T H U R S D A Y
June 19 / July 2 ns 2025
H O L Y
A P O S T L E S'
F A S T
f I S H, w & o
Today we praise
Holy Apostle Jude, Brother of God,
of the Twelve;
St. Paḯsios the Great;
St. John the Wonderworker
of Shanghai and San Francisco
SAINT JUDE was one of the Twelve Apostles. He was the son of Joseph and Salome and the brother of James, the brother of the Lord. With Salome, the daughter of Angeja the son of Varahina, the brother of Zacharias, Joseph the carpenter had four sons: James, Hosea, Simon and Jude. This Jude is sometimes called: "Jude, the brother of James" because of his more famous brother (St. Luke 6:16 Acts 1:14).
St. Jude begins his epistle in this manner: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James" (St. Jude 1:1). Even though he could be called the brother of the Lord as much as James, he did not do this out of humility and shame for, in the beginning, he did not believe Christ the Lord. When the elder Joseph, before his death, wanted to leave a portion of his estate to Jesus as well as to his other children, all of them protested this, even Jude, only James voluntarily set aside a share of his portion and intended it for Jesus. Jude is also called Levi and Thaddeus. There is another Thaddeus of the Seventy Apostles (August 21) but this Thaddeus or Jude was one of the Great Apostles.
St. Jude preached the Gospel throughout Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Idumedia, Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Armenia. In Edessa, the town of Abgar, he augmented the preaching of the other Thaddeus. When Jude preached throughout the regions around Ararat he was captured by pagans, crucified on a cross and killed by being shot throughout with arrows to eternally reign in the Kingdom of Christ.
Saint Jude KJV
1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Saint John 14:21-24 KJV
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
SYNAXIS
In Memory of the Veneration of the MAGI
Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra Monastery Mt. Athos
At that time, three Magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem with a magnificent escort, asking after the newborn King, whom they had come to venerate. Priests and seers from among the pagan worshippers of the sun and the other stars, but nonetheless upright and endowed with wisdom, they investigated the heavenly bodies, not in order to predict the future but to trace the ways of Divine Providence; and they studied the secrets of nature in order to come to knowledge of the Truth. Full of these good intentions, not the demons, but the dead who await the resurrection.
Some say they came from Persia, others that they would more probably have come from Arabia, a country of Semitic language which was, at the time, the center of trade in the rare commodities they brought as gifts. While some commentators assume that they arrived on the very day of the Nativity, warned long in advance by the star, others are of the opinion that the star first appeared to them on this day, and that they arrived in Bethlehem from thirteen days to two years later. There are also those who maintain that the Magi saw the star appear on 24 Dec. and arrived in Jerusalem the next day transported by an angel, just as the Prophet Habakkuk had once been conveyed from Judea to Babylon to visit the Prophet Daniel (cf. 2 Dec.).
They had observed the sudden appearance in the firmament of a star which, drawing near the earth, shone with so brilliant a light as to be clearly visible even at midday, and which at night out-shone every other star.
From their knowledge of the sayings of the ancient Prophets, the Magi recalled the Prophecy about Israel pronounced long before by Balaam, the seer who came from Mesopotamia at the request of Balak, the King of Moab: I see Him but not now, I glorify Him, but not nigh; a Star shall come forth out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel (Num. 24:17). They deduced that the King who would subdue the nations, the Messiah awaited by Israel had appeared, and they made ready for the long journey.
Being the first-fruits of the Gentiles and prefiguring the conversion of the peoples far removed from the revelation to Israel, they set out to bring Him their worship in advance of the stony-hearted Jews, and as they went, the star going before showed them the way.
Strange though it may seem, this luminary was no inanimate light, but one of the angelic powers of heaven which took the form of a star, to conform to the understanding of the Magi, who were accustomed to study the stars for clues to the attainment of knowledge of God. Unlike the planets that appear to move from East to West, this star, which was brighter than the sun, went before them from Persia in the North, southward to Jerusalem, and then disappeared for a while, before leading them to Bethlehem and stationing itself over the place where the Child lay (St Matt. 2:9).
It showed the way to the Magi, as the pillar of fire had shown the way to the people of Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21); and it came down so close to the ground that the cave where the Savior lay was indicated clearly in its light. These extraordinary happenings, which astrology could not account for had the effect of driving doubt from the spirit of the Magi and of causing them to lay aside all mistrust so that, even while they were on their way, they gave up the worship of the stars for the adoration of the Sun of righteousness. Who has come into the world to shed upon mankind the light of true knowledge of God.
When they reached Jerusalem the star disappeared from their sight. Not knowing where to go, but believing that the Jews would be eager to recognize their King from on High, they made their way to the palace of Herod, the King of Judea, a cruel and depraved man who never hesitated to rid himself of anyone who might be a threat to his power. On learning from the Magi why they had come, he immediately gathered the scribes and doctors of the Law to find out who the King announced by the Prophets might be. The Elders assured him that the Messiah, the Liberator of Israel, was indeed expected at Bethlehem, the native town of King David. Then having called the Magi to a private audience, Herod directed them to Bethlehem and asked them to let him know on their return where the newborn King was to be found so that he too may come and do him homage, as he alleged (St Matt. 2:8), while really intending to do Him to death.
