From dynamispublications.org, wapedia.com, rongolini.com, biblegateway.com and antiochan.org:
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent
18) Memory of our Father among the Saints Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (between 313 and 315-387).
Scriptural Readings:
Isaiah 7:1-14
Isaiah 7:1-14 (King James Version)
Isaiah 7
1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
2And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
3Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;
4And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
5Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
6Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
7Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.
9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
10Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Genesis 5:32-6:8 (3/18-3/31) Friday of the Second Week of Great Lent
Beyond Eden V ~ Grace Abounds: Genesis 5:32-6:8, especially vss. 5, 6, 8: “Then the Lord God saw man’s wickedness, that it was great in the earth....So God was grieved that He had made man on the earth....But Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.” Such were the conditions before the Great Flood. Notice that it began and ended with Noah (vss. 1,8). God reveals the cause of the deluge: men born from fathers within Seth’s lineage approached life solely in terms of a material perspective. They oriented their relationships and actions to tangible things, and, though they become renowned, they were unfit as dwelling places for the Holy Spirit of God. However, one man, Noah, found grace before God (vs. 8).
Today, as ever, great tidal waves of evil are sweeping over the nations of earth, each one reminiscent of the age of Noah - men having “...every intent of the thoughts within his heart...only evil continually” (vs. 5). ‘Men of renown’ (vs. 4) stand as giants of human achievement, yet many of them are devoid of a living relationship with God. Still, in this dark, confused world, grace may be found from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us who have united ourselves to Him while still living in this darkness heed carefully the caution of Nicholas Cabasilas: “...that we...not destroy the grace that we have received, but preserve it to the end and depart this life in possession of the treasure....” Yes, there is need of endeavor, for grace abounds in Christ and His Holy Mysteries only to those who seek it in heart and daily effort.
Consider Noah’s contemporaries: they slipped into evaluating everything by appearances: people, relationships, and activities. The example presented in today’s passage is the nearly universal human activity of selecting a suitable marriage partner. The men of Noah’s generation chose wives because they ‘were beautiful’ (vs. 2). Although these men had a godly family background, they ignored the importance of choosing a wife by “...the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Pt. 3:4). They focused on externals. How common this is today. Look not on outward appearance, but to the heart (1 Kg 16:7). Before undertaking relationships, marriage, career, or any activity, as our Lord teaches, “...seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...” (Mt. 6:33).
Having shifted from a spiritual to a materialist focus, the orientation of Noah’s entire generation became fixed on ‘the flesh’ (Gn. 6:3). Such an approach to life prevents the Spirit of God from remaining “...with these people forever...” (Gn. 6:3). To describ men who stray from a godly heritage as ‘flesh’ is a Biblical way of speaking. The things of material culture become the extensions of our physical life: clothes, tools, shelter, means of transportation and communication. Thus, certain tangibles become ‘gods’ in life, and one becomes ‘flesh.’ The heart is thereby preoccupied with the material. To recover our God-given nature, first it is necessary to reject this sort of orientation and to seek the life of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus says plainly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt. 6:24). It is urgent always to be united to the Lord foremost by means of prayer, meditation, worship, and the receiving of His Holy Gifts.
Remember, when people dedicate life to the ‘flesh,’ they may well become giants of achievement: in industry, knowledge, political power, and riches; but the Spirit of God withdraws from such persons. Their thought and activity focus on evil and no place is allowed for “...righteousness and sanctification and redemption...” (1 Cor. 1:30). Beloved of the Lord, as Saint Seraphim says, let us make the acquisition of the Holy Spirit the true aim of our lives.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. (Ps. 50:11,12)
Proverbs 6:20-7:1
Proverbs 6:20-7:1 (King James Version)
20My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Proverbs 7
1My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
The Synaxarion:
Saint Cyril was born in Jerusalem, or the vicinity, around 313-315. He was instructed in secular and religious knowledge. Saint Maximos, the Bishop of Jerusalem, ordained him to the priesthood. In 348, he delivered his twenty-five catecheses, rightly regarded as the oldest and most methodical summary of Christian doctrine. In the same year he was elected to succeed Maximos in the see of Jerusalem and canonically received the imposition of hands from the bishops of his province. Around the year 357 or 358, owing to Akakios' intrigues, the Arian Metropolitan of Caesaresea, Palestine, he was exiled to Tarsus. He regained his see at the Synod of Seleucia in 359. After the Synod of Constantinople in 360, he was exiled again until 362. Finally, supported by Saint Meletios, the Archbishop of Antioch, he again returned to his episcopal city at the death of Arian Emperor Constantius. When Julian the Apostate "ordered Solomon's Temple to be hastily rebuilt at the expense of the public treasury, recalling the prophet Daniel's word, confirmed by Our Lord, the Saint publically announced that the time had come, according to our Savior's word, when stone would not remain upon stone of this Temple. Actually, an earthquake occurred during the night which threw the stones of the ancient foundations into the air and dispersed them as well as the surrounding dwellings." Saint Cyril was exiled a third time by the Arian Emperor Valens in 367. He regained his throne at the Emperor's death in 378. He was one of the holy fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381. He died in 387.
