Our venerable father Zachary was born in Egypt. His father left his family to become a monk and took Zachary with him. God gave him great gifts of grace; he was a great light among the monks in the desert, and went to his peace in the Lord at an early age. 

Our holy father Artemon, Bishop of Seleucia, was born and lived in Seleucia of Pisidia (Asia Minor). He was pious and virtuous, therefore when the holy Apostle Paul came to Seleucia, he established St. Artemon as the first bishop of this city, since he was the most worthy. St. Artemon wisely nourished the flock entrusted to him and won glory as a comforter of the poor and oppressed. St. Artemon died in great old age. 

Prefestive Troparion

Today is the prelude of joy for the whole world. Let us then anticipate the feast and celebrate, for, behold, Gabriel is on his way with the glad tidings for the Virgin. He is about to cry out in fear and amazement: Rejoice, O woman full of grace, the Lord is with you!

Prefestive Kontakion

You are the beginning of salvation for all those born on earth, O virgin Theotokos. The prince of the heavenly legions has been sent to stand before you with a message of joy. We join the chorus and call out to you: Rejoice, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure. 

Epistle

Phillippians 4: 4-9

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus. 

Finally, my brothers and sisters, your thoughts should be wholly directed to all that is true, all that deserves respect, all that is honest, pure, admirable, decent, virtuous, or worthy of praise. Live according to what you have learned and accepted, what you have heard me say and seen me do. Then will the God of peace be with you. 

Gospel

John 12: 1-18

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the village of Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave him a banquet, at which Martha served. Lazarus was one of those at table with Jesus. Mary brought a pound of costly perfume made from genuine aromatic nard. With which she anointed the feet of Jesus. Then she dried his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the ointment’s fragrance. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one about to hand him over), protested: “Why was not this perfume sold? It could have brought three hundred silver pieces, and the money have been given to the poor.” (He did not say this out of concern for the poor, but because he was a thief. He held the purse, and used to help  himself to what was deposited there.) To this Jesus replied: “Leave her alone. Let her keep it against the day they prepare me for burial. The poor you always have with you, but me you will not always have.”

The great crowd of Jews discovered Jesus was there and came out, not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. The fact was, the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, because too many Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him on account of Lazarus.

The next day the great crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was to enter Jerusalem, so they got palm branches and came out to meet him. They kept shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” Jesus found a donkey and mounted it, in accordance with Scripture: “Fear not, O daughter of Zion! Your king approaches you on a donkey’s colt.” (At first, the disciples did not understand all this, but after Jesus was glorified they recalled that the people had done to him precisely what had been written about him.) 

The crowd that was present when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept testifying to it. The crowd came out to meet him because they heard he had performed this sign. 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

The monk martyr Nicon was born in Neapolis (Naples). His father was a pagan, and his mother a Christian. He was not baptized, but his mother secretly instructed him in the tenets of Christianity. Nicon was still a pagan when he reached adulthood. He served as a soldier, and showed unusual courage and strength. Once, Nicon and his military company were surrounded by enemies. In deadly peril, he remembered the Christian precepts of his mother and, signing himself with the Sign of the Cross, he prayed to God, vowing to be baptized if he were saved. Filled with unusual strengths, he killed many of the enemy, and put the rest to flight. He managed to return home, giving thanks to God for preserving his life. With the blessing of his mother, he set off in search of a priest. This was no easy thing to do in a time of persecution. St. Nicon took a ship to the island of Chios. He went up on a high mountain and spent eight days in fasting and prayer, entreating the Lord to help him. When St. Nicon had lived on the mountain for three years, an angel revealed to the bishop Theodosius that Nicon should be consecrated bishop, and should move to the province of Sicily with all the monks. Bishop Theodosius obeyed the angel, and then died after he had entrusted the 190 monks to St. Nicon. After he buried Bishop Theodosius, St. Nicon sailed to Sicily with the brethren. 

Troparion

O Lord our God, your holy martyrs have deserved the crown of immortality on account of their good fight. Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors and crushed Satan’s dreadful might. Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls.

