Commemoration DAY of

St. Mamas, St. Philectimon,

and St. Simeon the Stylite

St. Mamas

The parents of Mamas were from the town of Gangra (present-day Çankırı) in the province of Paphlagonia. They were poor and of humble standing, but they were devout Christians. Because of their faith, they were arrested, taken to Caesarea, and imprisoned.

His father died in prison, while his mother gave birth to Mamas there. A short time later, she too fell asleep in the Lord.

A Christian woman adopted Mamas, raised him, and provided for his education. By the age of fifteen, he was already a Christian of firm conviction who openly preached his faith. Because of this, he was arrested and subjected to torture. After escaping these sufferings, he took refuge on Mount Argaeus, where for some time he lived a virtuous and ascetic life.

In addition to his gift for preaching, Mamas possessed a gentle and pleasing voice that brought peace to the souls of those who heard him. He therefore naturally became the leader of other Christians who had sought refuge on the mountain.

Even harmless animals gathered around him, not only because the area was rich in water, but also because he protected them from wild beasts and hunters. Deer kept their young near his dwelling. He milked them, made cheese from their milk, and distributed it to the poor.

Mamas was eventually betrayed to the authorities once again and subjected to torture. Finally, the servant of God Mamas was pierced with a three-pronged iron instrument and was martyred in A.D. 273, during the reign of Emperor Aurelian.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Mamas on the second Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

St. Philectimon

In Greek and Latin martyrologies, Philectimon appears under the name Philomenos. He lived during the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270–275).

A merchant engaged in the grain trade, he was arrested while traveling to Ancyra (present-day Ankara). He was subjected to severe tortures and was eventually martyred in A.D. 274, his feet being nailed together and his hands fastened to his head.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Philectimon on the second Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

St. Simeon the Stylite

The ascetic life was carried to its most extreme form by the Stylites, or pillar-dwellers. History records many such ascetics, but the first and most renowned among them was Simeon the Syrian. Although he lived in the world, Simeon desired to sever his contact with it and conceived the idea of spending years living atop a pillar.

Simeon is believed to have been born around A.D. 390 in Cilicia. As a boy, he worked as a shepherd.

One day, while attending church, he was unable to understand the Gospel passage that had been read. He asked an elderly man beside him:

“What is today’s Gospel passage about?”

“Asceticism,” the old man replied.

“What is asceticism?” Simeon asked.

“Asceticism is the salvation of the soul, which leads to the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“How does a person become an ascetic?”

“Through fasting, prayer, fear and reverence of God, regularly attending the services of the Church without absence, and faithfully fulfilling all one’s duties. But all these things are practiced especially in monasteries,” the old man continued, “where people from time to time subject themselves to hunger and thirst, cold and heat, deprivation and self-discipline, repentance and sleeplessness. Above all, they train themselves in humility, obedience, freedom from attachment to possessions, and contentment with little—that is, being satisfied with the minimum necessary in food, drink, clothing, and shelter.”

After hearing this, Simeon entered a monastery in northwestern Syria, in the region of present-day Hatay, and became a monk, subjecting himself to the strictest forms of ascetic discipline.

Later, withdrawing to a deserted place, he built himself a miserable little cell. Following the principle that when the body is weakened the spirit becomes stronger, he spent three years practicing extraordinary austerities.

God granted him the gifts of preaching and healing. Thousands of people began coming to him, and he preached to them and healed the sick.

Seeing that the crowds were overwhelming him and that he was still too closely involved with the world, Simeon sought a way to distance himself, at least partially, from those who came to see him.

At first, therefore, he constructed an elevated enclosure with a small opening through which only his head could be seen. From there he preached, and there he lived. Gradually, this elevated structure was transformed until it eventually became a pillar sixty cubits high. At its summit he arranged a small circular space protected on all four sides.

There he spent his life either standing or kneeling, since there was not enough room to sit or lie down. There was no roof above his head, and consequently he was constantly exposed to heat and cold, wind and storms, and all the severity of the elements. A permanent ladder was kept against the pillar for ascending and descending. His customary nourishment was Holy Communion, which he received once a week.

