Holy Week, day 1 · 8 days until Pascha
About Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God →
Saints commemorated
-
Ven. Theodore Trichinas
Theodore, called Trichinas ("the Hairy" or "the Hair-shirt Wearer"), was an ascetic of the region of Constantinople who, for love of Christ, wore only a rough garment of animal hair next to his skin throughout his life, enduring cold and hardship in the extremity of his self-denial. A great faster and man of prayer, he received the gift of wonderworking; from his relics flowed a healing myrrh that drove out demons and cured the sick, and he is honoured on April 20.
-
Holy Apostle Zaccheus
-
Anastasius of Antioch
Anastasius I, called the Sinaite, was Patriarch of Antioch in the later sixth century — a theologian and defender of Orthodoxy who withstood the emperor Justinian's late heresy of aphthartodocetism, was for this deposed and exiled for some twenty-three years, and at last restored to his throne. Learned, ascetic and steadfast, the friend and correspondent of St Gregory the Great of Rome, he governed the great see of Antioch with distinction and reposed in peace in 599. The Church of Antioch keeps him with especial honour, together with St Gregory, his successor, on April 20.
-
Lazarus of the Four Days
Lazarus of Bethany, "the Four-Days-Dead" (ὁ τετραήμερος) and "the friend of Christ," is the man whom the Lord raised from the tomb four days after his death (John 11) — the last and greatest sign before the Passion, and the Church's pledge of the general resurrection. Brother of Martha and Mary, he afterwards fled the plots of the high priests, was made first bishop of Kition in Cyprus by the apostles, shepherded that church some thirty years, and reposed in peace about the year 63. His principal feast is the movable Lazarus Saturday, the eve of Palm Sunday; October 17 commemorates the translation of his relics from Kition to Constantinople by the emperor Leo VI the Wise in 898.
British Isles and Ireland
- St. Caedwalla, King of Wessex (689)
Troparia & kontakia
Apolytikion
Giving us before thy Passion an assurance of the general resurrection, thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God; wherefore we also, like the children, bearing the tokens of victory, cry to thee, the vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Kontakion — Tone 6
Enthroned thou art shown in thine image, O Queen, with the angels standing about thee and the Word upon thine arm; the impious arrow drew blood from thee and the wound became a wonder, and to this day thou dost cleanse the eyes of them that look on thee. Wherefore we cry: hail, O thou refuge of the islands and of the Russian land.
Kontakion
Like a most radiant star, thy precious relics have risen from Cyprus, O Lazarus, hallowing the Imperial City, gladdening the Christ-loving emperor and enriching his people, bestowing through thee the grace of healings on them that faithfully cry to thee: Rejoice, O Lazarus, friend of God.
Troparion — Tone 4 (common of an icon of the Mother of God)
Today the faithful keep radiant festival, overshadowed by thy coming, O Mother of God; and looking upon thy most pure image we cry with compunction: shelter us beneath the precious veil of thy protection, and deliver us from every evil, entreating thy Son, Christ our God, to save our souls.
Troparion — Tone 4 (common of a hierarch)
The truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, an image of meekness and a teacher of temperance; therefore thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty. O Father and hierarch Anastasius, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Troparion
As a great treasure and wealth that none can steal, thou art come to us from Cyprus, O Lazarus, by the providence of the God of all and the command of a right-believing emperor, bestowing on those who honour thee the gift of healings, delivering from perils and from every harm them that cry to thee with faith: save us all by thy prayers, O Lazarus our father.
Troparion — Tone 8 (common of an ascetic)
By a flood of tears thou didst make the barren desert fruitful, and by thy sighs from the depths thou didst bear fruit a hundredfold in labours; and thou becamest a beacon, shining upon the world by thy miracles, O Theodore our father: intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Readings
Epistle
Hebrews 12.28-13.8
28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29For our God is a consuming fire. 1Let brotherly love continue. 2Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. 4Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. 5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 7Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Gospel
John 11.1-45
1Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judæa again. 8His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 17Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: 19And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 28And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35Jesus wept. 36Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 39Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 45Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.