Kontakion

By your holy life you assembled a choir from those who had lived humbly and had followed you before the throne of God on high. Your radiance spans the heavens like the very sun, and the rays of your pains disperse darkness and wash out deceit by the torrent of your blood. 

Epistle

Hebrews 12:28-13:8

Brothers and sisters: We who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should hold fast to God’s grace, through which we may offer worship acceptable to him in reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

Love your fellow Christians always. Do not neglect to show hospitality, for by that means some have entertained angels without knowing it. Be as mindful as prisoners as if you were sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you may yet suffer as they do. Let marriage be honored in every way and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Do not love money but be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I forsake you.” Thus we may say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?” Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you; consider how their lives ended, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Gospel

John 11: 1-45

At that time there was a certain man named Lazarus who was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary whose brother Lazarus was sick was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and dried his feet with her hair.) The sisters sent word to Jesus to inform him, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” Upon hearing this, Jesus said: “This sickness is not to end in death; rather it is for God’s glory, that through it the Son of God may be glorified.” 

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus very much. Yet, after hearing Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two days more. Finally he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” “Rabbi,” protested the disciples, “With the Jews only recently trying to stone you, you are going back up there again?” Jesus answered: “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If a man goes walking by day he does not stumble because he sees the world bathed in light. But if he goes walking at night he will stumble since there is no light in him.”

After uttering these words, he added, “Our beloved Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him.” At this the disciples objected, “Lord, if he is asleep his life will be saved.” Jesus had been speaking about his death, but they thought he meant sleep in the sense of slumber. Finally Jesus said plainly: “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, that you may come to believe. In any event, let us go to him.” Then Thomas (the name means “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go along, to die with him.” 

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. The village was not far from Jerusalem–just under two miles– and many Jewish people had come out to console Martha and Mary over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him, while Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died. Even now, I am sure that God will give you whatever you ask of Him.” Jesus reassured her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God: he who is to come into the world.”

When she had said this she went back and called her sister Mary. “The Teacher is here, asking for you,” she whispered. As soon as Mary heard this, she got up and started out in his direction. (Actually Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still at the spot where Martha had met him.) The Jews who were in the house with Mary consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out, so they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to the place where Jesus was, seeing him, she fell at his feet and said to him: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would never had died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had accompanied her also weeping, he was troubled in spirit, moved by the deepest emotions. “Where have you buried him?” Jesus asked. “Lord, come and see,” they said. Jesus began to weep, which caused the Jews to remark, “See how much he loved him!” But some said, “He opened the eyes of that blind man. Why could he not have done something to stop this man from dying?” Once again troubled in spirit, Jesus approached the tomb. 

It was a cave with a stone laid across it. “Take away the stone,” Jesus directed. Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, it has been four days now; surely there will be a stench!” Jesus replied, “Did I not assure you that if you believed you would see the glory of God displayed?” They then took away the stone and Jesus looked upward and said: “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me but I have said this for the sake of the crowd, that they may believe that You sent me.”

Having said this he called loudly, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, bound hand and foot with linen strips, his face wrapped in a cloth. “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go free.” 

This caused many of the Jew who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did to put their faith in him. 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

The Hieromartyr Basil was a presbyter in Ancyra, Galatia. Fighting against the Arian heresy, he urged his flock to cling firmly to Orthodoxy. Because of this, St. Basil was deposed from his priestly rank by a local Arian council, but a Council of 230 bishops in Palestine reinstated him. St. Basil continued to openly preach Orthodoxy and denounce the Arians. He, therefore, became a victim of persecution and was subjected to punishment as a man dangerous to the state. The saint remained unshakable, and was tortured for it. When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) arrived in the city of Ancyra, St. Basil bravely confessed Christ before him at trial, and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. Julian ordered that strips of skin be cut from the saint’s back. St. Basil endured the gruesome torture with great patience. Having made such a prayer, and lacerated all over by red-hot irons, the saint fell into a sweet slumber and gave up his soul to the hands of God on June 29, 362. His commemoration was transferred to March 22 because of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. 

Troparion

O holy priest-martyr Basil, you lent yourself to the apostle’s way of life and succeeded them on their throne. Inspired by God, you found the way to contemplation through the practice of virtue. Therefore, you became a perfect teacher of truth, fighting for the faith unto the shedding of your blood. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. 

