Daily Reading:

Friday February 4th/17

Week of the Publican and the Pharasee

ST ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM
HOLY HIEROMARTYR ALDATE

FAST FREE WEEK

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

Illumine my heart, O Master who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open Thou the eyes of my mind to the understanding of Thy Gospel teachings. Implant also in me a love for Thy blessed commandments. Grant me the grace to overcome all my carnal desires, so that I may enter more completely into a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well pleasing to Thee. For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit; now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Thy law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom. On Thee do I set my hope, O my God, that Thou shalt enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Thy knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the Saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For Thou art the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from Thee cometh every good deed and every gift. Amen.

By the intercessions of Thine All-immaculate Mother and of all Thy Saints, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen

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Friday

LITURGY

1 John 2:7-17

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Mark 14:3-9

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

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ST ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM
HOLY HIEROMARTYR ALDATE

Troparion of the Feast Tone 1
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace,/ Mother of God and Virgin,/ for from thee arose the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,/ to give light to those in darkness./ Rejoice thou also, righteous Elder, who didst take in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls,/ Who also gives us the grace of resurrection.

Troparion of St Isidore Tone 4
In thy wisdom thou didst gloriously adorn the Church of Christ/ with thy many homilies, O righteous Isidore,/ thou wast purified by abstinence, deed and divine vision/ and didst shine forth in the world./ Through thy words, O Father, we are guided and initiated into a more excellent life.

Troparion of St Aldate Tone 1
Through thy pious upbringing thou didst become a shining beacon of the Orthodox Faith,/ O Hierarch Aldate./ Wherefore, O Saint, intercede for us that not straying from the true Faith,/ we may attain eternal salvation.

Kontakion of the Feast Tone 1
Thou Who didst sanctify the Virgin's womb by Thy birth/ and bless Symeon's hands as was fitting/ hast now come to us and saved us, O Christ our God./ But grant peace in the midst of wars to Thy community,/ and strengthen the Church which Thou hast loved,/ O only Lover of mankind.

Kontakion of St Isidore Tone 4
O Isidore, thou wast another morning star,/ and the Church is illumined by the brilliance of thy words./ She cries out to thee: Rejoice, O divinely wise and blessed Isidore.

Kontakion of St Aldate Tone 2
As a torch of truth, a tower of strength,/ a bastion of Faith, O Martyr Hierarch Aldate,/ thou art the adornment of Gloucester,/ the joy of all our nation and most worthy of all praise.

On Prayer of the Nous and Heart

The main goal of the monastic life (and for the life of everyone, indeed) is to unite us very strongly with God, Who is the ultimate. When a person is united with God and God dwells within his heart, he lacks nothing. There is no void within his soul. Furthermore, he does not even lack any material thing necessary for living in this present life. This is but one more proof of how much God loves those who obey Him.

Prayer is the means by which we are united very closely with God. By "prayer," we do not mean just praying now and then in front of icons, but along with this---which we must do---a person uses seven words of prayer, which he says when he works, when he eats, when he sits, and when he occupies himself with anything whatsoever, without stopping! We say these words with the mouth, with the nous, or with the heart: "LORD JESUS CHRIST, HAVE MERCY ON ME."

Saying them constantly does not does not tire us. In the beginning one must persist a little; but later, he becomes accustomed to it and says the prayer with great ease and does not want to stop. When he says it, he feels so much spiritual exultation that even at the most difficult moments, if there are any, he is not disturbed or troubled. Rather, with patience he takes refuge in Christ, Whom he entreats to have mercy on him, and Christ consoles him and gives him joy. What is more beautiful than to entreat Christ at every moment and to say His holy name with these lips of clay? Is there a greater honor?

These words contain our whole faith. In saying "Lord," we believe that we are servants of God and that He is our lord. This honors Christ, that we make Him our lord, but it also honors us, who are servants of such a lord, Who is God.
When we say "Jesus," which is the human name of God, all the earthly life of Christ, from His birth to His Ascension, comes to mind.

In saying "Christ," which means anointed by God, king of heaven and earth, we confess and believe that Christ is our God, Who created everything and is in heaven and will come again to judge the world.

In saying "have mercy on me," we entreat God to send us His help and His mercy, for we acknowledge that without divine help we are not able to do anything. This, in brief, is the explanation of these holy words. Whoever says them experiences many things.

With my whole heart I pray that our sweet Jesus will give you this prayer within your soul, that you may taste the spiritual ambrosia of prayer and are replenished overall.

Sayings of the Holy Fathers:

Fasting is the champion of every virtue, the beginning of the struggle, the crown of the abstinent, the beauty of virginity and sanctity, the resplendence of chastity, the commencement of the path of Christianity, the mother of prayer, the wellspring of sobriety and prudence, the teacher of stillness, and the precursor of all good works. Just as the enjoyment of light is coupled with healthy eyes, so desire for prayer accompanies fasting that is practiced with discernment.

