Our venerable father and Confessor Theophylactus, along with St. Michael (Bishop of Synada) lived an ascetic life at a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea. The zealous ascetics were granted the gift of wonderworking by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayers. During a drought, when the field workers were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. After several years at the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by the Patriarch Tarasius. St. Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and St. Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. Heading the Church of Nicomedia, St. Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, and personally attended to those afflicted with leprosy. When the iconoclast Leo the Armenian came to the imperial throne, he reinstated iconoclast heresy despite the Seventh Ecumenical Council’s decision. St. Theophylactus opposed the emperor to his face and predicted a speedy death for the emperor. For his bold prophecy, the saint was removed from his see and sent into exile in Strobil. He languished there for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845.
You tried to live a hidden life, O praiseworthy father, but Christ made you a lamp upon the light of thought. He handed you the tablets of spiritual knowledge. Enlighten us by them, O holy Theophylact.
You became a lamp for the whole world, O father, and by preaching that the Word had the nature common to the Father and the Spirit, you enlightened the Council of heavenly fathers. You became a defender of the Trinity. As you stand before them, pray unceasingly for all of us.
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 7 –
