Daily Reading:

Tuesday August 17th/30th
11th Week After Pentecost

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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 Corinthians 2:14-3:3

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Matthew 23:23-28

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

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HOLY HIEROMARTYR MYRON
ST ALYPIOS THE ICONOGRAPHER

Troparion of the Feast Tone 1
In giving birth thou didst preserve thy virginity;/ in falling asleep thou didst not forsake the world, O Theotokos./ Thou wast translated to life, O Mother of Life,/ and by your prayers you deliver our souls from death.

Troparion of St Myron Tone 4
O holy Myron, thou wast an alabaster vessel of virtue,/ thou didst faithfully serve Christ's Church and contest as a martyr./ Wherefore by the fragrance of the gifts God has given thee,/ thou didst dispel the stench of our soul's passions,/ and by thy prayers thou dost obtain our forgiveness.

Troparion of St Alypios Tone 8
Thou didst portray the Saints' faces on panels of wood, O all-praised Alypios,/ as a skilled craftsman thou didst inscribe their good works on the tablets of thy heart./ Like an icon adorned in a God-like manner thou wast gilded with the grace of holiness/ by Christ our God the Savior of our souls.

Kontakion of the Feast Tone 2
Neither the tomb nor death could hold the Theotokos,/ who is sleepless in her intercessions and an unchanging hope in her mediations./ For as the Mother of Life she was transferred to life/ by Him Who dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.

Kontakion of St Myron Tone 2
Thou didst love Christ from thy childhood, O glorious Martyr,/ thou didst keep His commandments and run to Him wholeheartedly, O Myron./ Now thou art resting with the Angels/ and dost glorify Him and art asking forgiveness for us all.

Kontakion of St Alypios Tone 2
Divinely sealed, thou didst learn iconography from thy childhood/ and take thy part in adorning the church of the Mother of God./ Thou didst behold the illumination of the Holy Spirit/ and receive power from God to write miracleworking icons./ Wherefore we venerate thee, blessed Alypios.