From ethiopiantewahedo.org, kidusmarkos.org and ninesaintsethiopianorthodoxmonastery.org:
Week One, Day Six
The Sixth Day
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Hnstata,
The Feast of Saint Abba Prochorus
Bishop - One of the Seventy Disciples of The Lord - Martyr
FRIDAY
Tir 20 - January 28
On this Twentieth day of the month of Tir, being the Twenty-eighth day of January on the Western calendar, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church commemorates St. Abba Prochorus.
Along with being one of the Seventy Disciples who were called by The Lord Jesus Christ and sent to preach His Name, and granted gifts of healing and the casting out of evil spirits, St. Prochorus was among the original first Deacons in the Church (see Acts 6:1-6), along with Saints Stephen, Philip, Parmenas, Nicanor, Timon and Nicholas.
St. Prochorus, along with serving the Church at Jerusalem as a Deacon, he accompanied the Holy Apostle St. Peter in his apostolic work in Palestine and even to Antioch, at the invitation of the Saints Barnabas and Paul.
After the Dormition of the Most Blessed Ever-Virgin St. Mary - Astario Mariam, St. Abba Prochorus became a companion and co-worker of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Saint Yohannes. Later when the Apostle St. Yohannes was banished to the Island of Patmos by the Roman Imperial Authorities, he went with the Holy Apostle and was his scribe, who wrote down the visions which St. Yohannes say concerning the end times (The Book of Revelations).
When the exile on the Island of Patmos ended, the Holy Apostle St. Yohannes consecrated Abba Prochorus as Bishop for the city of Nicomedia in Bithynia, where he labored preaching the Name of The Lord Jesus, bringing many to faith in Christ, baptizing them and teaching them to keep the Commandments of God. Abba Prochorus had a Church built for the Christians in Nicomedia, ordained Priests and Deacons for them, after which he went to the surrounding cities and preached The Holy Gospel. He suffered many afflictions and hardships because of his preaching of the Name of Jesus. At Antioch he received the Crown of Martyrdom.
Daily Readings and Scriptures:
Week One Day Six
The Sixth Day
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father and the Son…
Opening Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who are the source and origin of our beginnings and our life. We humbly ask you to grant us your grace to offer you our morning prayer as a living sacrifice, today, tomorrow and always. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 30: 1-12
30:1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for you have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me. 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help, and you have healed me. 30:3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from the grave: you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 30:4 Sing to the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 30:5 For his anger endures but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 30:7 Lord, by your favour you have made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide your face, and I was troubled. 30:8 I cried to thee, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication. 30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare your truth? 30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing: you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 31: 1-24
31:1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in your righteousness. 31:2 Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 31:3 For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for your name's sake lead me, and guide me. 31:4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for you are my strength. 31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. 31:6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord. 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy: for you have considered my trouble; you have known my soul in adversities; 31:8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: you have set my feet in a large room. 31:9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed. 31:11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. 31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, You are my God. 31:15 My times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. 31:16 Make your face to shine upon your servant: save me for your mercies' sake. 31:17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. 31:18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. 31:19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear thee; which you have wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 31:20 Thou shall hide them in the secret of your presence from the pride of man: thou shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 31:21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city. 31:22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before your eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried to thee. 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer. 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
Isaiah 38 10-14
38:10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 13: 11-14
13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 128: 1-2
128:1 Blessed is every one that fears the Lord; that walks in his ways. 128:2 For thou shall eat the labour of your hands: happy shall thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Luke 22: 39-46
22:39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said to them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your, be done. And there appeared an angel to him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said to them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. It is easier for heaven and to pass, than one ….
Concluding Prayer
Lord our heavenly Father, who are the God of time, day and night: grant us your grace as we pray in your name for cheerfulness and a generous heart; may we bring peace and joy to our work-place, to our home, and to whom we meet. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit; one God, now and forever. Amen. Our Father…O my Lady Mary……
Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the……
Opening Prayer
O Lord our God, Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who created all things, we ask and pray of your goodness on this day and its evening, bless this evening and this coming night for us and make it for us a time of rest and relaxation. We ask this in your holy name. Amen. Our Father …..
