Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Wednesday of the 31st week after Pentecost

262 days after Pascha · Tone 5 · Liturgy · Fast

Saints commemorated

Apostle Timothy of the Seventy

Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor, born of a Jewish mother named Eunice and a Greek father. His mother and grandmother, Lois, are noted in Scripture for their piety and Christian faith. The Apostle Paul met Timothy during his second missionary journey and he became Paul's faithful companion and co-worker in spreading the Gospel. Timothy accompanied Paul and Silas on their journey to Macedonia around the year 52. The Apostle Paul loved Timothy deeply and in his Epistles called him his beloved son, addressing the First and Second Epistles to Timothy to him directly as the recipient.

Paul appointed Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus, where the saint remained as bishop for fifteen years. His ministry was marked by dedication to the spreading of the Christian faith and the correction of heresy. According to Orthodox tradition, Timothy was martyred in Ephesus around the year 93. The pagans of Ephesus celebrated a festival in honour of their idols, carrying them through the city accompanied by impious ceremonies and songs. Timothy, zealous for the glory of God, attempted to halt the procession and reason with the people, preaching the true faith in Christ. The pagan crowd, angered by his boldness, fell upon him, beat him, dragged him along the ground, and finally stoned him to death. Timothy is venerated as an apostle, saint, and martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Bishop Ioasaph Bolotov, enlightener of Alaska

Bishop Joasaph (Ivan Ilyich Bolotov) was born in 1761 and became a dedicated Russian Orthodox missionary and bishop. Because of his exemplary monastic life and piety, he was raised to the dignity of archimandrite in 1793. He was known for his zeal in advancing the Orthodox faith and his commitment to spiritual discipline. In 1794, Archimandrite Joasaph was chosen to lead a group of missionaries from Valaam Monastery on a historic journey to Alaska. This expedition, covering over 12,000 kilometres and lasting more than ten months of travel on foot, horseback, and by boat, became one of the longest missionary journeys in history. Notwithstanding the adverse conditions and physical hardships, Father Joasaph and his party of monks proved very successful in evangelising the native peoples and in expanding their preaching and missionary efforts to the mainland. In 1796, the Most Holy Synod established an auxiliary episcopal see in Alaska and appointed Archimandrite Joasaph to become the Bishop of Kodiak. The formal service of his election as bishop took place in Irkutsk on 3 April 1799. However, the saint was not long for this world. Whilst returning to Alaska aboard the ship Phoenix, Bishop Ioasaph Bolotov perished at sea during a severe storm that raged from 21 to 24 May 1799. The ship was sunk near the Alaskan coast, and all those aboard, including the bishop, were lost. He is remembered as an enlightener of Alaska and the American lands.

Monastic martyr Anastasius the Persian

614

Saint Anastasius was born in the city of Ray, Persia, in the early part of the seventh century. His native name was Magundat, and he was the son of a Zoroastrian magus named Bavi. He served as a soldier in the army of the Sasanian King Chosroes II during the reign of the Roman Emperor Heraclius. In the year 614, King Chosroes II ravaged the city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord to Persia. The heart of the young soldier Magundat was inflamed with a desire to learn more about this sacred object. Questioning everyone about the Holy Cross, he learned that the Lord Himself was crucified upon it for the salvation of mankind. This knowledge awakened him to the true faith. Withdrawing from his military service, Magundat went to the Holy City where he was baptized by Saint Modestus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, receiving the new name Anastasius. He became a monk and devoted himself to ascetical struggles. He went secretly from the monastery to Caesarea in Palestine, but there he was arrested for being a Christian. He was strangled on 22 January 628 and subsequently beheaded so that the executioners could prove to the king that he was killed. A monk who had accompanied him acquired his body and buried it at the Monastery of Saint Sergios, later known as Sergiopolis. His holy relics were later translated to Palestine, Rome, and Constantinople, and are honoured by the Church. The translation of his holy relics is commemorated on 24 January.

Saint Dominic of Sora, abbot and founder of monasteries

Saint Dominic was born in 951 in Foligno, Etruria, in the Tuscany region of what is now Italy. From his youth he was drawn to the monastic life and devoted himself to the ascetical struggle. He was renowned for his holiness and his gift of working miracles. Throughout his monastic career, Dominic established nine monasteries in the Kingdom of Naples, becoming a great spiritual father to many monks. Among the monasteries he founded were San Salvatore at Scandriglia in 986, establishments on Mount Pizzi, San Pietro del Lago, and San Pietro di Avellana. He later transferred his monastic activities to the area of lower Lazio, where he built monasteries at Trisulti and at Sora. At Sora, Dominic became abbot of the monastic community he had established. Throughout his long life he was known for his wisdom, his fatherly care for the brothers in his charge, and the many miracles wrought through his intercession. He reposed in the Lord on 22 January 1031 in his monastery at Sora. Saint Dominic became the patron saint against fever, toothache, poisonous snakes and snake bites, rabid dogs, and is invoked for protection from storms and hail. His legacy as a monastic founder and spiritual guide has been preserved in the Orthodox tradition.

Saint Vincent of Saragossa, deacon and martyr

Saint Vincent was born at Huesca, near Zaragoza, in Spain, during the latter part of the third century. His father was Eutricius and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca. From a young age he was entrusted to the care of Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, who ordained him archdeacon. Bishop Valerius had a speech impediment and appointed the well-spoken Vincent to assist him in his pastoral duties and to preach on his behalf. During the reign of Emperor Diocletian around the year 304, the Roman governor Dacian ruthlessly enforced Diocletian's edict compelling Christians to renounce their faith by burning incense to Roman gods. Dacian had both the elderly bishop and his deacon arrested and imprisoned. Vincent's bold and outspoken manner of confessing Christ so angered the governor that Dacian inflicted every sort of torture upon him. Vincent was stretched on the rack and his flesh was torn with iron hooks. His wounds were rubbed with salt and he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron. Finally, he was cast into prison and laid upon a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he suffered greatly before his death. Though the Roman authorities threw his dead body into the sea in a sack, it was later recovered by Christians. His veneration immediately spread throughout the Church and beyond. Saint Vincent is considered a protomartyr of Spain and is the patron saint of Lisbon, Algarve, and Valencia. The Eastern Orthodox Church honours his feast day on 22 January.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

James — James 1.1-18

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting.

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

²Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations;

²My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; ³knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. ³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. ⁴And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. ⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. ⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

⁵But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; ⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. ⁸a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. ⁸A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. ⁹Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

⁹But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate: ¹⁰But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. ¹⁰and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. ¹¹For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. ¹¹For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings. ¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. ¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: ¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. ¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. ¹⁶Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁶Do not err, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. ¹⁸Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 10.11-16

¹¹And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. ¹¹And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her: ¹²And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. ¹²and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.

¹³And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

¹³And they were bringing unto him little children, that he should touch them: and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. ¹⁵Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. ¹⁵Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. ¹⁶And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.