Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Monday, 25 April

From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Monday, April 25, 2011



Fast Free



Readings for today:



Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11

John 1:18-28



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



Renewal Monday

George the Great Martyr & Triumphant

Mark the Apostle & Evangelist

New Martyrs Emmanuel, Theodore, Gregory, Michael and the other Gregory at Macre of Alexandropoulos





Epistle Reading



The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11



ABOUT THAT TIME, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who

belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the

sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest

Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he

had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four

squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring

him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest

prayer for him was made to God by the Church.



The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was

sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before

the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord

appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side

and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his

hands. And the angel said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and

follow me." And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what

was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the

iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord,

and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately

the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, "Now I am

sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of

Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from John 1:18-28



No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom

of the Father, he has made him known.



And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and

Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, he did

not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him,

"What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the

prophet?" And he answered, "No." They said to him then, "Who are you? let

us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about

yourself?" He said, " I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make

straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."



Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Then why

are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the

prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water; but among you stands

one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of

whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." This took place in Bethany

beyond the Jordon, where John was baptizing.



(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





George the Great Martyr & Triumphant



Reading from the Synaxarion:



George, this truly great and glorious Martyr of Christ, was born of a

father from Cappadocia and a mother from Palestine. Being a military

tribune, or chiliarch (that is, a commander of a thousand troops), he was

illustrious in battle and highly honoured for his courage. When he learned

that the Emperor Diocletian was preparing a persecution of the

Christians, Saint George presented himself publicly before the Emperor and

denounced him. When threats and promises could not move him from his

steadfast confession, he was put to unheard-of tortures, which he endured

with great bravery, overcoming them by his faith and love towards

Christ. By the wondrous signs that took place in his contest, he guided

many to the knowledge of the truth, including Queen Alexandra, wife of

Diocletian, and was finally beheaded in 296 in Nicomedia.



His sacred remains were taken by his servant from Nicomedia to

Palestine, to a town called Lydda, the homeland of his mother, and then were

finally transferred to the church which was raised up in his name. (The

translation of the Saint's holy relics to the church in Lydda is commemorated

on November 3; Saint Alexandra the Queen, on April 21.)



If April 23 falls on or before Great and Holy Pascha, the Feast of

St. George is translated to Bright Monday.



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and

champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with

Christ God that our souls be saved.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

Cultivated by God, you became manifest as an honorable tiller gathering for

yourself the sheaves of virtue. For you sowed with tears but reaped with

gladness; in the contest you competed with your blood and came away with

Christ. By your intercessions, O Holy One, all are granted forgiveness of

sins.



Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA





Mark the Apostle & Evangelist



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Mark was an idolater from Cyrene of Pentapolis, which is near Libya.

Having come to the Faith of Christ through the Apostle Peter, he

followed him to Rome. While there, at the prompting of Peter himself and

at the request of the Christians living there, he wrote his Gospel

in Greek, and it is second in order after Matthew's. Afterwards,

travelling to Egypt, he preached the Gospel there and was the first to

establish the Church in Alexandria. The idolaters, unable to bear his

preaching, seized him, bound him with ropes, and dragged him through the

streets until he, cut to pieces on rocks, gave up his soul. It is said

that he completed his life in martyrdom about the year 68. He is

depicted in holy icons with a lion next to him, one of the living

creatures mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), and a symbol of Christ's royal

office, as Saint Irenaeus of Lyons writes.



If April 25 falls on or before Great and Holy Pascha, the Feast of

St. Mark is translated to Bright Tuesday.



Apolytikion in the Third Tone

O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, intercede to our merciful God,

that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.



Kontakion in the Second Tone

When thou hadst received the Spirit's grace from Heaven's heights,

thou rentest apart the webs of the philosophers; and on catching all

of the nations in thy net, O all-lauded Mark, thou didst offer them

to thy Lord, by preaching the Gospel of divine renown.





Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA

Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press - Northridge, CA

Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery - Brookline, MA



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