Psalm 32: 1-11
32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 32:5 I acknowledge my sin to thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray to thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh to him. 32:7 You are my hiding place; thou shall preserve me from trouble; thou shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near to thee. 32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 33: 1-22
33:1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 33:2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing to him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. 33:5 He loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. 33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 33:7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as an heap: he lays up the depth in storehouses. 33:8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 33:9 For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 33:10 The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nought: he makes the devices of the people of none effect. 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 33:13 The Lord looks from heaven; he beholds all the sons of men. 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 33:15 He fashions their hearts alike; he considers all their works. 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 33:17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. 33:21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 33:22 Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 34: 1-end
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 34:5 They looked to him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him. 34:9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 34:12 What man is he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. 34:16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 34:18 The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 34:20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken. 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 34:22 The Lord redeems the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
Isaiah 38: 17-20
38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known your truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet reward. Amen
2nd Reading
1st St. John 3: 1
3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. He who receives the saint by the name of the saint shall receive the saints reward. Amen
3rd Reading/Chant
Psalm 34: 1-2
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. John 14: 1-4
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
Lord God, who are our beginning and our end. We humbly ask you to accept our evening prayer and grant us a perfect end and peace throughout this coming night. Wes ask and make this evening prayer, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your only Son. Amen. Our Father….
The Synaxarium:
THE FIFTH MONTH
TIR 20
(January 28)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day died Saint ‘Abrokoros (Prochorus) the Apostle, whom the Lord chose to be of the number of the Seventy-two Apostles, whom our Lord chose and sent forth to preach, and to whom He gave power to heal the sick and to cast out devils. This saint was with the Apostles in the upper room of Zion, and was filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit Paraclete. And he it was whom the Apostles chose to be among the number of the Seven Deacons concerning whom the Book of the Acts of the Apostles testifieth that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And he was the disciple of Saint John the evangelist, the apostle who proclaimed the Godhead, and he went with him to many cities, and Saint John laid his hand upon him and appointed him Bishop of the city of Nicomedia, of the country of Betania (Bithynia). And he preached the Faith of our Lord Christ therein, and he converted many of the Greeks and those who worshipped idols, and he brought them into the True Faith, and baptized them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, and taught them to keep the commandments of the Holy Gospel. And he built a fine church for them in that city, and appointed priests and deacons for them, and then he went out to the cities which were round about that city, and preached in them the preaching of the Holy Gospel and baptized many of the people. And he taught even many Jews, and turned them from their error, and baptized them with Christian baptism; and great tribulation came [upon him] and persecution for the Name of Christ. And having finished his fight he died at a good old age, and he pleased God and inherited the kingdom of heaven and everlasting joy.
And on this day ‘Aklog (Eclogius) the priest became a martyr. This saint was a man of the city called “El-Neft,” in the country of Egypt, and his father’s name was Dioscorus, and his mother’s name was Euphemia; they belonged to a noble family and were very rich in gold, and silver, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and camels, and lands. And they had no son, and were therefore very sad, and they prayed to God continually to give them a son; and God heard their prayer and gave them this holy son, and they called him “’Aklog” (Eclogius), which is, being interpreted, “pleasant to God.” When he was eight years old his parents gave him to a teacher so that he might instruct him in the Law of God, and each day he went to the church, and heard the praises and prayers before he went to his teacher. One day he left is teacher to ride his horse, and two servants followed him. As he was riding along he saw many men and women gathered together, and uttering cries, and he went up to them to see [what the matter was], and he found that a child whom a serpent had bitten had fallen down in their midst, and was night unto death. And Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) cried out, and he remembered the words of the Holy Gospel which said that those who believed on our