Our holy father and confessor Martin, pope of Rome, who condemned the heresy of the Monothlites at the Lateran Synod (693). By the order of the emperor Constans II, an assault was made on the Lateran basilica to capture Martin. He was removed from his See and taken to Constantinople, where he lay in a penitentiary in strict confinement. From there he was sent to Kherson, where, after about two years, he reached the end of his tribulations and gained his eternal crown.
The holy new martyrs Anthony, John, and Eustathius, who died in the city of Vilna, Lithuania in the year 1342. They were slaves who were baptized by a Christian priest. When this was discovered, they were hanged from a great oak tree. This oak tree was cut down and a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built on the site. The stump of the tree became the Holy Table.
O guide of the true faith, mirror of piety and commendable behavior, bright star of the universe, and adornment of pontiffs, you enlightened us all by your teachings. O wise Martin, inspired by God and lyre of the Holy Spirit, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.
You disowned earthly wealth and glory, O holy martyrs, and you bravely endured torture for the faith. You walked willingly into death for the life of the Lord, and Christ has guided you with a pillar of cloud. With glory and honor He has crowned you at his throne. Standing there we ask you to pray for our salvation.
You set out firmly with priestly devotion and completed the course on martyrdom. You passed into heaven, O wise Martin, and received laurels which will never fade. Now we come to celebrate your holy memory, crying out: As you stand before Christ, remember us, O martyr.
Having abandoned the mistakes of your ancestors, you were led to Christ with complete sincerity. You stood courageously and wisely until death, and so you have captured the trophy of victory. O blessed martyrs, pray unceasingly to the Master for all of us.
Acts 4: 1-10
In those days, while Peter and John were still addressing the crowd, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came up to them, angry because they were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection of the dead in the person of Jesus. It was evening by now, so they arrested them and put them in jail for the night. Despite this, many of those who had heard the speech believed; the number of men came to about five thousand.
When the leaders, the elders, and the scribes assembled the next day in Jerusalem, Annas the high priest, Caisphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class were there. They brought Peter and John before them and began the interrogation in this fashion: “By what power or in whose name have men of your stripe done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke up: “Leaders of the people! Elders! If we must answer today for a good deed done to cripple and explain how he was restored to health, then you and all the people of Israel must realize that it was done in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. In the power of that name this man stands before you perfectly sound.”
John 3: 16-21
The Lord said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of God’s only Son. The judgment of condemnation is this: the light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were wicked. Everyone who practices evil hates the light; he does not come near it for fear his deeds will be exposed, But he who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Monday, April 13 –