As already noted, from the top of this pillar he preached to the people gathered below and prayed for the sick.

He strictly instructed those who were healed:

“If anyone asks you who healed you, say, ‘God,’ because that is the truth, for healing comes from God alone. Do not say, ‘Simeon healed me,’ for then you would be speaking falsely, and your illness might return to you.”

Through his simple words and holy manner of life, he brought thousands of sinners to repentance.

When Simeon was still young, he had left home for the monastery without informing his mother. As his fame spread throughout the world, his mother heard reports of the new wonder-worker and began to suspect that he was her long-lost son.

Twenty-seven years later, she joined a group of pilgrims and came to see her son Simeon. When he was told, “Your mother has come and wishes to see you,” he sent her this message:

“May my mother forgive me and not seek to see me. Let her strive instead to become worthy of eternal life, where we shall see one another.”

Many accounts are told of his miracles and his angelic way of life.

Standing upon his pillar, he once addressed the enormous crowd gathered below:

“God has placed me upon this pillar as a watchman so that I may preach repentance to you throughout your lives. Yet you do not listen to my words. You remain bound to your greed, your pleasures, and your lawlessness. Therefore, it is better for me to speak with God than with an unbelieving people such as you. You seek God whenever danger threatens you, but otherwise you forget Him. For this reason, your prayers are not heard by God, nor are the prayers that others offer on your behalf.”

When Simeon died, his body was carried with great solemnity to Antioch. There, a magnificent church was built in his name, which later became a renowned pilgrimage site associated with many miracles.

The place where he had practiced his ascetic life likewise became a pilgrimage site, and a church was eventually built there as well.

Simeon is believed to have died around A.D. 460 at approximately seventy years of age. According to tradition, he spent forty-seven years living as a Stylite.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Simeon the Stylite, together with St. Mamas and St. Philectimon, on the second Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 8:9-11 ~

They are all straight to one who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

~ Isaiah 55:10-13 ~

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ~

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 21:12-19 ~

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 14:3-17 ~

When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased! How his insolence has ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck down the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. The cypresses exult over you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you were laid low, no one comes to cut us down." Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will speak and say to you: "You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!" Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your harps; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your covering. How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?"

~ 2 Corinthians 10:18-11:10 ~

For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you. Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God's good news to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 10:1-12 ~

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them. Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female.' "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

FEAST OF the Holy Cross

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 51:4-11 ~

Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear the reproach of others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be forever, and my salvation to all generations. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago! Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

~ 1 Timothy 6:13-16 ~

In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 7:37-52 ~

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.' " Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Messiah." But some asked, "Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not arrest him?" The police answered, "Never has anyone spoken like this!" Then the Pharisees replied, "Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed." Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, "Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?" They replied, "Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee."

FEAST OF the Holy Cross

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Zechariah 14:5-11 ~

And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord's mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses. And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.

~ Philippians 2:5-11 ~

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 19:16-22 ~

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, "The King of the Jews,' but, "This man said, I am King of the Jews.' " Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

FEAST OF the Holy Church

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 2:1-6 ~

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! For you have forsaken the ways of your people, O house of Jacob. Indeed they are full of diviners from the east and of soothsayers like the Philistines, and they clasp hands with foreigners.

~ Hebrews 12:18-27 ~

You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death." Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear.") But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 21:12-17 ~

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, "It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers." The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself'?" He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

FEAST OF the Holy Church

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Zephaniah 3:14-17 ~

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.

