[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Thu May 29 05:00:44 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Thu May 29 2008

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------ READINGS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Acts 14:20-27  (Epistle)
20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and
went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to
Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many
disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God."
23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with
fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25 Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to
Attalia.
26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to
the grace of God for the work which they had completed.
27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they
reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the
door of faith to the Gentiles.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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John 9:39-10:9  (Gospel)
39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that
those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made
blind."
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and
said to Him, "Are we blind also?"
41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but
now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
1 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by
the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the
sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him,
for they do not know the voice of strangers.
6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things
which He spoke to them.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am
the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep
did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go
in and out and find pasture.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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------ SAINTS/FEASTS FOR TODAY ----------------------------
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Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ
Blessed John, Fool-for-Christ, Ustiug Wonderworker, was born in the
village of Pukhovo, near Old Ustiug, of pious parents Sava and Maria.
>From his youth he distinguished himself by a strict life of fasting.
On Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing, and on other days he ate
only bread and water. His parents moved to the city of Orlets along
the River Iug, forty versts from Ustiug. Left widowed, the saint's
mother took monastic tonsure at the Orletsk Trinity monastery. The
young John started by keeping silence, and then he embraced the
struggle of foolishness for the sake of Christ.
Going about the city of Ustiug, he lived in a hut that had been built
for him, and spent his nights at unceasing prayer. By day, however, he
went about the streets of the city barefoot and in rags all year long,
resting sometimes on a dung heap. He endured much abuse and derision
from the people of the city.
During his life, the saint had been granted a gift of wonderworking.
He died at a young age on May 29, 1494, and was buried near the
Dormition cathedral in the city of Ustiug. Afterwards, a church
dedicated to him was built over his relics.
The Service to Blessed John of Ustiug was composed in the sixteenth
century. His life was written in 1554, based on the recollections of
people who had known him. The holy ascetic was famed as an intercessor
during invasions of enemies, and as a healer of those afflicted with
various maladies.
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Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical
Council
The Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council has been celebrated
by the Church of Christ from ancient times. The Lord Jesus Christ left
the Church a great promise, "I will build My Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:18). Although the Church of
Christ on earth will pass through difficult struggles with the Enemy
of salvation, it will emerge victorious. The holy martyrs bore witness
to the truth of the Savior's words, enduring suffering and death for
confessing Christ, but the persecutor's sword is shattered by the
Cross of Christ.
Persecution of Christians ceased during the fourth century, but
heresies arose within the Church itself. One of the most pernicious of
these heresies was Arianism. Arius, a priest of Alexandria, was a man
of immense pride and ambition. In denying the divine nature of Jesus
Christ and His equality with God the Father, Arius falsely taught that
the Savior is not consubstantial with the Father, but is only a
created being.
A local Council, convened with Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria
presiding, condemned the false teachings of Arius. However, Arius
would not submit to the authority of the Church. He wrote to many
bishops, denouncing the decrees of the local Council. He spread his
false teaching throughout the East, receiving support from certain
Eastern bishops.
Investigating these dissentions, the holy emperor Constantine (May 21)
consulted Bishop Hosius of Cordova (Aug. 27), who assured him that the
heresy of Arius was directed against the most fundamental dogma of
Christ's Church, and so he decided to convene an Ecumenical Council.
In 325, 318 bishops representing Christian Churches from various lands
gathered together at Nicea.
Among the assembled bishops were many confessors who had suffered
during the persecutions, and who bore the marks of torture upon their
bodies. Also participating in the Council were several great
luminaries of the Church: St Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
(December 6 and May 9), St Spyridon, Bishop of Tremithos (December
12), and others venerated by the Church as holy Fathers.
With Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria came his deacon, Athanasius
(who later became Patriarch of Alexandria (May 2 and January 18). He
is called "the Great," for he was a zealous champion for the purity of
Orthodoxy. In the Sixth Ode of the Canon for today's Feast, he is
referred to as "the thirteenth Apostle."
The emperor Constantine presided over the sessions of the Council. In
his speech, responding to the welcome by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea,
he said, "God has helped me cast down the impious might of the
persecutors, but more distressful for me than any blood spilled in
battle is for a soldier, is the internal strife in the Church of God,
for it is more ruinous."
Arius, with seventeen bishops among his supporters, remained arrogant,
but his teaching was repudiated and he was excommunicated from the
Church. In his speech, the holy deacon Athanasius conclusively refuted
the blasphemous opinions of Arius. The heresiarch Arius is depicted in
iconography sitting on Satan's knees, or in the mouth of the Beast of
the Deep (Rev. 13).
