Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Greek Orthodox Church Daily Readings For Monday, 9 May

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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Monday, May 9, 2011



Readings for today:



Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15; 7:1-5, 47-60

John 4:46-54



Feasts and Saints celebrated today:



3rd Monday after Pascha

Isaiah the Prophet

Christopher the Martyr of Lycea

Monk-martyr Nicholas who lived in Vuneni, of Larissa in Thessaly

Epimachos the New Martyr of Alexandria





Epistle Reading



The reading is from Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15; 7:1-5, 47-60



IN THOSE DAYS, Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders

and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the

synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of

the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and

disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the

Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said,

"We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."

And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and

they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,

and set up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak

words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say

that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change

the customs which Moses delivered to us." And gazing at him, all who

sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.



And the high priest said, "Is this so?" And Stephen said: "Brethren

and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father

Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to

him, 'Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land

which I will show you.' Then he departed from the land of the

Chaldeans, and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him

from there into this land in which you are now living; yet he gave him

no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give

it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he

had no child.



"But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does

not dwell in houses made with hands; as the prophet says, 'Heaven is

my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me,

says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make

all these things?'



"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always

resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the

prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who

announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now

betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and

did not keep it."



Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground

their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into

heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of

God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of

man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a

loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then

they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid

down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they

were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And

he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this

sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.



(c) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



Gospel Reading



The reading is from John 4:46-54



At that time, there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard

that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to

come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus

therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not

believe." The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word

that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his

servants met him and told him that his son was living. So he asked them

the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at

the seventh hour the fever left him." The father knew that was the

hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself

believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus

did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.



(c) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America





Isaiah the Prophet



Reading from the Synaxarion:



The Prophet Isaiah, the son of Amos, was descended from a royal

tribe. He prophesied in the days of Ozias (who is also called Azarias),

Joatham, Ahaz, and Hezekias, Kings of Judah. About 681 B.C, in the reign

of Manasses, the son and successor of the most pious Hezekias, when

this Prophet was censuring Manasses' impiety and lawlessness, he was

sawn asunder with a wooden saw, and thus received a martyr's end.



Of all the Prophets, he is called the most eloquent because of the

beauty and loftiness of his words. His book of prophecy, divided into

sixty-six chapters, is ranked first among the greater Prophets. The Fifth

Ode of the Psalter, "Out of the night my spirit waketh at dawn unto

Thee, O God . . ." is taken from his book. It was this holy Prophet who

foretold that a Virgin would conceive in the womb (7:14); that not an

ambassador, nor an angel, but the Lord Himself would save fallen man (63:9);

that the Messiah would suffer, bearing our sins (ch. 53). His name

means "Yah is helper."



Apolytikion in the Second Tone

As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Isaiah, O Lord, through

him we beseech Thee to save our souls.



Kontakion in the Second Tone

Having received the gift of prophecy, O Prophet-martyr Isaiah, herald of

God, thou didst make clear to all under the sun the Incarnation of God

by crying with a great voice: Behold the Virgin shall conceive in

her womb.



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





Christopher the Martyr of Lycea



Reading from the Synaxarion:



Saint Christopher was at first named Reprobus. Seeing the Christians

persecuted, he rebuked the tyrants for their cruelty. Soldiers were sent to

bring him to appear before the ruler; but he converted them to Christ,

and with them was baptized, receiving the name Christopher. After he

appeared before the ruler, he was imprisoned and two harlots were sent to

seduce him, but he converted them also, and encouraged them in their

martyrdom. He was subjected to torments and finally beheaded in the days of

Decius.Many marvellous and mythical things are said about him out of

ignorance and superstition, one of which is that it is impossible for one

to die suddenly from some unexpected cause on the day on which one

looks at the Saint's icon. This is the origin of that proverb that is

quoted in various quarters: "If on Christopher thou shouldst gaze, thou

shalt safely wend life's ways." The etymology of his name, which means

"Christ-bearer," has undoubtedly moved iconographers to depict him carrying the

infant Jesus on his shoulders; it is completely erro-neous, however, to

depict him, as some uninformed iconographers do, having the head of a

dog, because of a statement in his life that he was dog-faced, by

which is meant only that his countenance was exceedingly frightful to

look upon.



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.



Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

Thou who wast terrifying both in strength and in countenance, for thy

Creator's sake thou didst surrender thyself willingly to them that sought

thee; for thou didst persuade both them and the women that sought to

arouse in thee the fire of lust, and they followed thee in the path of

martyrdom. And in torments thou didst prove to be courageous. Wherefore,

we have gained thee as our great protector, O great Christopher.



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



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