Saturday, February 12, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church In America Daily Readings For Saturday, 12 February

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Saturday, February 12, 2011



Readings for today:



St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 2:11-19

Luke 18:2-8



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



17th Saturday after Pentecost

Meletios, Archbishop of Antioch

Antonius, Archbishop of Constantinople

Christos the New Martyr





Epistle Reading



The reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 2:11-19



TIMOTHY, my son, the saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall

also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we

deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains

faithful - for he cannot deny himself.



Remind them of this, and charge them before the Lord to avoid disputing

about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your

best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no

need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. Avoid such

godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

and their talk will eat its way like gangrene. Among them are

Hymenaios and Philetos, who have swerved from the truth by holding that the

resurrection is past already. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's

firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who

are his," and, "Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart

from iniquity."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from Luke 18:2-8



The Lord said this parable, "In a certain city there was a judge who

neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city

who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my

adversary.' For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though

I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers

me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual

coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear, what the unrighteous judge says. And

will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will

he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them

speedily."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Meletios, Archbishop of Antioch



Reading from the Synaxarion:



This holy Father, who was from Meletine of Armenia, was a blameless

man, just, reverent, sincere, and most gentle. Consecrated Bishop of

Sebaste in 357, he was later banished from his throne and departed for

Beroea of Syria (this is the present-day Aleppo). After the Arian

bishop of Antioch had been deposed, the Orthodox and the Arians each

strove to have a man of like mind with themselves become the next Bishop

of Antioch. Meletius was highly esteemed by all, and since the

Arians believed him to share their own opinion, they had him raised to

the throne of Antioch. As soon as he had taken the helm of the

Church of Antioch, however, he began preaching the Son's

consubstantiality with the Father. At this, the archdeacon, an Arian, put his hand

over the bishop's mouth; Meletius then extended three fingers towards

the people, closed them, and extended one only, showing by signs the

equality and unity of the Trinity. The embarrassed archdeacon then seized

his hand, but released his mouth, and Meletius spoke out even more

forcibly in defense of the Council of Nicea. Shortly after, he was

banished by the Arian Emperor Constantius, son of Saint Constantine the

Great. After the passage of time, he was recalled to his throne, but

was banished again the third time by Valens. It was Saint Meletius

who ordained Saint John Chrysostom reader and deacon in Antioch (see

Nov. 13). He lived until the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 (which

was convoked against Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, the

enemy of the Holy Spirit), over which he presided, being held in great

honor as a zealot of the Faith and a venerable elder hierarch.



Some time before, when the Emperor Gratian had made the Spanish

General Theodosius commander-in-chief of his armies in the war against

the barbarians, Theodosius had a dream in which he saw Meletius, whom

he had never met, putting upon him the imperial robe and crown.

Because of Theodosius's victories, Gratian made him Emperor of the East

in Valens's stead in 379. When, as Emperor, Saint Theodosius the

Great convoked the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople two

years later, he forbade that anyone should tell him who Meletius was;

and as soon as he saw him, he recognized him, ran to him with joy,

embraced him before all the other bishops, and told him of his dream.



While at the Council, Saint Meletius fell ill and reposed a short while

after. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, among others, gave a moving oration at

his funeral; bewailing the loss of him whom all loved as a father, he

said, "Where is that sweet serenity of his eyes? Where that bright

smile upon his lips? Where that kind right hand, with fingers

outstretched to accompany the benediction of the mouth?" (PG 46:8-6). And he

lamented, "Our Elias has been caught up, and no Elisseus is left behind in

his place." (ibid., 860). The holy relics of Saint Meletius were

returned to Antioch and were buried beside Saint Babylas the Martyr (see

Sept. 4), in the Church dedicated to the Martyr which Meletius, in his

zeal for the Martyr's glory, had helped build with his own hands.



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 Meletios, intercede with Christ God that our souls

be saved.



Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone

Fearing thy spiritual boldness, the apostate Macedonius doth flee; and as

we accomplish the service wherein we seek thine intercessions, we,

thy servants, hasten to thee with longing, O Meletius, thou equal of

the Angels, thou fiery sword of Christ our God which doth utterly

slay all the godless. We praise thee, the luminary which doth

illumine all.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery



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