Friday, 21 March 2025

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

30 days before Pascha · Tone 5 · Presanctified · Lenten Fast

Presanctified Liturgy

Saints commemorated

Saint Cyril, Bishop of Catania

Saint Cyril was born in Antioch and was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, the Chief of the Apostles. The Apostle Peter, recognising the spiritual gifts and piety of Cyril, installed him as Bishop of Catania in Sicily, where he would shepherd the flock of Christ. Saint Cyril wisely guided his flock in the Orthodox faith with pastoral care and spiritual wisdom. He was pious in his personal life and devoted to the Gospel. The Lord granted him the gift of wonderworking, and through his prayers many miraculous signs were performed for the strengthening of faith and the healing of the afflicted. Saint Cyril's episcopal ministry brought many souls to Christ and established the Church firmly in Catania. He is commemorated on 21 March as a holy bishop and wonderworker in the Orthodox tradition.

Saint James the Confessor, Bishop of Catania

Saint James, Bishop and Confessor, was inclined toward the ascetic life from his early years. He entered the Studite monastery, where he was tonsured and became a monk devoted to prayer and spiritual discipline.

Pious and well-versed in Holy Scripture, Saint James was eventually elevated to the bishop's throne of Catania in Sicily, where he faithfully shepherded Christ's flock. During the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Constantine V Copronymus (741-775), Saint James was repeatedly urged not to venerate the holy icons.

Refusing to abandon the veneration of sacred images, which had been honoured since ancient times in the Church, Saint James suffered greatly for his Orthodox faith. The iconoclasts exhausted him in prison, starved him, beat him with rods, and subjected him to many cruel torments. Yet he bravely endured all these sufferings without wavering in his confession of Christ.

Saint James was ultimately exiled from his see because of his steadfast defence of the holy icons. He died in exile, completing his struggle as a confessor of the Orthodox faith. The Church commemorates him on 21 March as a holy confessor and bishop.

Saint Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Thomas served as Patriarch of Constantinople, shepherding the Church of Constantinople during a critical period in Church history. Upon the death of the holy Patriarch Thomas in 610, considerable disorders and ecclesiastical difficulties arose in the Patriarchate and the wider Church. Saint Thomas' successor, Patriarch Sergius (610-638), faced significant theological challenges and controversies regarding the nature of Christ. Despite the good intentions of Patriarch Sergius, the subsequent period saw the rise of the Monothelite heresy, which denied the full Orthodox teaching concerning Christ's divine and human wills. This theological struggle underscores the importance of Saint Thomas' faithful stewardship of the Patriarchate and his commitment to preserving Orthodox doctrine. Saint Thomas is commemorated on 21 March in the Orthodox Church calendar as a holy Patriarch.

Our Holy Father Serapion

366

‘A companion of St Antony the Great, he lived in the Nitrian desert, in charge of the monastery of Arsina which contained 11,000 monks. Palladius and Sozomenes gave him the title “the Great”. He entered into rest in about 366. St Serapion wrote: “Do not think that sickness is grave; only sin is grave… Sickness leads us only to the tomb, but sin follows the sinner beyond it”.’ (Prologue)

Daily readings

6th Hour

weekly cycle

Isaiah — Isaiah 13.2-13

²Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

²Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, lift up the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. ³I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. ³I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones. ⁴The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. ⁴The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Jehovah of hosts is mustering the host for the battle. ⁵They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. ⁵They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

⁶Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

⁶Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. ⁷Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: ⁷Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt: ⁸and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame. ⁸And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. ⁹Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. ⁹Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. ¹⁰For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. ¹⁰For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine. ¹¹And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. ¹¹And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity: and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. ¹²I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir. ¹²I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. ¹³Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place, in the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. ¹³Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Genesis — Genesis 8.4-21

⁴And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁴And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. ⁵And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

⁶And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

⁶And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: ⁷And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. ⁷and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. ⁸And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; ⁸Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; ⁹but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. ⁹But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. ¹⁰And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; ¹⁰And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; ¹¹And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. ¹¹and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. ¹²And he stayed yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any more. ¹²And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

¹³And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried.

¹³And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. ¹⁴And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. ¹⁴And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. ¹⁵And God spake unto Noah, saying,

¹⁵And God spake unto Noah, saying, ¹⁶Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. ¹⁶Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. ¹⁷Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. ¹⁷Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. ¹⁸And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: ¹⁸And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: ¹⁹Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. ¹⁹every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.

²⁰And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

²⁰And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. ²¹And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. ²¹And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, for that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Proverbs — Proverbs 10.31-11.12

³¹The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. ³¹The mouth of the righteous bringeth forth wisdom; But the perverse tongue shall be cut off. ³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. ³²The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable; But the mouth of the wicked speaketh perverseness.

¹A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. ¹A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah; But a just weight is his delight. ²When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. ²When pride cometh, then cometh shame; But with the lowly is wisdom. ³The integrity of the upright shall guide them; But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them. ³The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. ⁴Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. ⁴Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

⁵The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. ⁵The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. ⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. ⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. ⁷When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish; And the hope of iniquity perisheth. ⁷When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. ⁸The righteous is delivered out of trouble; And the wicked cometh in his stead. ⁸The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead. ⁹With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor; But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered. ⁹An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. ¹⁰When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

¹⁰When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. ¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. ¹¹By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted; But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. ¹²He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom; But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

¹²He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.