Paschaltide, day 17 · 16 days since Pascha
Saints commemorated
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Saint of the day
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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 8.5-17
5Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8And there was great joy in that city. 9But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Gospel
John 6.27-33
27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.