From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America:
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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Readings for today:
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2
John 10:9-16
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2
Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He
has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this
once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men
in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which
came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for
ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high
priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is
set up not by man but by the Lord.
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from John 10:9-16
The Lord said, "I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and
flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because
he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I
know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have
other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and
they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd."
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
Reading from the Synaxarion:
This great Father and Teacher of the Church was born in 329 in
Arianzus, a village of the second district of Cappadocia, not far from
Nazianzus. His father, who later became Bishop of Nazianzus, was named
Gregory (commemorated Jan. 1), and his mother was named Nonna (Aug. 5);
both are among the Saints, and so are his brother Caesarius (Mar. 9)
and his sister Gorgona (Feb. 23). At first he studied in Caesarea of
Palestine, then in Alexandria, and finally in Athens. As he was sailing from
Alexandria to Athens, a violent sea storm put in peril not only his life but
also his salvation, since he had not yet been baptized. With tears and
fervour he besought God to spare him, vowing to dedicate his whole self
to Him, and the tempest gave way to calm. At Athens Saint Gregory
was later joined by Saint Basil the Great, whom he already knew; but
now their acquaintanceship grew into a lifelong brotherly love.
Another fellow student of theirs in Athens was the young Prince Julian,
who later as Emperor was called the Apostate because he denied Christ
and did all in his power to restore paganism. Even in Athens, before
Julian had thrown off the mask of piety; Saint Gregory saw what an
unsettled mind he had, and said, "What an evil the Roman State is
nourishing" (Orat. V, 24, PG 35:693).
After their studies at Athens, Gregory became Basil's fellow ascetic,
living the monastic life together with him for a time in the hermitages
of Pontus. His father ordained him presbyter of the Church of
Nazianzus, and Saint Basil consecrated him Bishop of Sasima (or Zansima),
which was in the archdiocese of Caesarea. This consecration was a
source of great sorrow to Gregory, and a cause of misunderstanding
between him and Basil; but his love for Basil remained unchanged, as can
be plainly seen from his Funeral Oration on Saint Basil (Orat.
XLIII).
About the Year 379, Saint Gregory came to the assistance of the Church
of Constantinople, which had already been troubled for forty years
by the Arians; by his supremely wise words and many labours he freed
it from the corruption of heresy, and was elected Archbishop of that
city by the Second Ecumenical Council, which assembled there in 381,
and condemned Macedonius, Archbishop of Constantinople, the enemy of
the Holy Spirit. When Saint Gregory came to Constantinople, the
Arians had taken all the churches and he was forced to serve in a house
chapel dedicated to Saint Anastasia the Martyr. From there he began to
preach his famous five sermons on the Trinity, called the Triadica. When
he left Constantinople two years later, the Arians did not have one
church left to them in the city. Saint Meletius of Antioch (see Feb.
12), who was presiding over the Second Ecumenical Council, died in the
course of it, and Saint Gregory was chosen in his stead; there he
distinguished himself in his expositions of dogmatic theology.
Having governed the Church until 382, he delivered his farewell speech -
the Syntacterion, in which he demonstrated the Divinity of the Son -
before 150 bishops and the Emperor Theodosius the Great; in this speech
he requested, and received from all, permission to retire from the
see of Constantinople. He returned to Nazianzus, where he lived to
the end of his life, and reposed in the Lord in 391, having lived
some sixty-two years.
His extant writings, both prose and poems in every type of metre,
demonstrate his lofty eloquence and his wondrous breadth of learning. In the
beauty of his writings, he is considered to have surpassed the Greek
writers of antiquity, and because of his God-inspired theological
thought, he received the surname "Theologian." Although he is sometimes
called Gregory of Nazianzus, this title belongs properly to his father;
he himself is known by the Church only as Gregory the Theologian. He
is especially called "Trinitarian Theologian," since in virtually
every homily he refers to the Trinity and the one essence and nature of
the Godhead. Hence, Alexius Anthorus dedicated the following verses
to him:
Like an unwandering star beaming with splendour,
Thou bringest
us by mystic teachings, O Father,
To the Trinity's sunlike
illumination,
O mouth breathing with fire, Gregory most mighty.
Apolytikion in the First Tone
The pastoral flute of your theology conquered the trumpets of
orators. For it called upon the depths of the Spirit and you were
enriched with the beauty of words. Intercede to Christ our God, O Father
Gregory, that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion in the Third Tone
O Glorious One, you dispelled the complexities of orators with the
words of your theology. You have adorned the Church with the vesture of
Orthodoxy woven from on high. Clothed in this, the Church now cries out to
your children, with us, "Hail Father, the consummate theological
mind."