As soon as they left Jerusalem, the star appeared once again to the Magi and led them to the humble cave. Entering therein full of joy and holy fear as into the palace of the greatest of Kings, these rich and noble travelers from afar cast themselves to the ground before the Child enthroned in the manger, and opening the treasures of their hearts, they adored him and offered Him rare and precious gifts; gold to honour him as King, incense as befitting God, and myrrh—the aromatic oil used in the burial of the dead—for the Immortal One who was soon to suffer death for our Salvation."
Then warned in a dream of Herod's plan, they returned to their own country by another road, thereby teaching those who have once drawn near to Christ not to return to evil ways.
To Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Our Savior be Glory, now and forever and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
At that time, three Magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem with a magnificent escort, asking after the newborn King, whom they had come to venerate. Priests and seers from among the pagan worshippers of the sun and the other stars, but nonetheless upright and endowed with wisdom, they investigated the heavenly bodies, not in order to predict the future but to trace the ways of Divine Providence; and they studied the secrets of nature in order to come to knowledge of the Truth. Full of these good intentions, not the demons, but the dead who await the resurrection.
Some say they came from Persia, others that they would more probably have come from Arabia, a country of Semitic language which was, at the time, the center of trade in the rare commodities they brought as gifts. While some commentators assume that they arrived on the very day of the Nativity, warned long in advance by the star, others are of the opinion that the star first appeared to them on this day, and that they arrived in Bethlehem from thirteen days to two years later. There are also those who maintain that the Magi saw the star appear on 24 Dec. and arrived in Jerusalem the next day transported by an angel, just as the Prophet Habakkuk had once been conveyed from Judea to Babylon to visit the Prophet Daniel (cf. 2 Dec.).
They had observed the sudden appearance in the firmament of a star which, drawing near the earth, shone with so brilliant a light as to be clearly visible even at midday, and which at night out-shone every other star.
From their knowledge of the sayings of the ancient Prophets, the Magi recalled the Prophecy about Israel pronounced long before by Balaam, the seer who came from Mesopotamia at the request of Balak, the King of Moab: I see Him but not now, I glorify Him, but not nigh; a Star shall come forth out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel (Num. 24:17). They deduced that the King who would subdue the nations, the Messiah awaited by Israel had appeared, and they made ready for the long journey.
Being the first-fruits of the Gentiles and prefiguring the conversion of the peoples far removed from the revelation to Israel, they set out to bring Him their worship in advance of the stony-hearted Jews, and as they went, the star going before showed them the way.
Strange though it may seem, this luminary was no inanimate light, but one of the angelic powers of heaven which took the form of a star, to conform to the understanding of the Magi, who were accustomed to study the stars for clues to the attainment of knowledge of God. Unlike the planets that appear to move from East to West, this star, which was brighter than the sun, went before them from Persia in the North, southward to Jerusalem, and then disappeared for a while, before leading them to Bethlehem and stationing itself over the place where the Child lay (St Matt. 2:9).
It showed the way to the Magi, as the pillar of fire had shown the way to the people of Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21); and it came down so close to the ground that the cave where the Savior lay was indicated clearly in its light. These extraordinary happenings, which astrology could not account for had the effect of driving doubt from the spirit of the Magi and of causing them to lay aside all mistrust so that, even while they were on their way, they gave up the worship of the stars for the adoration of the Sun of righteousness. Who has come into the world to shed upon mankind the light of true knowledge of God.
When they reached Jerusalem the star disappeared from their sight. Not knowing where to go, but believing that the Jews would be eager to recognize their King from on High, they made their way to the palace of Herod, the King of Judea, a cruel and depraved man who never hesitated to rid himself of anyone who might be a threat to his power. On learning from the Magi why they had come, he immediately gathered the scribes and doctors of the Law to find out who the King announced by the Prophets might be. The Elders assured him that the Messiah, the Liberator of Israel, was indeed expected at Bethlehem, the native town of King David. Then having called the Magi to a private audience, Herod directed them to Bethlehem and asked them to let him know on their return where the newborn King was to be found so that he too may come and do him homage, as he alleged (St Matt. 2:8), while really intending to do Him to death.
As soon as they left Jerusalem, the star appeared once again to the Magi and led them to the humble cave. Entering therein full of joy and holy fear as into the palace of the greatest of Kings, these rich and noble travelers from afar cast themselves to the ground before the Child enthroned in the manger, and opening the treasures of their hearts, they adored him and offered Him rare and precious gifts; gold to honour him as King, incense as befitting God, and myrrh—the aromatic oil used in the burial of the dead—for the Immortal One who was soon to suffer death for our Salvation."
Then warned in a dream of Herod's plan, they returned to their own country by another road, thereby teaching those who have once drawn near to Christ not to return to evil ways.
To Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Our Savior be Glory, now and forever and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
