Our holy fathers Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs, were brothers born in Thessalonica in the first half of the ninth century. Since Methodius had been a soldier among the Slavs in Macedonia, he was considered an excellent candidate for carrying the Gospel to the Khazars. After the invention of the first Slavonic alphabet by Cyril, they began translating the Gospel and liturgical books into Church Slavonic. At the invitation of Prince Rastislav, they went to Moravia to spread the Faith. They went to Rome at the invitation of the pope, and Cyril fell ill and died there on Feb. 14, 869. Methodius then returned to Moravia and continued his apostolic work until his death on April 6, 885.
As equals to the apostles and teachers of the Slavs, beg the Master of all to confirm us in the faith and in unity of heart, O Cyril and Methodius. Beg Him for peace in the world and mercy on our souls.
We honor those priests who gave us the Light, who opened the fountain of theology for us by translating the Holy Scriptures, thus starting a river from them that still runs today. We glorify you, O Cyril and Methodius, who stand in heaven before the throne of the Lord on high, and who pray so fervently for all of us.
Hebrews 13: 17-21
Brothers and sisters: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over you as men who must render an account. So act that they may fulfill their task with joy, not with sorrow, for that would be harmful to you. Pray for us; we are confident that we have a good conscience, wishing, as we do, to act rightly in every respect. I especially ask your prayers that I may be restored to you very soon. May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. Through Jesus Christ may he carry out in you all that is pleasing to him. To Christ be the glory forever! Amen.
John 10 9-16
The Lord said: “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be safe. He will go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand — who is no shepherd nor owner of the sheep — catches sight of the wolf coming and runs away, leaving the sheep to be snatched and scattered by the wolf. That is because he works for pay; he has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me in the same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father; for these sheep I will give my life. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them, too, and they shall hear my voice. There shall be one flock then, one shepherd.”
Acts 9: 32-42
In those days, when Peter was making numerous journeys, he went -among other places- to God’s holy people living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you! Get up and make you bed.” The man got up at once. All the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon, upon seeing him, were converted to the Lord.
Now in Joppa there was a certain woman convert named Tabotha (in Greek Dorcas, meaning gazelle). Her life was marked by constant good deeds and acts of charity. At about that time she fell ill and died. They washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples who had heard that Peter was there sent two men to him with the urgent request, “Please come over to us without delay.” Peter set out with them as they asked. Upon his arrival they took him upstairs to the room. All the windows came when she was still with them. Peter first made everyone go outside; then he knelt down and prayed. Turning to the dead body, he said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, then looked at Peter and sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. The next thing he did was call in those who were believers and the widows to show them all that she was alive. This became known all over Joppa, and because of it, many came to believe in the Lord.
John 5: 1-15
At that time, on the occasion of a Jewish feast, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Pool there is a place with the Hebrew name Bethesda. Its five porticos were crowded with sick people lying there blind, lame, or disabled waiting for the movement of the water. There was one man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus, who knew the man had been sick for a long time, said when he saw him lying there, “Do you want to be healed?” “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I do not have anyone to plunge me into the pool once the water has been stirred up. By the time I get there, someone else has gone in ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk!” The man was immediately cured; he picked up his mat and began to walk.
The day was a sabbath. Consequently, some of the Jews began telling the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath, and you are not allowed to carry that mat around.” He explained, “It was the man who cured me who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” “This person who told you to pick it up and walk,” they asked, “who is he?” The man who had been restored to health had no idea who it was. The crowd in that place was so great that Jesus had been able to slip away.
Later on, Jesus found the man in the temple precincts and said to him: “Remember, now, you have been cured. Give up your sins so that something worse may not overtake you.” The man went odd and informed the Jews that Jesus was the one who had cured him.
Saturday, May 10 –
