Friday, 13 September 2024

Founding of Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Friday of the 12th week after Pentecost

131 days after Pascha · Tone 2 · Red squigg (doxology typikon symbol) · Fast (Wine and Oil are Allowed)

Saints commemorated

Commemoration of the founding of the Church of the Holy Resurrection at Jerusalem

On 13 September the Orthodox Church commemorates the consecration of the great Church of the Holy Resurrection, the Anastasis, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother Saint Helen over the holy sites of Golgotha and the Tomb of the Lord in Jerusalem. After the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helen around the year 326, Constantine ordered the construction of a magnificent basilica enclosing the place of the Crucifixion and the rock-cut tomb in which the body of the Saviour had been laid and from which He rose on the third day. The work was completed under the supervision of the bishop Macarius of Jerusalem, and the dedication of the church took place on 13 September of the year 335 in the presence of bishops gathered from many provinces of the empire who had been attending a council at Tyre. From the day of the consecration the faithful kept a yearly festival of "the Encaenia," and on the day following, that is, on 14 September, the precious Cross was lifted up before the people and exalted in the four directions, the origin of the great feast of the Exaltation. The commemoration today is the memory of that consecration, and it is fittingly placed on the eve of the Exaltation, since the Cross and the empty Tomb form together the heart of the Christian mystery.

Forefeast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross

On 13 September the Orthodox Church keeps the forefeast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross, preparing the faithful for the great feast on the following day. The hymnography of the forefeast already begins to call all the ends of the earth to come and venerate the holy wood by which the curse of Adam was broken and the gates of paradise reopened. The Cross, foreshadowed in the rod of Moses that struck water from the rock and divided the sea, in the brazen serpent that healed those who looked upon it, and in the staff of Aaron that budded, is sung as the weapon of peace and the unconquerable trophy of Christ. The forefeast also bridges the apodosis of the Nativity of the Theotokos, kept on the previous day, and the Exaltation, so that the Church passes from the joy of the birth of the one who would bear the Saviour to the contemplation of the saving sufferings He would endure. The faithful are summoned to fasting and watchfulness in preparation for the strict fast and prostrations of the feast itself.

Holy Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion of the Seventy

Saint Cornelius was a Roman centurion of the Italian Cohort stationed at Caesarea in Palestine, the first Gentile to be received into the Christian Church without first becoming a Jewish proselyte. He is described in the Acts of the Apostles as a devout man, fearing God with all his household, giving much alms to the people and praying to God always. While praying at the ninth hour, he saw an angel of God who told him that his prayers and his alms had come up as a memorial before God, and bade him send for the Apostle Peter at Joppa. While the messengers were on the road, Saint Peter received the vision of the great sheet let down from heaven and the voice that said, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." Coming to Caesarea, Peter preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his household, and the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word, and they were baptised in the name of the Lord (Acts 10). After his baptism Cornelius left his military service and accompanied Peter on his missionary journeys; he is numbered among the Seventy and is said to have been ordained bishop of Skepsis in Mysia, where he converted many pagans by his preaching and by miracles. He cast down a temple of Apollo by his prayer and brought to the faith the chief man of the city. After many labours he was beaten and stoned but not killed; he reposed in peace, though he is honoured by the Church with the title of hieromartyr because of the sufferings he endured for the Gospel.

Holy Martyrs Cronides, Leontius, and Serapion of Alexandria

The holy martyrs Cronides, Leontius, and Serapion suffered for Christ at Alexandria in Egypt during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, around the year 237 according to some sources, or in the early fourth century according to others. They were Christians of the city well known for the steadfastness of their faith, and when they were denounced and arrested they readily confessed Christ before the governor. After being scourged and tortured in various ways to make them deny the Lord, they were sentenced to be cast into the sea with stones tied to their feet so that no relics might remain to be honoured by the faithful. Yet according to their passion, the bodies were carried by the waves to the shore, and Christians recovered them and gave them honourable burial. Their feast on this day, the eve of the Exaltation of the Cross, sets before the Church the example of those who have already followed the Lord by way of His Cross to the resurrection and the unfading crown.

Holy Great Martyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia

1624

In the seventeenth century, the Kingdom of Georgia was cruelly pressed by the Ottoman Empire on one side and Persia, under Shah Abbas the Great, on the other. King Theimuraz was taken captive by the Persians during an invasion and held captive in the fortress of Shiraz until, after many tortures, he was strangled. The King’s mother, Queen Ketevan, travelled to the Persian court at Shiraz along with her grandsons Levan and Alexander, to plead with the Shah to spare the Kingdom. The Shah agreed, but the three were kept as hostages, where all were cruelly tortured. Queen Ketevan endured ten years of captivity, throughout which the Shah attempted to convert her to Islam, first by persuasion and threats, then by torture. The Queen refused every effort to drive her into apostasy, and before each new torture would make the sign of the Cross and say ‘In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ At the end a brazier of burning coals was fixed to her head and, in the midst of her extreme torment, she was strangled with a bow-string on September 13 1624. After her glorious martyrdom a divine light surrounded her tomb.

Daily readings

Vespers

OT — 3[1] Kings 8.22-23, 27-30

(no verses available)

Vespers

Proverbs — Proverbs 3.19-34

¹⁹The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. ¹⁹Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. ²⁰By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. ²⁰By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²¹My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion: ²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. ²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck. ²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble. ²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. ²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. ²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. ²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh: ²⁶For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. ²⁶For Jehovah will be thy confidence, And will keep thy foot from being taken. ²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. ²⁸Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. ²⁸Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee. ²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. ²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbor, Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. ³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, If he have done thee no harm.

³¹Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. ³¹Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways. ³²For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; But his friendship is with the upright. ³²For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

³³The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. ³³The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. ³⁴Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. ³⁴Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers; But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

Vespers

Proverbs — Proverbs 9.1-11

¹Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: ¹Wisdom hath builded her house; She hath hewn out her seven pillars: ²She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. ²She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table: ³She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, ³She hath sent forth her maidens; She crieth upon the highest places of the city: ⁴Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, ⁴Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him, ⁵Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. ⁵Come, eat ye of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mingled. ⁶Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding. ⁶Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. ⁷He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling; And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot. ⁷He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. ⁸Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. ⁸Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee: Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee. ⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. ⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. ¹⁰The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. ¹¹For by me thy days shall be multiplied, And the years of thy life shall be increased.

Epistle

weekly cycle

2 Corinthians — 2 Corinthians 7.10-16

¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. ¹¹For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. ¹²So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest unto you in the sight of God. ¹²Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. ¹³Therefore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit hath been refreshed by you all. ¹³Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. ¹⁴For if in anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, I was not put to shame; but as we spake all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth. ¹⁴For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. ¹⁵And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁵And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you. ¹⁶I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

Epistle

— Church

Hebrews — Hebrews 3.1-4

¹Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus;

¹Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; ²Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. ²who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house. ³For he hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honor than the house. ³For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. ⁴For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God. ⁴For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 2.18-22

¹⁸And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

¹⁸And John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? ¹⁹And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ¹⁹And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. ²⁰But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast in that day. ²¹No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth on an old garment: else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old, and a worse rent is made. ²¹No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. ²²And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. ²²And no man putteth new wine into old wine-skins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perisheth, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins.

Gospel

— Church

Matthew — Matthew 16.13-18

¹³When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

¹³Now when Jesus came into the parts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? ¹⁴And they said, Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. ¹⁴And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ¹⁵He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁵He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? ¹⁶And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁶And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁷And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. ¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁸And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.