The Fathers of the Council declined to accept a Symbol of Faith
(Creed) proposed by the Arians. Instead, they affirmed the Orthodox
Symbol of Faith. St Constantine asked the Council to insert into the
text of the Symbol of Faith the word "consubstantial," which he had
heard in the speeches of the bishops. The Fathers of the Council
unanimously accepted this suggestion.
In the Nicean Creed, the holy Fathers set forth and confirmed the
Apostolic teachings about Christ's divine nature. The heresy of Arius
was exposed and repudiated as an error of haughty reason. After
resolving this chief dogmatic question, the Council also issued Twelve
Canons on questions of churchly administration and discipline. Also
decided was the date for the celebration of Holy Pascha. By decision
of the Council, Holy Pascha should not be celebrated by Christians on
the same day with the Jewish Passover, but on the first Sunday after
the first full moon of the vernal equinox (which occured on March 22
in 325).
We also commemorate the holy God-bearing Fathers of the First
Ecumenical Council on the seventh Sunday of Pascha.
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Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople
The Virgin Martyr Theodosia of Constantinople lived during the eighth
century. She was born in answer to the fervent prayers of her parents.
After their death, she was raised at the women's monastery of the holy
Martyr Anastasia in Constantinople. St Theodosia became a nun after
she distributed to the poor of what remained of her parental
inheritance. She used part of the money to commission gold and silver
icons of the Savior, the Theotokos, and St Anastasia.
When Leo the Isaurian (717-741) ascended the imperial throne, he
issued an edict to destroy holy icons everywhere. Above the Bronze
Gates at Constantinople was a bronze icon of the Savior, which had
been there for more than 400 years. In 730, the iconoclast Patriarch
Anastasius ordered the icon removed.
The Virgin Martyr Theodosia and other women rushed to protect the icon
and toppled the ladder with the soldier who was carrying out the
command. Then they stoned the impious Patriarch Anastasius, and
Emperor Leo ordered soldiers to behead the women. St Theodosia, an
ardent defender of icons, was locked up in prison. For a week they
gave her a hundred lashes each day. On the eighth day, they led her
about the city, fiercely beating her along the way. One of the
soldiers stabbed the nun in the throat with a ram's horn, and she
received the crown of martyrdom.
The body of the holy virgin martyr was reverently buried by Christians
in the monastery of St Euphemia in Constantinople, near a place called
Dexiokratis. The tomb of St Theodosia was glorified by numerous
healings of the sick.
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Icon of the Mother of God "the Surety of sinners"
The Icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners" is known by this
name because of the inscription on the icon: "I am the Surety of
sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who
bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me."
The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with
both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small
finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety
for another.
Although we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally
painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in
the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: "Rejoice,
You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God."
This icon was first glorified by miracles at the St Nicholas Odrino
men's monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth
century (The "Assuage My Sorrows Icon" commemorated on October 9 is
also from this monastery). The "Surety of Sinners" icon of the Mother
of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood
between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered
with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription.
In 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon
was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into
the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of
their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a
crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844.
The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people
fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the
icon.
A large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in
honor of the wonderworking icon.
In 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of
the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began
to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might
recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this
wonderworking copy to the church of St Nicholas at Khamovniki in
Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon.
The "Surety of Sinners" Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on
Thursday of the week of All Saints.
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Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre
Saint Theodosia of Tyre lived during the third and fourth centuries.
Once, during a persecution against Christians, which had already
lasted for five years, the seventeen-year-old Theodosia went up to
condemned Christian prisoners in the Praetorium in Caesarea,
Palestine. It was the day of Holy Pascha, and the martyrs spoke about
the Kingdom of God. St Theodosia asked them to remember her before the
Lord, when they should come to stand before Him.
Soldiers saw that the maiden bowed to the prisoners, and they seized
her and led her before the governor, Urban. The governor advised the
maiden to offer sacrifice to the idols but she refused, confessing her
faith in Christ. Then they subjected the saint to cruel tortures,
raking her body with iron claws until her bones were exposed.
The martyr was silent and endured the sufferings with a happy face,
and to a second suggestion by the governor to offer sacrifice to the
idols she answered, "You fool, I have been granted to join the
martyrs!" They threw the maiden with a stone about her neck into the
sea, but angels drew her out from the depths. Then they threw the
martyr to the wild beasts to be eaten by them. Seeing that the beasts
would not touch her, they cut off her head.
By night St Theodosia appeared to her parents, who had tried to talk
their daughter into not going to the sufferings. She was in bright
garb with a crown upon her head and a luminous gold cross in her hand,
and she said, "Behold the great glory of which you wanted to deprive
me!"
The Holy Martyr Theodosia of Tyre suffered for Christ in the year 307
or 308. On May 29 we commemorate the transfer of her relics to
Constantinople and Venice. She is also commemorated on April 3.
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