Our venerable father Spiridon the Wonderworker was a shepherd who had a wife and children. He used all his substance for the needs of his neighbors and the homeless, for which the Lord rewarded him with the gift of wonderworking. He healed those who were incurably sick, and cast out demons. After the death of his wife, during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337), he was made Bishop of Tremithus, Cyprus. As a bishop, the saint did not alter his manner of life, but combined pastoral service with deeds of charity. According to the witness of Church historians, St. Spiridon participated in the sessions of the First Ecumenical Council in the year 325. At the Council, the saint entered into a dispute with a Greek philosopher who was defending the Arian heresy. The power of St. Spiridon’s plain and direct speech showed everyone the importance of human wisdom before God’s Wisdom.
Our Lady of Guadalupe first appeared on December 9, 1591 in Mexico to St. Juan Diego, and bestowed on him an icon “not made with human hands,” requesting that a church be built in her honor on that mountain. Her shrine there is one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage in the Americas. Pope John Paul II named her the Patroness of the Americas.
You were revealed as a champion of the First Council, and a wonderworker, our God-bearing father Spiridon; for you called out to the woman dead in the tomb and you transformed the serpent into gold. And when you sang your holy prayers, you had angels serving with you, O most holy one. Glory to Him who gave you strength. Glory to Him who granted a crown to you! Glory to Him who through you grants healing to all.
When you appeared in the New World, O Mother of God, you fixed your image on Juan Diego’s rose-laden tilma. All the poor, hungry, and oppressed seek you, Lady of Guadalupe. We gaze upon your miraculous icon and find hope, crying out to your Son concealed in your womb: Hear our plea for justice, O Most merciful Lord.
Inspired by the love of Christ, O Most Sacred One, and giving wings to your mind through the radiance of the Spirit! You found divine vision through your deeds, O God-pleasing One, becoming a divine oblation, asking Divine Illumination for all.
No longer shall the New World lie wounded in useless blood sacrifice, for she who is clothed with the sun has revealed the Son to us. O Mother of the Americas, imprint his name upon our hearts, just as you wove your image into the cactus cloth. Teach your children to cry out: O Christ God, our hope, glory to you.
Hebrews 9: 1-7
Brothers and sisters: The first covenant had regulations and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was constructed, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the showbread; this was called the holy place. Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the holy of holies, in which were the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In the ark were the golden jars containing manna, the rod of Aaron which had blossomed, and the tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. We cannot speak now of each of these in detail. These were the arrangements for worship. In performing their service the priests used to go into the inner one, and that but once a year, with the blood which he offered for himself and for the sins of the people.
Luke 1: 39-49, 56
In those days Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: “Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leapt in my womb for joy. Blest is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.”
Then Mary said: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior, for he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed. God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is his name.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home.
Epistle
2 Timothy 1: 1-2, 8-18
Paul, by the will of God an apostle of Christ Jesus sent to proclaim the promise of life in him, to Timothy, my child whom I love. May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.
Never be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor for me, a prisoner for his sake; but with the strength which comes from God bear your share of the hardship which the gospel entails.
God has saved us and has called us to a holy life, not because of any merit of ours but according to his own design – the grace held out to us in Christ Jesus before the world began but now made manifest through the appearance of our Savior. He has robbed death of its power and has brought life and immortality into clear light through the gospel. In the service of this gospel I have been appointed preacher and apostle and teacher, and for its sake I undergo present hardships. But I am not ashamed, for I know him in whom I have believed, and I am confident that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that Day. Take as a model of sound teaching what you have heard me say in faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the rich deposit of faith with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
You know that all in Asia, including even Phygelus and Hermogenes, have turned their back on me. May the Lord have mercy on the family of Onesiphorus, because he has often given me new heart and has not been ashamed of me, even in my chains. When he was in Rome, he sought me out earnestly and found me. When he stands before the Lord on the great DAy, may the Lord grant him mercy! And the many services he has performed for Christ in Ephesus you know even better than I.
Luke 21:37 – 22:8
At that time Jesus would teach in the temple by day, and leave the city to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. At daybreak all the people came to hear him in the temple.
The feast of Unleavened Bread known as the Passover was drawing near, and the high priests and scribes began to look for some way to dispose of Jesus; but they were afraid of the people. Then Satan took possession of Judas, the one called Iscariot, a member of the twelve. He went off to confer with the chief priests and officers about a way to hand Jesus over to them. They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. Judas accepted, then kept looking for an opportunity to hand Jesus over without creating a disturbance.
The day of Unleavened Bread arrived on which it was appointed to sacrifice the paschal lamb. Accordingly, Jesus sent Peter and John off with the instruction, “Go and prepare our Passover supper for us.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Thursday, December 11 –
