Readings May to August

8th. Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the Beloved Disciple and Bosom Friend of Christ. [And 26 September]

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us we have boldness towards God. And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, from the Spirit of which he has given us. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and witness that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Beloved, if someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves him who has begotten loves also him who has been begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy. Because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that has conquered the world, our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

9th. Translation of the Relics of St Nicolas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari.

The mouth of the just drops wisdom; but the tongue of the unjust will be cut out. The lips of just men know graces; but the mouth of the impious is turned away. A false balance is an abomination before the Lord; but a just weight is acceptable to him. Wherever pride enters, there too dishonour; but the mouth of the humble meditates wisdom. The perfection of the devout will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will carry them off. Property does not profit in the day of wrath, but justice will deliver from death. When a just man dies he leaves regret; ready and welcome the destruction of the ungodly. The justice of the blameless keeps their ways straight, but impiety encounters injustice. The justice of upright men will deliver them, but transgressors are caught by base counsel. When a just man dies his hope does not perish; but the boast of the ungodly perishes. A just man escapes from the hunt, but the ungodly is given up in his place. In the mouth of the ungodly is a snare for citizens, but the perception of the just brings prosperity. By the good things of the just a city is successful, and in the loss of the ungodly their is gladness. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the ungodly it will be overthrown. One who lacks sense sneer at their fellow citizens, an intelligent man practices stillness.

11th. Holy Equals of the Apostles Cyril and Methodios, Evangelisers of the Slavs. [As on May 9th]

21st. Holy Equal of the Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena.

Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven; and said, ‘ Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, If, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house which I have built! Yet have regard to my supplication, O Lord God of Israel, hearkening to the prayer which your servant prays before you today; that your eyes may be open towards this house day and night, towards the place of which you have said, “My name shall be there,” to hearken to the prayer which your servant prays towards this place day and night. And hearken to the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; and hear your dwelling place in heaven; and you will act and show pity.’

Let my soul rejoice in my God; for he has clothed me with a garment of salvation and a tunic of gladness, as a bridegroom he has put a garland upon me, and as a bride he has adorned me with beauty. For as the earth brings forth its flower, and as a garden it seeds, so the Lord God will cause justice and joy to spring forth before all the nations. For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until my justice goes forth like light, and my salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your justice, and kings your glory; and he will be call you by a new name which the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed ‘Forsaken’, and your land shall no more be termed ‘Desert’; but you shall be called ‘My Will’, and your land ‘Inhabited’; for the Lord has been well pleased in you, and your land shall be inhabited. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons make their dwelling, and as bridegroom rejoices over bride, so shall the Lord rejoice over you.

Shine, shine, Jerusalem; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, like thick darkness over nations; but the Lord will appear upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And kings will walk by your light, and nations by your brightness. Lift up your eyes round about, and see your children have been gathered; your sons have come from far, and your daughters shall be carried on the shoulders. Then you shall see and be afraid, and be amazed in heart; because the wealth of the sea shall be turned to you, and that of nations and peoples. Flocks of camels shall come to you, the camels of Madiam and Gaipha will cover you; all those from Sheba shall come, bringing gold and they will bring incense and precious stone, and shall proclaim the good tidings of the Lord’s salvation. All the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall come to you; acceptable sacrifices will be offered on my altar, and my house of prayer will be glorified. Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves with their nestlings? For the islands have waited for me, the ships of Tharsis first of all, to bring your children from far, their silver and gold with them, for the holy name of the Lord, and for the Holy One of Israel to be glorious. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall stand before you; for in my wrath I smote you, but in mercy I have loved you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut; that men may bring to you the power of nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kings that will not serve you shall perish; the nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with cypress, pine, and cedar, to glorify my holy place; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who oppressed you and troubled you shall come to you in fear; you shall be called ‘City of the Lord, Sion of the Holy One of Israel’. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one to help, I will make you a joy for ever, a gladness from generation to generation. You shall suck the milk of nations, eat the wealth of kings; and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Saviour and the God of Israel your Redeemer.

25th. Third Finding of the Precious Head of St John the Baptist. [As on February 24th]

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, being very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people, who were long ago designated for this condemnation, have intruded, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I wish to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that the Lord who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in gloom until the judgement of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorra and the surrounding cities, which likewise practised sexual immorality and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in the same way these dreamers defile the flesh, reject lordship, and revile the glorious ones. But the archangel Michael, when he contended with the devil, in a dispute about the body of Moses, did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgement upon him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ But these people revile whatever they do not understand, and by those things that they know by nature like the irrational animals, they are destroyed.

