The holy great martyr Theodore, a Roman commander in the army of emperor Licincius and the governor of the town of Heraclea, scorned his youth, his handsome appearance, his military rank, and the good grace of the emperor; he was martyred in the year 318. His miracle-working relics were translated from Euchaita to Constantinople and interred in the Blanchernae church.
The holy prophet Zechariah, who prophesied that the Chosen People would return from their exile to the land of promise. He bore the news to them of the king of peace, which Christ the Lord fulfilled marvelously by his triumphant entrance to the holy city of Jerusalem.
O Theodore the triumphant, you became a brilliant general in the armies of the King of heaven. You fought courageously with the weapons of faith and put the legions of demons to flight. Therefore, we praise you with fervor at all times.
As we celebrate the memory of you prophet Zechariah, O Lord, we implore You to save our souls through his prayers.
O Theodore, the pride of martyrs. You put on the armor of faith and took the Word of God as a spear to vanquish the enemy. In the company of the martyrs, do not cease to intercede with Christ our God in behalf of all of us.
You saw the chariots being directed by the hand of God, and you looked down upon the servants, O Zechariah. As you rest among them now as a favored prophet, pray for those who remember you with unwavering faith, that we may walk the road of understanding.
2 Timothy 2: 1-10
Timothy, my son: You must be strong in the grace which is ours in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses you must hand on to trustworthy men who will be able to teach others. Bear hardship along with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier becomes entangled in the affairs of civilian life; he avoids this in order to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if one takes part in an athletic contest, he cannot receive the winner’s crown unless he has keeps the rules. The hard-working farmer is the one who should have the first share of the crop. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will make my meaningfully clear.
Remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, was raised from the dead. This is the gospel I preach; in preaching it I suffer as a criminal, even to the point of being thrown into chains – but there is no chaining the word of God! Therefore I bear with all of this for the sake of those whom God has chosen, in order that they may obtain the salvation to be found in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
Matthew 10: 16-22
The Lord said to his disciples: “What I am doing is sending you out like sheep among wolves. You must be as clever as snakes and innocent as doves. Be on your guard with respect to others. They will hale you into court, they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought before them and before the Gentiles on my account. When they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you will say it. When the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. You yourselves will not be the speakers; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
“Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all on account of me. But whoever holds out till the end will escape death.”
2 Timothy 2: 11-19
Timothy, my son: you can depend on this: if we have died with Jesus Christ we shall also live with him; if we hold out till the end we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we aren’t faithful he will still remain faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Keep reminding people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about mere words. This does no good and can be the ruin of those who listen. Try hard to make yourself worthy of God‘s approval, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, following a straight course in preaching the truth. Avoid worldly, idle talk, for those who indulge in it become more and more godless, and the influence of their talk will spread like the plague. This is the case with Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have gone far wide of the truth in saying that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting some people’s faith. But the foundation God has laid stands firm. It bears this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his”; and, “Let everyone who professes the name of the Lord abandon evil.”
Luke 18: 2-8
The Lord told this parable: “Once there was a judge in a certain city who respected neither God nor man. A widow in that city kept coming to him saying, ‘Give me my rights against my opponent.’ For a time he refused, but finally he thought, ‘I care little for God or man, but the widow is wearing me out. I am going to settle in her favor or she will end by doing me violence.’” The Lord said, “Listen to what the corrupt judge has to say. Will not God then do justice to his chosen who call out to him day and night? Will he delay long over them, do you suppose? I tell you, he will give them swift justice.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Friday, February 7 –
