Bright Friday

Saints commemorated

Martyr Sabbas Stratelates

Sabbas the Stratelates — "the General" — was a Goth by birth who rose by his courage to high command in the Roman army under the emperor Aurelian (270–275). A Christian from his youth, he spent his pay on the poor and his liberty on visiting confessors in prison, and received from God the gift of healing the sick and driving out demons. Denounced to the emperor, he unbuckled and threw down the soldier's belt that was the badge of his rank rather than deny Christ; and when torture — the scourge, the lighted torches, the cauldron of pitch — left him unharmed, seventy soldiers of his own command confessed Christ and were beheaded where they stood. Comforted in prison by a vision of Christ, Sabbas was tortured again the next morning and then drowned in a river, about the year 272.
Elizabeth the Wonderworker

Elizabeth the Wonderworker was an ascetic and abbess of the convent of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian at Constantinople, born at Heraclea in Thrace of wealthy and long-childless parents who obtained her by prayer and gave her back to God. She kept virginity and an austerity that astonished the capital: a single coarse garment winter and summer, bare feet, no bath, no bread, wine or oil, whole Lents without food, and three years in which she would not so much as raise her eyes to look at the sky. To this life God joined the gift of wonders — she killed a great serpent by her prayer, healed a woman with an issue of blood, and cast out unclean spirits — and after her repose on April 24 both her incorrupt relics and the earth of her grave became a standing remedy for the sick.
Thomas the Fool-for-Christ of Syria

Thomas was a monk of Coele-Syria who used to come down to Antioch to collect his monastery's annual allowance from the revenues of the great church, and who bore in that city the feigned madness of the fool-for-Christ. Struck on the head by Anastasius, the oikonomos of the church of Antioch, who had grown tired of him, he answered that neither would he ever receive the money again nor Anastasius pay it — and both came true, Anastasius dying within a day and Thomas himself the following night, in the hospice at Daphne. Buried in the plot kept for strangers, his body was found lying above the two corpses afterwards laid in the same grave; the marvel was reported to the patriarch, his relics were carried into Antioch in festal procession, and the plague then wasting the city ceased at their translation. The Antiochenes kept his feast with great splendour for generations afterwards, and Evagrius Scholasticus, an Antiochene writing within living memory, is the source for all of it.

British Isles and Ireland

St. Mellitus, 3rd archbishop of Canterbury (624)
St. Egbert of Lindisfarne (729)
St. Dyfnan, son of King Brychan
St. Ivo, hermit of Huntingdonshire (1001)

Troparia & kontakia

Apolytikion

In thee, O Mother, was that which is according to the image preserved with exactness; for taking up the Cross thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to despise the flesh, for it passeth away, but to care for the soul, a thing immortal. Therefore doth thy spirit, O venerable Elizabeth, rejoice together with the Angels.

Apolytikion — Tone 8 (common of a venerable father)

In thee, O Father, was that which is according to the image preserved with exactness; for taking up the Cross thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to despise the flesh, for it passeth away, but to care for the soul, a thing immortal. Therefore doth thy spirit, O venerable Thomas, rejoice together with the Angels.

Exapostilarion

Thou art in very truth the fount of living water, O Lady; therefore thou dost wash away the grievous sicknesses of souls and of bodies by thy touch alone, who pourest forth Christ, the water of salvation.

Kontakion — Tone 8 (to the automelon Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ)

Out of thine inexhaustible Fountain, O thou who art graced of God, thou bestowest upon me the waters of thy grace, which stream forth unfailingly and beyond all speech; for as thou didst bear the Word past all understanding, I entreat thee to bedew me with thy grace, that I may cry to thee: Rejoice, O water of salvation.

Kontakion — Tone 4

Shown forth unconquerable, O commander, thou didst overthrow the cunning of the barbarians; and contending most steadfastly, O glorious one, thou didst put to flight a multitude of invisible foes, and so didst weave for thyself the crown of victory. Pray thou to Christ for us who honour thee with faith, O all-blessed Sabbas.

Megalynarion

Let us honour with faith the life-flowing water of the Fountain, which poureth out the immortal dew, the manna, the divine nectar, the strange ambrosia, the honey out of the rock.

Oikos — Tone 8

O immaculate Theotokos, who ineffably didst bear the pre-eternal Word of the Father, enlarge my mouth, O pure one, and take me with thee unto thy praise, that I may sing thy Fountain and cry aloud: Rejoice, fount of unceasing gladness; rejoice, stream of beauty past telling. Rejoice, undoing of every sickness; rejoice, flood that drowns the manifold passions. Rejoice, clearest current, that makest the faithful whole; rejoice, most gracious water, to them that are many times diseased.

Troparion — Tone 5

Leaving behind the belt and the honours of earthly rank, O sufferer, thou didst confess before the tyrant, the deceitful emperor, that Christ is truly God; and for His sake thou didst endure many torments, O glorious one. Therefore wast thou wreathed with the surpassing crown of victory by the King of all who reign, and wast made radiant among the heavenly hosts. Standing now before Him, O Sabbas, pray that our souls may be saved.

Readings

Epistle

Acts 3.1-8

¹Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ²And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; ³Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. ⁴And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. ⁵And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. ⁶Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. ⁷And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. ⁸And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

Philippians 2.5-11 (Theotokos)

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel

John 2.12-22

¹²After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. ¹³And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, ¹⁴And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: ¹⁵And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; ¹⁶And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. ¹⁷And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. ¹⁸Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? ¹⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. ²⁰Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? ²¹But he spake of the temple of his body. ²²When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Luke 10.38-42, 11.27-28 (Theotokos)

³⁸Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. ⁴⁰But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: ⁴²But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. ²⁷And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. ²⁸But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.