[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Mon May 26 05:00:16 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Mon May 26 2008

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Acts 12:12-17  (Epistle)
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the
mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered
together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda
came to answer.
14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did
not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before
the gate.
15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept
insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw
him, they were astonished.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to
them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go,
tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and
went to another place.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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John 8:42-51  (Gospel)
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me,
for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself,
but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to
listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father
you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a
lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a l
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do
you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear,
because you are not of God.
48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that
You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"
49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and
you dishonor Me.
50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall
never see death.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Apostle Carpus of the Seventy
Saint Carpus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen and sent forth to
preach by Christ (Luke 10:1). He was bishop of Verria in Macedonia.
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Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy
The Holy Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy came from the Galilean city
of Capernaum and was the father of the Apostles James and Matthew.
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Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria
The Holy Martyr George the New was born into an illustrious Bulgarian
family, living in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sredets (now the city
of Sofia). St George's childless parents, John and Mary, in their
declining years entreated the Lord to send them a child. Their prayer
was answered, and they baptized the infant with the name of the holy
Great Martyr George (April 23).
Young George received a fine upbringing, he attentively studied the
Holy Scriptures, and he was pious and chaste. His parents died when
George was twenty-five. At that time Bulgaria found itself under the
rule of the Turks, who forcibly converted Christians to Islam.
Once, several Moslems tried to convert George. They put a fez on the
saint's head. This is a red circular hat which Moslems wear to enter
their house of prayer. But George threw the fez on the ground. The
Turks brought the martyr to their governor with beatings and abuse.
The governor was impressed with St George's appearance and bearing,
and he urged him to accept Islam, promising honors and wealth from
Sultan Selim (1512-1520). The saint boldly and steadfastly confessed
his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and reproached the errors of
Islam. The governor in a rage gave orders to beat St George with rods,
but the saint persevered in his confession of faith in Christ.
The governor ordered the tortures to be increased. The passion-bearer
bore all his sufferings, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for help.
Then they led the martyr through the city to the beat of a drum and
shouts: "Do not insult Mohammed nor abase the Moslem faith".
Finally, a large fire was lit in the city, to burn St George. Weakened
by his wounds, the saint fell to the ground. They threw him into the
fire still alive, and they threw corpses of dogs on top of him so that
Christians would not be able to find the relics of the martyr.
Suddenly, a heavy rain fell and extinguished the fire. With the onset
of darkness, the place where the body of the martyr was thrown was
illumined with a bright light. They gave permission to a certain
Christian priest to take the venerable relics of the martyr for
burial. Informed about the occurrence, Metropolitan Jeremiah and his
clergy went to the place of execution. In the ashes of the fire they
located the body of the holy Martyr George and carried it to the
church of St George the Great Martyr in the city of Sredets.
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Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot
of Kalyazin
The Uncovering of the Relics of St Macarius of Kalyazin occurred on
May 26, 1521. A merchant from the city of Dmitrov, Michael Voronkov,
offered the means for the construction of a stone church to replace
the decaying wooden one at the Kalyazin monastery.
The igumen of the monastery, Joasaph, set up a cross at the spot
designated for the altar, and gave a blessing to dig the trench for
the foundation. During the work a grave was discovered, exuding an
ineffable fragrance. Igumen Joasaph immediately recognized the grave
of the monastery's founder, St Macarius, who reposed in the year 1483.
The brethren of the monastery and a crowd of people sang a Panikhida
during the transfer of the coffin to the church. From that day the
incorrupt relics of the saint began to work healings. A report about
this was made to Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow (1522-1539), who
convened a Council at Moscow. After examining testimony about the
sanctity of Macarius, he established a Feast day for the
newly-appeared saint. The relics were solemnly transferred to the
church of the Holy Trinity.
Theodosius of Tver composed the service for the Uncovering of the
Relics. Until 1547, St Macarius was venerated only at this monastery.
During the Moscow Council of 1547 under Metropolitan Macarius
(1543-1564), St Macarius of Kalyazin was numbered among the saints,
and his name added to the calendar of other Russian saints to be
celebrated throughout all of Russia.
The Life of St Macarius of Kalyazin is found under March 17, the day
of his blessed repose.
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Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus
According to Tradition, the Holy Martyrs Abercius and Helen were
children of the holy Apostle Alphaeus. For confessing faith in Christ,
St Abercius was tied naked to a beehive and died from the bees' sting.
