Friday, 13 June 2025

Friday of the 1st week after Pentecost

54 days after Pascha · Tone 7 · Liturgy · No Fast (Fast Free)

Saints commemorated

Holy Virgin Martyr Aquilina of Byblos

293

Saint Aquilina was a native of the Phoenician city of Byblos, in what is now the Lebanese coastland, born about the year 281 of pious Christian parents. Her mother taught her the faith from earliest childhood, and the holy virgin showed such love for Christ that already by the age of ten she was instructing other girls in his name. When she was twelve, the persecution under the emperor Diocletian came to Byblos, and a servant of the governor Volusianus denounced her for turning her companions away from the worship of the gods. Brought before Volusianus, the child fearlessly confessed Christ; first he tried to win her with flattery, then commanded her to be scourged, and at length had heated iron rods driven through her ears so that the brain came out, after which she fell as though dead.

The judge ordered her body to be cast outside the city to be devoured by dogs. By night an angel of the Lord came down, raised her up, healed her wounds, and bade her go and accuse Volusianus before his own throne. The holy virgin walked to the praetorium and stood before him, alive and unharmed, and the people who saw it cried out in wonder. Confounded and afraid, the governor ordered her beheaded; but as the executioner raised his sword the saint gave thanks to her Bridegroom and rendered her soul to God before the blow could fall, in the year 293. Christians took up her body and gave it honourable burial; and her relics were afterwards translated to Constantinople, where the emperors built a church in her name.

Saint Anthimus the Iberian, Metropolitan of Wallachia

Saint Anthimus was born about 1660 in Iberia, the historic name of Georgia, and was given in baptism the name Andrew. Captured as a young man during one of the Persian raids on his country and sold into slavery, he was at length redeemed by the Patriarch of Constantinople Dositheus II of Jerusalem, who, perceiving the young captive's devotion and rare gifts for languages, took him into his own household and educated him in theology, calligraphy and the arts of printing. About 1690 the Patriarch sent him to the Wallachian prince Constantine Brancoveanu, who needed a learned hieromonk to direct the new printing presses he had set up at Bucharest in defence of orthodox teaching. There Anthimus received monastic tonsure, founded the press at the Snagov monastery, and produced books in Greek, Slavonic, Romanian, Arabic and Georgian, including the Liturgy in Arabic for the church of Antioch and the Gospel in Iberian for his native Georgia. In 1705 he was consecrated bishop of Ramnic, and in 1708 metropolitan of all Wallachia. He laboured to make Romanian the liturgical language of the Romanian Church, translated and printed the Liturgical books in the language of the people, and preached his celebrated Didahii, the homilies for Sundays and feasts that mark the beginning of Romanian sacred eloquence. After the deposition and execution by the Turks of his patron Brancoveanu, Anthimus continued his work under Stephen Cantacuzino and Nicholas Mavrocordat, but his outspoken denunciation of Turkish exactions led at length to his ruin. In 1716 the Sultan ordered him deposed and banished to Saint Catherine's monastery on Mount Sinai. On the road, on 14 September 1716, a band of janissaries set upon him near Adrianople, killed him with their swords and cast his body into the river Tundzha. He was glorified by the Church of Romania in 1992; his memory is observed in the Romanian and several Greek calendars on 13 June.

Saint Antipater, Bishop of Bostra in Arabia

Saint Antipater was a Greek prelate of the fifth century who became metropolitan of Bostra, the principal city of the Roman province of Arabia, before the year 457, succeeding the bishop Constantine. The diocese of Bostra at that time was closely linked with the great monasteries of the Judean desert, and Antipater maintained a near friendship with Saint Euthymius the Great and the fathers of his lavra, drawing both ascetic counsel and dogmatic precision from that source. Antipater is remembered as one of the most learned defenders of the orthodox faith in the generation that followed the Council of Chalcedon. When certain monks renewed the doctrines of Origen on the pre-existence of souls and the eventual restoration of all spirits, including the demons, Antipater answered with a Refutation of the Apology for Origen written by Pamphilus of Caesarea, in which he set out the orthodox teaching with such clarity that, more than a century later, the Emperor Justinian ordered his work to be read publicly in the churches of the East as an antidote to the spreading errors. He also composed a treatise against the Apollinarists and a number of homilies in honour of the Theotokos, in which the dogmatic faith of Ephesus, that the Virgin is truly Mother of God, is given liturgical expression. The Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council included him among the authoritative writers of the Church. Saint Antipater fell asleep in the Lord toward the end of the fifth century.

Saint Triphyllius, Bishop of Leucosia in Cyprus

Saint Triphyllius was born at Constantinople in the late third century to a noble Christian family and was sent to Berytus, modern Beirut, for the celebrated rhetorical and legal training of that city. He became one of the most learned and eloquent men of his generation. Drawn by report to Saint Spyridon, the wonderworking bishop of Trimythous in Cyprus, he sought him out and became his disciple. The Lives of the Cypriot fathers tell how the simple shepherd-bishop tempered the worldliness still clinging to his elegant pupil: when, accompanying his master to the imperial court, Triphyllius gazed in admiration at the splendour of the palace, Spyridon asked him gently, "Why do you marvel? Does all this make the emperor any more righteous?"

Trained by his elder in the discipline of humble prayer, Triphyllius received the gift of ascetic discernment and was raised to the see of Leucosia, the present Nicosia. There he proved a tireless pastor and an undaunted defender of the Nicene faith, supporting Saint Athanasius the Great against the Arians and accompanying Saint Spyridon to local councils. From the inheritance left by his mother he built a monastery at Leucosia. He governed his church for many years and fell asleep in old age about the year 370. The Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the relics of Saint Triphyllius on Cyprus at the beginning of the twelfth century, still venerated by the faithful.

St Anna and her son John

5h c.

“Taken as an orphan into the house of a nobleman and treated as an adopted child, she was cared for and educated in that house. The rich man considered her worthy to be married to his son. When the old man died, the family urged the son to put his wife away because of her low birth and to marry another more suited to his rank and wealth. The rich man’s son feared God and did not want to do this. Seeing her husband in difficulties with his family, Anna secretly left him and ran off to a distant island where there was not a living soul. She was pregnant, and soon gave birth to a son. They laboured on the island for thirty years in fasting and prayer. Then, by divine providence, a hieromonk landed on the island. He baptised her son and named him John. Anna lived her ascetic life in the fifth century, and died peacefully.” (Prologue)

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Romans — Romans 2.14-29

¹⁴For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: ¹⁴(for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves; ¹⁵Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) ¹⁵in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); ¹⁶In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. ¹⁶in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.

¹⁷Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

¹⁷But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God, ¹⁸and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ¹⁸And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; ¹⁹and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness, ¹⁹And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, ²⁰An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²⁰a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth; ²¹Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? ²¹thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? ²²thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples? ²²Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? ²³Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? ²³thou who gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law dishonorest thou God? ²⁴For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. ²⁴For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written. ²⁵For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. ²⁵For circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law: but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision. ²⁶Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁶If therefore the uncircumcision keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision? ²⁷and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law? ²⁷And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? ²⁸For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁸For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ²⁹but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Matthew — Matthew 5.33-41

³³Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

³³Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: ³⁴But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: ³⁴but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. ³⁶Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. ³⁷But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.

³⁸Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

³⁸Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: ³⁹but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ³⁹But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. ⁴⁰And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. ⁴¹And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. ⁴¹And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.