Saturday, May 7, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Tuesdya, 3 May

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Tuesday, May 3, 2011



Readings for today:



Acts of the Apostles 4:1-10

John 3:16-21



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



2nd Tuesday after Pascha

Timothy & Mavra the Martyrs

Peter the Wonderworker

Xenia of Kalamata the Great Martyr

Father Theodosius, Abbot of Kiev Caves Lavra

Ahmet the Calligrapher & Martyr





Epistle Reading



The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 4:1-10



IN THOSE DAYS, while the apostles were speaking to the people, the

priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,

annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus

the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them

in custody until the morrow, for it was already evening. But many of

those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to

about five thousand.



On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered

together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John

and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when

they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by

what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,

said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being

examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means

this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the

people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you

crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before

you well."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from John 3:16-21



The Lord said to his disciples: "For God so loved the world that he

gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but

have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn

the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who

believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned

already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and

men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the

light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true

comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that these deeds have

been wrought in God."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Timothy & Mavra the Martyrs



Reading from the Synaxarion:



The holy Martyrs Timothy and Mavra were husband and wife. Timothy was

from Penapeis in the Thebaid, a reader in the Church, and had been

married to Mavra only twenty days when he was betrayed to Arian, the

Governor of the Thebaid, as a teacher of the Christians. Arian commanded

Timothy to surrender his sacred books, which he refused to do, comparing

it to a father's giving up his children to death. For this answer,

heated iron spits were thrust through his ears. As he was being put to

other tortures, Arian summoned Mavra, hoping that she would persuade

her husband to worship the idols, but she confessed herself a

Christian. The hair of her head was pulled out, her fingers were cut off,

then she was lowered into a cauldron of boiling water, but remained

unharmed. Finally husband and wife were crucified facing each other, and

after nine days, received their martyric end, during the reign of

Diocletian (284-305).



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

To Timothy let us faithful render homage today together with Maura,

his fellow contestant and wife, that most faithful bride of Christ,

lauding their brave steadfastness; for by crucifixion they followed with

longing in the steps of their Master, Who nailed the sins of all to the

Cross when He was slain for us.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

Since ye endured through divers woundings and tortures and have

received from God the garlands of vict'ry, rise up in intercession with

the Lord for us, who with longing celebrate this, your sacred

memorial, O Great Martyr Timothy, and most glorious Mavra, that He grant

peace to all His Church and flock, for He is truly the strength of all

faithful flock.



This content is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved:

Reading (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Apolytikion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery





Father Theodosius, Abbot of Kiev Caves Lavra



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Our righteous Father Theodosius was born in 1009, not far from Kiev,

and brought up in Kursk. From early childhood he showed the wisdom of

an elder, avoiding childish games and refusing to wear anything but

the poorest of clothing. When he was about thirteen years old, and

his father died, he began to humble himself even more, going out to

work with the serfs in the field. His mother went so far as to beat

him in her attempts to make him behave more respectably. Hearing of

the labours of Saint Anthony of Kiev, he fled to him secretly and was

accepted by him as his disciple. He was tonsured at the age of twenty-four

by Saint Anthony's disciple Nicon, and was elected Abbot of the

Caves Monastery in 1057, since Saint Anthony refused this out of

humility, and lived his whole life as a hermit. It was Saint Theodosius who

introduced in Russia the cenobitic rule of the Monastery of Studium in

Constantinople, and under his guidance many monks attained to great holiness, and

the monastic life spread. When Prince Svyatoslav drove out his elder

brother the pious Prince Isyaslav, and ascended to the throne of

Chernigov in his place, Saint Theodosius courageously rebuked him, and

continued reproving him even when threatened with exile. At the request of

Prince Shimon, the son of a Varangian (Viking) prince, the Saint wrote a

prayer for the nobleman's forgiveness of sins, and, at his behest, had

it placed in his coffin, whence arose this custom in Russia. He

reposed on May 3, 1074, being sixty-five years of age.



Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

Raising thyself aloft upon virtue and having loved the monastic life from

thy youth, thou didst valiantly attain to thy desire. Thou didst

settle in a cave, and while adorning thy life with fasting and purity,

thou didst persevere in prayers like one of the bodiless. And since

thou hast shone forth in the Russian land as a brilliant lamp, O

Father Theodosius, pray Christ God that our souls be saved.



Kontakion in the Third Tone

Today we venerate the star of Russia, the blessed Theodosius, who hath

shone forth from the east and come unto the west; for he hath enriched

both this whole land with miracles and blessings, and us with the

establishment and grace of the monastic rule.



This content is under copyright and is used with permission, all rights reserved:

Reading (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Apolytikion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery

Kontakion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery

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