Kontakion

You ran the course and kept the faith, O Basil. Because of this you were crowned with glory in martyrdom and hailed as an immovable pillar of the Church. You confessed the Son to be coeternal in the Trinity with the Father and the Spirit. Now beg the Holy Trinity to save all of us who honor you. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 49:33 – 50:26

When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh, “If now I have found favor with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows: My father made me swear an oath; he said, ‘I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.’ Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return.” Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.” So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father seven days. When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. 

So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph’s knees.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. 

Proverbs 31: 8-31

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.

Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away.

She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls.

She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.

She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson.

She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her:

“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

Our venerable father James, Bishop and Confessor, was inclined toward the ascetic life from his early years. St. James left the world and entered the Studite monastery, where he was tonsured. He led a strict life, full of works, fasting, and prayer. Pious and well versed in Holy Scripture, St. James was elevated to the bishop’s throne of Catania(Sicily). During the reign of the iconoclast emperor Constantine V Copronymus (741-775), St. James was repeatedly urged not to venerate the holy icons. They exhausted him in prison, starved him, and beat him, but he bravely endured all these torments. St. James died in exile. 

Troparion

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 James, inspired by God and lyre of the Holy Spirit, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. 

Kontakion

By mortifying your body, O blessed James, you abandoned the world and followed Christ. You were given the anointing of the priesthood and have been admitted to angelic choirs. Now pray for all of us who bless you. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 46: 1-7

When Israel set out on his journey with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s own hand shall close your eyes.”

Then Jacob set out from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and the goods that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

Proverbs: 23:15 – 24:6

My child, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.

My soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord.

Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Hear, my child, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way.

Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat;

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.

 My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well.

She lies in wait like a robber and increases the number of the faithless.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who linger late over wine, those who keep trying mixed wines.

Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.

At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind utter perverse things.

You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.

“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.”

Do not envy the wicked, nor desire to be with them; for their minds devise violence, and their lips talk of mischief.

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;

by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones, and those who have knowledge than those who have strength;

for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

Our venerable fathers John, Sergius, Patrick and others slain in the Monastery of St. Sabbas. During the eighth century the area around Jerusalem was subjected to frequent incursions of the Saracens. On March 13, 796 the Saracens broke into the monastery and demanded all the valuables. The monks told them that there was nothing in the monastery but a meager supply of food and old clothing. Then the Saracens began to shoot arrows at the monks. Thirteen men were killed and many were wounded, and monastery cells were set afire. The Saracens intended to torch the monastery church, but seeing a throng of people in the distance, they mistook it for an army sent from Jerusalem. The Saracens managed to get away, carrying off the little they were able to plunder. After the enemy fled, Father Thomas, an experienced physician, began to help those who remained alive.

Troparion

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 way of peace. 

Kontakion

Having truly spurned worldly and passing pleasures, you preferred the desert life, O blessed saints. By turning aside from beauty and comfort, you fashioned heavenly crowns for yourselves. You rejoice in the company of martyrs and ascetics, and we also keep your precious memory as we sing: Deliver us, O fathers, from all afflictions. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 43:25 – 45:16

They made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they had heard that they would dine there.

When Joseph came home, they brought him the present that they had carried into the house, and bowed to the ground before him. He inquired about their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and did obeisance. Then he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he went into a private room and wept there.  Then he washed his face and came out; and controlling himself he said, “Serve the meal.” They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. When they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, the men looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the top of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, “Go, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is it not from this that my lord drinks? Does he not indeed use it for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.’” 

When he overtook them, he repeated these words to them. They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing! Look, the money that we found at the top of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; why then would we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? Should it be found with any one of your servants, let him die; moreover the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.” He said, “Even so; in accordance with your words, let it be: he with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the rest of you shall go free.” Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this they tore their clothes. Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house while he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that one such as I can practice divination?” And Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; here we are then, my lord’s slaves, both we and also the one in whose possession the cup has been found.” But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the one in whose possession the cup was found shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Then Judah stepped up to him and said, “O my lord, let your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.’ We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord. And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.’ Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life.’ Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord in place of the boy; and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father.”

