Sunday after Elevation
Saints commemorated
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Martyr Sophia and Daughters Faith, Hope, and Love
Sophia ("Wisdom") was a Christian widow of Italy whose three young daughters — Faith, Hope and Love (Pistis, Elpis and Agape; in Slavic use Vera, Nadezhda and Lyubov), aged twelve, ten and nine — were tortured and beheaded at Rome under the emperor Hadrian (117–138), the mother being compelled to watch. Burying her children on a hill outside the city, Sophia kept vigil at their grave and died there on the third day; the Church crowns her as a martyr in heart though not in blood. Their relics have been venerated at Eschau in Alsace since 777. They are commemorated together on September 17.
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Our Holy Father Lambert, Bishop of Maastricht (705)
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Agathoclia
Agathoclia was a Christian slave in the household of a man named Nicolas, himself a Christian, and his pagan wife Paulina. For eight years her mistress tormented her for her faith — beatings, forced walking barefoot over sharp stones, a rib broken with a hammer, her tongue cut out, and starvation in confinement — and, unable to break her, finally killed her. The synaxaria transmit no place or date for her contest. She is commemorated on September 17.
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Herakleides and Myron of Tamassos
Herakleides and Myron were bishops of Tamassos in Cyprus in the apostolic age. Herakleides, a Cypriot who guided the apostles Barnabas and Mark through the island, was baptised by them and consecrated first bishop of Tamassos by Barnabas; Myron was his successor in the see. Both ended their episcopates in martyrdom — the synaxarion verses say they were given to the pyre, "offered to Christ like the fragrance of myrrh." Their joint memory is kept on September 17, above all at the monastery of Saint Herakleidios near ancient Tamassos, where the first bishop's relics rest.
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156 Martyrs of Palestine
The 156 Martyrs of Palestine were confessors — most of them Egyptians, with Palestinians among them — condemned to the mines of Palestine in the last great persecution and put to death about the year 310 under the governor Firmilian, in the reign of the emperor Galerius and his caesar Maximinus. At their head the tradition names the Egyptian bishops Peleus and Nilus, a presbyter Zeno, and the noblemen Patermuthius and Elias; of the company, one hundred were beheaded and the rest, with their leaders, were burned. They are commemorated together on September 17.
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Theodota of Nicaea
Theodota was a wealthy Christian woman of Cappadocia who suffered a long martyrdom ending at Nicaea around the year 230, in the reign of Alexander Severus. Denounced to the governor Symplicius, she endured raking with iron hooks, imprisonment, a red-hot furnace from which she emerged unharmed between two shining figures, torture on heated iron at Ancyra, and an attempt to saw her body apart, before she was finally beheaded at Nicaea and buried by its bishop Sophronius. She is commemorated on September 17.
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Socrates and Stephen
Socrates and Stephen are early martyrs of Britain known from the martyrologies alone. Their names stand against September 17 in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum tradition, in the early amplifications of Bede's martyrology, and in the Roman Martyrology ("In England, the holy martyrs Socrates and Stephen"); with Alban and with Julius and Aaron of Caerleon they are the only martyrs the ancient martyrologies place in Britain. No acts, history, or shrine survives. Later tradition, from Cressy in the seventeenth century, makes them disciples of St Amphibalus who suffered under Diocletian (whence the conventional date c. 304), and the nineteenth-century menologies place their passion in Monmouthshire or South Wales on the strength of reported church dedications that Baring-Gould could not verify. They are commemorated on September 17.
Troparia & kontakia
Kontakion — Tone 1
Shown forth as most sacred branches of the noble Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love by grace made foolish the wisdom of the Greeks; and having contended and proved victorious, they were wreathed with a crown incorruptible by Christ, the Master of all.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a woman martyr)
Thy ewe-lamb Jesus crieth out with a great voice: Thee, my Bridegroom, do I love, and seeking Thee I contend, and am crucified and buried with Thee in Thy baptism; I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee, and I die for Thee, that I may live in Thee. Receive me therefore as a spotless sacrifice, slain for Thee with love. By her intercessions, O Merciful One, save our souls.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a hieromartyr)
Sharer of the ways of the Apostles and successor of their thrones, thou didst find thy practice, O inspired of God, a ladder to the vision of God; wherefore, rightly dividing the word of truth, thou didst contend for the faith even unto blood. O hieromartyr Herakleides, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of martyrs)
Thy martyrs, O Lord, in their contest received incorruptible crowns from Thee, our God; for possessing Thy strength they cast down the tyrants and shattered the feeble insolence of the demons. By their intercessions save our souls.
Troparion — Tone 4 (Slavic use)
The Church of the firstborn keepeth festival, and rejoiceth with her, receiving the mother who rejoiceth over her children; for she, bearing the name of wisdom, bore three daughters equal in number to the theological virtues, and beholdeth them, with the wise virgins, wedded to the Bridegroom, God the Word. With her we also rejoice in spirit at their memory, saying: O champions of the Trinity, Faith, Love and Hope, establish us in faith, love and hope.
Troparion — Tone 4 (from the common of a woman martyr)
Thy ewe-lamb Jesus crieth out with a great voice: Thee, my Bridegroom, do I love, and seeking Thee I contend, and am crucified and buried with Thee in Thy baptism; I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee, and I die for Thee, that I may live in Thee. Receive me therefore as a spotless sacrifice, slain for Thee with love. By her intercessions, O Merciful One, save our souls.
Readings
4th Matins Gospel
Luke 24.1-12
1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8And they remembered his words, 9And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. 12Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Epistle
Galatians 2.16-20 (Sunday after Elevation)
16Knowing 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. 17But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20I 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.
2 Corinthians 4.6-15
6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
Gospel
Mark 8.34-9.1 (Sunday after Elevation)
34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 1And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
Matthew 22.35-46
35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.