Thursday, January 20, 2011

Greek Orthodox Daily Readings For Thursday, 20 January

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +




Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Thursday, January 20, 2011



Readings for today:



St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15

Luke 6:17-23



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



Righteous Euthymios the Great

Zacharias the New Martyr of Patra





Epistle Reading



The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15



Brethren, it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who

has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the

glory of God in the face of Christ.



But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the

transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every

way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying

in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also

be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being

given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be

manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.



Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I

believed, and so I spoke," we too believed, and so we speak, knowing that

He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring

us with you into His presence. For it is all for your sake, so that

as grace extends to more and more people it may increase

thanksgiving, to the glory of God.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from Luke 6:17-23



At that time, Jesus stood on a level place, with a great crowd of

his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and

Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to

be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with

unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for

power came forth from him and healed them all. And he lifted up his

eyes on His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is

the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall

be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile

you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!

Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great

in heaven."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Righteous Euthymios the Great



Reading from the Synaxarion:



This Saint, who was from Melitene in Armenia, was the son of pious

parents named Paul and Dionysia. He was born about 377. Since his

mother had been barren, he was named Euthymius-which means "good cheer"

or "joy"-for this is what his parents experienced at his birth. He

studied under Eutroius, the Bishop of Melitene, by whom he was ordained

and entrusted with the care of the monasteries of Melitene. Then,

after he had come to Palestine about the year 406, he became the leader

of a multitude of monks. Through him, a great tribe of Arabs was

turned to piety, when he healed the ailing son of their leader

Aspebetos. Aspebetos was baptized with all his people; he took the

Christian name of Peter, and was later consecrated Bishop for his tribe,

being called "Bishop of the Tents." Saint Euthymius also fought

against the Nestorians, Eutychians, and Manichaeans. When Eudocia, the

widow of Saint Theodosius the Younger, had made her dwelling in

Palestine, and had fallen into the heresy of the Monophysites which was

championed in Palestine by a certain Theodosius, she sent envoys to Saint

Symeon the Stylite in Syria (see Sept. 1), asking him his opinion of

Eutyches and the Council of Chalcedon which had condemned him; Saint

Symeon, praising the holiness and Orthodoxy of Saint Euthymius near whom

she dwelt, sent her to him to be delivered from her error (the holy

Empress Eudocia is commemorated Aug. 13). He became the divine oracle of

the Church, or rather, "the vessel of divine utterance," as a certain

historian writes. He was the instructor and elder of Saint Sabbas the

Sanctified. Having lived for ninety-six years, he reposed in 473, on January

20.



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

Be glad, O barren one, that hast not given birth; be of good cheer,

thou that hast not travailed; for a man of desires hath multiplied thy

children of the Spirit, having planted them in piety and reared them in

continence to the perfection of the virtues. By his prayers, O Christ our

God, make our life peaceful.



Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

Creation found delight and joy in thine august nativity and the good cheer

of thy numberless miracles on thy divine memorial. Now bestow

thereof richly on our souls and wash clean the stains of our every sin,

Euthymius most righteous, that we may chant: Alleluia!



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery



No comments:

Post a Comment