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

Proverbs 21:23 – 22:4

To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble.

The proud, haughty person, named “Scoffer,” acts with arrogant pride.

The craving of the lazy person is fatal, for lazy hands refuse to labor.

All day long the wicked covet, but the righteous give and do not hold back.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when brought with evil intent.

A false witness will perish, but a good listener will testify successfully.

The wicked put on a bold face, but the upright give thought to their ways.

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.

The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

The holy martyr Chrysanthus came from a pagan family who moved from Alexandria to Rome in the third century. He received a fine education, and among the books he read were those in which pagans discussed Christianity. The young man, however, wanted to read books written by Christians themselves. He finally managed to get a copy of the New Testament, which enlightened his rational soul. Seeking someone to instruct him in the Holy Scriptures, he found the presbyter Carpophoros hiding from persecution, and the saint received holy Baptism from him. After this, Chrysanthus began to preach the Gospel. His own father tried to turn him in for being a Christian, and finally, he married him to Daria, a priestess of Minerva. St. Chrysanthus managed to convert his wife to Christ, and the young couple agreed to live a celibate lives. After the death of his father, Chrysanthus and Daria began to live in separate houses. St. Chrysanthus converted several young men to Christ, and many pious women gathered around St. Daria. The people of Rome complained to the eparch Celerinus that the saints were preaching celibacy and attracting too many young men and women to monasticism. St. Chrysanthus was sent to the tribune Claudius for torture. The emperor Numerian ordered Saints Chrysanthus and Daria be turned over to the executioners. After many cruel tortures, the martyrs were buried alive in the ground.

Troparion

O Lord our God your holy martyrs have deserved the crown of immortality on account of their good fight. Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors and crushed Satan’s dreadful might. Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls. 

Kontakion

In your desire for the perfect Good, you pursued whatever good you saw. By your golden words, Chrysanthus, you led the glorious Daria to Christ. She endured many torments and shamed the enemy. We ask both of you to remember us who keep your memory.

Readings for the day

Genesis 31: 3-16

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was, and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me as favorably as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength; yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father, and given them to me.

“During the mating of the flock I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats that leaped upon the flock were striped, speckled, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the goats that leap on the flock are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and return to the land of your birth.’” Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us. All the property that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”

Proverbs 21: 3-21

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the lamp of the wicked—are sin.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is right.

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

The souls of the wicked desire evil; their neighbors find no mercy in their eyes.

When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser; when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.

The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he casts the wicked down to ruin.

If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard.

A gift in secret averts anger; and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but dismay to evildoers.

Whoever wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.

Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.

The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright.

It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful wife.

Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it.

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor.

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

Our father among the saints Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem in the year 315 and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he succeeded him on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem. As Patriarch of Jerusalem, St. Cyril fought against the heresies of Arius and Macedonius. In doing so, he aroused the animosity of the Arian bishops, and they sought to have him deposed and banished from Jerusalem. St. Cyril’s works include twenty-three Instructions (18 are Catechetical, for those preparing for baptism, and 5 are for the newly-baptized) and two discourses on Gospel themes: “On the Paralytic,” and “Concerning the Transformation of Water into Wine at Cana.” At the heart of the Catechetical Instructions is a detailed explanation of the Symbol of Faith. The saint suggests that a Christian should inscribe the Symbol of Faith upon “the tablets of the heart.” St. Cyril, a great ascetic and a champion of Orthodoxy, died in the year 386.  

Troparion

The sincerity of your deeds has revealed you to your people as a teacher of moderation, a model of faith, and an example of virtue. Therefore, you attained greatness through humility and wealth through poverty. O father and archbishop Cyril, ask Christ our God to save our souls.

Kontakion

You enlightened your people by your words which came from divine inspiration. You honored the indivisible nature of the Trinity which embraces three Persons. We rejoice that you are an advocate of God, and we celebrate your all-holy memory.

