Saturday, November 20, 2010

Greek Orthodox Daily Readings For Saturday, 19 November

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:


Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Saturday, November 20, 2010



Fast Day (Fish Allowed)



Readings for today:



St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:8-12

Luke 9:57-62



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



Saturday of the 9th Week

The Forefeast of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple

Gregory the Righteous of Decapolis

Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople





Epistle Reading



The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 3:8-12



BRETHREN, the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by

faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "in you

shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are men of

faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith. For all who rely on works

of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be

every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the

law, and do them." Now it is evident that no man is justified

before God by the law; for "the righteous shall live by

faith"; but the law does not rest on faith, for "He who does them

shall live by them."



(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from Luke 9:57-62



At that time, as Jesus was going along the road, a man said to him,

"I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes

have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has

nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said,

"Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave

the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the

kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first

say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who

puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of

God."



(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





The Forefeast of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

By blossoming forth the only Ever-virgin as fruit, today holy Anna

doth betroth us all unto joy, instead of our former grief; on this day

she doth fulfil her vows to the Most High, leading her with joy into

the Lord's holy temple, who truly is the temple and pure Mother of

God the Word.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

The whole world is filled today with joy and gladness on the

Theotokos's auspicious and resplendent feast, whereon with great voice it

crieth out: The heavenly tabernacle is she in truth.



Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery





Gregory the Righteous of Decapolis



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Saint Gregory who was from Irenopolis of the Decapolis of Asia Minor,

was the son of Sergius and Mary. He became a monk as a young man, and

after struggling for many years in virtue and prayer under obedience to

a wise spiritual father, he was informed by revelation that it was

the will of God for him to live, like the Patriarch Abraham, with no

certain dwelling, moving from place to place. His journeyings took him to

Ephesus, Constantinople, Corinth, Rome, Sicily, Thessalonica, and again to

Constantinople, where, after many labours in defence of Orthodoxy against

Iconoclasm, he reposed in peace in the first half of the ninth century. He

had two disciples, one of whom was Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (see

Apr. 3), who wrote the Menaion service for Saint Gregory, his father

in Christ.



Kontakion in the Third Tone

The Church knoweth thee to be a shining sun that enlight'neth all men

with the rays of cures and with the beauty of virtue. Hence, O truly

blessed Father, Christ's faithful servant, we all celebrate thy venerable

memorial, O wise Gregory most righteous; and we now honour thy valiant

struggles for Christ.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery





Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Saint Proclus lived during the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger. A

disciple and scribe of Saint John Chrysostom, he was ordained Bishop of

Cyzicus about the year 426, but because the people there unlawfully

elected another bishop before his arrival, he remained in Constantinople.

In 429, Nestorius, who had been Archbishop of Constantinople for

about a year, and had already begun his blasphemous teaching that it is

wrong to call the holy Virgin "Theotokos," invited Bishop Proclus to

give a sermon on one of the feasts of our Lady, which he did, openly

defending in Nestorius' presence the name "Theotokos," that is, "Mother of

God." Saint Proclus was elevated to the throne of Archbishop of

Constantinople in 434. It was he who persuaded Emperor Theodosius the Younger

and his holy sister Pulcheria to have the most sacred relics of his

godly teacher Saint John Chrysostom brought back from Comana, and

triumphantly received them upon their return to the imperial city (see Jan. 27

and Nov. 13). He reposed in peace in 447.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

On this day, thy ven'rable departure from us, O wise Proclus blest

of God, is celebrated fittingly with joy by her that in very truth

is the most honoured of cities in all the world.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

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