Our venerable father Maximus the confessor, noted theologian and writer who resigned his post as secretary to the Emperor Heraclius and entered the monastery of Chrysopolis, of which he eventually became hegumen. He headed the opposition to the Monothelite heresy. For this he was banished, imprisoned, and lost his tongue and right hand.
The holy martyr Neophyte of Nicea, died a martyr at the age of fifteen during the reign of Diocletian.
The holy martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila suffered for their faith in Christ during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, under the regimental commander Lycius.
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 Maximus, inspired by God and lyre of the Holy Spirit, intercede with Christ our God that he may save our souls.
O Lord our God, your holy martyr Neophyte has deserved the crown of immortality on account of his good fight. Armed with your strength, he has vanquished his persecutors and crushed Satan’s dreadful might. Through his supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls.
Today the Church is filled with music, and the world is replete with miracles. These four holy men have acted bravely against guile, and in their faith they professed Christ. O saints, obtain remission of sins for those who venerate your holy memory.
Let us, O faithful, honor with worthy hymns the great Maximus so highly devoted to the Holy Trinity. He preached faith in God with great courage and glorified Christ in his two natures, two wills, and two operations. Therefore, let us cry out: Rejoice, O preacher of the true faith.
You are a new shoot in the garden of Christ’s martyrs. You offer the fruits of heavenly understanding which nourish those who venerate you in faith. O glorious, wise, and brave martyr Neophyte, as you stand before God, pray for our souls.
Now that we have assembled let us praise the holy and God-bearing martyrs: Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila. They spurned the goods of the world, and now we honor them as a choir of four.
2nd Timothy 3: 10-15
Timothy, my son: you have followed closely my teaching and my conduct. You have observed my resolution, fidelity, patience, love, and endurance, through persecution and sufferings in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. You know what persecutions I have had to bear, and you know how the Lord saved me from them all. Anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus can expect to be persecuted. But all the while evil men and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others, themselves deceived. You, for your part, must remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know who your teachers were. Likewise, from your infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, the source of the wisdom which through faith in Jesus Christ leads to salvation.
Luke 18: 10-14
The Lord told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee with head unbowed prayed in this fashion: ‘I give you thanks, O God, that I am not like the rest of men – grasping, crooked, adulterous – or even like this publican. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes on all I possess.’ The other man, however, kept his distance, not even daring to raise his eyes to heaven. All he did was beat his breast and say, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ Believe me, this man went home from the temple justified but the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled while he who humbled himself shall be exalted.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Saturday, January 20 –
