Tuesday, 9 April 2024

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

26 days before Pascha · Tone 3 · Liturgy · Lenten Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy Hieromartyr Audas and the Martyrs of Persia

The holy hieromartyr Audas, Bishop of Susa in Persia, suffered together with a great company of clergy and faithful during the persecution unleashed against the Christians of Persia. Saint Audas had pulled down a Zoroastrian fire-temple, and when the king Yazdegerd I demanded that he rebuild it, the bishop refused, declaring that he could not raise up an altar to false gods. For this the king put him to death, and a fierce persecution followed in which churches throughout Persia were destroyed. Together with Saint Audas the Orthodox Church commemorates Audjesus the Bishop, the deacon Benjamin and many priests, deacons, monks and consecrated virgins who were martyred at Beth-Kashkar and the surrounding regions. The synaxaria record sixteen priests, nine deacons, six monks and seven virgins among them, all of whom endured every kind of torment rather than deny Christ and worship the sun and fire. Their blood watered the seed of the Persian Church, and their memory has been kept by the Eastern Orthodox Church from earliest times.

Holy Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea

The holy martyr Eupsychius was born in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia and brought up in piety by his Christian parents. He suffered during the brief reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), at a time when paganism was officially restored throughout the empire. As Saint Eupsychius was on his way to his own Christian wedding, he learned that the pagans of the city were offering sacrifice to the goddess Fortuna, whose temple Julian himself revered. Filled with zeal for the Lord, the saint and a number of other Christians fell upon the temple and tore it down. When the Emperor heard what had happened he was filled with rage and ordered that the citizens of Caesarea be punished. He had the city's Christian leaders flogged and the whole community heavily fined, and the city itself was deprived of its name and reduced to the rank of an ordinary town. Saint Eupsychius, having distributed his property to the poor and given the rest of his goods to his bride, gladly went to martyrdom. After enduring varied tortures with unshaken faith, he was beheaded by the sword. From the place where his blood was shed there sprang up a healing spring, and his relics worked many miracles for those who came to honour them.

Saint Acacius the Confessor, Bishop of Amida

Saint Acacius lived in the fifth century and was the holy bishop of Amida in Mesopotamia. He is remembered above all for an act of pastoral charity that became famous throughout the Christian East. After a war between the Roman and Persian armies, some seven thousand Persian prisoners were brought into Roman territory and held in conditions of great privation, many of them dying of hunger. Saint Acacius, moved by their suffering, gathered his clergy and declared that God needed neither dishes nor cups, since He neither eats nor drinks. He therefore ordered that the gold and silver vessels of the church be melted down and sold so that the captives might be ransomed and sent home with provisions. The bishop himself escorted them across the frontier. The Persian king, astonished by such mercy from a Christian bishop towards his enemies, asked to see Saint Acacius, received him with great honour, and (according to tradition) invited the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger to make peace. Saint Acacius reposed in peace and is venerated by the Orthodox Church on 9 April. He is sometimes confused with another Saint Acacius, Bishop of Melitene (commemorated 17 April).

Venerable Vadim the Archimandrite, of Persia

376

Saint Vadim, also called Bademus, was born in the fourth century in the Persian city of Bithlapata to a wealthy and illustrious family. Drawn from his youth to the love of God, he gave away all his wealth to the poor and withdrew into the wilderness, where he founded a monastery that he governed as archimandrite with paternal care. During the reign of the Persian king Shapur II (310-381), a fierce persecution arose against the Christians of Persia. Saint Vadim and seven of his disciples were arrested and confined in a foul dungeon, where they were daily beaten and pressed to renounce Christ and worship the sun and fire. Saint Vadim was kept in chains for four months, receiving stripes day after day, but his constancy never wavered. In the same prison was held a Christian nobleman named Nersan, Prince of Aria, who at first appeared resolute but, terrified by the threat of torture, agreed to apostatise. To prove his sincerity, the king ordered Nersan to behead Saint Vadim with his own hand. Trembling with shame and remorse, Nersan struck the saint with so unsteady a hand that it took several blows to sever his head, while the bystanders marvelled at the martyr's invincible patience. Saint Vadim received the crown of martyrdom on 9 April in the year 376; Nersan, falling soon after into public disgrace, perished by the sword.

Daily readings

6th Hour

weekly cycle

Isaiah — Isaiah 25.1-9

¹O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

¹O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth. ²For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. ²For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. ³Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. ³Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee. ⁴For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. ⁴For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. ⁵Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. ⁵As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

⁶And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

⁶And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. ⁷And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. ⁷And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. ⁸He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. ⁸He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.

⁹And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

⁹And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Genesis — Genesis 9.8-17

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. ¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. ¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Proverbs — Proverbs 12.8-22

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. ⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom; But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. ⁹He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread. ⁹Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, Than he that honoreth himself, and lacketh bread. ¹⁰A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. ¹⁰A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast; But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. ¹¹He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. ¹¹He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding. ¹²The wicked desireth the net of evil men; But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. ¹²The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. ¹³In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; But the righteous shall come out of trouble. ¹³The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. ¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him. ¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; And the doings of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him. ¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. ¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel. ¹⁶A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. ¹⁶A fool’s vexation is presently known; But a prudent man concealeth shame. ¹⁷He that uttereth truth showeth forth righteousness; But a false witness, deceit. ¹⁷He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. ¹⁸There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. ¹⁸There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health. ¹⁹The lip of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment. ¹⁹The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. ²⁰Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil; But to the counsellors of peace is joy. ²⁰Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. ²¹There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. ²¹There shall no mischief happen to the righteous; But the wicked shall be filled with evil. ²²Lying lips are an abomination to Jehovah; But they that deal truly are his delight. ²²Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.