Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Friday, 15 April

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Friday, April 15, 2011



Strict Fast



Readings for today:



Isaiah 66:10-24

Genesis 49:33-50:26

Proverbs 31:8-31



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



Crescens the Martyr

Leonidas, Bishop of Athens

Michael the New Martyr of Smyrna

The 9 Monk-martyrs of Corinth

Life-Giving Fount of the Theotokos





Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Isaiah 66:10-24



"Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her;

rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may suck

and be satisfied with her consoling breasts; that you may drink

deeply with delight from the abundance of her glory." For thus says the

LORD: "Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the

wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall suck,

you shall be carried upon her hip, and dandled upon her knees. As

one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be

comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your

bones shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the

hand of the LORD is with his servants, and his indignation is against

his enemies. "For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his

chariots like the stormwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke

with flames of fire. For by fire will the LORD execute judgment, and

by his sword, upon all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be

many. "Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the

gardens, following one in the midst, eating swine's flesh and the

abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, says the LORD. "For I

know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all

nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I

will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the

nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan,

to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my

glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they

shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to

the LORD, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon

mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the

LORD, just as the Israelites bring their cereal offering in a clean

vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for

priests and for Levites, says the LORD. "For as the new heavens and the

new earth which I will make shall remain before me, says the LORD; so

shall your descendants and your name remain. From new moon to new

moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship

before me, says the LORD. "And they shall go forth and look on the dead

bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall

not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an

abhorrence to all flesh."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Genesis 49:33-50:26



When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew up his feet into the

bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. Then

Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed him.

And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his

father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; forty days were required for

it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept

for him seventy days.



And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the

household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes,

speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me

swear, saying, 'I am about to die: in my tomb which I hewed out for

myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.' Now therefore

let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father; then I will return."

And Pharaoh answered, "Go up, and bury your father, as he made you

swear." So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all

the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the

elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his

brothers, and his father's household; only their children, their flocks,

and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. And there went up

with him both chariots and horsemen; it was a very great company.

When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the

Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation;

and he made a mourning for his father seven days. When the

inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing

floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning to the

Egyptians." Therefore the place was named Abelmizraim; it is beyond the

Jordan. Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them; for his sons

carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the

field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the

field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burying place. After he

had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and

all who had gone up with him to bury his father. When Joseph's

brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph

will hate us and pay us back for all the evil which we did to him."

So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this

command before he died, 'Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the

transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.'

And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of

the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His

brothers also came and fell down before him, and said, "Behold, we are

your servants." But Joseph said to them, "Fear not, for am I in the

place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it

for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as

they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your

little ones." Thus he reassured them and comforted them.



So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house; and Joseph

lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of

the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh

were born upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am

about to die; but God will visit you, and bring you up out of this land

to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

Then Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, saying, "God will

visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." So Joseph died,

being a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was

put in a coffin in Egypt.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Old Testament Reading



The reading is from Proverbs 31:8-31



Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all who are left

desolate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, maintain the rights of the

poor and needy. A good wife who can find? She is far more precious

than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have

no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of

her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from afar.

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her

household and tasks for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She girds her

loins with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her

merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her

hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her

hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not

afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in

scarlet. She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and

purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders

of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers

girdles to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she

laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the

teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her

household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and

call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women

have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful,

and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in

the gates.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Crescens the Martyr



Reading from the Synaxarion:



This Martyr was from Myra of Lycia, born of an illustrious family. Of

his own accord he went amidst the idolaters and admonished them to

leave off their futile religion and worship the only true God, Who is

worshipped by the Christians; for this he was arrested. When asked by the

ruler what his name and lineage were, the Saint would answer only that

he was a Christian; counseled to offer sacrifice to the idols, he

refused. For this, he was hung up and beaten, was scraped, and then was

cast into fire, in which he gave up his holy soul into the hands of

God, though not even the hair of his head was harmed by the flames.



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

Thy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest for Thee received the

prize of the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal

God. For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast down the tyrants

and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ

God, by his prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA





Leonidas, Bishop of Athens