Fifth Class Feast.
Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Great Lent
18) Memory of our Father among the Saints Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (between 313 and 315-387).
Scriptural Readings:
Isaiah 7:1-14
Isaiah 7:1-14 (King James Version)
Isaiah 7
1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
2And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
3Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;
4And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
5Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
6Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
7Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.
9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
10Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Genesis 5:32-6:8 (3/18-3/31) Friday of the Second Week of Great Lent
Beyond Eden V ~ Grace Abounds: Genesis 5:32-6:8, especially vss. 5, 6, 8: “Then the Lord God saw man’s wickedness, that it was great in the earth....So God was grieved that He had made man on the earth....But Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.” Such were the conditions before the Great Flood. Notice that it began and ended with Noah (vss. 1,8). God reveals the cause of the deluge: men born from fathers within Seth’s lineage approached life solely in terms of a material perspective. They oriented their relationships and actions to tangible things, and, though they become renowned, they were unfit as dwelling places for the Holy Spirit of God. However, one man, Noah, found grace before God (vs. 8).
Today, as ever, great tidal waves of evil are sweeping over the nations of earth, each one reminiscent of the age of Noah - men having “...every intent of the thoughts within his heart...only evil continually” (vs. 5). ‘Men of renown’ (vs. 4) stand as giants of human achievement, yet many of them are devoid of a living relationship with God. Still, in this dark, confused world, grace may be found from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us who have united ourselves to Him while still living in this darkness heed carefully the caution of Nicholas Cabasilas: “...that we...not destroy the grace that we have received, but preserve it to the end and depart this life in possession of the treasure....” Yes, there is need of endeavor, for grace abounds in Christ and His Holy Mysteries only to those who seek it in heart and daily effort.
Consider Noah’s contemporaries: they slipped into evaluating everything by appearances: people, relationships, and activities. The example presented in today’s passage is the nearly universal human activity of selecting a suitable marriage partner. The men of Noah’s generation chose wives because they ‘were beautiful’ (vs. 2). Although these men had a godly family background, they ignored the importance of choosing a wife by “...the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Pt. 3:4). They focused on externals. How common this is today. Look not on outward appearance, but to the heart (1 Kg 16:7). Before undertaking relationships, marriage, career, or any activity, as our Lord teaches, “...seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...” (Mt. 6:33).
Having shifted from a spiritual to a materialist focus, the orientation of Noah’s entire generation became fixed on ‘the flesh’ (Gn. 6:3). Such an approach to life prevents the Spirit of God from remaining “...with these people forever...” (Gn. 6:3). To describ men who stray from a godly heritage as ‘flesh’ is a Biblical way of speaking. The things of material culture become the extensions of our physical life: clothes, tools, shelter, means of transportation and communication. Thus, certain tangibles become ‘gods’ in life, and one becomes ‘flesh.’ The heart is thereby preoccupied with the material. To recover our God-given nature, first it is necessary to reject this sort of orientation and to seek the life of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus says plainly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt. 6:24). It is urgent always to be united to the Lord foremost by means of prayer, meditation, worship, and the receiving of His Holy Gifts.
Remember, when people dedicate life to the ‘flesh,’ they may well become giants of achievement: in industry, knowledge, political power, and riches; but the Spirit of God withdraws from such persons. Their thought and activity focus on evil and no place is allowed for “...righteousness and sanctification and redemption...” (1 Cor. 1:30). Beloved of the Lord, as Saint Seraphim says, let us make the acquisition of the Holy Spirit the true aim of our lives.
Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. (Ps. 50:11,12)
Proverbs 6:20-7:1
Proverbs 6:20-7:1 (King James Version)
20My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
21Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
24To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Proverbs 7
1My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
The Synaxarion:
Saint Cyril was born in Jerusalem, or the vicinity, around 313-315. He was instructed in secular and religious knowledge. Saint Maximos, the Bishop of Jerusalem, ordained him to the priesthood. In 348, he delivered his twenty-five catecheses, rightly regarded as the oldest and most methodical summary of Christian doctrine. In the same year he was elected to succeed Maximos in the see of Jerusalem and canonically received the imposition of hands from the bishops of his province. Around the year 357 or 358, owing to Akakios' intrigues, the Arian Metropolitan of Caesaresea, Palestine, he was exiled to Tarsus. He regained his see at the Synod of Seleucia in 359. After the Synod of Constantinople in 360, he was exiled again until 362. Finally, supported by Saint Meletios, the Archbishop of Antioch, he again returned to his episcopal city at the death of Arian Emperor Constantius. When Julian the Apostate "ordered Solomon's Temple to be hastily rebuilt at the expense of the public treasury, recalling the prophet Daniel's word, confirmed by Our Lord, the Saint publically announced that the time had come, according to our Savior's word, when stone would not remain upon stone of this Temple. Actually, an earthquake occurred during the night which threw the stones of the ancient foundations into the air and dispersed them as well as the surrounding dwellings." Saint Cyril was exiled a third time by the Arian Emperor Valens in 367. He regained his throne at the Emperor's death in 378. He was one of the holy fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381. He died in 387.
Fifth Class Feast.
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