Lord should make miracles manifest, that they should cast out devils in His Name, that they should take up vipers in their hands and that they should not harm them in any way, and that they should lay their hands on the sick and heal them. And straightway he took hold of the child’s hands, and made over him the sign of the Cross in the Name of the Father and the Son [and the Holy Spirit], and said, “O child, I tell thee to be healed of the bite of this wicked, lying reptile. For our Lord saith with His pure and righteous mouth, ‘Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and every power of the Enemy, and they shall in no wise injure you.’” And straightway the child recovered and became like one on whom no evil whatsoever had come. When the people saw this miracle they marveled exceedingly, and they praised God, the Worker of miracles, by His saints; and the report of this miracle was heard in every city. And when Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) had arrived at his twelfth year and was still under his teacher’s care, he knew by heart the Four Gospels, and the Fourteen Epistles of Paul, and the Seven Apostolic Epistles, and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the One Hundred and Fifty Psalms of David. And he read each of these every night of the First Day of the week, and he devoted himself strenuously to fasting and prayer. When the men of his city saw his spiritual fight, after his parents’ death, they asked the bishop to appoint him their priest so that he might pray for them. He fasted two, or three, or seven days at a time, all the days of his life; and he prayed day and night; and he wore hairy sackcloth under his apparel next to his flesh. And the grace of God called the blessed ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to be a priest. And the bishop seized him against his will, and made him a priest. And when he was being appointed the people heard a voice crying out and saying, “Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) is worthy, is worthy, is worthy of the office of the priesthood”; and the people glorified God. And after those days a great persecution of the Christians broke out in all the land of Egypt under Diocletian the infidel, who destroyed the churches; and many people became martyrs. And God summoned Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to become a martyr, and he stood up and looked up into heaven, and cried out, saying, “My Lord, and my God, and my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Sustainer of the Universe, let Thy mercy and peace be over the people who are in my city everywhere, and bless them and deliver them from Satans, and send an angel unto me to strengthen me until I have finished my fight for Thy Name’s sake; for Thine is the glory and the power for ever and ever, Amen.” When Saint ‘Aklog (Eclogius) had said this he turned to the people who were round about him, and said unto them, “Whosoever loveth [me] let him come and go with me”; and there followed him his own family, and slaves, and people of the city, three hundred and forty men; and they stood upon a high place and they cried out loudly and boldly, saying, “We are Christians.” When the captain of the emperor’s soldiers heard this he was sorry, and he bound Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) in fetters and sent him to Arianus the governor. And Arianus said unto him, “Worship the gods of the emperor so that thou mayest received great honor”; and ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “I will never worship unclean idols, and I will only worship my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongeth glory, and power, and majesty.” When Arianus heard this he condemned Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to severe torture in a red-hot oven, but God sent His angel and made the fire [as cool] as dew; and the saint stood up in the red-hot oven and prayed. Then Arianus the governor said unto the hundred and forty men, “Come ye and worship the gods.” And they answered and said unto him, “We will not worship the gods, but only Jesus Christ.” And Arianus commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword, and they did so, and the saints received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And in those days the son of Arianus the governor died, and he mourned for him greatly. And Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “If I do good for thee, and pray to the Lord my God on thy behalf that He may raise up thy son alive, what honor wilt thou bestow upon me?” And Arianus said unto him, “I will make thee captain over one hundred soldiers, and I will send thee to thy city with great honor.” And Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “I do not wish for this thing, but I want thee, when thou hast tortured me, to send my body to my city; if thou wilt do this for me I will raise up thy son for thee.” And the governor swore to him that he would do all that he wished. And Saint ‘Aklog (Eclogius) prayed unto God, saying, “I beseech Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, to hear my petition this day, and to raise up this boy from the dead, that he may glorify Thy Name for ever and ever, Amen.” And having said this, he made the sign of the Cross over him in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and straightway the child rose up alive. And when the people saw this they all cried out together, saying, “We are all Christians, and we believe in the God of Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius).” When the governor heard this he was exceedingly wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to take them outside the city, and to dig a large pit, and to light a large fire therein, and when the flames reached to a great height, to cast them into it; and the soldiers did so, and the men finished their martyrdom in the peace of God. Now they were in number eight hundred and nine souls. And Arianus the governor