Monday, 3 March 2025

Beginning of the Great Fast

Monday of the First Week of Lent

48 days before Pascha · Tone 3 · Liturgy · Lenten Fast (No overrides)

Great Canon

Saints commemorated

Holy Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus

They were fellow-soldiers and kinsmen of St Theodore the Tyro (Feb. 17). When St Theodore received his martyrdom, they were kept in prison because the governor of Amasia was unwilling to execute them. But a new and crueler governor, Asclepiodotus, took his place and ordered the three soldiers of Christ to be brought to him. At first, the governor used flattery and bribery to attempt to turn the three from Christ. He invited Eutropius to dine with him, but Eutropius refused, quoting the Psalm ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsels of the ungodly.’ He then offered them a huge amount of silver, which they likewise refused, telling the governor that Judas lost his soul for silver. The governor then turned to torture, subjecting the three to extreme torments. At last, he condemned Eutropius and Cleonicus to crucifixion, for which they joyfully gave thanks that they had been found worthy to die the same death as Christ. Basiliscus was held in prison awhile longer in hopes that the deaths of his companions would weaken his resolve; but when he remained steadfast in the Faith, he was beheaded, on May 22 (on which he is also commemorated) in 308.

Saint Cunegundes, Empress

Saint Cunegundes (also known as Cunegunda) was a tenth-century empress of the Holy Roman Empire and wife of the Emperor Saint Henry II. Born into the royal family of Luxembourg, she was raised in Christian piety and commitment to the faith. Following her marriage to Henry, Cunegundes bore him a son but was widowed while still young. Rather than seek a second marriage or retreat into worldly pursuits, she devoted herself entirely to spiritual life and works of Christian charity. She founded the Benedictine convent of Kaufungen and served as its abbess, establishing it as a beacon of monastic discipline and prayer. Cunegundes walked barefoot to Rome in pilgrimage and visited the holy sites of Christendom, strengthening her faith through these journeys. Throughout her life, she practised extraordinary fasting, wore a hair shirt, and gave generously to the poor and the afflicted. Her marriage had been chaste—she and her husband lived in continence, devoted to prayer and service rather than to worldly pleasures. Following her long life of ascetic devotion, Cunegundes reposed in peace and was canonised by the Church. The Orthodox Church venerates her as an empress who chose God's Kingdom above all earthly honours.

Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic

Nikolaj Velimirovic (1881-1956) was a Serbian Orthodox bishop, theologian, writer, and saint of the twentieth century. Born in Serbia, he was ordained to the priesthood and later elevated to the episcopacy, serving as Bishop of Žiča and Metropolitan of Dalmatia. Bishop Nikolaj was a prolific author of spiritual works, theological treatises, and poetic compositions in Serbian, Greek, English, and other languages. His writings addressed the spiritual challenges of the modern world and sought to present Orthodox Christianity in dialogue with contemporary thought. During the Second World War and its aftermath, Nikolaj suffered imprisonment and persecution for his faith and his defence of Serbian Orthodox identity. He endured considerable hardship with patient faith, emerging from captivity as a living witness to martyrdom. His intellectual gifts and pastoral love made him a beacon of Orthodox witness in the twentieth century. The Serbian Orthodox Church canonised him as a hieromartyr and saint, and the Orthodox Church venerates him as a powerful intercessor.

Venerable Piama the Virgin

Piama was a virgin ascetic and desert mother of Egypt who lived in the fourth or fifth century. Fleeing the distractions of the world, she withdrew into the desert to pursue a life of unceasing prayer, fasting, and communion with God. Through her ascetic labours, Piama became a vessel of divine grace and was granted spiritual gifts including the discernment of spirits and the ability to teach others the ways of repentance. Though she dwelt in solitude, word of her holiness spread, and seekers came to her for spiritual direction. Piama received them with maternal compassion and guided them towards transformation in Christ. Her sayings and example became treasured in the tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The Orthodox Church venerates her as a venerable mother of monasticism and an intercessor for those pursuing the ascetic life.

An Unknown Girl in Alexandria

“She was from a wealthy house, having a good father who suffered much and had a difficult death, and an evil mother who had an easy life, died in peace and was buried with honour. In uncertainty whether to live by the example of her father or her mother, this maiden had a vision, in which the state of her father and of her mother were shown to her. She saw her father in the Kingdom of God, and her mother in darkness and torment. This determined her to devote her whole life to God, and, like her father, follow the commandments of God without regard to any opposition or misfortune that she might have to endure. And she followed the commandments of God to the end, with His help, and was made worthy of the Kingdom of heaven, in which she was reunited with her beloved father.” (Prologue)

Daily readings

6th Hour

weekly cycle

Isaiah — Isaiah 1.1-20

¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

¹The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

²Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

²Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. ³The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. ³The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. ⁴Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. ⁴Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged and gone backward. ⁵Why will ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

⁵Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ⁶From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and fresh stripes: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil. ⁶From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. ⁷Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. ⁷Your country is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. ⁸And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. ⁸And the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. ⁹Except Jehovah of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah. ⁹Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

¹⁰Hear the word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. ¹¹What unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah: I have had enough of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. ¹¹To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. ¹²When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts? ¹²When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? ¹³Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. ¹³Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; new moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies,—I cannot away with iniquity and the solemn meeting. ¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. ¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. ¹⁵And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; ¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; ¹⁷Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁷learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ¹⁹If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: ¹⁹If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: ²⁰but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. ²⁰But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Genesis — Genesis 1.1-13

¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

¹In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ²And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

⁹And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

⁹And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. ¹⁰And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁰And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. ¹¹And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹¹And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. ¹²And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ¹³And the evening and the morning were the third day. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Proverbs — Proverbs 1.1-20

¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

¹The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: ²To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; ²To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding; ³To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; ³To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity; ⁴To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. ⁴To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion: ⁵That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels: ⁵A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: ⁶To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. ⁶To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁷The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: ⁸My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother: ⁹For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck. ⁹For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. ¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not. ¹¹If they say, Come with us, Let us lay wait for blood; Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause; ¹¹If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: ¹²Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit; ¹²Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: ¹³We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: ¹³We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil; ¹⁴Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: ¹⁴Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse: ¹⁵My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: ¹⁵My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path: ¹⁶For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. ¹⁶For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. ¹⁷Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. ¹⁷For in vain is the net spread In the sight of any bird: ¹⁸And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. ¹⁸And these lay wait for their own blood; They lurk privily for their own lives. ¹⁹So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof. ¹⁹So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. ²⁰Wisdom crieth aloud in the street; She uttereth her voice in the broad places;

²⁰Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: