Daily Scripture Readings and Lives of the Saints,
on Monday, May 19, 2008 we celebrate:
EPISTLE READING
The Reading is from Acts of the Apostles 10:1-16
IN THOSE DAYS, at Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a
centurion of what
was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all
his
household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly
to God.
About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel
of God
coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in
terror, and
said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your
alms have
ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and
bring one
Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose
house is
by the seaside." When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he
called two of
his servants and a devout soldier from among those that waited on
him, and
having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. The next
day, as they
were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the
housetop
to pray, about the sixth hour. And he became hungry and desired
something to
eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw
the heaven
opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by
four corners
upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and
birds of the
air. And there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But
Peter
said, "No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or
unclean."
And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has
cleansed, you must
not call common." This happened three times, and the thing was taken
up at once
to heaven.
GOSPEL READING
4th Monday after Pascha
The Reading is from John 6:56-69
The Lord said to the Jews who had believed in him, "He who eats my
flesh and
drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent
me, and I
live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of
me. This is
the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate
and died; he
who eats this bread will live forever." This he said in the
synagogue, as he
taught at Capernaum.
Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard
saying; who
can listen to it?" But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples
murmured at
it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?" Then what if you
were to see
the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that
gives life,
the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are
spirit and
life. But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew
from the
first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would
betray
him. And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me
unless it
is granted him by the Father."
After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about
with him.
Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter
answered
him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;
and we
have believed, and have come to know, that you are Christ, the Son of
the
living God."
Patrick the Hieromartyr & Bishop of Proussa and his Companions
May 19
Reading:
Saint Patrick was Bishop of Prusa, a city in Bithynia (the
present-day Brusa or
Bursa). Because of his Christian Faith, he was brought before Julius
(or
Julian) the Consul, who in his attempts to persuade Patrick to
wor****p as he
himself did, declared that thanks was owed to the gods for providing
the hot
springs welling up from the earth for the benefit of men. Saint Patrick
answered that thanks for this was owed to our Lord Jesus Christ, and
explained
that when He, Who is God, created the earth, He made it with both
fire and
water, and the fire under the earth heats the water which wells up,
producing
hot springs; he then explained that there is another fire, which
awaits the
ungodly. Because of this, he was cast into the hot springs, but it
was the
soldiers who cast him in, and not he, who were harmed by the hot
water. After
this Saint Patrick was beheaded with the presbyters Acacius,
Menander, and
Polyaenus. Most likely, this was during the reign of Diocletian
(284-305).
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received as
the prize
the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For
since they
possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants and wholly
destroyed the
demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by their prayers,
save our
souls, since Thou art merciful.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Since the Church hath thy body as a sacred gem of Jesus Christ, she now
rejoiceth thereat, O blest Patrick, and with joy she crieth unto
thee: Through
thy prayers, O wise Father, all the world is preserved in peace and
tranquillity, and it is kept unharmed and unconquered by any heresy.
Reading, Apolytikion ,Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration
Monastery (C) 2008 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America-- DAILYREADINGS
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