What shall we name thee,
we are in doubt and stand in awe.
✜
SUNDAY
October 20
Nov. 2 ns
2025
Holy Great Martyr Artémios,
St. Matróna of Chíos,
Translation of the Relics
St. Matróna of Chíos,
Translation of the Relics
of St. Gerásimos of Cephallenía
✜
✜
This glorious saint was an Egyptian by birth and the chief commander under Emperor Constantine the Great. When the victorious Cross, surrounded by stars, appeared to Emperor Constantine, Artémios also saw that Cross, believed in the Lord Christ and was baptized.
Later, during the reign of Emperor Constantius, this emperor sent him to Greece to remove the relics of St. Andrew from Patras and St. Luke from Thebes, and to take them to Constantinople. Commander Artémios carried this out with joy. After that, Artémios was appointed as Augustalis and imperial prefect in Egypt. He remained in this position during the reign of Constantius, and for a period of time under Emperor Julian the Apostate.
When the apostate emperor went to war against the Persians, he came through Antioch and commanded Artémios to come to Antioch with his army. Artémios came. Then the emperor subjected two Christian priests, Eugenius and Macarius, to torture. Seeing this, Artémios became greatly disturbed and, facing the emperor, said: "Why, O Emperor, why do you inhumanly torture these innocent and dedicated men of God, and why do you force them to renounce the Orthodox Faith?'' Artémios continued, prophesying: "Your death is near.'' The enraged emperor sent those two honorable priests into exile to Arabia, where they died shortly thereafter. He then stripped Commander Artémios of his military rank and ordered him to be flogged and torn asunder. Thoroughly wounded and bloodied, Artémios was thrown into prison, where the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him, and healed and comforted him. Then the emperor commanded that he be spread out on a stone, and that another heavy stone be placed upon him, so that his body would be smashed flat as a board. Finally, St. Artémios was beheaded. It was the year 362. Emperor Julian went out against the Persians and perished dishonorably, as St. Artémios had foretold.
✜
Orthros
Saint John 21:1-14
King James Version
21 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
Galatians 2:16-20
King James Version
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Divine Liturgy
Saint Luke 8:26-39
King James Version
26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.
34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
from
Hymns On Paradise
Saint Ephraem the Syrian of Nisibis
It has already been seen that the two Trees, of Life and
of Knowledge, have different positions on the Paradise
mountain, the former corresponding to the Holy of Holies,
the latter to the sanctuary veil. The Tree of Knowledge is
thus the "gate" leading to the Tree of Life.
St Ephrem, in common with a number of other early
Christian writers held the view that God created Adam and Eve
in an intermediate state: if they kept the commandment
not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge,
then they would be rewarded by being allowed to eat it
and would thereby be enabled to progress to the Tree of
Life, thus acquiring Divinity.
In the event, however,
their unthinking greed led them to break
the commandment, and although they did thereby gain
knowledge, it was only a knowledge of what they had lost
by their disobedience.
In one of the Hymns St Ephrem puts it as follows:
Who is there who can expound that Tree
which caused those who sought it to go astray?
It is an invisible target, hidden from the eyes,
which wearies those who shoot at it.
It is both the Tree of Knowledge, and of the opposite;
it is the cause of knowledge, for by it humanity knows what was the gift that was lost
and the punishment that took its place.
Blessed is that Fruit which has mingled
a knowledge of the Tree of Life into mortals.
No comments:
Post a Comment