Readings for the day

Genesis 27: 1-41

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “See, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. Then prepare for me savory food, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”’

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father say to your brother Esau,  ‘Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food to eat, that I may bless you before the Lord before I die.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes; and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a man of smooth skin. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him, and bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my word, and go, get them for me.” So he went and got them and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the best garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob; and she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she handed the savory food, and the bread that she had prepared, to her son Jacob.

So he went in to his father, and said, “My father”; and he said, “Here I am; who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.”

So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son

    is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

May God give you of the dew of heaven,

    and of the fatness of the earth,

    and plenty of grain and wine.

Let peoples serve you,

    and nations bow down to you.

Be lord over your brothers,

    and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be everyone who curses you,

    and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau came in from his hunting. He also prepared savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father sit up and eat of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.” His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your firstborn son, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him?—yes, and blessed he shall be!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me also, father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and look, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Isaac answered Esau, “I have already made him your lord, and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, father? Bless me, me also, father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 

Then his father Isaac answered him:

“See, away from the fatness of the earth shall your home be,

    and away from the dew of heaven on high.

By your sword you shall live,

    and you shall serve your brother;

but when you break loose,

    you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 

Proverbs 19: 16-25

Those who keep the commandment will live; those who are heedless of their ways will die.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full.

Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction.

A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again.

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.

The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.

What is desirable in a person is loyalty, and it is better to be poor than a liar.

The fear of the Lord is life indeed; filled with it one rests secure and suffers no harm.

The lazy person buries a hand in the dish, and will not even bring it back to the mouth.

Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove the intelligent, and they will gain knowledge.

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

Our venerable father Alexis was born in Rome to the pious and poverty-loving parents Euphemianus and Aglais. The couple was childless for a long time and they constantly prayed to the Lord to grant them a child, so the Lord consoled them with the birth of their son Alexis. After he moved to Edessa, Alexis sold everything he had, distributed the money to the poor, and began to live near the church of the Most Holy Theotokos under a portico. The saint used a portion of the alms he received to buy bread and water, and he distributed the rest to the aged and infirm. St. Alexis dwelt in Edessa for seventeen years. He secretly boarded a ship bound for Cilicia, intending to visit the church of St. Paul in Tarsus, but God ordained otherwise. A storm took the ship far to the west and it reached the coast of Italy. He journeyed to Rome and decided to live in his own house. Unrecognized, he humbly asked his father’s permission to settle in some corner of his courtyard. Euphemianus settled Alexis in a specially constructed cell and gave orders to feed him from his table. St. Alexis dwelt at the house of his parents for seventeen years and the Lord revealed to him the day of his death. Then the saint, taking paper and ink, wrote certain things that only his wife and parents would know. He also asked them to forgive him for the pain he had caused them. 

Troparion

Rich in poverty and clean of heart by virtue, you adorned your life by partaking in the passion. With a clean conscience you took up fasting and persevered in prayer like an angel. You glowed like the sun on the world, O most blessed Alexis.

Kontakion

You made your parents’ home that of a stranger, and you lived in its shelter as a beggar. When you passed from this life you were crowned in glory, and your reputation has become magnificent on earth. Rejoice, O Alexis, man of God and joy of angels.

Epistle

Hebrews 9: 11-14

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things which have come to be, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation. He entered, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, and achieved eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who though the eternal spirit offered himself up unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God!

Gospel

Mark 10: 32b-45

At that time, taking the Twelve aside once more, Jesus began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “We are on our way up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit at him, flog him, and finally kill him. But three days later he will rise.”

Zebedee’s sons, James and John, approached him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to grant our request.” “What is it?” he asked. They replied, “See to it that we sit, one at your right and the other at your left, when you come into your glory.” Jesus told them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I shall drink or be baptized in the same bath of pain as I?” “We can,” they told him. Jesus said in response, “From the cup I drink of you shall drink; the bath I am immersed in you shall share. But as for sitting at my right or my left, that is not mine to give; it is for those to whom it has been reserved.” The other ten, on hearing this, became indignant of James and John. Jesus called them together and said to them: “You know how among the Gentiles those who seem to exercise authority lord it over them; their great ones make their importance felt. It cannot be like that with you. Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve–to give his life in ransom for the many.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com