commanded the soldiers to torture Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) severely, and to send to his own country his head [after it was cut off with] the sword. When the saint heard this he rejoiced greatly, and he stood up and prayed, saying, “How [long], O my Lord Jesus Christ, wilt Thou hearken unto the petition of me, Thy servant? Let Thy mercy come upon my city, and upon all the men who dwell therein. Bless the work of their hands, and bless their women, and their children, and their cattle, and their fields, and deliver them from all trials and tribulations, by Thy Divine Power, O my Lord Jesus Christ. Give Thou grace to my body, and grant that every sick person who shall come to my church, and shall intercede before my body in Thy Name shall be healed of his sickness. And he who writeth the book of my strife and celebrateth my commemoration, do Thou write his name in the Book of Life. When a man giveth an offering on the day of my commemoration, or incense, or unguent, or oil, or wine, give Thou him his reward in the kingdom of the heavens. Whosoever shall swathe my body for burial in clean cloth, do Thou array him in the apparel of light, for Thine is the glory and the power for ever and ever, Amen.” And when he had said this, behold our Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O my elect and beloved, and beloved of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), I have come unto thee, and I will give thee the reward of thy labor, and I will make thee to rest in My kingdom. Three crowns have been prepared for thee: one for thy virginity, one for thy torture, and one because thou hast rejected the world for My Name’s sake. Come unto Me, O My beloved Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), so that I may give thee the reward of thy labor, and that I may take thee up into My kingdom, and that I may do for thee everything which thou hast asked of Me this day, in return for what they have made thee to suffer for My Name’s sake. I will give thee an abode in the kingdom of the heavens. I will make the angel hosts to serve thee, and thou shalt rejoice with all the saints at My table in the life, which is forever. Verily I say unto thee, O My chosen one Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), whosoever shall make intercession by thy body, and shall seek for thine intercession because of the labor which thou hast performed for My sake, if he be in tribulation, or in sickness, or in any trial and sorrow, I will deliver him. And whosoever shall call his son by thy name, that child will I bless, and rear happily, and preserve from evil. Whosoever shall give an offering to the church on the day of thy commemoration in thy name, to him will I bring the Bread of Life in the kingdom of the heavens. Whosoever shall give a cup of cold water to a thirsty man, him will I make to drink from the cup of the Water of Life. Whosoever shall plant a vineyard or sow fields with grain, and pray to Me for them in thy name, I will make him grow old, and multiply him, and bless him.” And when our Lord Christ had finished His converse with the blessed Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), He made the sign of the Cross over his body, and delivered it from all his toil, and He embraced him, and blessed him, and went up into heaven in great glory, whilst the saint was looking at Him. After this the saint turned to the soldiers, and said unto them, “O my brethren, finish that which the governor hath commanded you to do.” And the soldiers, seeing that his face was shining like the sun, feared greatly his majesty and his light, and they were unable to approach him. But one of them, a man dense of heart and unmerciful, stretched out his hand to the saint, and smote him on the neck with the sword and cut off his holy head; and the saint finished his martyrdom on the twentieth day of the month of Ter. And the angels took his soul and carried it up into heaven singing as they went. And the soldiers left the body of the saint on the riverbank, and they embarked in their ship and departed. And certain young men were there, and they went into the city and told the people why, and how, the martyrdom of Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) took place. And the people and the priests gathered together, and went and carried his body, with great honor and with singing of psalms and dirges, until they brought it to the city and laid it in a good resting place. And great signs, and miracles, and healings of the sick took place through it.
And on this day also are commemorated Saint Behnu, the martyr; and the consecration of the church of John, the possessor of the Golden Gospel, in the city of Rome, and the translation of his body thereto. Salutation to John.
And on this day the strife and martyrdom of Abba Noha (Noah) took place, and the manifestation of his miracles. And on this day also are celebrated the consecration of the church of Mar Mehnam, and also ‘Alvanus (Silvanus), and Abba Nabyud (or Nabdeyu) of Sihat (Scete), and Anna Benwah, the martyr.
Salutation to ‘Abrokoros (Prochorus).
Salutation to Abba Kaluz, the martyr, of the city of Fant.
Salutation to Abba Nabyud.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
Week One, Day Six
The Sixth Day
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Hnstata,
The Feast of Saint Abba Prochorus
Bishop - One of the Seventy Disciples of The Lord - Martyr
FRIDAY
Tir 20 - January 28
On this Twentieth day of the month of Tir, being the Twenty-eighth day of January on the Western calendar, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church commemorates St. Abba Prochorus.Along with being one of the Seventy Disciples who were called by The Lord Jesus Christ and sent to preach His Name, and granted gifts of healing and the casting out of evil spirits, St. Prochorus was among the original first Deacons in the Church (see Acts 6:1-6), along with Saints Stephen, Philip, Parmenas, Nicanor, Timon and Nicholas.
