[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Mon Mar 24 05:00:27 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon Mar 24 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Isaiah 8:13-9:7  (6th Hour)
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And
let Him be your dread.
14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of
offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and taken.
16 Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of
Jacob; And I will hope in Him.
18 Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for
signs and wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, Who dwells in
Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums and wizards,
who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their God? Should
they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them.
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall
happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse
their king and their God, and look upward.
22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness,
gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As
when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the
sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentile
2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who
dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has
shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice
before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they
divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his
shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warriors sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled
in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the
government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and
establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even
forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Scripture Reading 1 of 6

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Genesis 6:9-22  (Vespers, 1st Reading)
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his
generations. Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled
with violence.
12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all
flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
13 And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me, for
the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will
destroy them with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and
cover it inside and outside with pitch.
15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be
three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty
cubits.
16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a
cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall
make it with lower, second, and third decks.
17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to
destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life;
everything that is on the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into
the arkyou, your sons, your wife, and your sons wives with you.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every
sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and
female.
20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of
every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind
will come to you to keep them alive.
21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you
shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for
them.
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
Scripture Reading 2 of 6

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Proverbs 8:1-21  (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way,
where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the
entrance of the doors:
4 To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an
understanding heart.
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening
of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my
lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or
perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who
find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than
choice gold;
11 For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire
cannot be compared with her.
12 I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and
discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the
evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have
strength.
15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will
find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue
than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of
justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may
fill their treasuries.
Scripture Reading 3 of 6

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Genesis 28:10-17  (Vespers, 3rd Reading, Theotokos)
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because
the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put
it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and
its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending
and descending on it.
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: I am the Lord God of
Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I
will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall
spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south;
and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will
bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have
done what I have spoken to you.
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in
this place, and I did not know it.
17 And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is none
other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!
Scripture Reading 4 of 6

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Ezekiel 43:27-44:4  (Vespers, 4th Reading, Theotokos)
27 When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and
thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your
peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you, says the Lord
God.
1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which
faces toward the east, but it was shut.
2 And the Lord said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be
opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel
has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.
3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat
bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the
gateway, and go out the same way.
4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the
temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the
house of the Lord; and I fell on my face.
Scripture Reading 5 of 6

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Proverbs 9:1-11  (Vespers, 5th Reading, Theotokos)
1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also
furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places
of the city,
4 Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! As for him who lacks
understanding, she says to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes
a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a
just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be
added to you.
Scripture Reading 6 of 6

