Friday, 7 February 2025

72 days before Pascha · Tone 7 · Liturgy · Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy 1003 martyrs of Nicomedia

303

The 1003 martyrs of Nicomedia suffered together with their masters during the great persecution of the emperor Diocletian. Their lords were the four senators Bassus, Eusebius, Eutychius and Basilides, who had come to faith in Christ after witnessing the courage of the hieromartyr Theopemptus of Nicomedia and were martyred with their wives in the year 303 (commemorated 20 January). When the household servants and dependents of these four senators saw the steadfast confession of their masters, they took counsel among themselves and resolved to die for Christ rather than serve idols. Coming forward boldly, they declared themselves Christians before the emperor. Diocletian sought to win them over by promises and threats and to make them deny the faith, but neither rewards nor torments could move them. The emperor then ordered soldiers to surround the whole company, and the men, women and small children, one thousand and three souls in all, were cut down where they stood. The bodies of the holy martyrs were taken up by the faithful and given honourable burial. They are commemorated together on this day, sealed by their masters in the confession of Christ.

Saint Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus

325

The Holy Father Parthenius was a native of the city of Melitoupolis, located in northwestern Asia Minor. He was born into a Christian family; his father Christopher served as a deacon in the Church. Though Parthenius did not receive formal schooling in the usual sense, he was educated in the faith through faithful attendance at church services and through his parents' instruction in the holy tradition. His heart was filled with love for God and compassion for others, and as a young man he worked as a fisherman to support himself and his family.

From the age of eighteen, Saint Parthenius manifested remarkable spiritual gifts. Filled with the grace of God, he began to heal the sick in the name of Christ, to cast out demons that possessed the afflicted, and to perform other miracles that testified to the power of the Gospel. His fame spread throughout the region as word of his healings and miraculous deeds became known. Many came to him seeking relief from their infirmities and spiritual bondage.

In the year 325, during the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great, the Archbishop of Cyzicus, named Achilles, recognized the holiness and spiritual gifts of Parthenius and ordained him as Bishop of the city of Lampsacus in Asia Minor. Through this appointment, Saint Parthenius was given authority to shepherd the flock of Christ in that important city and to establish and strengthen the Church's presence there.

Saint Parthenius went before the Emperor Constantine the Great with a petition to allow him to demolish the pagan temple that stood in Lampsacus and to build a Christian church in its place. The pious emperor received the holy bishop with great honour, was moved by his request, and issued a decree authorizing the destruction of the pagan temple. Moreover, Constantine provided Saint Parthenius with the imperial resources and support necessary to construct a beautiful church dedicated to God in Lampsacus.

Returning to Lampsacus with the imperial decree, Saint Parthenius proceeded with the demolition of the pagan temple and the construction of a magnificent Christian church. This edifice became not only a place of worship, but also a powerful witness to the triumph of Christ over paganism and a beacon of the Orthodox faith in the city.

Saint Parthenius served as bishop of Lampsacus for many years, shepherding his flock with wisdom and pastoral care. He continued his work of healing and miracle-working, always directing people to faith in Christ and the grace of the Gospel. He peacefully departed this life and was solemnly buried in the cathedral church of Lampsacus that he had built, where his holy relics became a place of pilgrimage and veneration for the faithful.

Venerable Luke of Hellas

The Venerable Luke of Hellas was a native of the Greek village of Kastorion. He was born into a poor family of farmers and from his earliest years was engaged in labour in the fields and in shepherding sheep. From childhood, he learned the virtue of hard work and manual labour, and he grew in holiness through patient acceptance of his humble station. He was filled with deep obedience to his parents and lived with great temperance in eating and drinking. Saint Luke manifested a remarkable virtue from his youth: a heart overflowing with compassion and charity toward the poor and suffering. He would give away his own food and clothing to those in need, often depriving himself of necessities in order to help others. His generosity and selfless love, which reflected the love of Christ, sometimes drew reproach from his parents, who were concerned about his need for sustenance. Yet the Lord rewarded his faithfulness and trust. One striking account from his youth demonstrates the Lord's care for His faithful servant. On one occasion, Saint Luke gave away nearly all the seed grain that was needed for planting in the fields that year. His parents were greatly distressed at this seemingly reckless act of charity. Yet the Lord, seeing his faith and love for the poor, miraculously blessed the remaining seed, and the harvest gathered that year was far greater than any previously obtained. After the death of his earthly father, Saint Luke felt called to pursue a more intense monastic life. With his mother's blessing, though not without her concern, he departed for Athens, where he entered a monastery and began his formal ascetical training. However, through the prayers of his widowed mother, who grieved deeply for her son's absence, the Lord miraculously returned Luke to his parental home after a short time. He spent four months with his mother, comforting her and assisting her before her own repose. Following his mother's death and with her blessing from beyond the grave, Saint Luke departed once again, this time to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa) in the Greek countryside. Here, on this remote mountain, there stood a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian. Saint Luke made this place his dwelling and spent the remainder of his life in constant prayer and fasting, in ascetical struggle against the passions, and in unceasing intercession for the salvation of the world. The Lord granted to Saint Luke the gift of wonderworking, and he became known throughout the region as a healer and a holy man. Many came to him seeking his prayers and his counsel. Saint Luke fell asleep in the Lord on 7 February 946, having spent decades in hidden monastic struggle and prayer on the mountain. After his death, a church was built over his tomb as a place of pilgrimage and veneration. From his holy relics, myrrh flowed abundantly, and many healings and miracles were granted through his intercession to those who approached his shrine with faith.