St. Prochorus, along with serving the Church at Jerusalem as a Deacon, he accompanied the Holy Apostle St. Peter in his apostolic work in Palestine and even to Antioch, at the invitation of the Saints Barnabas and Paul.
After the Dormition of the Most Blessed Ever-Virgin St. Mary - Astario Mariam, St. Abba Prochorus became a companion and co-worker of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Saint Yohannes. Later when the Apostle St. Yohannes was banished to the Island of Patmos by the Roman Imperial Authorities, he went with the Holy Apostle and was his scribe, who wrote down the visions which St. Yohannes say concerning the end times (The Book of Revelations).
When the exile on the Island of Patmos ended, the Holy Apostle St. Yohannes consecrated Abba Prochorus as Bishop for the city of Nicomedia in Bithynia, where he labored preaching the Name of The Lord Jesus, bringing many to faith in Christ, baptizing them and teaching them to keep the Commandments of God. Abba Prochorus had a Church built for the Christians in Nicomedia, ordained Priests and Deacons for them, after which he went to the surrounding cities and preached The Holy Gospel. He suffered many afflictions and hardships because of his preaching of the Name of Jesus. At Antioch he received the Crown of Martyrdom.
Daily Readings and Scriptures:
Week One Day Six
The Sixth Day
Morning Prayer
In the name of the Father and the Son…
Opening Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who are the source and origin of our beginnings and our life. We humbly ask you to grant us your grace to offer you our morning prayer as a living sacrifice, today, tomorrow and always. Amen. Our Father…
Psalm 30: 1-12
30:1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for you have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me. 30:2 O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help, and you have healed me. 30:3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from the grave: you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 30:4 Sing to the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 30:5 For his anger endures but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 30:7 Lord, by your favour you have made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide your face, and I was troubled. 30:8 I cried to thee, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication. 30:9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare your truth? 30:10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing: you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 31: 1-24
31:1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in your righteousness. 31:2 Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 31:3 For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for your name's sake lead me, and guide me. 31:4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for you are my strength. 31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. 31:6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord. 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy: for you have considered my trouble; you have known my soul in adversities; 31:8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: you have set my feet in a large room. 31:9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed. 31:11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. 31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. 31:14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, You are my God. 31:15 My times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. 31:16 Make your face to shine upon your servant: save me for your mercies' sake. 31:17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. 31:18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. 31:19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear thee; which you have wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 31:20 Thou shall hide them in the secret of your presence from the pride of man: thou shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 31:21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city. 31:22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before your eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried to thee. 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer. 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
Isaiah 38 10-14
38:10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet’s reward. Amen
2nd Reading
Romans 13: 11-14
13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. He who receives the Apostle by the name of the Apostle shall receive the Apostle’s reward. Amen
3rd Reading (Chant)
Psalm 128: 1-2
128:1 Blessed is every one that fears the Lord; that walks in his ways. 128:2 For thou shall eat the labour of your hands: happy shall thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. Luke 22: 39-46
22:39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said to them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your, be done. And there appeared an angel to him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said to them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. It is easier for heaven and to pass, than one ….
Concluding Prayer
Lord our heavenly Father, who are the God of time, day and night: grant us your grace as we pray in your name for cheerfulness and a generous heart; may we bring peace and joy to our work-place, to our home, and to whom we meet. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit; one God, now and forever. Amen. Our Father…O my Lady Mary……
Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the……
Opening Prayer
O Lord our God, Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who created all things, we ask and pray of your goodness on this day and its evening, bless this evening and this coming night for us and make it for us a time of rest and relaxation. We ask this in your holy name. Amen. Our Father …..
