Sunday, May 8, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Thursday, 5 May

From goarch.com:

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +




Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Thursday, May 5, 2011



Readings for today:



Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31

John 5:24-30



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



2nd Thursday after Pascha

Irene the great Martyr of Thessaloniki

Neophytos, Gaius, & Caianus the Monk-martyrs





Epistle Reading



The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31



IN THOSE DAYS, when the apostles were released they went to their

friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to

them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God

and said, "Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the

earth and the sea and everything in them, who by the mouth of our

father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, 'Why did

the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of

the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered

together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'- for truly in this

city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom

thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles

and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had

predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant

to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou

stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through

the name of thy holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed,

the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they

were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with

boldness.



(c) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from John 5:24-30



The Lord said to the Jews who came to him, "Truly, truly, I say to

you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal

life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to

life. Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when

the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear

will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted

the Son also to have life in himself, and has given him authority to

execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. Do not marvel at this;

for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his

voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of

life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. I

can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my

judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of the

Father who sent me."



(c) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Irene the great Martyr of Thessaloniki



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Saint Irene was the daughter of a princelet called Licinius; named

Penelope by her parents, through a divine revelation she was brought to

faith in Christ and at Baptism was renamed Irene. In her zeal for piety

she broke in pieces all the idols of her father, who commanded that

she be trampled underfoot by horses. But while she remained unharmed,

one of the horses rose up and cast down her father, killing him. By

her prayer she raised him to life again, and he believed and was

baptized. Afterwards, in many journeyings, Saint Irene suffered torments

and punishments for her faith, but was preserved by the power of God,

while working dread miracles and converting many thousands of souls. At

last she came to Ephesus, where she fell asleep in peace, in the first

half of the fourth century. Two days after her death, her gravestone

was found lifted off, and her grave empty. At least two churches were

dedicated to Saint Irene in Constantinople, and she is also the patroness

of the Aegean island of Thera, which is commonly called Santorin (or

Santorini), a corruption of "Saint Irene."



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my

Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy

baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign

with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept me

offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our

souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

Being fair adorned before with pure and virginal beauty, thou becamest

fairer still in thy brave contest, O virgin; for when thou, in thine own

spilt blood, wast stained and reddened, O Irene, thou overthrewest

ungodly error. Hence, thou hast received the prizes of thy good vict'ry

from thy Creator's right hand.



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

Reading (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA

Apolytikion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA

Kontakion (c) Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA



No comments:

Post a Comment