Our venerable father Timothy of Symbola was of Italian descent. He became a monk at a young age and pursued asceticism at a monastery called “Symbola”, in Asia Minor near Mount Olympus. At that time Theoctistus was the archimandrite of the monastery. St. Timothy was a disciple of Theoctistus and also of St. Platon of the Studion Monastery. He spent many years as a hermit, roaming the wilderness, the mountains and forests, both day and night offering up prayers to the Lord God. He died at a great old age, in the year 795.
Our father among the saints Eustathius, Archbishop of Antioch (323-331) was born in Side, Pamphylia. He was Bishop of Beroa (modern Aleppo), and enjoyed the love and esteem of the people, and at the request of his flock he was elevated by the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325) to the See of Antioch. St. Eustathius was the first to preside over the First Ecumenical Council. The Council condemned the heretical teachings of Arius and incorporated the Orthodox confession into the Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed).
O God of our ancestors, You always deal with us according to your everlasting compassion, take not your mercy away from us; but through the prayers of our ancestors, guide our lives along the ways of peace.
Rising in the east like a radiant star, you illumine the hearts of the faithful by your miracles. O vessel of miracles, O most blessed Timothy.
You preached that the Word had one nature with the Father and the Spirit, O pastor Eustathius. You defeated Arius with the cords of your dogma. You were a heavenly light to the fathers of the Council and have become a champion of the Trinity. As you stand before them, pray for the salvation of our souls.
Hebrews 1: 1-12
In the past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, he has spoken to us through his Son, who he has made heir of all things and through whom he first created the universe. The Son is the reflection of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of the Father’s being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
To which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son; today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son”? And again, when he leads his first-born into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers flaming fire”; but of the Son, “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved justice and hated wickedness, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings.” And, “Lord, of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; all of them will grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, like a garment they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
Mark 2:23- 3:5
At that time Jesus was walking through standing grain on the sabbath, and his disciples began to pull off the heads of grain as they went along. At this the Pharisees protested: “Look! Why do they do a thing not permitted on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his men were hungry? How he entered God’s house in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the holy bread which only the high priests were permitted to eat? He even gave it to his men.” Then Jesus said to them: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Jesus returned to the synagogue where there was a man whose hand was shriveled up. They kept an eye on Jesus to see whether he would heal the man on the sabbath, hoping to be able to bring an accusation against him. Jesus addressed the man with the shriveled hand: “Stand up here in front!” Then he said to them: “Is it permitted to do a good deed on the sabbath– or an evil one? To preserve life– or destroy it?” At this they remained silent. Jesus looked around at them with anger, for he was deeply grieved that they had closed their minds against him. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man did so and his hand was perfectly restored.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Friday, February 20 –