Psalm 32: 1-11
32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 32:5 I acknowledge my sin to thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray to thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh to him. 32:7 You are my hiding place; thou shall preserve me from trouble; thou shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near to thee. 32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 33: 1-22
33:1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 33:2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing to him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. 33:5 He loves righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. 33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 33:7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as an heap: he lays up the depth in storehouses. 33:8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 33:9 For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 33:10 The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nought: he makes the devices of the people of none effect. 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 33:13 The Lord looks from heaven; he beholds all the sons of men. 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 33:15 He fashions their hearts alike; he considers all their works. 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 33:17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. 33:21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 33:22 Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Psalm 34: 1-end
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 34:5 They looked to him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him. 34:9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 34:12 What man is he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. 34:16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 34:18 The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 34:20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken. 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 34:22 The Lord redeems the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning…
Scripture Readings
1st Reading
Isaiah 38: 17-20
38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known your truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. He who receives the prophet by the name of the prophet shall receive the prophet reward. Amen
2nd Reading
1st St. John 3: 1
3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. He who receives the saint by the name of the saint shall receive the saints reward. Amen
3rd Reading/Chant
Psalm 34: 1-2
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Halleluiah! Stand and harken to the Holy Gospel, the message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
4th Reading
The Gospel of St. John 14: 1-4
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life…
Concluding Prayer
Lord God, who are our beginning and our end. We humbly ask you to accept our evening prayer and grant us a perfect end and peace throughout this coming night. Wes ask and make this evening prayer, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your only Son. Amen. Our Father….
The Synaxarium:
THE FIFTH MONTH
TIR 20
(January 28)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
ONE GOD. AMEN.
On this day died Saint ‘Abrokoros (Prochorus) the Apostle, whom the Lord chose to be of the number of the Seventy-two Apostles, whom our Lord chose and sent forth to preach, and to whom He gave power to heal the sick and to cast out devils. This saint was with the Apostles in the upper room of Zion, and was filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit Paraclete. And he it was whom the Apostles chose to be among the number of the Seven Deacons concerning whom the Book of the Acts of the Apostles testifieth that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And he was the disciple of Saint John the evangelist, the apostle who proclaimed the Godhead, and he went with him to many cities, and Saint John laid his hand upon him and appointed him Bishop of the city of Nicomedia, of the country of Betania (Bithynia). And he preached the Faith of our Lord Christ therein, and he converted many of the Greeks and those who worshipped idols, and he brought them into the True Faith, and baptized them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, and taught them to keep the commandments of the Holy Gospel. And he built a fine church for them in that city, and appointed priests and deacons for them, and then he went out to the cities which were round about that city, and preached in them the preaching of the Holy Gospel and baptized many of the people. And he taught even many Jews, and turned them from their error, and baptized them with Christian baptism; and great tribulation came [upon him] and persecution for the Name of Christ. And having finished his fight he died at a good old age, and he pleased God and inherited the kingdom of heaven and everlasting joy.
