The holy great martyr Marina was born in Antioch of Pisidia in southern Asia Minor into the family of a pagan priest. In her infancy, St. Marina lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid. The nursemaid raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. Upon learning that his daughter had become Christian, the father angrily disowned her. During the time of the persecutions against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), when she was fifteen years old, St. Marina was arrested and locked in prison. With firm trust in the will of God and His help, the young prisoner prepared for her impending fate. She was not swayed by the governor who tried to convince her to renounce Christ and marry him, nor was she swayed by the various tortures she suffered. After a Holy Light healed all her injuries, St. Marina was finally executed by beheading along with 15,000 other Confessors for Christ.
Your lamb Marina, O Jesus, cries out in a loud voice: I love You, my Bridegroom; I seek You with longing; I am crucified with You; in Your baptism, I am buried with You; I suffer for You that I may reign with You; I die for You that I may live with You. Receive me as a spotless sacrifice immolated with love for You. By her prayers, O merciful one, save our souls.
Anointed with the balm of virginity, O virgin Marina, you were crowned with unwilting laurels. You were stained scarlet with a martyr’s blood, and now you are brilliant with miracles of healing. You have received the honors of a martyr’s triumph.
2 Corinthians 6: 1-10
Brothers and sisters: As your fellow workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you.” Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! We avoid giving anyone offense, so that our ministry may not be blamed. On the contrary, in all that we do we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God, acting with patient endurance amid trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, and riots; as men familiar with hard work, sleepless nights, and fastings; conducting ourselves with innocence, knowledge, and patience, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love as men with the message of truth and the power of God; wielding the weapons of righteousness with right hand and left, whether honored or dishonored, spoken of well or ill. We are called imposters, yet we are truthful; nobodies who in fact are well known; dead, yet here we are alive; punished, but not put to death; sorrowful, though we are always rejoicing; poor, yet we enrich many. We seem to have nothing, yet everything is ours!
Luke 7: 36-50
At that time there was a certain Pharisee who invited Jesus to dine with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and reclined to eat. A woman known in the town to be a sinner learned that he was dining in the Pharisee’s home. She brought in a vase of perfumed oil and stood behind him at his feet, weeping so that her tears fell upon his feet. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissing them and perfuming them with the oil. When his host, the Pharisee, saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet he would know who and what sort of woman this is that touched him–that she is a sinner.” In answer to his thoughts, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to propose to you.” “Teacher,” he said, “speak.”
Jesus said, “Two men owed money to a certain money-lender; one owed a total of five hundred coins, the other fifty. Since neither was able to repay, he wrote off both debts. Which of them was more grateful to him?” Simon answered, “He, I presume, to whom he remitted the larger sum.” Jesus said to him, “You are right.”
Turning then to the woman, Jesus said to Simon: “You see this woman? I came to your home and you provided me with no water for my feet. She has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since I entered. You did not anoint my feet with perfume. I tell you, that is why her many sins are forgiven–because of her great love. Little is forgiven the one whose love is small.”
Jesus said to her then, “Your sins are forgiven”; at which his fellow guests began to ask among themselves, “Who is this that he even forgives sins?” Meanwhile Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has been your salvation. Now go in peace.”
1 Corinthians 11: 8-22
Brothers and sisters: Man was not made from woman but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman but woman for man. For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of submission on her head, because of the angels. Yet, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man nor man independent of woman. In the same way that woman was made from man, so man is born of a woman; and all is from God. I will let you judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you that it is dishonorable for a man to wear his hair long, while the long hair of a woman is her glory? Her hair has been given her for a covering. If anyone wants to argue about this, remember that neither we nor the churches of God recognize any other usage.
What I now have to say is not said in praise, because your meetings are not profitable but harmful. First of all, I hear that when you gather for a meeting there are divisions among you, and I am inclined to believe it. There may even have to be factions among you for the tried and true to stand out clearly. When you assemble it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for everyone is in haste to eat his own supper. One person goes hungry while another gets drunk. Do you not have homes where you can eat and drink? Would you show contempt for the church of God, and embarrass those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this manner!
Matthew 17: 10-18
At that time the disciples put this question to Jesus: “Why do the scribes claim that Elijah must come first?” In reply he said: “Elijah is indeed coming, and he will restore everything. I assure you, though, that Elijah has already come, but they do not recognize him and they did as they pleased with him. The Son of Man will suffer at their hands in the same way.” The disciples then realized that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptizer.
As they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord,” he said, “take pity on my son who is demented and in a serious condition. For example, he often falls into the fire and frequently into the water. I have brought him to your disciples but they could not cure him.” In reply Jesus said: “What an unbelieving and perverse lot you are! How long must I remain with you? How long can I endure you? Bring him here to me!” Then Jesus reprimanded the demon and it came out of the boy. That very moment the boy was cured.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Thursday, July 16 –