St. Isaac the Syrian

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Justice was above the world when the devil offered all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. He was above the world Who touched nothing concerning the world, Who said: The prince of this world is coming, but in Me he shall find nothing. Learn, therefore, to be above the world even while in this world, and if you bear a body, may your interior wings soar up. He is above the world who bears God in his body.

St. Ambrose of Milan

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Do not say in your heart, "It is now impossible for me to acquire a virginal purity, for I have yielded in so many ways to the temptation and passions of the body." Once the soul engages fervently and strenuously in the labors of repentance and we shed tears of repentance, then the prison-house is razed to the ground, the fire of the passions is extinguished, we are spiritually reborn through the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit, and once again the soul becomes a palace of purity and virginity.

St. Nikitas Stithatos

Daily Reading:

February 1st/14th

Week of the Publican and the Pharasee

FOREFEAST OF THE MEETING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
HOLY MARTYR TRYPHO
ST BRIGID OF KILDARE

FAST FREE WEEK

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

Illumine my heart, O Master who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge. Open Thou the eyes of my mind to the understanding of Thy Gospel teachings. Implant also in me a love for Thy blessed commandments. Grant me the grace to overcome all my carnal desires, so that I may enter more completely into a spiritual manner of living, both thinking and doing such things as are well pleasing to Thee. For Thou art the illumination of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, together with Thine all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit; now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, open Thou the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Thy word and understand and do Thy will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Thy commandments from me, but open mine eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Thy law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom. On Thee do I set my hope, O my God, that Thou shalt enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Thy knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the Saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For Thou art the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from Thee cometh every good deed and every gift. Amen.

By the intercessions of Thine All-immaculate Mother and of all Thy Saints, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen

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Tuesday

LITURGY

2 Peter 2:9-22

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Mark 13:14-23

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

For Wednesday:

LITURGY

2 Peter 3:1-18

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Mark 13:24-31

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

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FOREFEAST OF THE MEETING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
HOLY MARTYR TRYPHO
ST BRIGID OF KILDARE

Troparion of the Forefeast Tone 1
The celestial choir of heavenly Angels looked out upon the earth,/ and saw the Firstborn of all creation as a Babe/ being carried to the Temple by a mother who had never known a man./ Wherefore they sing with us in amazement the prefestival hymn.

Troparion of St Trypho Tone 3
In the Holy Spirit thou didst pour forth abundant grace/ on the Church like an unfailing fountain;/ thou dost refresh our souls with the delight of thy gifts./ O glorious Trypho,/ entreat Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.

Troparion of St Brigid of Kildare Tone 1
O holy Brigid, thou didst become sublime through thy humility,/ and didst fly on the wings of thy longing for God./ When thou didst arrive in the Eternal City and appear before thy Divine Spouse,/ wearing the crown of virginity,/ thou didst keep thy promise/ to remember those who have recourse to thee./ Thou dost shower grace upon the world, and dost multiply miracles./ Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Kontakion of the Forefeast Tone 6
The Word Who is invisibly with the Father/ is now ineffably born of the Virgin and is seen in the flesh,/ and is placed in the arms of the holy Elder./ Let us worship Him, our true God.

Kontakion of St Trypho Tone 8
In the power of the Trinity thou didst destroy polytheism throughout the world, O Trypho,/ for thou wast honoured by the Lord./ Thou didst conquer tyrants through Christ the Saviour,/ and didst receive the crown of martyrdom/ and gifts to work healings since thou art invincible.

Kontakion of St Brigid Tone 4
The holy virgin Brigid full of divine wisdom,/ went with joy along the way of evangelical childhood,/ and with the grace of God/ attained in this way the summit of virtue./ Wherefore she now bestows blessings upon those who come to her with faith./ O holy Virgin, intercede with Christ our God/ that He may have mercy on our souls.

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Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple

The TYPIKON should be consulted if the Forefeast falls on the Sunday of the Pharisee, the Publican, or Meatfare.

Because of the Forefeast of the Meeting of the Lord, the service to St Tryphon (February 1) may be moved to Compline or to another day, as the rector decides, unless the parish is dedicated to St Tryphon, or there is a particular devotion to him.

Sayings of the Holy Fathers:

Let no one have wicked thoughts within, but let us cleanse our minds, and as we are approaching a clean Sacrifice, let us make our souls holy. And this can be accomplished in a single day.

How? In what way? If you have anything against your enemy, get rid of your wrath, heal the wound, let go of your hostility, that you may receive healing from the Table, for you are approaching the awesome and holy Sacrifice.

The slain offering is Christ. And for whom was He slain, for what purpose? That He might make peace between heaven and earth, to make you a friend of angels.