Beloved, woe to them! For they have walked in the way of Cain, abandoned themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and perished in Kora’s rebellion. These people are blemishes on your love feasts, as they fearlessly carouse together, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, foaming up their deeds of shame; wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved for ever. It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgement on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’ These people are grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.

Beloved, remember, the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who set up divisions, living according to nature, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, hating even the tunic spotted by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, before all time and now and for all the ages. Amen.

The Lord God said to Abraham: As for Sara your wife, her name shall not be called Sara, but Sarra shall be her name. I will bless her and will give you a child from her; and I will bless it and it shall be for nations and kings of nations will come from it. And Abraham fell on his face, and laughed and said in his mind; Shall a son be born in my hundredth year? And shall Sarra who is ninety bear a child? God said to Abraham: Yes; see, your wife Sarra will bear you a son and you will call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant. Now Abraham and Sarra were old, advanced in years. But Sarra laughed to herself, saying: The thing has not happened to me until now; and my lord is old. And the Lord God said to Abraham: Why did Sarra laugh to herself, saying: Shall I really give birth? For I am aged. But nothing is impossible for God. And the Lord visited Sarra, as He had said, and she conceived and bore a son to Abraham in their old age at the time the Lord had said to him. But he circumcised him on the eighth day, as the Lord God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred when Isaac his son was born to him. But Sarra said: The Lord has given me laughter; for whoever hears will rejoice with me. And she said: Who will announce to Abraham that Sarra is suckling a child, for I have born a child in my old age? And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham held a great banquet on the day his son Isaac was weaned.

In those days there was a man of the tribe of Dan and his name was Manoe, and his wife was barren and had not borne a child. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to his wife and said to her: See, you are barren and have not borne a child or conceived a son. But now take care, and do not drink wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. Because see, you will conceive in the womb and bear a son, and no iron shall touch his head, because the child is to be a Nazarite to God from his mother’s womb. And the woman came and spoke to her husband, saying: A Man of God came to me, and his appearance was as the appearance on an Angel of God, exceedingly bright. And he said: See, you will conceive in the womb and bear a son; and now take care, and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb to the day of his death. And Manoe besought the Lord and said: My Lord, let the man of God, whom You sent, come again to us, and enlighten us what we should do for the child that is to be born. Then the Angel came to Manoe and said: Of all the things that I said to your wife, let her take care. She is not to eat anything that comes from the vine; she is not to drink wine or strong drink. And Manoe said to the Angel of the Lord: What is your name? That when your word comes to pass, we may glorify you. And the Angel of the Lord said to him: Why do you ask my name? For it is wonderful. And the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoe and his wife.

57. The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias.
[40:1-5.9, 41:17-18, 45:8, 48:20-21, 54:1]

Thus says the Lord: Comfort, comfort my people, says God. Priests speak to the heart of Jerusalem; comfort her, for her humiliation has been completed; her sin has been abolished; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double her sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill humbled; and the crooked paths will be straight and the rough, smooth ways; and all flesh will see the salvation of God. Get up onto a high mountain you who bring good tidings to Sion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem: lift up, be not afraid! I the Lord God, I the God of Israel will hear, and I will not forsake them. But I will open rivers on the mountains, and springs in the midst of plains; I will make the wilderness into pools and the thirsty land watercourses. Let the heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down justice; let the earth bring forth and blossom with mercy, and let it also bring forth justice. Proclaim a voice of gladness to the ends of the earth, and let this be heard. Say that the Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob. And if they thirst through the wilderness, He will bring them water out of a rock. Be glad, O barren one who have never borne, break forth and shout: many are the children of the deserted, more than of her who has a husband.

29th. The Holy Glorious and All-praised Princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.

Brethren, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith--being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Beloved, therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honourably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honourable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honour everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honour the emperor. Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.

5th. Saint Athanasios, Founder of the Great Lavra on Mt Athos. [As on January 17th]

Now when Abram heard that Lot his nephew had been taken captive, he numbered his own home-born servants three hundred and eighteen, and pursued the enemy as far as Dan. And he fell upon them by night, he and his servants, and smote them and pursued them as far as Chobal, which is on the left of Damascus. And he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and he brought back Lot his nephew and all his goods and the women and the people. And the king of Sodom came out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chodologomor and the kings with him, to the valley of Sabi; this was the plain of Kings. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was Priest of the Most High. And he blessed Abram and said: Blessed is Abram by the most high God, who created the heaven and the earth. And blessed is the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

Moses said to the sons of Israel: See, I have delivered the land before you; go in and inherit the land which I swore to your fathers, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, to give it to them and to their seed after them. And I spoke to you at that time saying: I alone shall not be able to bear you. the Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are to-day as the stars of heaven in multitude. May the Lord the God of our fathers multiply you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as he has spoken to you. And I took from you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you, captains of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens and recorders for your judges. And I commanded your judges at that time, saying: Hear cases between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and his brother and the stranger who is with him. You shall not have respect to persons in judging. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not shrink before any man’s person; for the judgement is God’s.

