Thursday, 9 May 2024

Bright Thursday

4 days after Pascha · Tone 5 · Red cross (polyeleos typikon symbol) · No Fast (Fast Free)

Saints commemorated

★ Holy great-martyr Christopher of Lycia

The holy Martyr Christopher lived during the third century and suffered around the year 250 in Lycia, in the reign of the Emperor Decius. According to tradition he was originally called Reprobus, meaning "rejected", and was a man of frightful and unusual appearance, of huge stature and great strength, from a race of people considered barbarous. After his baptism, when he received the gift of speech and the grace of God, he was given the name Christopher, "Christ-bearer". By his preaching and the working of miracles he is said by Saint Ambrose of Milan to have converted as many as fifty thousand pagans to Christ. Brought before the Emperor Decius, he refused all offers of honour and pleasure to deny Christ, was subjected to fearful tortures with iron rods and burning helmets, but remained unharmed by the grace of God. With him suffered the holy women Callinika and Aquilina, whom he had brought to the faith. Finally Saint Christopher was beheaded for the name of Christ. His relics were later transferred to Toledo in Spain, and afterwards in part to the abbey of Saint Denis in France, where they were greatly venerated.

★ Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker to Bari

1087

This feast commemorates the translation of the holy relics of Saint Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, from Myra to the Italian city of Bari in the year 1087. After the conquest of Asia Minor by the Seljuk Turks, the city of Myra had fallen and lay desolate, and the tomb of the great wonderworker was in danger of profanation. Both the inhabitants of Bari and those of Venice prepared expeditions to translate the relics; the men of Bari arrived first, and after some difficulty they took up the holy and fragrant relics from their resting place at Myra and bore them by ship to Italy. The translation was completed on 9 May 1087, when the relics were received with great solemnity at Bari and laid in the church of Saint Stephen, until on 1 October 1089 they were placed in the great basilica which had been built in honour of the saint, where they remain to this day, exuding the fragrant myrrh which has continually flowed from them. The Russian Orthodox Church established the celebration of this feast soon after the year 1087, on the basis of an already established veneration of Saint Nicholas by the Russian people.

Holy prophet Isaiah

The Holy Prophet Isaiah lived in the eighth century before Christ. He was of royal lineage, son of Amos, who was the brother of Amaziah, king of Judah. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah. While praying in the Temple, he beheld the Lord seated upon a high throne, with seraphim about Him crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Sabaoth," and one of the seraphim was sent to touch his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar. Then he heard the voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" and he answered, "Here am I, send me." For more than sixty years he prophesied to Israel and Judah, calling the people to repentance and uttering the most luminous foretellings of the incarnation of the Word of God, of the Virgin who would conceive Emmanuel, and of the suffering Servant who would bear the iniquities of many. Because of the clarity of his messianic prophecies he is called the Evangelist of the Old Testament. During the reign of the impious King Manasseh he denounced the idolatry of the king and of the leaders of Judah, and was seized, led out of Jerusalem, and sawn in two with a wooden saw. The faithful buried his body near the pool of Siloam.

Also commemorated: Trans. Rel. St Nicholas the Wonderworker

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Acts — Acts 2.38-43

³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ³⁸And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ³⁹For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. ⁴⁰And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. ⁴⁰And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation.

⁴¹Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. ⁴¹They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. ⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

⁴³And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Gospel

weekly cycle

John — John 3.1-15

¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ²the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ³Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ⁴Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁷Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew. ⁸The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁸The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ⁹Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? ¹⁰Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹¹Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹²If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹²If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? ¹³And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. ¹³And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; ¹⁵that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.