[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Tue May 27 05:00:15 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue May 27 2008

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

-----------------------------

Acts 12:25-13:12  (Epistle)
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had
fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose
surname was Mark.
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets
and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,
"Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them."
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent
them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia,
and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in
the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a
certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This
man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood
them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked intently at him
10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the
devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting
the straight ways of the Lord?
11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be
blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell
on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being
astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

-----------------------------

John 8:51-59  (Gospel)
51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall
never see death.
52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My
word he shall never taste death.'
53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the
prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?
54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My
Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not
know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His
word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was
glad.
57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and
have You seen Abraham?"
58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I AM."
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and
went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed
by.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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

Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis
The Hieromartyr Therapon, Bishop of Sardis suffered for Christ during
the third century (the city of Sardis was in Lydia, Asia Minor). In
fulfilling his priestly service, St Therapon enlightened many of the
pagan Greeks with the light of the Christian Faith and baptized them.
For this, he was brought to trial before the governor Julian and
fearlessly declared himself a Christian bishop.
They threw him into prison, where he languished with hunger and
thirst, and then they gave him over to cruel tortures. These torments
did not break the saint's valiant confession of faith. They led the
saint off in chains to the city of Sinaion in Phrygia, and then to
Ancyra.
In these cities they tortured him again. They took him to the River
Astala, where they stretched him naked upon the ground, fastened to
four stakes, and fiercely beat him. After this torture, they took the
passion-bearer to the outskirts of the Satalia diocese, part of the
Sardis metropolitanate, and here after long beatings St Therapon ended
his martyric contest.
The stakes to which the saint had been tied, and which were soaked
with his blood, put forth green shoots and grew into large trees,
whose leaves were found to have curative powers. Many people received
healing through them.
_________________________________________________________________
Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk
Saint Nilus of Stolobensk reposed on December 7, 1554 (see his Life
under December 7).
Many years afterwards, hieromonk Germanus came to the island of Lake
Seliger, where the holy ascetic had struggled, and immediately after
him the hill-dweller and wanderer Boris. They settled together on the
island and built a church in honor of the Theophany, with a chapel
dedicated to St Basil of Moscow (August 2).
On the site where St Nilus had struggled, a monastery named for him
was built. An icon of St Nilus was painted by the monks of the Orshin
monastery, and numerous miracles of healings of the sick began to
occur at the saint's grave.
Later, St Nectarius, Archbishop of Sibirsk and Tobolsk lived at the
monastery, and he decided to build a stone church to replace the
former wooden one. When the foundations were dug, the earth crumbled
away and revealed the incorrupt relics of St Nilus. The Uncovering of
the Relics occurred on May 27, 1667, and a Feast day was established
in honor of the event.
_________________________________________________________________
St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the
island of Euboia
The Holy Confessor John the Russian was born in Little Russia around
1690, and was raised in piety and love for the Church of God. Upon
attaining the age of maturity he was called to military service, and
he served as a simple soldier in the army of Peter I and took part in
the Russo-Turkish War. During the Prutsk Campaign of 1711 he and other
soldiers were captured by the Tatars, who handed him over to the
commander of the Turkish cavalry. He took his Russian captive home
with him to Asia Minor, to the village of Prokopion.
The Turks tried to convert the Christian soldiers to the Moslem faith
with threats and flattery, but those who resisted were beaten and
tortured. Some, alas, denied Christ and became Moslems, hoping to
improve their lot. St John was not swayed by the promise of earthly
delights, and he bravely endured the humiliation and beatings.
His master tortured him often in the hope that his slave would accept
Islam. St John resolutely resisted the will of his master saying, "You
cannot turn me from my holy Faith by threats, nor with promises of
riches and pleasures. I will obey your orders willingly, if you will
leave me free to follow my religion. I would rather surrender my head
to you than to change my faith. I was born a Christian, and I shall
die a Christian."
St John's bold words and firm faith, as well as his humility and
meekness, finally softened the fierce heart of his master. He left
John in peace, and no longer tried to make him renounce Christianity.
The saint lived in the stable and took care of his master's animals,
rejoicing because his bed was a manger such as the one in which the
Savior was born.
>From morning until late evening the saint served his Turkish master,
fulfilling all his commands. He performed his duties in the winter
cold and summer heat, half naked and barefoot. Other slaves frequently
mocked him, seeing his zeal. St John never became angry with them, but
on the contrary, he helped them when he could, and comforted them in
their misfortune.
