Friday, 8 March 2024

Friday of Meatfare

58 days before Pascha · Tone 6 · Liturgy · Fast

Saints commemorated

Apostle Hermas of the Seventy

Hermas was one of the seventy apostles chosen and sent out by our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospel according to Luke. Along with the other seventy disciples, Hermas was commissioned by the Saviour to go before Him into every city and place to which He Himself would come, to heal the sick and to proclaim the kingdom of God. Saint Paul makes mention of Hermas in his Epistle to the Romans, greeting him and noting his labour in the Lord. The seventy apostles are commemorated in the Orthodox Church as faithful followers who spread the Gospel in the early centuries of Christianity, suffering persecutions and trials for the faith.

Hieromartyr Theodoritus, Presbyter of Antioch

Saint Theodoritus was a presbyter and the keeper of sacred vessels at the great cathedral church of Antioch, a magnificent edifice built and richly adorned by the holy emperor Constantine the Great and his son Constantius. Because of its splendour the people called it "the Golden Church". After the death of Constantius, Julian the Apostate ascended the imperial throne and resolved to restore paganism throughout the Roman Empire. He sent his uncle, also named Julian, as governor to Antioch, with orders to close the Christian churches and to seize their treasures for the imperial coffers. Arriving in Antioch with the dignitary Felix, the governor commanded that the priest Theodoritus be locked under guard. He accused the holy man of concealing the church valuables, but Theodoritus denied the false charge and openly denounced Julian for his apostasy from Christ. Despite cruel tortures, the holy martyr maintained his confession of faith. The very soldiers tasked with torturing him were so struck by his firmness and by the power of the word of God on his lips that they confessed Christ themselves, and for this they were drowned in the sea. The holy confessor was at last beheaded. The persecutor Julian shortly afterwards died in agony from a grievous illness, and the emperor Julian perished in his ill-fated campaign against the Persians.

Saint Felix of Burgundy, Apostle of East Anglia

647

Saint Felix was born in Burgundy, in what is now eastern France, and was already a bishop when he came to Britain in the seventh century to preach the Gospel among the East Angles. While King Sigebert of East Anglia was in exile in Gaul, Felix instructed him in the Christian faith and baptised him. When Sigebert returned to claim his kingdom, he invited Felix to follow him in order to bring the Christian faith to his people. Sailing to Canterbury, Felix was sent on by Saint Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury, to East Anglia, where he established his episcopal see at Dommoc, identified by tradition with Dunwich on the Suffolk coast. From this base he laboured for seventeen years, founding churches, instituting schools after the Frankish manner, and bringing the whole kingdom into the obedience of Christ. The Venerable Bede praises him as one who freed his people "from long-standing wickedness and unhappiness". Saint Felix reposed in peace on 8 March, in the year 647 or 648, and was buried at Dunwich. His relics were later translated to Soham and afterwards to Ramsey Abbey. His name lives on in the Suffolk towns of Felixstowe and Flixton, and in Felixkirk in Yorkshire.

Saint Theophylact the Confessor, Bishop of Nicomedia

“Theophylact was from the east; his native city is unknown. In Constantinople he became a close friend of Tarasius, who afterwards became Patriarch of Constantinople (see Feb. 25). Theophylact was made Bishop of Nicomedia. After the death of Saint Tarasius, his successor Nicephorus (see June 2) called together a number of Bishops to help him in fighting the iconoclasm of Emperor Leo the Armenian, who reigned from 813 to 820. Among them was Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis (celebrated Dec. 26), who had attended the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 — he was exiled three times for the sake of the holy icons, and for defying the Emperor Theophilus’ command to renounce the veneration of the icons, was scourged from head to foot until his whole body was one great wound, from which he died eight days later, about the year 830; Joseph of Thessalonica (see July 14); Michael of Synnada (see May 23); Emilian, Bishop of Cyzicus (see Aug. 8); and Saint Theophylact, who boldly rebuked Leo to his face, telling him that because he despised the long-suffering of God, utter destruction was about to overtake him, and there would be none to deliver him. For this, Theophylact was exiled to the fortress of Strobilus in Karia of Asia Minor, where after 30 years of imprisonment and hardship, he gave up his holy soul about the year 845. Leo the Armenian, according to the Saint’s prophecy, was slain in church on the eve of our Lord’s Nativity, in 820.” (Great Horologion)

Hieromartyr Theodoretus

362

The priest Theodoretus was custodian of a great cathedral in Antioch, built by the Emperor Constantine and known in its time as ‘the golden church’ for the beauty and luxury of its appointments. When Julian the Apostate came to the throne, he denied Christ and launched a persecution of Christians. The Emperor’s uncle, also named Julian, came to Antioch to prosecute the persecution there. After plundering the church he brought Theodoretus to trial and demanded that he deny Christ. Instead, the faithful priest confessed Christ fervently and rebuked the Emperor for having denied the faith and returned to idol-worship ‘as a dog returns to its vomit.’ In spite, the judge urinated in the golden church, for which Theodoretus prophesied that he would die a terrible death. Theodoretus was beheaded, and Julian his judge was seized with terrible abdominal pain from the moment he defiled the church until he died in torment. Note: Theodoretus is commemorated on March 3 in the Greek Calendar.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

2 John — 2 John 1.1-13

¹The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all they that know the truth;

¹The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; ²for the truth’s sake which abideth in us, and it shall be with us for ever: ²For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. ³Grace, mercy, peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. ³Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴I rejoice greatly that I have found certain of thy children walking in truth, even as we received commandment from the Father.

⁴I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. ⁵And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁵And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. ⁶And this is love, that we should walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, even as ye heard from the beginning, that ye should walk in it. ⁷For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁷For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. ⁸Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward. ⁸Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. ⁹Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son. ⁹Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: ¹⁰If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: ¹¹For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. ¹¹for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.

¹²Having many things to write unto you, I would not write them with paper and ink: but I hope to come unto you, and to speak face to face, that your joy may be made full.

¹²Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. ¹³The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen. ¹³The children of thine elect sister salute thee.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 15.22, 25, 33-41

²²And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

²²And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. ²⁵And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. ²⁵And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. ³³And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

³³And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. ³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ³⁵And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. ³⁵And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah. ³⁶And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. ³⁶And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down. ³⁷And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. ³⁷And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. ³⁸And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. ³⁸And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. ³⁹And when the centurion, who stood by over against him, saw that he so gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

³⁹And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. ⁴⁰There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; ⁴⁰And there were also women beholding from afar: among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; ⁴¹(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. ⁴¹who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women that came up with him unto Jerusalem.