Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Wednesday, 30 March

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Wednesday, March 30, 2011



Strict Fast



Readings for today:



Isaiah 26:21-27:9

Genesis 9:18-10:1

Proverbs 12:23-13:9



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



John Climacus the Righteous, author of The Divine Ladder of Ascent

Sosthenes Apollos, Cephas, Caesar, & Epaphroditos, the Apostles of the 70

Zacharias the New Martyr





Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Isaiah 26:21-27:9



For behold, the LORD is coming forth out of his place to punish

the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will

disclose the blood shed upon her, and will no more cover her slain. In

that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish

Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will

slay the dragon that is in the sea.



In that day: "A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the LORD, am its

keeper; every moment I water it. Lest any one harm it, I guard it night

and day; I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to

battle! I would set out against them, I would burn them up together. Or

let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let

them make peace with me."



In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put

forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit.



Has he smitten them as he smote those who smote them? Or have they

been slain as their slayers were slain? Measure by measure, by exile

thou didst contend with them; he removed them with his fierce blast in

the day of the east wind. Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will

be expiated, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his

sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones

crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Genesis 9:18-10:1



The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and

Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah;

and from these the whole earth was peopled.



Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he

drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent.

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and

told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment,

laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the

nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not

see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew

what his youngest son had done to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan; a

slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers." He also said, "Blessed

by the LORD my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave. God

enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan

be his slave." After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty

years. All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he

died. These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and

Japheth; sons were born to them after the flood.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Proverbs 12:23-13:9



A prudent man conceals his knowledge, but fools proclaim their

folly. The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be

put to forced labor. Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a

good word makes him glad. A righteous man turns away from evil, but

the way of the wicked leads them astray. A slothful man will not

catch his prey, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. In the

path of righteousness is life, but the way of error leads to death. A

wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen

to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, but

the desire of the treacherous is for violence. He who guards his

mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

The soul of the sluggard craves, and gets nothing, while the soul of

the diligent is richly supplied. A righteous man hates falsehood,

but a wicked man acts shamefully and disgracefully. Righteousness

guards him whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked. One man

pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has

great wealth. The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but a poor man

has no means of redemption. The light of the righteous rejoices, but

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





John Climacus the Righteous, author of The Divine Ladder of Ascent



Reading from the Synaxarion:



This Saint gave himself over to the ascetical life from his early

youth. Experienced both in the solitary life of the hermit and in the

communal life of cenobitic monasticism, he was appointed Abbot of the

Monastery at Mount Sinai and wrote a book containing thirty homilies on

virtue. Each homily deals with one virtue, and progressing from those

that deal with holy and righteous activity (praxis) unto those that

deal with divine vision (theoria), they raise a man up as though by

means of steps unto the height of Heaven. For this cause his work is

called "The Ladder of Divine Ascent." The day he was made Abbot of

Sinai, the Prophet Moses was seen giving commands to those who served at

table. Saint John reposed in 603, at eighty years of age. See also the

Fourth Sunday of the Fast.



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert

fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have

borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light,

shining upon the world. O John, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God,

to save our souls.



Kontakion in the First Tone

As ever-blooming fruits, thou dost offer the teachings of thy

God-given book, O wise John, thou most blessed, while sweet'ning the hearts

of all them that heed it with vigilance; for it is a ladder from the

earth unto Heaven that conferreth glory on the souls that ascend it and

honour thee faithfully.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA



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