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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Fast Day (Wine and Oil Allowed)
Readings for today:
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10
Matthew 20:1-16
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste
Caesarios the Righteous
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10
BRETHREN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let
us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated
at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured
from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow
weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the
exhortation which addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly
the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by
him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every
son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to
endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his
father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which
all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not
sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we
respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father.
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from Matthew 20:1-16
The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like a
householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his
vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent
them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw
others standing idle in the marketplace; and to them he said, 'You go
into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they
went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did
the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others
standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They
said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go
into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the
vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the
eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first
came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also
received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,
saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to
us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But
he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you
not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I
choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do
what I choose with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I
am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many
are called, but few are chosen."
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste
Reading from the Synaxarion:
The martyrdom of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteiaia is a powerful
lesson in Christian faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and friendship. The
story of this martyrdom begins in the early part of the 4th century
when the persecution of Christians was still active. There were 40
soldiers of the Roman army who possessed sincere faith in Jesus Christ.
When it was realized that they would not deny their belief in the
Lord, they were brought to trial before their commander who threatened
to have them discharged from the military dishonorably. One of the
soldiers responded: "Do not take only our military status, but also our
bodies; nothing is dearer or of greater honor to us than Christ our God."
Following a number of failed attempts to torture them, they were finally
stripped, tied, and thrown into a lake. It happened to be wintertime and
the temperature was extremely cold. To tempt the soldiers to deny
Christ, the torturers lit fires near the lake to entice them to deny
Christ. One soldier actually did come out of the water and headed for the
fire, but before he could get there, he died. During the night, a light
from heaven came down and heated the lake and warmed these Christian
witnesses. At the same time, thirty-nine crowns were sent from heaven and
rested upon each of them. One of the soldiers torturing them saw this
and, moved by this event, confessed the Christ as Lord and Savior and
joined the others in the lake. A fortieth crown appeared and descended
upon him at that very moment. In the morning, the commander was
furious when he learned of the events and ordered that their legs be
broken and they be thrown back into the lake. On the third day following
their drowning, the martyrs appeared to the local bishop and told him
to search beneath the water and recover their relics. In the middle
of the night, the bishop, along with his priests, went to the lake
where they found the relics glowing in the water and, gathering them
together, they gave them a proper burial.
Apolytikion in the First Tone
Be entreated, O Lord, by the sufferings endured for You by the
Saints, and we pray You, heal all our pain.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone
O Forty Champions of the Lord, you abandoned the armies of the
world and attached yourselves to the Master in heaven. Having gone
through fire and water, O Blessed Ones, you worthily won glory from
heaven and a multitude of crowns.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Fast Day (Wine and Oil Allowed)
Readings for today:
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10
Matthew 20:1-16
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste
Caesarios the Righteous
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 12:1-10
BRETHREN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let
us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated
at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured
from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow
weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the
exhortation which addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly
the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by
him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every
son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to
endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his
father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which
all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not
sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we
respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father.
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from Matthew 20:1-16
The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like a
householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his
vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent
them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw
others standing idle in the marketplace; and to them he said, 'You go
into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they
went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did
the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others
standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They
said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go
into the vineyard too.' And when evening came, the owner of the
vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last, up to the first.' And when those hired about the
eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first
came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also
received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,
saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to
us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But
he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you
not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I
choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do
what I choose with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I
am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many
are called, but few are chosen."
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste
Reading from the Synaxarion:
The martyrdom of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteiaia is a powerful
lesson in Christian faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and friendship. The
story of this martyrdom begins in the early part of the 4th century
when the persecution of Christians was still active. There were 40
soldiers of the Roman army who possessed sincere faith in Jesus Christ.
When it was realized that they would not deny their belief in the
Lord, they were brought to trial before their commander who threatened
to have them discharged from the military dishonorably. One of the
soldiers responded: "Do not take only our military status, but also our
bodies; nothing is dearer or of greater honor to us than Christ our God."
Following a number of failed attempts to torture them, they were finally
stripped, tied, and thrown into a lake. It happened to be wintertime and
the temperature was extremely cold. To tempt the soldiers to deny
Christ, the torturers lit fires near the lake to entice them to deny
Christ. One soldier actually did come out of the water and headed for the
fire, but before he could get there, he died. During the night, a light
from heaven came down and heated the lake and warmed these Christian
witnesses. At the same time, thirty-nine crowns were sent from heaven and
rested upon each of them. One of the soldiers torturing them saw this
and, moved by this event, confessed the Christ as Lord and Savior and
joined the others in the lake. A fortieth crown appeared and descended
upon him at that very moment. In the morning, the commander was
furious when he learned of the events and ordered that their legs be
broken and they be thrown back into the lake. On the third day following
their drowning, the martyrs appeared to the local bishop and told him
to search beneath the water and recover their relics. In the middle
of the night, the bishop, along with his priests, went to the lake
where they found the relics glowing in the water and, gathering them
together, they gave them a proper burial.
Apolytikion in the First Tone
Be entreated, O Lord, by the sufferings endured for You by the
Saints, and we pray You, heal all our pain.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Second Tone
O Forty Champions of the Lord, you abandoned the armies of the
world and attached yourselves to the Master in heaven. Having gone
through fire and water, O Blessed Ones, you worthily won glory from
heaven and a multitude of crowns.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA
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