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press
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Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints for Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Readings for today:
St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2
John 10:9-16
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2
Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He
has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this
once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men
in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which
came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for
ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high
priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is
set up not by man but by the Lord.
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from John 10:9-16
The Lord said, "I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and
flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because
he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good
shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I
know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have
other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and
they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd."
(C) 2011 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
Reading from the Synaxarion:
This great Father and Teacher of the Church was born in 329 in
Arianzus, a village of the second district of Cappadocia, not far from
Nazianzus. His father, who later became Bishop of Nazianzus, was named
Gregory (commemorated Jan. 1), and his mother was named Nonna (Aug. 5);
both are among the Saints, and so are his brother Caesarius (Mar. 9)
and his sister Gorgona (Feb. 23). At first he studied in Caesarea of
Palestine, then in Alexandria, and finally in Athens. As he was sailing from
Alexandria to Athens, a violent sea storm put in peril not only his life but
also his salvation, since he had not yet been baptized. With tears and
fervour he besought God to spare him, vowing to dedicate his whole self
to Him, and the tempest gave way to calm. At Athens Saint Gregory
was later joined by Saint Basil the Great, whom he already knew; but
now their acquaintanceship grew into a lifelong brotherly love.
Another fellow student of theirs in Athens was the young Prince Julian,
who later as Emperor was called the Apostate because he denied Christ
and did all in his power to restore paganism. Even in Athens, before
Julian had thrown off the mask of piety; Saint Gregory saw what an
unsettled mind he had, and said, "What an evil the Roman State is
nourishing" (Orat. V, 24, PG 35:693).
After their studies at Athens, Gregory became Basil's fellow ascetic,
living the monastic life together with him for a time in the hermitages
of Pontus. His father ordained him presbyter of the Church of
Nazianzus, and Saint Basil consecrated him Bishop of Sasima (or Zansima),
which was in the archdiocese of Caesarea. This consecration was a
source of great sorrow to Gregory, and a cause of misunderstanding
between him and Basil; but his love for Basil remained unchanged, as can
be plainly seen from his Funeral Oration on Saint Basil (Orat.
XLIII).
About the Year 379, Saint Gregory came to the assistance of the Church
of Constantinople, which had already been troubled for forty years
by the Arians; by his supremely wise words and many labours he freed
it from the corruption of heresy, and was elected Archbishop of that
city by the Second Ecumenical Council, which assembled there in 381,
and condemned Macedonius, Archbishop of Constantinople, the enemy of
the Holy Spirit. When Saint Gregory came to Constantinople, the
Arians had taken all the churches and he was forced to serve in a house
chapel dedicated to Saint Anastasia the Martyr. From there he began to
preach his famous five sermons on the Trinity, called the Triadica. When
he left Constantinople two years later, the Arians did not have one
church left to them in the city. Saint Meletius of Antioch (see Feb.
12), who was presiding over the Second Ecumenical Council, died in the
course of it, and Saint Gregory was chosen in his stead; there he
distinguished himself in his expositions of dogmatic theology.
Having governed the Church until 382, he delivered his farewell speech -
the Syntacterion, in which he demonstrated the Divinity of the Son -
before 150 bishops and the Emperor Theodosius the Great; in this speech
he requested, and received from all, permission to retire from the
see of Constantinople. He returned to Nazianzus, where he lived to
the end of his life, and reposed in the Lord in 391, having lived
some sixty-two years.
His extant writings, both prose and poems in every type of metre,
demonstrate his lofty eloquence and his wondrous breadth of learning. In the
beauty of his writings, he is considered to have surpassed the Greek
writers of antiquity, and because of his God-inspired theological
thought, he received the surname "Theologian." Although he is sometimes
called Gregory of Nazianzus, this title belongs properly to his father;
he himself is known by the Church only as Gregory the Theologian. He
is especially called "Trinitarian Theologian," since in virtually
every homily he refers to the Trinity and the one essence and nature of
the Godhead. Hence, Alexius Anthorus dedicated the following verses
to him:
Like an unwandering star beaming with splendour,
Thou bringest
us by mystic teachings, O Father,
To the Trinity's sunlike
illumination,
O mouth breathing with fire, Gregory most mighty.
Apolytikion in the First Tone
The pastoral flute of your theology conquered the trumpets of
orators. For it called upon the depths of the Spirit and you were
enriched with the beauty of words. Intercede to Christ our God, O Father
Gregory, that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion in the Third Tone
O Glorious One, you dispelled the complexities of orators with the
words of your theology. You have adorned the Church with the vesture of
Orthodoxy woven from on high. Clothed in this, the Church now cries out to
your children, with us, "Hail Father, the consummate theological
mind."
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press
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