Saturday, 9 May 2026

Prophet Isaiah; Trans. Rel. St Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saturday of the 4th Sunday of Pascha

27 days after Pascha · Tone 3 · Red cross (polyeleos typikon symbol) · No Fast

Saints commemorated

★ Holy great-martyr Christopher of Lycia

The holy Martyr Christopher lived during the third century and suffered around the year 250 in Lycia, in the reign of the Emperor Decius. According to tradition he was originally called Reprobus, meaning "rejected", and was a man of frightful and unusual appearance, of huge stature and great strength, from a race of people considered barbarous. After his baptism, when he received the gift of speech and the grace of God, he was given the name Christopher, "Christ-bearer". By his preaching and the working of miracles he is said by Saint Ambrose of Milan to have converted as many as fifty thousand pagans to Christ. Brought before the Emperor Decius, he refused all offers of honour and pleasure to deny Christ, was subjected to fearful tortures with iron rods and burning helmets, but remained unharmed by the grace of God. With him suffered the holy women Callinika and Aquilina, whom he had brought to the faith. Finally Saint Christopher was beheaded for the name of Christ. His relics were later transferred to Toledo in Spain, and afterwards in part to the abbey of Saint Denis in France, where they were greatly venerated.

★ Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker to Bari

1087

This feast commemorates the translation of the holy relics of Saint Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, from Myra to the Italian city of Bari in the year 1087. After the conquest of Asia Minor by the Seljuk Turks, the city of Myra had fallen and lay desolate, and the tomb of the great wonderworker was in danger of profanation. Both the inhabitants of Bari and those of Venice prepared expeditions to translate the relics; the men of Bari arrived first, and after some difficulty they took up the holy and fragrant relics from their resting place at Myra and bore them by ship to Italy. The translation was completed on 9 May 1087, when the relics were received with great solemnity at Bari and laid in the church of Saint Stephen, until on 1 October 1089 they were placed in the great basilica which had been built in honour of the saint, where they remain to this day, exuding the fragrant myrrh which has continually flowed from them. The Russian Orthodox Church established the celebration of this feast soon after the year 1087, on the basis of an already established veneration of Saint Nicholas by the Russian people.

Holy prophet Isaiah

The Holy Prophet Isaiah lived in the eighth century before Christ. He was of royal lineage, son of Amos, who was the brother of Amaziah, king of Judah. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah. While praying in the Temple, he beheld the Lord seated upon a high throne, with seraphim about Him crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Sabaoth," and one of the seraphim was sent to touch his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar. Then he heard the voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" and he answered, "Here am I, send me." For more than sixty years he prophesied to Israel and Judah, calling the people to repentance and uttering the most luminous foretellings of the incarnation of the Word of God, of the Virgin who would conceive Emmanuel, and of the suffering Servant who would bear the iniquities of many. Because of the clarity of his messianic prophecies he is called the Evangelist of the Old Testament. During the reign of the impious King Manasseh he denounced the idolatry of the king and of the leaders of Judah, and was seized, led out of Jerusalem, and sawn in two with a wooden saw. The faithful buried his body near the pool of Siloam.

Also commemorated: Trans. Rel. St Nicholas the Wonderworker

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Acts — Acts 12.1-11

¹Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. ²And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. ³And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) ⁴And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. ⁵Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. ⁶And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. ⁷And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. ⁸And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. ⁹And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. ¹⁰When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. ¹¹And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

Gospel

weekly cycle

John — John 8.31-42

³¹Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; ³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

³³They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? ³⁴Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. ³⁵And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. ³⁶If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. ³⁷I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. ³⁸I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. ³⁹They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. ⁴¹Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. ⁴²Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.