St. John Chrysostom

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God asks three things of anyone who is baptized: to keep the true Faith with all his soul and all his might; to control his tongue; to be chaste in his body.

It is better to be punished and cleansed now, than to be sent to the torment to come, when it will be time for punishing only, not for cleansing.


St. Gregory the Theologian

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"Fasting is acceptable to God when abstention from food is accompanied by refraining from sins, from envy, from hatred, from calumny, from vainglory, from wordiness, from other evils. He who is fasting the true fast `that is agreeable' to God ought to shun all these things with all his strength and zeal, and remain impregnable and unshakeable against all the attacks of the Evil one that are planned from that quarter. On the other hand, he who practices abstention from food, but does not keep self-control in the face of the aforesaid passions, is like unto one who lays down splendid foundations for a house, yet takes serpents and scorpions and vipers as fellow-dwellers therein. For just as the establishment of goodly foundations for that house becomes a deadly trap to those that come nigh, as the lurking reptiles fall upon them unawares with their poison, so also that person who has established his fame among men by means of fasting, while fostering within him the beastlike heads of the passions, is fatal to those that meet him."

St. Photios the Great

Redeeming the Time.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

We hear his words regarding time: "Make the most of the present opportunity, for these are evil days." Briefly, St. Paul points out that the days are evil and life is short. We must meditate over this truth with our whole hearts, remembering just how precious is that time which has been allotted to us. Some consider that such meditations on the passing of time will lead to depression, sadness or gloomy thoughts. But just the opposite is true. Every passing minute brings us close to eternity, each minute asks of us, "what have you done with this time?"

Never forget that we are guests in this world. Guests for a short, a very brief interval. We arrive from a mystery and leave into mystery. But the Lord has revealed to us that our brief lives carry significant meaning in that they prepare us for eternity. It is here on earth that everything divine within us, our soul, personality and conscience, grow and develop.

And how frightful it is for that man who squanders his time, who wastes it on endless trifles, upon insignificant and worthless matters. It can turn out that one has spent his entire life on trivial pursuits, on empty and pointless chatter, upon petty matters that don't even merit thought.

It's impossible to turn back the clock even for just one second, and therefore the apostle implores us, "Be wary of your time, don't waste it on vain pursuits, don't spend it on idle words and frivolous matters. Remember that every minute is precious. Any given hour might cost a person his eternal life." Meditating upon this, we begin to view life in a different light. We begin to approach our duty, our work and everything around us in a distinctive manner. We start to treat life carefully, knowing that perhaps today or tomorrow we may be called to give an account. Consider at this very moment we could all perish. Half of us are already leaning toward old age, beset with all types of ailments. The rest might just as easily die in the blink of an eye.

Let me repeat myself. These thoughts are no cause for depression. Life becomes immeasurably more wonderful when one is aware of its responsibilities. Life becomes a challenge when we know that we shall appear with what we were able to accomplish in this life. This meditation should serve to strengthen and inspire us, and not allow us to fall into depression, idleness, aimlessness or pettiness. This is why in antiquity there was a custom to keep a human skull in one's home. It would serve as a reminder of death. There was usually an inscription added to the skull, "Memento mori" (Remember death). Remember, so that one might live properly, to live with a purpose, with awareness, with love and with labor, knowing that life is granted for only a short time.

How many stones are merely lying about?! Millions, billions and we trod over them in passing, not even noticing. Yet gold is found in tiny nuggets, and one gram is worth a large sum because it is so rare. So it is with time. It's as rare and precious as gold. Therefore, we must always remember to treat time with reverence. If you are working-then work; if you are praying-then pray; if you are relaxing-then relax. But don't spend your time in a pointless and foolish manner. There is an awful phrase, "to kill time." Awful, but true. Time is our very life and if we kill it, if we deliberately waste time, then we end up killing our own life. Examine yourself, think about this and endeavor not to waste your time in vain, pointless or unfruitful efforts.

Finally, when the apostle remarks, "Make the most of your time, for these are evil days," he is teaching us to distinguish between things of greater and lessor importance in our lives. The more important are those things which are unique to humans and which we will take with us, those traits which we shall bear when our bodies are old and decrepit-yet alive with an eternal soul. Everything else is directed toward this end. We eat, dress and labor to support our life so that our spirit may grow. For if this is not our goal, how then do we differ from any plant or animal which also feeds, grows and reproduces?

Therefore, cherish the time that has been given to develop our souls and lives, and treat it as a great gift from God. I know a number of people who were stricken with mortal illnesses and then the Lord gave them additional time. How they valued, how they thanked God that they were given an additional year or two! Then they sharply felt just how important time is. So why should we wait for some fatal illness or danger, when it would be better to heed the apostle's words today: "Redeem the time, for these are evil days." Amen.