The saint's kindness and gentle nature had its effect on the souls of
both the master and the slaves. The Agha and his wife came to love
him, and offered him a small room near the hayloft. St John did not
accept it, preferring to remain in the stable with the animals. Here
he slept on the hay, covered only by an old coat. So the stable became
his hermitage, where he prayed and chanted Psalms.
St John brought a blessing to his master simply by living in his
household. The cavalry officer became rich, and was soon one of the
most powerful men in Prokopion. He knew very well why his home had
been blessed, and he did not hesitate to tell others.
Sometimes St John left the stable at night and went to the church of
the Great Martyr George, where he kept vigil in the narthex. On
Saturdays and Feast days, he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
During this time St John continued to serve his master as before, and
despite his own poverty, he always helped the needy and the sick, and
shared his meager food with them.
One day, the officer left Prokopion and went to Mecca on pilgrimage. A
few days later, his wife gave a banquet and invited her husband's
friends and relatives, asking them to pray for her husband's safe
return. St John served at the table, and he put down a dish of pilaf,
his master's favorite food. The hostess said, "How much pleasure your
master would have if he could be here to eat this pilaf with us." St
John asked for a dish of pilaf, saying that he would send it to his
master in Mecca. The guests laughed when they heard his words. The
mistress, however, ordered the cook to give him a dish of pilaf,
thinking he would eat it himself, or give it to some poor family.
Taking the dish, St John went into the stable and prayed that God
would send it to his master. He had no doubt that God would send the
pilaf to his master in a supernatual manner. The plate disappeared
before his eyes, and he went into the house to tell his mistress that
he had sent the pilaf to his master.
After some time, the master returned home with the copper plate which
had held the pilaf. He told his household that on a certain day (the
very day of the banquet), he returned from the mosque to the home
where he was staying. Although the room was locked, he found a plate
of steaming pilaf on the table. Unable to explain who had brought the
food, or how anyone could enter the locked room, the officer examined
the plate. To his amazement, he saw his own name engraved on the
copper plate. In spite of his confusion, he ate the meal with great
relish.
When the officer's family heard this story, they marveled. His wife
told him of how John had asked for a plate of pilaf to send to his
master in Mecca, and how they all laughed when John came back and said
that it had been sent. Now they saw that what the saint had said was
true (Compare the story of Habakkuk, who miraculously brought a dish
of pottage to Daniel in the lions' den [Dan. 14:33-39], in the
Septuagint).
Toward the end of his difficult life St John fell ill, and sensed the
nearness of his end. He summoned the priest so that he could receive
Holy Communion. The priest, fearing to go to the residence of the
Turkish commander openly with the Holy Gifts, enclosed the life-giving
Mysteries in an apple and brought them to St John.
St John glorified the Lord, received the Body and Blood of Christ, and
then reposed. The holy Confessor John the Russian went to the Lord
Whom he loved on May 27, 1730. When they reported to the master that
his servant John had died, he summoned the priests and gave them the
body of St John for Christian burial. Almost all the Christian
inhabitants of Prokopion came to the funeral, and they accompanied the
body of the saint to the Christian cemetery.
Three and a half years later the priest was miraculously informed in a
dream that the relics of St John had remained incorrupt. Soon the
relics of the saint were transferred to the church of the holy Great
Martyr George and placed in a special reliquary. The new saint of God
began to be glorified by countless miracles of grace, accounts of
which spread to the remote cities and villages. Christian believers
from various places came to Prokopion to venerate the holy relics of
St John the Russian and they received healing through his prayers. The
new saint came to be venerated not only by Orthodox Christians, but
also by Armenians, and even Turks, who prayed to the Russian saint,
"Servant of God, in your mercy, do not disdain us."
In the year 1881 a portion of the relics of St John were transferred
to the Russian monastery of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon by the
monks of Mount Athos, after they were miraculously saved by the saint
during a dangerous journey.
Construction of a new church was begun in 1886, through the
contributions of the monastery and the inhabitants of Prokopion. This
was necessary because the church of the holy Great Martyr George,
where the relics of St John were enshrined, had fallen into disrepair.
On August 15, 1898 the new church dedicated to St John the Russian was
consecrated by the Metropolitan John of Caesarea, with the blessing of
the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine V.
In 1924, an exchange of the populations of Greece and Turkey took
place. Many Moslems moved out of Greece, and many Christians moved out
of Turkey. The inhabitants of Prokopion, when they moved to the island
of Euboia, took with them part of the relics of St John the Russian.
