clergy buried the
bodies of St Nikon and his disciples.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyred 199 Disciples of the Martyr Nikon in Sicily
Quintilian, the governor of Sicily, was informed that St Nikon was
living nearby with many monks. All 199 monks were seized and beheaded
during a persecution against Christians in 251. St Nikon was killed
later.
The bishop of the city of Messina and his clergy buried the bodies of
St Nikon and his disciples.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves
Saint Nikon of the Kiev Caves was the first disciple and
fellow-ascetic of St Anthony (July 10), the founder of the Kiev Caves
monastery, to which he came as a priest. At the monastery he tonsured
all the new monks, and among their number was St Theodosius of the
Caves (May 3 and August 14).
For tonsuring the favorites of the Great Prince Izyaslav, Sts Barlaam
(November 19) and Ephraim (January 28 ), St Nikon brought the wrath of
the prince down upon himself, but he refused to force the new monks to
leave the monastery. The princess calmed Izyaslav, and he left St
Nikon in peace.
When the number of brethren in the monastery had increased, St Nikon
desired to go into seclusion and live as a hesychast. He went to the
Tmutarakan peninsula (on the eastern banks of the Kerchensk straits)
and settled in an unpopulated spot. When news of his holy life and
spiritual gifts spread throughout the region, many gathered about him,
wishing to follow his example. Thus a monastery and a church were
founded in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos.
When he returned to the Kiev Caves monastery, St Nikon was obedient to
St Theodosius as his spiritual Father. According to St Nestor the
Chronicler (October 27), when St Theodosius had to go somewhere, he
entrusted all the brethren to the care of St Nikon. Sometimes he asked
St Nikon to offer instruction to the brethren in place of himself.
Often, when St Nikon was binding books, St Theodosius sat near him and
spun the thread for the binding.
When Prince Svyatoslav drove out his brother Izyaslav from Kiev, St
Nikon returned to the monastery he founded. He returned under the
igumen Stephen. When St Stephen (April 27) left the Kiev Caves
monastery, St Nikon was chosen as igumen of the monastery. He toiled
much to adorn his monastery with spiritual books and icons. He died at
a great old age (+ 1088) and was buried in the Near Caves of St
Anthony.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria
St Philetus was a dignitary at the court of the emperor Hadrian
(117-138), a persecutor of Christians. For openly confessing his faith
in Christ the Savior, St Philetus was brought to trial with his wife
St Lydia and their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius. By Hadrian's
order, St Philetus was sent with his family to Illyria to the military
governor Amphilochius to be tortured.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with the
jailer Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by
night and eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Lydia in Illyria
Holy Martyrs Lydia, Philetus, Macedonius and Theoprepius, and those
with them: St Philetus was a dignitary at the court of the emperor
Hadrian (117-138), a persecutor of Christians. For openly confessing
his faith in Christ the Savior, St Philetus was brought to trial with
his wife St Lydia and their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius. By
Hadrian's order, St Philetus was sent with his family to Illyria to
the military governor Amphilochius to be tortured.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with the
jailer Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by
night and eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Macedonius in Illyria
Holy Martyrs Macedonius, Philetus, Lydia, and Theoprepius, and those
with them: St Philetus was a dignitary at the court of the emperor
Hadrian (117-138), a persecutor of Christians. For openly confessing
his faith in Christ the Savior, St Philetus was brought to trial with
his wife St Lydia and their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius. By
Hadrian's order, St Philetus was sent with his family to Illyria to
the military governor Amphilochius to be tortured.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with the
jailer Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by
night and eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Theoprepius in Illyria
Holy MartyrsTheoprepius, Philetus, Lydia, Macedonius, and those with
them: St Philetus was a dignitary at the court of the emperor Hadrian
(117-138), a persecutor of Christians. For openly confessing his faith
in Christ the Savior, St Philetus was brought to trial with his wife
St Lydia and their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius. By Hadrian's
order, St Philetus was sent with his family to Illyria to the military
governor Amphilochius to be tortured.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with the
jailer Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by
night and eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Cronides the Notary in Illyria
Saint Cronides was a notary who believed in Christ. For this crime he
was thrown into prison with the holy martyrs Philetus, Macedonius,
Theoprepius and others.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with the
jailer Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by
night and eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Amphilochius the Captain in Illyria
Saint Amphilochius endured martyrdom in the second century with Sts
Philetus, Lydia, Macedonius and Theoprepius, and those with them. St
Philetus was arrested and brought to trial with his wife St Lydia and
their sons Macedonius and Theoprepius for openly confessing his faith
in Christ. By Hadrian's order, St Philetus and his family were sent to
Illyria to the military governor Amphilochius to be tortured.
