Our venerable father Hilarion (Hilary) the New, Heguman of Pelekete Monastery, who from his youth devoted himself to the service of God and spent many years as a hermit. Because of his holy and blameless life he was ordained to the holy priesthood, and later he was made igumen of the Pelekete monastery, near the Dardanelles, in the eighth century. St. Hilarion was granted gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking by the Lord.
The holy Stephen the Confessor, Hegumen of Triglia Monastery, suffered under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). From a young age, the holy ascetic dedicated his life to God and received monastic tonsure. He later became the head of the Trigla monastery near Constantinople. When the persecution again began against holy icons, the saintly hegumen was summoned for questioning, and they tried to force him to sign a document rejecting the veneration of icons. St. Stephen steadfastly refused to betray Orthodoxy and he boldly denounced the emperor for his impiety. They subjected the saint to cruel torments, after which they sent him to prison in the year 815. Weakened and sick, the holy Confessor Stephen soon died in prison from his sufferings.
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.
Having glowed like the sun, your memory gives joy to the faithful. It disperses the darkness and casts out passion. Shelter and guard us from all the trials of life. We honor your holy precious memory, O honorable Hilarion and blessed Stephen.
Genesis 12: 1-7
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Proverbs 14: 15-26
The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.
The wise are cautious and turn away from evil, but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.
One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and the schemer is hated.
The simple are adorned with folly, but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor.
Do they not err that plan evil? Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
The crown of the wise is their wisdom, but folly is the garland of fools.
A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and one’s children will have a refuge.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Thursday, March 27 –