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Martyr Helen the Daughter of the Apostle Alphaeus
According to Tradition, the Holy Martyrs Helen and Abercius, were
children of the holy Apostle Alphaeus. For confessing faith in Christ,
St Helen, was pelted with stones.
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St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople
Saint John Psichaita the Confessor lived during the end of the eighth
or the beginning of the ninth century. In his youth he left the
secular world and became a monk in the Psichaita Lavra (in the suburbs
of Constantinople).
Because of his holy life and deeds, he received from God the gift to
cast out demons and to heal the sick. During this time the heresy of
the iconoclasts was raging, and those venerating holy icons were
subjected to persecution.
St John was led away for interrogation, and they tried to force him to
sign a document renouncing the veneration of holy icons. Instead of
renouncing the holy icons, the saint denounced his persecutors,
calling the emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741) a heretic. Therefore,
they sent St John into exile. He died, having suffered much from the
iconoclasts.
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St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England
Saint Augustine was from Italy, and a disciple of St Felix, Bishop of
Messana. St Gregory Dialogus (March12) chose him to lead a mission of
forty monks to evangelize the people of Britain. They arrived at
Ebbsfleet (on the isle of Thanet) in Kent in 597.
King Ethelbert, whose Frankish wife Bertha was a Christian, welcomed
them. They were allowed to base their mission at the ancient church of
St Martin in Canterbury, which was restored for their use. This church
had been built during the Roman occupation of Britain, and the queen
often went there to pray. At first, the king was reluctant to give up
his pagan beliefs, but he promised not to harm them, and to supply
them with whatever they needed. He also promised that he would not
prevent them from preaching Christianity. St Augustine later converted
the king to Christianity, along with thousands of his subjects. The
holy right-believing King Ethelbert is commemorated on February 25.
Bede says that St Augustine was consecrated as Archbishop of Britain
by Archbishop Etherius of Arles (others say that it was his successor
St Virgilius of Arles [March 5] who consecrated St Augustine).
Returning to Britain, he threw himself into the work of evangelizing
the country with renewed zeal. St Augustine built Christ Church,
predecessor of the present cathedral at Canterbury, and consecrated it
on June 9, 603 (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). He also
founded the monastery of Sts Peter and Paul east of the city. Here St
Augustine, the Archbishops of Canterbury, and the Kings of Kent were
buried. The monastery, now in ruins, was later known as St Augustine's
Monastery.
The saint was instrumental in founding the dioceses of Rochester and
London. In 604 he consecrated St Justus (November 10) and St Mellitus
(April 24) as bishops for those Sees. St Augustine also helped the
king draft the earliest Anglo-Saxon laws, and founded a school in
Canterbury.
Saint Augustine was not completely successful in all his efforts,
however. He was not able to achieve unity with the already existing
Christian communities who followed Celtic practices. He met with some
of their bishops to urge them to abandon their Celtic traditions and
to accept the Roman practices. He invited them to cooperate with him
in evangelizing the country, but they refused to give up their ancient
traditions. . Before meeting with St Augustine in 603, the Celtic
bishops asked a holy hermit whether or not to accept Augustine as
their leader. The hermit replied, "If he rises to greet you, then
accept him. If he remains seated, then he is arrogant and unfit to be
your leader, and you should reject him." Unfortunately, St Augustine
did not rise to greet them. Perhaps St Augustine was, to some degree,
a bit tactless and too insistent on conformity to Roman customs. On
the other hand, Celtic resentment against Roman authority also
contributed to the stormy relationship.
Known in his lifetime as a wonderworker, St Augustine fell asleep in
the Lord on May 26, 604. He was laid to rest at the entrance of the
unfinished church of Sts Peter and Paul. When the church was dedicated
in 613, his holy relics were placed inside. An epitaph was composed
for his tomb. In part, it reads: "Here lies the Lord Augustine, first
Archbishop of Canterbury, sent here by blessed Gregory, bishop of the
city of Rome, who with the help of God, and aided by miracles, guided
King Ethelbert and his people from the worship of idols to the Faith
of Christ."
St Bede (May 27) gives detailed information about St Augustine's
mission to Britain in his HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE
(Book I, 23-33. Book II, 1-3).
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