Amphilochius gave orders to suspend them from a tree and to torture
them with knives. After this, they were locked up in prison with
Cronides, who believed in Christ. An angel came to them by night and
eased their sufferings.
On the following day the martyrs were plunged into a cauldron of
boiling oil, but the oil cooled instantly, and the saints remained
unharmed. The military governor Amphilochius was so astonished at this
miracle that he himself believed in Christ and went into the boiling
oil saying, "Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!" and he remained unharmed.
The tortures were repeated when the emperor Hadrian came to Illyria.
They threw the holy martyrs into the boiling oil again and again, but
by the power of God they remained alive.
The humiliated emperor returned to Rome, and the holy martyrs gave
thanks to God, then they surrendered their holy souls to Him.
_________________________________________________________________
Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia
Righteous Basil of Mangazea: St Basil was born in the town of
Yaroslavl around 1587. His father was a merchant, but the family was
very poor. As a child, Basil spent much of his time in church, praying
fervently and participating in the divine services.
When he was twelve, the boy set out to earn his living. After a
difficult journey through wild forests, he came to the Russian village
of Mangazea in Siberia on the River Taz. This was an area inhabited by
Mongols and indigenous peoples of Siberia.
After stopping to pray in the village church, St Basil found a job
with a local merchant. The merchant was a person of low moral
character and did not believe in God, so while he appreciated Basil's
work, he did not care for the boy's religious inclinations. Soon the
cruel merchant came to hate his clerk and began to mistreat him.
During the Matins of Pascha, thieves robbed the merchant's shop. The
merchant discovered the theft and went to the governor, accusing Basil
of being one of the thieves. So great was the merchant's hatred of
Basil that he falsely accused the young man. The governor did not even
bother to investigate the charges, but had Basil arrested and tortured
to make him admit his guilt. In spite of unbearable tortures, the
saint kept saying, "I am innocent."
Enraged by Basil's endurance and meekness, the merchant struck him in
the head with a ring of keys. St Basil fell to the floor and
surrendered his soul to God. The governor ordered that the saint's
body be placed in a coffin and buried in a swamp.
After several years, the servants who disposed of the body began to
speak about the child's murder. Soon all the residents of Mangazea
knew that the saint's relics were in the swamp. Because of many signs
that took place, people began to address prayers to St Basil.
Forty-two years after the unjust murder of the saint, his coffin was
removed from the swamp and his holy relics were found to be incorrupt.
A chapel was built over his grave, and in 1670 the relics were placed
in the church of Holy Trinity Monastery near Turakhanov.
In 1719 the holy Metropolitan Philotheus of Siberia (May 31) sent a
carved reliquary to the monastery. Many miracles took place there, and
St Basil helped Metropolitan Philotheus on many occasions
A new stone church was built at Holy Trinity Monastery in 1787, and
the relics were transferred there.
In iconography, St Basil is portrayed as a young man with light brown
hair, bare-footed and wearing only a shirt. He is also depicted on the
Abaletsk Icon "Of the Sign" (July 20, November 27).
_________________________________________________________________
Monkmartyr Luke of St Anne's Skete on Mt Athos and Odrin
No information available at this time.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Sergius (Srebryansky), the New Confessor of Tver
No information available at this time.
_________________________________________________________________