Daily Reading:

Thursday

LITURGY

Ephesians 1:1-9

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Mark 7:24-30

And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

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ST THEODORA OF ALEXANDRIA

ST DEINIOL, ABBOT OF BANGOR

Troparion of the Feast Tone 4

Thy Nativity, O Mother of God,/ has brought joy to all the world;/ for from thee arose the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,/ Who, having dissolved the curse, has given His blessing,/ and having abolished death, has granted us life eternal.

Troparion of St Theodora Tone 3

Thou didst offer thy life as a holy gift, O righteous Theodora:/ for radiant with the light of repentance thou didst illumine mankind./ Pray to Christ Who has glorified thee/ to grant us His great mercy.

Troparion of St Deiniol Tone 4

By thy teaching and pious life/ thou didst shine forth in the age of Saints, O Hierarch Deiniol,/ and becoming Bangor's first bishop thou wast an instrument of God's grace,/ leading many to salvation./ Pray, O Saint, that we may be led into the Way of Truth that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion of the Feast Tone 4

Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness/ and Adam and Eve from the corruption of death, O Immaculate One, by thy holy nativity./ And thy people, redeemed from the guilt of sin,/ celebrate thy birth by crying to thee:/ The barren woman gives birth to the Mother of God and the nurse of our life.

Kontakion of St Theodora Tone 2

Thou didst spend thy life in fasting and prayer/ and entreat forgiveness of thy sin:/ and thou didst receive it and show us the way of repentance,/ O righteous Mother Theodora.