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Forefeast of the Annunciation
No information available at this time.
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Venerable Zachariah the Recluse
Saint Zachariah the Recluse of Egypt because of his concern for the
poor and homeless was called "to the outcast." In the printed MENAION
he is known as "our Monastic Father Zachariah," and so he has been
identified erroneously with St Zachariah the Monk.
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St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia
Saint Artemon, Bishop of Seleucia, was born and lived in Seleucia of
Pisidia (Asia Minor). He was pious and virtuous, therefore when the
holy Apostle Paul (June 29) came to Seleucia, he established St
Artemon as the first bishop of this city, since he was the most
worthy. St Artemon wisely nourished the flock entrusted to him and won
glory as a comforter of the poor and oppressed. St Artemon died in
great old age.
[In the ancient Slavonic Lives of the Saints "Seleucian" was written
as "Seleoukinian" or "Seleunian." However, in several of the Greek
memorials the bishop was also called Solunian (i.e., of Thessalonica).
St Artemon (or Menignus) was listed in the MENAIA as Seleucian or
Solunian. In the second half of the eighteenth century, these two
names were mistakenly applied to various persons.]
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Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves
Saint Zachariah the Faster of the Caves was an ascetic in the Far
Caves in the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries. He fasted so strictly
that he ate nothing baked nor boiled, and he consumed only greens once
a day at the setting of the sun. Demons trembled at the mere mention
of his name.
Often the monk saw angels, with which he deserved to live in Heaven.
The identification of St Zachariah, Faster of Caves, with Zachariah
the son of John of Kiev, who had given all his inheritance for the
adornment of the Caves temple and became a monk at the monastery, is
unfounded.
Before his death, John had transferred his property to his friend
Sergius. This was when the igumen was St Nikon (March 23). Zachariah
was five years old at the time. At age fifteen, i.e., not later than
the year 1098, he obtained his inheritance from Sergius, in order to
give it to the monastery. However, St Zachariah the Faster of the
Caves lived approximately 200 years later.
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Martyr Stephen of Kazan
The Holy Martyr Stephen of Kazan was a Tatar. For more than twenty
years, he suffered from a weakness of the legs. After the capture of
Kazan by Ivan the Terrible (1552), he believed in Christ and received
healing. The saint was baptized by Archpriest Menignus of the Moscow
cathedral, who had brought a letter from Metropolitan Macarius to the
Russian army.
After the Russian army withdrew from Kazan, the Tatars chopped the
martyr Stephen into pieces, scattered his body and plundered his
house, because he remained faithful to Christ.
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Martyr Peter of Kazan
The Holy Martyr Peter of Kazan was a newly-baptized Tatar who suffered
because he converted to Christianity from Islam.
After the Russian army left Kazan, the inhabitants dragged Peter from
his home by force, and addressed him by his former Moslem name, hoping
that he would deny Christ. But to all flattery and persuasion St Peter
answered, "My father and mother is God Who is glorified in Trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you believe in the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, then you are my family. I was named Peter in holy
Baptism, and I will not answer to the name by which you address me."
Seeing that he would remain steadfast in the Faith, his family had him
tortured. He endured fierce torments, but he did not cease to confess
the Name of Christ, saying, "I am a Christian." The holy martyr was
buried in Kazan on the site where the church of the Resurrection of
Christ later stood, at the Zhitny-Grain marketplace.
For the Lives of the holy martyrs Stephen and Peter of Kazan see:
"Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate," 1977, No. 9, p. 79-80.
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St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania
No information available at this time.
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Icon of the Mother of God of "the Uncut Mount"
"The Uncut," or "Clouded Mountain" Icon of the Mother of God: About
250-300 years ago this icon was in one of the men's monasteries of
Tver and was presented by the Superior to Cosmas Volchaninov in
gratitude for his fine work in the monastery church. This icon was
passed on from generation to generation, but a certain impious
grandson of Cosmas removed it and placed the icon in an attic.
His bride endured many insults from her husband and his relatives. In
despair over her marriage she resolved to commit suicide in a deserted
bath-house. On the way there a monk appeared to her and said, "Where
are you going, unhappy one? Go back, pray to the Theotokos of The
Clouded Mountain, and you will live in peace."
The agitated young wife returned home and revealed everything, not
concealing her interrupted intention. They searched for the monk, but
they did not find him, and no one had seen him but her. This took
place on the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation to the Most Holy
Theotokos.
They found the icon in the attic, cleaned off the dirt and set it up
in the house in a place of honor. In the evening, the parish priest
served the all-night Vigil before the icon. From that time, Vigil was
served in the house every year on this day.
For more than 150 years the icon was in the Volchaninov family.
Katherine, daughter of Basil, the last of the Volchaninov line,
married George Ivanovich Konyaev, taking with her the icon of the
Mother of God as a precious inheritance. Moliebens and all-night
vigils were served in the Konyaev house on March 24 and November 7
(perhaps this was the day when the icon was transferred from the
monastery to the house of Cosmas Volchaninov).
In 1863 near a cemetery church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of
God it was decided to build a chapel in honor of St Tikhon and St
Macarius of Kalyazin. The then owner of the icon, George Konyaev (who
died in 1868 at the age of 97) wanted to donate the icon of the
Theotokos to the church. He asked the clergy to build another chapel
for the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God of the "Clouded
Mountain."
He also said, "I feel the very best place for it is the temple of the
Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, since the place on which the
church was built, in former times was called a Mount, since it was the
highest place in the city. The inhabitants took their possessions to
the Mount and saved themselves from ruin during a flood. Let the icon,
The Clouded Mountain, remain on this mountain with your blessing, and
let all who are buried here be veiled with Her mercy." On July 15,
1866 the icon was transferred into the new chapel, which was
consecrated by Bishop Anthony of Staritsk the following day.
On the icon the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted standing on a
semi-circular elevation, a mountain; on Her left arm, the Divine
Infant blesses with His right hand. Upon the head of the Mother of God
is a crown, and in Her hand a mountain, on which are seen above
churches with cupolas and crosses.
This icon should not be confused with the "Stone of the Mountain not
cut by Hands" Icon on the iconostasis of the cathedral of the
Transfiguration at Solovki. The latter depicts the Theotokos in
half-length, holding Her Son in Her left hand. In Her right hand, She
holds a ladder and a stone with the image of Christ's head (the King
of Kings). Instead of the usual stars on her head and shoulders are
the heads of angels. The title of the icon is derived from Daniel
2:44-45.
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