And on this day ‘Aklog (Eclogius) the priest became a martyr. This saint was a man of the city called “El-Neft,” in the country of Egypt, and his father’s name was Dioscorus, and his mother’s name was Euphemia; they belonged to a noble family and were very rich in gold, and silver, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and camels, and lands. And they had no son, and were therefore very sad, and they prayed to God continually to give them a son; and God heard their prayer and gave them this holy son, and they called him “’Aklog” (Eclogius), which is, being interpreted, “pleasant to God.” When he was eight years old his parents gave him to a teacher so that he might instruct him in the Law of God, and each day he went to the church, and heard the praises and prayers before he went to his teacher. One day he left is teacher to ride his horse, and two servants followed him. As he was riding along he saw many men and women gathered together, and uttering cries, and he went up to them to see [what the matter was], and he found that a child whom a serpent had bitten had fallen down in their midst, and was night unto death. And Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) cried out, and he remembered the words of the Holy Gospel which said that those who believed on our Lord should make miracles manifest, that they should cast out devils in His Name, that they should take up vipers in their hands and that they should not harm them in any way, and that they should lay their hands on the sick and heal them. And straightway he took hold of the child’s hands, and made over him the sign of the Cross in the Name of the Father and the Son [and the Holy Spirit], and said, “O child, I tell thee to be healed of the bite of this wicked, lying reptile. For our Lord saith with His pure and righteous mouth, ‘Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and every power of the Enemy, and they shall in no wise injure you.’” And straightway the child recovered and became like one on whom no evil whatsoever had come. When the people saw this miracle they marveled exceedingly, and they praised God, the Worker of miracles, by His saints; and the report of this miracle was heard in every city. And when Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) had arrived at his twelfth year and was still under his teacher’s care, he knew by heart the Four Gospels, and the Fourteen Epistles of Paul, and the Seven Apostolic Epistles, and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the One Hundred and Fifty Psalms of David. And he read each of these every night of the First Day of the week, and he devoted himself strenuously to fasting and prayer. When the men of his city saw his spiritual fight, after his parents’ death, they asked the bishop to appoint him their priest so that he might pray for them. He fasted two, or three, or seven days at a time, all the days of his life; and he prayed day and night; and he wore hairy sackcloth under his apparel next to his flesh. And the grace of God called the blessed ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to be a priest. And the bishop seized him against his will, and made him a priest. And when he was being appointed the people heard a voice crying out and saying, “Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) is worthy, is worthy, is worthy of the office of the priesthood”; and the people glorified God. And after those days a great persecution of the Christians broke out in all the land of Egypt under Diocletian the infidel, who destroyed the churches; and many people became martyrs. And God summoned Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to become a martyr, and he stood up and looked up into heaven, and cried out, saying, “My Lord, and my God, and my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Sustainer of the Universe, let Thy mercy and peace be over the people who are in my city everywhere, and bless them and deliver them from Satans, and send an angel unto me to strengthen me until I have finished my fight for Thy Name’s sake; for Thine is the glory and the power for ever and ever, Amen.” When Saint ‘Aklog (Eclogius) had said this he turned to the people who were round about him, and said unto them, “Whosoever loveth [me] let him come and go with me”; and there followed him his own family, and slaves, and people of the city, three hundred and forty men; and they stood upon a high place and they cried out loudly and boldly, saying, “We are Christians.” When the captain of the emperor’s soldiers heard this he was sorry, and he bound Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) in fetters and sent him to Arianus the governor. And Arianus said unto him, “Worship the gods of the emperor so that thou mayest received great honor”; and ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “I will never worship unclean idols, and I will only worship my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongeth glory, and power, and majesty.” When Arianus heard this he condemned Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) to severe torture in a red-hot oven, but God sent His angel and made the fire [as cool] as dew; and the saint stood up in the red-hot oven and prayed. Then Arianus the governor said unto the hundred and forty men, “Come ye and worship the gods.” And they answered and said unto him, “We will not worship the gods, but only Jesus Christ.” And Arianus commanded the soldiers to cut off their heads with the sword, and they did so, and the saints received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of the heavens. And in those days the son of Arianus the governor died, and he mourned for him greatly. And Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “If I do good for thee, and pray to the Lord my God on thy behalf that He may raise up thy son alive, what honor wilt thou bestow upon me?” And Arianus said unto him, “I will make thee captain over one hundred soldiers, and I will send thee to thy city with great honor.” And Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) said unto him, “I do not wish for this thing, but I want thee, when thou hast tortured me, to send my body to my city; if thou wilt do this for me I will raise up thy son for thee.” And the governor swore to him that he would do all that he wished. And Saint ‘Aklog (Eclogius) prayed unto God, saying, “I beseech Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, to hear my petition this day, and to raise up this boy from the dead, that he may glorify Thy Name for ever and ever, Amen.” And having said this, he made the sign of the Cross over him in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and straightway the child rose up alive. And when