For several decades the relics were in the church of Sts Constantine
and Helen at New Prokopion on Euboia, and in 1951 they were
transferred into a new church dedicated to St John the Russian.
Thousands of pilgrims flocked here from all the corners of Greece,
particularly on his Feast, May 27. St John the Russian is widely
venerated on Mount Athos, particularly in the Russian monastery of St
Panteleimon.
St John's help is sought by travelers, and by those transporting
things.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake
Saint Therapon of White Lake, Wonderworker of Luzhetsk, in the world
Theodore, was born in the year 1337 at Volokolamsk into the noble
Poskochin family. From his childhood, he was raised in faith and
piety, which he displayed throughout his life as a holy ascetic.
At the age of forty he was tonsured a monk by the igumen of Moscow's
Simonov monastery, St Theodore, a nephew of St Sergius (November 28).
As a monk in this monastery Therapon became close to St Cyril of White
Lake (June 9). Together they passed through their ascetic struggles of
prayer and fasting. They were under the spiritual guidance of St
Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), who visited the
monastery to instruct the brethren. St Therapon went north, to the
frontier of White Lake, on monastery matters. The harsh northern land
attracted the ascetic, and he decided to remain there for his ascetic
endeavors.
After returning with St Cyril, to whom the Mother of God had appeared,
also ordering him to go to the north, St Therapon received the
blessing of the igumen to go to White Lake. For a while the ascetics
lived together in a cell that they had built, but later and by mutual
consent, St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from
Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava.
Having cleared a small plot for a garden, and building a cell in the
deep forest near a river, St Therapon continued his ascetic efforts as
a hermit in silence. At first he endured much deprivation and
tribulation in his solitude. More than once he was set upon by
robbers, who tried to chase away or even kill the ascetic. In time
monks began to gather to the saint, and the wilderness place was
gradually transformed into a monastery, afterwards called the
Theraponov.
In 1398 St Therapon built a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of
the Most Holy Theotokos, and the monastery was gradually set in order.
The monks toiled together with their saintly guide building cells,
copying books, and adorning the church. (At the end of the fifteenth
century on the place of the former wooden church a stone cathedral was
built in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was
painted in the years 1500-1501 by the renowned Russian iconographer
Dionysius and his sons, Vladimir and Theodosius. The frescoes are
devoted to the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos. The unique frescoes
of the St Therapon monastery have been preserved up to the present
time and are an outstanding memorial of Russian church art and
painting, having world significance).
A cenobitic monastic rule was introduced at the monastery, strictly
observed by the monks. St Therapon declined to head the monastery out
of humility, and instead entrusted the position of igumen to one of
his disciples. The holy ascetic, endowed with the gift of counsel,
turned to his friend, St Cyril of White Lake for spiritual guidance
just as before. News about the ascetic deeds of the saint spread far
beyond the White Lake frontier.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the lands on which the St
Cyril and St Therapon monasteries were built, were part of the
holdings of the Mozhaisk prince Andrew (1382-1432), son of Great
Prince Demetrius Donskoy (1363-1389). In the year 1408 Prince Andrew
Dimitrievich, learning of the high level of spiritual life of the
White Lake ascetic, asked the monastic Elder Therapon to establish a
monastery in the city of Mozhaisk.
It was difficult for the saint to leave his own monastery, where he
had labored for more than ten years. St Therapon was met at Mozhaisk
with great honor. Soon, not far from Mozhaisk, in the locality of
Lushko, St Therapon founded his second monastery on a hilly part of
the right bank of the Moscow River. Its chief temple was in honor of
the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in memory of the White Lake
monastery. Prince Andrew, esteeming the saint for his true humility,
provided generous help in the construction and establishment of the
monastery. With the blessing of St Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow
(July 2 and May 27), the monastery was to be headed by an
archimandrite, and St Therapon was elevated to the rank of
archimandrite.
St Therapon dwelt at this new monastery for eighteen years. He reposed
at an advanced age, on May 27, 1426. His body was buried at the north
wall of the cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Over
his grave a church was built in honor of St John of the Ladder (March
30), and renamed in 1730 for St Therapon.
Veneration of the saint began soon after his death. In 1514, the
incorrupt relics of the holy ascetic were uncovered and glorified by
numerous miracles. After the Moscow Council of 1547 the canonization
of St Therapon of Mozhaisk took place after the igumen of the St
Therapon monastery brought to Metropolitan Macarius (1543-1564) a Life
of the saint.