Moses said to the sons of Israel: Behold the heaven and the highest heaven belong to the Lord your God, the earth and all that is in it. the Lord preferred your fathers, to love them: and he chose their seed after them, you above all nations, as it is at this day. So circumcise the hardness of your heart and stiffen your neck no longer. For the Lord your God is God of Gods and the Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality, who takes no bribe. He executes judgement for the stranger, the orphan and the widow; and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. You shall fear the Lord your God and serve him, and to him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in his name. He is your boast, he your God, who has done for you the great and wonderful things which your eyes have seen.

15th. Holy Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir (in Holy Baptism Basil), Enlightener of Kievan Rus. [As on May 21st]

The word of the Lord came to the Prophet Elias and he said to Achab, ‘As the Lord the God of powers lives, the God of Israel, before whom I stand today, there shall be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my mouth.’ The word of the Lord came to Elias, saying, ‘Go from here and towards the east, and hide yourself in the brook Chorrath, which is opposite the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I am commanding the ravens to feed you there.’ So he went and settled by the brook Chorrath, which is opposite the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread in the morning, and meat in the evening; and he drank water from the brook. And it cane to pass after some days that the brook dried up, because there was no rain on the land. Then the word of the Lord came to Elias, saying, ‘Arise and go to Sarepta, which belongs to Sidon, and settle there; for see, I am commanding a widow there to feed you.’ And he arose and went to Sarepta, to the gate of the city. And a widow was there gathering sticks. And Elias he called after her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ As she was going to bring it, he called after her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ But the woman said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in the jar, and a little oil in the jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my children, that we may eat it, and die.’ Elias said to her, ‘Take courage. Go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your children. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of flour will not fail and the jug of oil will not grow less until the day that the Lord sends rain on the whole land.’ The woman went and did as Elias said, and he and she and her children ate. And from that day the jar of flour did not fail, neither did the jug of oil grow less, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elias. After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. She then said to Elias, ‘Why do you trouble me, man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sins to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son?’ But he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord, ‘Alas, Lord my God, you have brought calamity upon the widow with whom I am staying, whose witness you are, by killing her son.’ Then he breathed upon the child three times, and called on the Lord and said, ‘Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.’ And so it happened and he cried out. And the Lord listened to the voice of Elias; the child’s soul came into him again, and he lived. Elias took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother. Then Elias said, ‘See, your son is alive.’ So the woman said to Elias, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.’

The word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite in the third year, saying, ‘Go, and appear before Achab, and I will give rain on the face of the land. And it came to pass that when Achab saw Elias, he said to him, ‘Is it you, the one who is troubling Israel?’ He answered, ‘I am not troubling Israel; but you are, and your father’s house, by forsaking the Lord our God and following Baal. Now therefore have all Israel assemble to me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of the scared groves, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’ So Achab sent to all Israel, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elias said to them, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ Then Elias said to the people, ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but the prophets of the sacred grove are very many. Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull, but put no fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord my God. And the god who answers by fire shall be God.’ All the people answered, ‘The word you have spoken today is good.’ Then Elias said to the prophets of shame, ‘Choose for yourselves one calf and prepare it first; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.’ So they took the calf, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice, and no answer. They ran upon the altar that they had made. At noon Elias the Thesbite mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud! For your god likes garrulousness.’ And when the time of the offering of the oblation came, there was nothing. Then Elias the Thesbite said to the prophets of abominations, ‘Stand aside now, and I will offer my holocaust’. And Elias said to the people, ‘Come close’. And all the people came closer to him. Elias took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name’. With the stones he built and repaired the altar of the Lord that had been cast down. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. Next he put the pieces of wood on the altar he had made, cut the holocaust in pieces, and laid them on the pieces of wood and piled them on the altar. He said, ‘Bring me two jars of water and pour it on the holocaust and on the pieces of wood.’ Then he said, ‘Do it a second time’; and they did it a second time. Again he said, ‘Do it a third time’; and they did it a third time, so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. And the prophet Elias cried aloud to heaven and said, ‘Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, hear me today by fire. And let this people known that you alone the Lord. the God of Israel, that I am your servant, and that through you I have done all these things, and that you have turned back the heart of this people to you.’ Then fire from the Lord fell from heaven and consumed the holocaust and the pieces of wood; and the fire licked up the water that was in the trench, the stones, and the dust. And the people fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; he is God.’ Elias said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.’ Then they seized them; and Elias brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there. And after this Elias said to Achab, ‘There is a sound of rushing rain. Harness your chariot and go down, lest the rain catch you.’ Then Elias went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees and prayed to the Lord. And the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Achab went to Jezreel. Achab told Jezebel his wife all that Elias had done. Then Jezebel sent to Elias, saying, ‘Tomorrow I will sacrifice your life like one of them.’ And Elias heard and was afraid; he arose and fled for his life, and came to Beersheba, in the land of Juda; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly someone touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat and drink, for you have a long journey.’ Elias looked, and there at his head was a cake of flour and a jar of water. He arose, ate and drank, and slept again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat and drink, for you have a long journey.’ He arose, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to mount Horeb. There he entered a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elias?’ Elias answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the Almighty; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return to your way and you will come to the desert way of Damascus; and you shall anoint Elissaios son of Shaphat as prophet in your place.

