Monday September 12 / 25 ns 2023 ~ Apodosis of the Nativity of the Theotokos • Holy Hieromartyr Autónomos ~ A TREASURY OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE by Saint Peter of Damascus

   

Today is the

APODOSIS OF THE NATIVITY OF THE

MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS

HOLY HIEROMARTYR AUTÓNOMOS

Intercede for us

During Diocletian's persecution, Autónomos left Italy for Asian Bithynia, for a place called Soreoi. There, he converted many to Christianity, and built a church for them dedicated to the holy Archangel Michael. Autónomos lived in the home of a devout Christian, Cornelius, whom he first ordained as a presbyter, and then consecrated to the episcopacy. Not far from Soreoi there was a place called Limnae, inhabited entirely by pagans. St. Autónomos went to this place and soon enlightened many with the Gospel of Christ. This embittered the pagans, and one day they rushed into the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Soreoi during the divine service and slew Autónomos in the sanctuary, and killed many other Christians in the church. During the reign of the Emperor Constantine, Severian, a royal nobleman, built a church over the tomb of St. Autónomos. Two hundred years after his death, St. Autónomos appeared to a soldier named John. John exhumed the relics of the saint and found them to be completely incorrupt, and many who were sick received healing from Autónomos's relics. Thus, God glorifies the one who glorified Him while living in the flesh.

THE EPISTLE OF THE HOLY APOSTLE PAUL

Ephesians 1:22-2:3 KJV

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

Saint John 11:47-54 KJV

47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,

50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

A TREASURY OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE

by Saint Peter of Damascus

If we so wish, however. God's second gift of grace - repentance - can lead us back to our former beauty.
But if we fail to repent, inevitably we will depart with the unrepentant demons into agelong punishment, more by our own free choice than against our will.
Yet God did not create us for wrath but for salvation (cf I Thess. 5:9), so that we might enjoy His blessings; and we should therefore be thankful and grateful towards our Benefactor.
But our failure to get to know His gifts has made us indolent, and indolence has made us forgetful, with the result that ignorance lords it over us.