Venerable Mastridia of Jerusalem

Saint Mastridia of Jerusalem was a holy ascetic of the sixth century who lived in the holy city in great austerity, devoting herself to fasting, prayer and the work of her own hands. From childhood she had given herself wholly to Christ, preserving her chastity and her thoughts pure. While she was still living in the city, a certain young man was inflamed with passion for her and began to trouble her with his unwelcome attentions. Mastridia, unwilling either to yield to the temptation or to be the cause of harm to the young man, asked him what feature of her face had so captivated him. When he answered that it was the beauty of her eyes, she withdrew at once, fearing for his soul. Rather than disfigure herself, she took up a small basket of moistened berries and silently went out into the wilderness, leaving the city behind. There she lived alone for seventeen years, never returning to the company of men. By the providence of God her supply of berries was not exhausted and her clothing did not wear out, and she was preserved from every harm. Her labours of fasting, vigil and unceasing prayer surpassed those of many male ascetics of her day. About the year 580 she reposed in peace, and her life is recorded among the desert mothers of the Christian east.

Our Venerable Father Luke the New of Mount Stirion

c. 950

Is there such a thing as a natural monk? Saint Luke was born in 896 to pious parents who came from Aegina but were forced to settle on the Greek mainland due to Saracen raids. From his earliest years, he showed a desire for a life of ascesis and contemplation usually only found in seasoned elders. He abstained from all flesh, cheese, eggs, and delicacies, drank only water, and kept a total fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. While herding cattle or tilling the family fields, he would often give away his food and even his clothing to the poor, returning home naked. When his father died, he abandoned farm work to devote himself entirely to prayer, making such progress that he was often lifted above the ground while praying. After a time he secretly left home and entered a monastery in Athens (he was now only fourteen years old), but the abbot sent him home after seeing his mother every night in dream, tearfully calling for her son. He returned home for a while, but when he had obtained her permission to leave once again set out upon the monastic life. He traveled widely, living as a hermit in various places, sometimes attached to a monastery and sometimes not. Often he would be forced to move by the number of visitors who learned of his holiness, no matter how secretly he tried to live, and came to him for prayer or a word of counsel or prophecy. Once he lived for three years on the island of Ampelon; his sister would occasionally bring him some bread, but he gave much of it away to the needy or to passing sailors. Finally, his health damaged, he returned to the mainland at the entreaties of his disciples and settled at a place called Stirion (which may be a corruption of Soterion), where he built a hermitage. Saint Luke fell ill in his seventh year at Stirion. Embracing his disciples, he asked them to pray for him, prophesying that the place where he died would someday be the site of a great church and monastery; he then reposed in peace and joy. His tomb exuded a fragrant oil which was collected and burned in a lamp, and many miracles and healings were wrought at the tomb. As the Saint had predicted, two churches and a monastery were built there, and the monastery of Hosios Lukas became a great place of pilgrimage, as it remains to this day.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

2 Peter — 2 Peter 1.1-10

¹Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and the Saviour Jesus Christ:

¹Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: ²Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ²Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ³seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; ³According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: ⁴whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. ⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ⁵And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; ⁵Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; ⁶And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; ⁶and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; ⁷And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. ⁷and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. ⁸For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. ⁹But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. ¹⁰Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: ¹⁰Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 13.1-8

¹And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

¹And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! ²And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. ²And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down. ³And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

³And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? ⁴Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished? ⁵And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: ⁵And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. ⁶For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶Many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and shall lead many astray. ⁷And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled: these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. ⁷And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. ⁸For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. ⁸For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the beginning of travail.