Among the numerous disciples and conversers of St Sergius of Radonezh,
the Russian Church venerates the memory of St Therapon, who in
following the counsel of his great teacher and guide, combined the
ascetic feats of silence and solitude with active service to his
neighbor and the spiritual enlightenment of his Fatherland.
The memory of St Therapon is celebrated twice, May 27 (his repose in
1426), and December 27 (Uncovering of his relics, 1514).
_________________________________________________________________
Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of
Moscow and All Russia
The Uncovering and Transfer of Relics of Holy Hierarchs Cyprian,
Photius and Jonah occured on May 27, 1472 during the construction of
the new stone Dormition cathedral in the Kremlin, under Metropolitan
Philip (January 9) and Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505). The saints
are also commemorated separately: Metropolitan Cyprian (September 16),
Metropolitan Photius (July 2), Metropolitan Jonah (March 31).
_________________________________________________________________
Translation of the relics of St Photius the Metropolitan of
Moscow and All Russia
The Uncovering and Transfer of Relics of Holy Hierarchs Cyprian,
Photius and Jonah occured on May 27, 1472 during the construction of
the new stone Dormition cathedral in the Kremlin, under Metropolitan
Philip (January 9) and Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505). The saints
are also commemorated separately: Metropolitan Cyprian (September 16),
Metropolitan Photius (July 2), Metropolitan Jonah (March 31).
_________________________________________________________________
Translation of the relics of St Jonah the Metropolitan of
Moscow and All Russia
The Uncovering and Transfer of Relics of Holy Hierarchs Cyprian,
Photius and Jonah occured on May 27, 1472 during the construction of
the new stone Dormition cathedral in the Kremlin, under Metropolitan
Philip (January 9) and Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505). The saints
are also commemorated separately: Metropolitan Cyprian (September 16),
Metropolitan Photius (July 2), Metropolitan Jonah (March 31).
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza
Saint Therapon of Monza (+ 1597): Today the holy ascetic's namesake St
Therapon of Sardis is celebrated. See account of St Therapon under
December 12, the day of his repose.
_________________________________________________________________
Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria
The Holy Martyrs Theodora the Virgin and Didymus the Soldier suffered
for Christ during the persecution against Christians under the emperor
Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Alexandria in either the year 303
or 304.
The Virgin Martyr Theodora, standing trial before the prefect
Eustratius of Alexandria, bravely confessed herself a Christian. When
the prefect asked why she had not married, the saint replied that she
had dedicated herself to God, and had resolved to remain a virgin for
the name of Christ.
Eustratius ordered the holy virgin to be taken to prison, giving her
three days to make up her mind, and he threatened to have her taken to
a brothel if she persisted in her disobedience. Brought again to trial
three days later, St Theodora remained as resolute in her faith as
before.
The saint was taken to the brothel, where dissolute youths began to
argue which of them should be the first to have her. At this moment
the Christian Didymus, dressed in soldier's garb, entered the brothel
without hindrance. He chased the frightened profligates out and saved
the holy virgin, giving her his clothes so she could escape.
Upon learning what had happened, Eustratius interrogated St Didymus.
Brought before the angry judge, St Didymus told how he had set the
holy virgin free, and for this he was sentenced to death. St Theodora
appeared at the place of execution, and said that she wanted to die
with St Didymus. The prefect gave orders to execute both of them . The
first to bend the neck beneath the sword was the holy martyr Theodora,
and then the holy Martyr Didymus. The bodies of the martyrs were then
burned.
_________________________________________________________________
Martyr Didymus the Soldier of Alexandria
The Holy Martyrs Didymus the Soldier and Theodora the Virgin suffered
for Christ during the persecution against Christians under the emperor
Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Alexandria in either the year 303
or 304.
The Virgin Martyr Theodora, standing trial before the prefect
Eustratius of Alexandria, bravely confessed herself a Christian. When
the prefect asked why she had not married, the saint replied that she
had dedicated herself to God, and had resolved to remain a virgin for
the name of Christ.
Eustratius ordered the holy virgin to be taken to prison, giving her
three days to make up her mind, and he threatened to have her taken to
a brothel if she persisted in her disobedience. Brought again to trial
three days later, St Theodora remained as resolute in her faith as
before.
The saint was taken to the brothel, where dissolute youths began to
argue which of them should be the first to have her. At this moment
the Christian Didymus, dressed in soldier's garb, entered the brothel
without hindrance. He chased the frightened profligates out and saved
the holy virgin, giving her his clothes so she could escape.
