Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church In America Daily Readings For Tuesday, 1 March

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Tuesday, March 1, 2011



Fast Day (Dairy, Eggs, and Fish Allowed)



Readings for today:



St. Jude's First Universal Letter 1:1-10

Luke 22:39-42, 45-71; 23:1



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



Cheesefare Tuesday

Eudokia the Martyr of Heliopolis

Andonina the New Martyr





Epistle Reading



The reading is from St. Jude's First Universal Letter 1:1-10



Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,



To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for

Jesus Christ:



May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.



Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found

it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith

which was once for all delivered to the saints. For admission has been

secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this

condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into

licentiousness and deny the only Master and our Lord Jesus Christ.



Now I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully

informed, that the Lord saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward

destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels that did not keep

their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him

in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the

great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which

likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an

example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.



Yet in like manner these men in their dreamings defile the flesh,

reject authority, and revile the glorious ones. But when the archangel

Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he

did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said,

"The Lord rebuke you." But these men revile whatever they do not

understand, and by those things that they know by instinct as irrational

animals, they are destroyed.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from Luke 22:39-42, 45-71; 23:1



At that time, when Jesus came out, he went, as was his custom, to

the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he

came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into

temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down

and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me;

nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done." And when he rose from prayer,

he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he

said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter

into temptation."



While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called

Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to

kiss him; but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of

man with a kiss?" And when those who were about him saw what would

follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" And one of

them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed

him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple

and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as

against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after

day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your

hour, and the power of darkness."



Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high

priest's house. Peter followed at a distance; and when they had kindled a

fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat

among them. Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing

at him, said, "This man also was with him." But he denied it,

saying "Woman, I do not know him." And a little later someone else saw

him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am

not." And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted,

saying, "Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean."

But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." And

immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the Lord

turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord,

how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny

me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.



Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him; they also

blindfolded him and asked him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" And

they spoke many other words against him, reviling him.



When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered

together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their

council, and they said, "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to

them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask you, you will

not answer. But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the

right hand of the power of God." And they all said, "Are you the Son

of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am." And they

said, "What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves

from his own lips."



Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Eudokia the Martyr of Heliopolis



Reading from the Synaxarion:



This Saint, who was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia (Baalbek in

present-day Lebanon), was an idolater and led a licentious life. Being

beautiful beyond telling, she had many lovers, and had acquired great

riches. Yet brought to repentance by a monk named Germanus, and baptized

by Bishop Theodotus, she distributed to the poor all her ill-gotten

gains, and entered a convent, giving herself up completely to the life

of asceticism. Her former lovers, enraged at her conversion, her

refusal to return to her old ways, and the withering away of her beauty

through the severe mortifications she practiced, betrayed her as a

Christian to Vincent the Governor, and she was beheaded, according to some,

under Trajan, who reigned from 98 to 117, according to others, under

Hadrian, who reigned from 117 to 138.



Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

In thee the image was preserved with exactness, O Mother; for taking

up thy cross, thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst

teach us to overlook the flesh, for it passeth away, but to attend to

the soul since it is immortal. Wherefore, O righteous Eudokia, thy

spirit rejoiceth with the Angels.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

When thou wast brought up from the mire of transgression, like a most

precious stone whose brightness is darkened, repentance made thee shine

again with godliness; and when thou hadst reached the height of

ascetical striving. Christ made thee illustrious with the glory of

contest, and hath bestowed on thee His grace to heal, O wise Eudocia, thou

rival of angel-kind.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA



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