66. The Reading is from the 3rd Book of Reigns.
[19,19-21 & 4 Reigns 2,1.6-14][1]

A day came and Elias found Elissaios son of Saphat, who was ploughing. Elias passed by him and threw his mantle over him. Elissaios left the oxen, ran after Elias, and ministered to him. And it came to pass, when the Lord took Elias in a whirlwind as though up to heaven, that Elias went with Elissaios to Galgala. Then Elias said to Elissaios, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets came, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elias took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water with it; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elias said to Elissaios, ‘Ask me what I may do for you, before I am taken up from you.’ Elissaios said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken up from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ It came to pass that as they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elias was taken up in a whirlwind as if into heaven. Elissaios kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, Elissaios grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantle of Elias that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Elissaios took the mantle of Elias that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where then is the God of Elias, Appho?’[2] And so he struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elissaios went over on dry ground.

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, the law and the commandments, which I have written for their instruction.’ When Moses had arisen, he and Jesus, who attended him, went up onto the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us, until we come back to you again; and, see, Aaron and Or are with you; if anyone has a dispute, let them go to them.’ Then Moses went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of God came down on Mount Sina, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day the Lord called Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the children of Israel. And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And he was there on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one speaks to one’s friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young servant, Jesus, son of Navi, did not leave the tent. Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you say to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not shown me whom you will send with me. Yet you have said to me, “I know you above all others, and you have also found favour in my sight.” Now if I have found favour in your sight, show yourself to me, so that I may see you and find favour in your sight, that I may know that this great nation is your people.‘ And the Lord said to him, ‘I myself will go before you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If you will not go with us yourself, do not carry me up from here. For how shall it be truly known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be glorified, I and your people, more than all the nations.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘For you I will do this word that you have spoken; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you above all others.’ Moses said, ‘Show me your own glory.’ And he said, ‘I will pass by you in my glory, and will proclaim before you my name, “The Lord”; and I will be have mercy on those on whom I will have mercy, and will have pity on those on whom I will have pity.’ And he said, ‘You cannot see my face; for no human shall see my face and live.’ And the Lord said, ‘See, there is a place by me; stand on the rock. And while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen by you.’ So Moses rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sina, as the Lord had commanded him. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name, ‘The Lord. The Lord passed before his face, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, God compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and full of mercy and true’. And Moses quickly bowed to the earth, and worshipped the Lord.

And Elias heard and was afraid; he arose and fled for his life, and came to Beersheba, in the land of Juda; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly someone touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat and drink, for you have a long journey.’ Elias looked, and there at his head was a cake of flour and a jar of water. He arose, ate and drank, and slept again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat and drink, for you have a long journey.’ He arose, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to mount Horeb. There he entered a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord will pass by.’ And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elias heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood by the cave. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return to your way and you will come to the desert way of Damascus; and you shall anoint Elissaios son of Shaphat as prophet in your place.’

In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said, ‘Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry. (Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language “Akeldamach”, that is, “Field of Blood”.) For it is written in the book of Psalms, “Let his encampment become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it”; and “let another take his office.” So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us — one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.’ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.’ And they lots to them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.

15th. The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. [As on March 25th]

29th. The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet Forerunner and Baptist John. [As on February 24th]

[1] This reading in the Menaion has been shortened in various places, notably in the account of the sacrifice and Elias’s vision at Horeb.

[2] The LXX has here either appho or aphpho, both of which are odd being simply near transliterations of the Hebrew, which means something like ‘Yea, he’, ‘Even he’. St Jerome has ‘nunc etiam’, which makes sense, but is somewhat free.