Upon learning what had happened, Eustratius interrogated St Didymus.
Brought before the angry judge, St Didymus told how he had set the
holy virgin free, and for this he was sentenced to death. St Theodora
appeared at the place of execution, and said that she wanted to die
with St Didymus. The prefect gave orders to execute both of them . The
first to bend the neck beneath the sword was the holy martyr Theodora,
and then the holy Martyr Didymus. The bodies of the martyrs were then
burned.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Bede, the Church Historian
Saint Bede was a church historian who recorded the history of
Christianity in England up to his own time. He was probably born
around 673 in Northumbria. We do not know exactly where he was born,
but it is likely that it was somewhere near Jarrow.
When he was seven, Bede was sent to St Benedict Biscop (January 12) at
the monastery of St Peter at Wearmouth to be educated and raised. Then
he was sent to the new monastery of St Paul founded at Jarrow in 682,
where he remained until his death. There he was guided by the abbot St
Ceolfrith (September 25), who succeeded St Benedict in 690, ruling
both Wearmouth and Jarrow.
There is an incident in the anonymous Life of Ceolfrith which may
refer to the young Bede. A plague swept through Ceolfrith's monastery
in 686, taking most of the monks who sang in the choir for the church
services. Only the abbot and a young boy raised and educated by him
remained. This young boy "is now a priest of the same monastery and
commends the abbot's admirable deeds both verbally and in writing to
all who desire to learn them."
Grieved by this catastrophe, Ceolfrith decided that they should sing
the Psalms without antiphons, except at Matins and Vespers. After a
week of this, he went back to chanting the antiphons in their proper
place. With the help of the boy and the surviving monks, the services
were performed with difficulty until other monks could be brought in
and trained to sing.
St Bede was ordained as a deacon when he was nineteen, and to the holy
priesthood at the age of thirty by St John of Beverley (May 7), the
holy Bishop of Hexham (687), and later (705) of York. Bede had a great
love for the church services, and believed that since the angels were
present with the monks during the services, that he should also be
there. "What if they do not find me among the brethren when they
assemble? Will they not say, 'Where is Bede?'
Bede began as a pupil of St Benedict Biscop, who had been a monk of
the famous monastery at Lerins, and had founded monasteries himself.
St Benedict had brought many books with him to England from Lerins and
from other European monasteries. This library enabled Bede to write
his own books, which include biblical commentary, ecclesiastical
history, and hagiography.
Bede was not an objective historian. He is squarely on the Roman side
in the debate with Celtic Christianity, for example. He was, however,
fair and thorough. His books, derived from "ancient documents, from
the traditions of our ancestors, and from my own personal knowledge"
(Book V, 24) give us great insight into the religious and secular life
of early Britain. To read St Bede is to enter a world shaped by
spiritual traditions very similar to those cherished by Orthodox
Christians. These saints engage in the same heroic asceticism shown by
saints in the East, and their holiness fills us with love and
admiration. Christians were expected to fast on Wednesdays and
Fridays, and there was a forty day Nativity Fast (Book IV, 30).
St Bede became ill in 735. For about two weeks before Pascha, he was
weak and had trouble breathing, but experienced little pain. He
remained cheerful and gave daily lessons to his students, then spent
the rest of the day singing Psalms and giving thanks to God. He would
often quote the words of St Ambrose, "I have not lived in such a way
that I am ashamed to live among you, and I do not fear to die, for God
is gracious" (Paulinus, Life of Saint Ambrose, Ch. 45).
In addition to giving daily lessons and chanting the Psalms, St Bede
was also working on an Anglo-Saxon translation of the Gospel of St
John, and also a book of extracts from the writings of St Isidore of
Seville (April 4). On the Tuesday before the Feast of the Lord's
Ascension, the saint's breathing became more labored, and his feet
began to swell. "Learn quickly," he told those who were taking
dictation from him, "for I do not know how long I can continue. The
Lord may call me in a short while."
After a sleepless night, St Bede continued his dictation on Wednesday
morning. At the Third Hour, there was a procession with the relics of
the saints in the monastery, and the brethren went to attend this
service, leaving a monk named Wilbert with Bede. The monk reminded him
that there remained one more chapter to be written in the book which
he was dictating. Wilbert was reluctant to disturb the dying Bede,
however. St Bede said, "It is no trouble. Take your pen and write
quickly."
