Saints commemorated
-
Ss Athanasius the Great and Cyril of Alexandria
Athanasius the Great (c. 296 – 373) was Archbishop of Alexandria, the champion of the Nicene faith and, with Basil the Great, one of only two Eastern fathers whom the Church styles by universal consent "the Great." Present at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325) as a young deacon, he became through a long episcopate the tireless defender of the Council's confession that the Son is homoousios — "of one essence" — with the Father, against the Arianism that for two generations captured emperors, courts, and councils. Five times driven from his see and some seventeen years an exile, he held the faith when almost the whole world had gone over to Arius, so that his name became a proverb — Athanasius contra mundum, "Athanasius against the world." He wrote the classic statement of the Incarnation, On the Incarnation of the Word; the Life of Antony, which carried the monastic ideal through the whole Church, East and West; and, in his thirty-ninth Festal Letter of 367, the first listing of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament exactly as the Church now receives them. He died in peace at Alexandria on May 2, 373, having outlived his persecutors and secured the triumph of Orthodoxy. He is kept on January 18 together with Cyril of Alexandria, and on May 2, the day of his repose.
-
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was Archbishop of Alexandria and the greatest of the Church's Christological doctors — the "Seal of the Fathers," whose defence of the unity of the person of Christ gave the Church her language for the mystery of God made man. As president of the Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in 431, he led the condemnation of Nestorius, Archbishop of Constantinople, who by dividing Christ into two subjects had refused to the Virgin the title Theotokos, "she who gave birth to God." Against him Cyril taught the hypostatic union: that the eternal Word of God, without ceasing to be God, truly made human flesh and a human soul his own, so that the one who was born of Mary, suffered, and rose is one and the same Son — God the Word incarnate — and Mary is therefore in all truth the Mother of God. His writings — the letters to Nestorius, the treatise On the Unity of Christ, the commentaries on John and Luke — became the charter of Orthodox Christology, honoured at Chalcedon and by the whole Church, Eastern and Oriental alike. He reposed at Alexandria on June 27, 444. His own feast is June 9; he is kept again on January 18 with Athanasius the Great, the two hierarchs of Alexandria, and on June 9.
British Isles and Ireland
- St. Deicola of Bangor (6th C)
- St. Wilfrid (Ulfrid), missionary and martyr in Sweden (1028)
Troparia & kontakia
Apolytikion
Shining forth in the works of Orthodoxy and quenching every false belief, ye became victors crowned with triumph; enriching all things by your piety and greatly adorning the Church, ye worthily found Christ God, who grants great mercy unto all.
Kontakion — Tone 2
Having planted the doctrines of Orthodoxy, thou didst cut away the thorns of false belief, and didst multiply the seed of the faith by the rain-shower of the Spirit, O venerable one; therefore we hymn thee, O Athanasius.
Kontakion — Tone 4
Rending asunder the snares of the heresies by the power of Christ through thy divine words, thou didst enrich the Church, O Cyril, cutting down all the tares of Nestorius; wherefore thou standest with the choirs of Angels, fervently interceding with Christ, O blessed one, that forgiveness of sins be granted unto all.
Troparion — Tone 3
Thou wast made a pillar of Orthodoxy, upholding the Church with divine doctrines, O Hierarch Athanasius; for proclaiming the Son to be of one essence with the Father, thou didst put Arius to shame. O venerable Father, entreat Christ God to grant us great mercy.
Troparion — Tone 5
Adorned with divine wisdom, thou wast shown forth as leader of the Third Council, and didst cast down the terrible Nestorius, O Father, and didst brightly proclaim the pure Virgin to be Theotokos, O Cyril the Hierarch, glory of the Alexandrians and teacher of the Church.
Readings
10th Matins Gospel
John 21.1-14
1After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2There 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. 3Simon 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. 4But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6And 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. 7Therefore 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. 8And 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. 9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11Simon 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. 12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
Epistle
1 Timothy 1.15-17
15This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Luke 18.35-43
35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.