From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America;
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Sunday, January 2, 2011
Fast Free
Readings for today:
John 21:1-14
St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8
Mark 1:1-8
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
Sunday before Epiphany
Forefeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Sylvester, Pope of Rome
Cosmas, Archbishop of Constantinople
Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov
Juliana the Righteous
Theagenes the Hieromartyr, Bishop of Parios
Theopemptos
Theodota, the Mother of the Holy Anargyroi
Righteous Mark the Deaf
Basil the Martyr of Ankyra
Sergios
Theopistos the Martyr
George the New Martyr of Georgia
Nilos the Sanctified
Sylvester of the Kiev Caves
Orthros Gospel Reading
The reading is from John 21:1-14
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the
Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter,
Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of
Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said
to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with
you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught
nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; but the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children,
have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast
the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So
they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the
quantity of fish. The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the
Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his
clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the
other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for
they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish
lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish
that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the
net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them;
and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to
them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask
him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the
bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third
time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from
the dead.
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 4:5-8
TIMOTHY, my son, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfil your ministry.
For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my
departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award
to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved
his appearing.
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is
written in Isaiah the prophet, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your
face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the
wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" John the
baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for
the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of
Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in
the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with
camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts
and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is
mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down
and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Sunday before Epiphany
Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Grave Tone
By means of Your Cross, O Lord, You abolished death. * To the robber
You opened Paradise. * The lamentation of the myrrhbearing women You
transformed, * and You gave Your Apostles the order to proclaim to all * that
You had risen, O Christ our God, * and granted the world Your great
mercy.
Resurrectional Kontakion in the Grave Tone
No longer will death's dominion have power to detain mortal men. For
Christ went down and smashed and destroyed its powers. Now Hades is
bound, and the Prophets in unison exult and declare: The Savior has
appeared to those with faith. Come out, you faithful, to the Resurrection.
Seasonal Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
You appeared to the world today, and Your light, O Lord, has left its
mark upon us. With fuller understanding we sing to You: "You came, You
were made manifest, the unapproachable light."
Apolytikion courtesy of St. Gregory Palamas Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of St. Gregory Palamas Monastery
Forefeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Be thou ready, Zabulon; prepare thyself, O Nephthalim. River
Jordan, stay thy course and skip for gladness to receive the Sovereign
Master, Who cometh now to be baptized. O Adam, be thou glad with our
first mother, Eve; hide not as ye did of old in Paradise. Seeing you
naked, He hath appeared now to clothe you in the first robe again.
Christ hath appeared, for He truly willeth to renew all creation.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
In the running waters of the Jordan River, on this day the Lord of
all crieth to John: Be not afraid and hesitate not to baptize Me,
for I am come to save Adam, the first-formed man.
Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Sylvester, Pope of Rome
Reading from the Synaxarion:
Saint Sylvester was a native of Rome. Because of his exceeding virtue,
he succeeded Saint Miltiades as Pope in 314. Since he himself was
unable to be present at the First Ecumenical Council in 325, he sent
delegates of his own Roman clergy to represent him in Nicaea. He reposed in
the year 325.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of
faith, an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; for this cause,
thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty. O
Father and Hierarch Sylvester, intercede with Christ God that our souls
be saved.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
As a companion of the holy ascetics, thou O God-bearer, hast been
worthily shown forth as a true priest of priests before our King and God.
Wherefore, thou rejoicest now with the choirs of the Angels, filled with
gladness and delight in the Heavens, O Father. Renowned Sylvester, famed
shepherd of Rome, save them that honour with love thy memorial.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov
Reading from the Synaxarion:
Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender
childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who,
when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through
her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had
not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the
monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty
asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a
sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the
Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He
was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr
Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year
later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to
labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during
the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday, he was counted worthy
of a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by
the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to
greater labours.In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a
cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some
fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself
one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and
a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation,
the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer
until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another
occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head
with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to
recover after an appearance of the most holy Theotokos, who came to him
with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim,
uttered those awesome words, "This is one of my kind."In 1810, at the age
of fifty; weakened with his more than human struggles, Saint
Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical
labours, in which he lived as a recluse until 1825. For the first five
years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known
of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little
by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825,
the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him
that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his seclusion; from this
time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also
at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual
direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold
things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly
the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter
humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and
his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and
greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became like Anthony for
Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy
Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on
Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon, enter into his rest.
She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins-martyrs and
monastic saints-with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian.
With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an
unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than
two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833,
chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret
of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in
light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of
his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and
after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the
Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Having left the beauty of the world and what is corrupt therein, O
Saint, thou didst settle in the Monastery of Sarov. And having lived
there an angelic life, thou wast for many the way unto salvation.
Wherefore, Christ hath glorified thee, O Father Seraphim, and hath enriched
thee with the gift of healing and miracles. And so we cry to thee:
Rejoice, O Seraphim, our holy Father.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
No comments:
Post a Comment