At the Ninth Hour, Bede paused and told Wilbert that he had some items
in his chest, such as pepper, incense, and linen. He asked the monk to
bring the priests of the monastery so that he could distribute these
items to them. When they arrived, he spoke to each of them in turn,
requesting them to pray for him and to remember him in the services.
Then he said, "The time of my departure is at hand, and my soul longs
to see Christ my King in His beauty."
That evening, Wilbert said to him, "Dear Master, there is one sentence
left unfinished."
Bede said, "Very well, write it down."
Then the young monk said, "It is finished now."
St Bede replied, "You have spoken truly, it is well finished." Then he
asked Wilbert to raise his head so that he could see the church where
he used to pray. After chanting, "Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit" to its ending, St Bede fell asleep in the Lord
Whom he had loved.
Although St Bede reposed on May 25, the eve of the Ascension, he is
commemorated on the 27th, since the Feast of St Augustine of
Canterbury is appointed for the 26th. His body was first buried in the
south porch of the monastery church, then later transferred to a place
near the altar. Today his holy relics lie in Durham Cathedral, in the
Galilee chapel. St Bede is the only Englishman mentioned by Dante in
the DIVINE COMEDY (Paradiso).
_________________________________________________________________
St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III
Saint Basil, the son of King Bagrat III, lived in the 11th century and
labored at Khakhuli Monastery (in southwestern Georgia, present-day
Turkey). He was a major figure in the spiritual and educational life
of southern Georgia.
The famous 19th-century scholar Prince John Bagrationi describes St.
Basil in his work Kalmasoba: (the tradition of monks journeying
throughout the land to collect alms for the Church. In his book Prince
John follows a fictional monk traveling throughout the country on
kalmasoba. With this literary device he describes the contemporary
situation, the life of the people, diverse branches of knowledge, and
Georgian literature and folk culture, creating a veritable Georgian
encyclopedia.) Basil Bagrationi was highly educated in philosophy and
theology. He was fluent in several languages and translated many
books. He was the composer of many distinguished rhetorical works.
Perfected in the monastic life and in the spiritual learning of the
Church, our Holy Father Basil was known among the people as the Jewel
of the Georgian Church.
The 18th-century historian and geographer Prince Vakhushti Bagrationi
examined the cultural development of Georgia during the rule of King
Bagrat IV in his book _The Ancient History of Georgia_, and Basil is
among the major Church figures he mentions: The great translators of
the time were Basil, son of Bagrat. In his work _The Life of St.
Giorgi of the Holy Mountain_, Giorgi the Lesser recalls the pious
laborer of Khakhuli Monastery: The great Basil, son of King Bagrat
III, shepherd and enlightener of our country at that time.
St. Basil eventually moved from Georgia to Mt. Athos and labored there
until his death. It was there that he composed his Praises to Holy
Father Ekvtime.
_________________________________________________________________
Venerable Michael of Parekhi
Saint Michael of Parekhi was a native of the village of Norgiali in
the Shavsheti region of southern Georgia. He was tonsured a monk in
the Midznadzori Wilderness.
Fr. Michael journeyed to Khandzta Monastery, and with the blessing of
the brotherhood, he built a small chapel and dwelling for the monks
nearby. Built in a cave on the side of a cliff, St. Michaels
establishment was difficult to reach (the new monastery was called
Parekhi, or Cave). God was pleased with his good works, and He granted
St. Michael the gift of working wonders. In a divine revelation, St.
Michael was instructed to send his disciples Serapion and John to the
region of Samtskhe. There they established a beautiful monastery in
the village of Zarzma.
After some time Father Michael abandoned his cell and settled at the
top of a large boulder. Once the devil caused him to stumble off the
rock, but the Lord protected him and he remained unharmed.
Frightened by the incident, Michael sent his disciples to bring St.
Gregory of Khandzta, and he related to him all that had happened. The
blessed Gregory assuaged his brothers fears, erected a cross on either
side of Michaels cell, and told him, These two crosses of Christ will
protect you, and the mercy of the Most Holy Trinity and the Precious
Cross will be upon you.
St. Michael lived to an old age, and he was buried at Parekhi
Monastery. Many faithful pilgrims who have visited his grave have been
healed of their infirmities.
According to Basil of Zarzma, St. Michaels disciples wrote accounts of
his labors, wisdom, and miracles after his repose, but these works
have unfortunately not been preserved. What we know about the life of
St. Michael of Parekhi was preserved in the hagiographical writings of
the 10th and 11th centuries.
_________________________________________________________________