Wednesday May 4 / 17 ns 2023  Apodosis of Mid-Pentecost • Holy Nun-Martyr Pelagía, The Holy New Martyrs of Baták in Bulgaria, St. Nicephorus the Solitary, St. Monica of Tagaste  Wine and olive oil are permitted. > Acts 13:13–24; St. John 6:5–14 > Prayers By the Lake by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

C H R I S T   I S   R I S E N !

Wednesday May 4 / 17 ns 2023

Apodosis of Mid-Pentecost
Holy Nun-Martyr Pelagía,
The Holy New Martyrs of Baták in Bulgaria, St. Nicephorus the Solitary, St. Monica of Tagaste

Wine and olive oil

permitted today

Pelagía was born in the town of Tarsus of pagan but distinguished and wealthy parents. Hearing about Christ and the salvation of souls from Christians, she burned with love for the Savior and, in her soul, was totally Christian. 

At that time there was a terrible persecution of Christians. It so happened that the Emperor Diocletian stopped off at Tarsus and during the time of his stay in Tarsus, his son, the crown prince fell deeply in love with Pelagía and wanted to take her as his wife. Pelagía replied through her nefarious mother that she had already been betrothed to her heavenly Bridegroom, Christ the Lord. 

Fleeing from the profane crown prince and her wicked mother, Pelagía sought and found Bishop Linus, a man distinguished for his holiness. He instructed Pelagía in the Christian Faith and baptized her. Then Pelagía gave away her luxurious garments, much wealth, returned home and confessed to her mother that she is already baptized. Learning of this and having lost all hope that he will gain this holy virgin for his wife, the crown prince stabbed himself with a sword and died. 

The wicked mother denounced her daughter before the emperor and turned her over to him for trial. The emperor was amazed at the beauty of this young virgin and, forgetting his son, became inflamed with impure passions toward her. But since Pelagía remained unwavering in her faith, the emperor sentenced her to be burned alive in a metal ox, glowing with a red-hot fire. When the executioner stripped her, St. Pelagía made the sign of the cross and with a prayer of thanksgiving to God on her lips, entered the glowing ox where, in the twinkling of an eye, she completely melted like wax. 

Pelagía suffered honorably in the year 287 A.D. The remains of her bones were acquired by Bishop Linus and he buried them on a hill under a stone. At the time of Emperor Constantine Copronymos (741-775 A.D) and, on that exact spot, a beautiful church was built in honor of the holy virgin and martyr Pelagía, who sacrificed herself for Christ in order to reign eternally with Christ.

Acts

13:13-24

KJV

Righteous Benjamin

{Hebrew & Arabic:  Ben 'son of'

Yameen 'the right" or 'right hand'}

13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Saint John

6:5-14

KJV

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

Prayers By the Lake

by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

*Lake Ochrid 1921-1922

Accept the sacrifice of my words, my Father — accept the babbling of a penitent child, my Father!

Correct my words with Thy truth, and accept them on the footstool of Thy feet.

Cense my sacrifice with the fragrant incense of a saint’s prayer and do not reject it, O Triradiate Master of worlds.

The ranks of angels offer Thee a more eloquent sacrifice, but their words stream to them from Thee, and return to Thee, untainted by the repulsiveness of darkness and not throttled in the throat by sin.

I am poor, and I have nothing else to offer on Thy sacrificial altar except these words.

Even if I were to offer up creatures to Thee, I would be offering up words. For what are creatures except words. Thou hast filled the entire universe with tongues, which are flames when they lift up praise to Thee; and water — when they whisper Thy praises to themselves.

Even if I were to offer up a lamb to Thee, I would be offering Thee a word.

Even if I were to offer up a bird to Thee, I would be offering Thee a word.

Why should I offer up someone else’s word to my Lord, why someone else’s, and not my own?

Who has made me master over someone else’s life and someone else’s song, over someone else’s flame and someone else’s sacrifice; who?

My words are my life and my song, my flame and my sacrifice. I have taken from what is Thine and am offering it up to Thee — accept it and do not reject it, O Mother plenteous in lovingkindness.

I have picked a handful of wheat out of a field of tares, accept even a single kernel of wheat out of my handful and Thou wilt make me happy.1

From a single kernel Thou can bake bread, enough for nations.

Accept my mite, O Son Who Resurrects, accept and do not reject the mite of a pauper.

Accept my sacrifice not for my sake but for the sake of someone who is even more impoverished than I; is there such a person?

Someone who does not even have what I do, for his sake accept my sacrifice; does such a person exist?

The world squeezed me like an accordion, scarcely did I take a breath and I moaned. Let Thine angels give melody to my moaning and let them offer it up before Thee, my love.

I remind myself of all the blessings Thou hast  bestowed on me during my lifetime, my unfailing Companion, and I am offering up to Thee a gift in return from myself.

I am not offering up to Thee my entire self, for I am not entirely worthy to burn on Thy most pure sacrificial altar. I cannot offer as a sacrifice to the Immortal One what is intended for death and corruption.

I offer up to Thee only that which has grown within me under Thy light, that which was saved in me by Thy Word.

Accept the sacrifice of my words, O Triune Bouquet of Flowers; accept the babbling of a new-born child.

When the choirs of angels begin to sing around Thy throne, when the archangels’ trumpets begin to blare, when Thy martyrs begin to weep for joy, and Thy saints begin to sob their prayers for the salvation of the Church on earth, do not despise the sacrifice of my words, O Lord my God.

Do not mishear, but hear.

I pray to Thee and bow down to Thee, now and throughout all time, and throughout all eternity. Amen.

* Saint John the Theologian is a Macedonian Orthodox Church situated on the cliff over Kaneo Beach overlooking Lake Ohrid in the city of Ohrid, North Macedonia.