the people saw this they all cried out together, saying, “We are all Christians, and we believe in the God of Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius).” When the governor heard this he was exceedingly wroth, and he commanded the soldiers to take them outside the city, and to dig a large pit, and to light a large fire therein, and when the flames reached to a great height, to cast them into it; and the soldiers did so, and the men finished their martyrdom in the peace of God. Now they were in number eight hundred and nine souls. And Arianus the governor commanded the soldiers to torture Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) severely, and to send to his own country his head [after it was cut off with] the sword. When the saint heard this he rejoiced greatly, and he stood up and prayed, saying, “How [long], O my Lord Jesus Christ, wilt Thou hearken unto the petition of me, Thy servant? Let Thy mercy come upon my city, and upon all the men who dwell therein. Bless the work of their hands, and bless their women, and their children, and their cattle, and their fields, and deliver them from all trials and tribulations, by Thy Divine Power, O my Lord Jesus Christ. Give Thou grace to my body, and grant that every sick person who shall come to my church, and shall intercede before my body in Thy Name shall be healed of his sickness. And he who writeth the book of my strife and celebrateth my commemoration, do Thou write his name in the Book of Life. When a man giveth an offering on the day of my commemoration, or incense, or unguent, or oil, or wine, give Thou him his reward in the kingdom of the heavens. Whosoever shall swathe my body for burial in clean cloth, do Thou array him in the apparel of light, for Thine is the glory and the power for ever and ever, Amen.” And when he had said this, behold our Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, “Peace be unto thee, O my elect and beloved, and beloved of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), I have come unto thee, and I will give thee the reward of thy labor, and I will make thee to rest in My kingdom. Three crowns have been prepared for thee: one for thy virginity, one for thy torture, and one because thou hast rejected the world for My Name’s sake. Come unto Me, O My beloved Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), so that I may give thee the reward of thy labor, and that I may take thee up into My kingdom, and that I may do for thee everything which thou hast asked of Me this day, in return for what they have made thee to suffer for My Name’s sake. I will give thee an abode in the kingdom of the heavens. I will make the angel hosts to serve thee, and thou shalt rejoice with all the saints at My table in the life, which is forever. Verily I say unto thee, O My chosen one Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), whosoever shall make intercession by thy body, and shall seek for thine intercession because of the labor which thou hast performed for My sake, if he be in tribulation, or in sickness, or in any trial and sorrow, I will deliver him. And whosoever shall call his son by thy name, that child will I bless, and rear happily, and preserve from evil. Whosoever shall give an offering to the church on the day of thy commemoration in thy name, to him will I bring the Bread of Life in the kingdom of the heavens. Whosoever shall give a cup of cold water to a thirsty man, him will I make to drink from the cup of the Water of Life. Whosoever shall plant a vineyard or sow fields with grain, and pray to Me for them in thy name, I will make him grow old, and multiply him, and bless him.” And when our Lord Christ had finished His converse with the blessed Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius), He made the sign of the Cross over his body, and delivered it from all his toil, and He embraced him, and blessed him, and went up into heaven in great glory, whilst the saint was looking at Him. After this the saint turned to the soldiers, and said unto them, “O my brethren, finish that which the governor hath commanded you to do.” And the soldiers, seeing that his face was shining like the sun, feared greatly his majesty and his light, and they were unable to approach him. But one of them, a man dense of heart and unmerciful, stretched out his hand to the saint, and smote him on the neck with the sword and cut off his holy head; and the saint finished his martyrdom on the twentieth day of the month of Ter. And the angels took his soul and carried it up into heaven singing as they went. And the soldiers left the body of the saint on the riverbank, and they embarked in their ship and departed. And certain young men were there, and they went into the city and told the people why, and how, the martyrdom of Saint Abba ‘Aklog (Eclogius) took place. And the people and the priests gathered together, and went and carried his body, with great honor and with singing of psalms and dirges, until they brought it to the city and laid it in a good resting place. And great signs, and miracles, and healings of the sick took place through it.
And on this day also are commemorated Saint Behnu, the martyr; and the consecration of the church of John, the possessor of the Golden Gospel, in the city of Rome, and the translation of his body thereto. Salutation to John.
And on this day the strife and martyrdom of Abba Noha (Noah) took place, and the manifestation of his miracles. And on this day also are celebrated the consecration of the church of Mar Mehnam, and also ‘Alvanus (Silvanus), and Abba Nabyud (or Nabdeyu) of Sihat (Scete), and Anna Benwah, the martyr.
Salutation to ‘Abrokoros (Prochorus).
Salutation to Abba Kaluz, the martyr, of the city of Fant.
Salutation to Abba Nabyud.
Glory be to God Who is glorified in His Saints. Amen.
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