~ Hebrews 9:11-15 ~

But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God! For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 16:13-19 ~

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

FEAST OF the Holy Church

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Baruch 4:36-5:9 ~

Gaze toward the east, Jerusalem, and behold the joy that is coming to you from God. The children whom you saw depart are returning; they are returning, gathered together from the east and the west, at the command of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God. Remove your robe of mourning and affliction, O Jerusalem, and adorn yourself forever with the splendor of the glory of God. Wrap yourself with the cloak of God’s justice, and place on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting. For God will reveal your splendor to every nation under the heavens; and you will forever be called by God: “The Peace of Justice and The Glory of Piety.” Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the heights and look toward the east; behold your children gathered from the west and the east at the command of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. They departed from you on foot, led away by their enemies. But God will bring them back to you, borne aloft in glory as though on a royal throne. For God has decreed that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be leveled and that the valleys be filled to make level ground, so that Israel may walk securely in the glory of God. The woods and every type of fragrant tree have provided shade for Israel at God’s command. For God will lead Israel with joy, by the light of his glory, with the mercy and uprightness that come from him.

~ Hebrews 3:1-6 ~

Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also "was faithful in all God's house." Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 2:12-22 ~

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days. The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

FEAST OF the Holy Cross

Memorial Day for the Departed — Merelots

According to the Church calendar, the day following each of the five Tabernacle Feasts is called Merelots, the Commemoration of the Departed. On this day, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in churches for the repose and peace of the souls of the departed, followed by a requiem service.

The day is dedicated to the memory of those who have fallen asleep in Christ in true and holy faith. People remember their departed loved ones and give alms to those in need.

In the Old Testament, in the Second Book of Maccabees, Judas Maccabeus, believing in the resurrection of those who had fallen in battle, took a wise course of action. He believed that those who had died courageously could receive forgiveness of their sins. Judas Maccabeus collected silver and sent it to Jerusalem so that an offering might be made for the sins of the departed (2 Maccabees 12:43–46).

Even today, on Merelots, the faithful of the Armenian Church submit the names of their departed loved ones in writing so that they may be commemorated during the Divine Liturgy.

During the requiem service, the following passage is read:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

This passage once again bears witness to the words of the Apostle Paul:

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The one who buries the departed is compared to a farmer. After laboring diligently for a long time, the farmer gathers seed. Then, when the time for sowing comes, he casts into the ground the very seed he worked so hard to gather. More than this, after placing the seed in the earth, he repeatedly raises his eyes toward heaven and prays for rain, so that the seeds obtained through his hard labor may decay in the soil and ultimately produce a far greater harvest and reward.

Those who do not act in this way soon consume their stores and fall into hunger, poverty, and ruin. In the same manner, when a person’s earthly life comes to an end, the body is committed to the earth so that the person may ultimately receive a far greater gain. According to the Apostle Paul, that gain is that the corruptible body committed to the earth will rise again incorruptible, spiritual, and perfect (1 Corinthians 15:53).

At the request of the relatives of the departed, their graves are also blessed. Through the blessing of graves, we proclaim our hope in the Second Coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead: that at the Last Judgment the dead will rise and each person will see his or her loved ones again.

When visiting graves, the faithful burn incense and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed. In praying for the departed, the Church asks that, at the Last Judgment, the Lord in His abundant mercy forgive their sins and make them worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Holy Scripture teaches that many among the departed may find mercy at the Last Judgment and receive forgiveness for sins for which they were unable to seek atonement during their earthly lives (Matthew 12:31–32). There is, however, a distinction between sinners who have remained unrepentant and arrogant and sinners who have fallen asleep in Christ.

In the Bible we read:

“Therefore I tell you: however many sins or blasphemies people may commit, God will forgive them all; but He will not forgive the one who blasphemes the Holy Spirit. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31–32).

These words of Jesus teach us that sins arising from human weakness may be forgiven through remorse and repentance, whereas sins committed against the Holy Spirit through obstinacy and pride will not receive forgiveness either in this world or in the world to come.

Nevertheless, we must never forget that God’s love and mercy are immeasurable and limitless, surpassing all human standards:

“Great is Your mercy, higher than the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds” (Psalm 107:5).

The burial service for the departed, prayers offered on their behalf, the requiem service, and the blessing of graves all inspire and strengthen the hope of the Last Judgment and the resurrection, while reinforcing the faith of the living.

The observance of Merelots is an expression of gratitude and respect on the part of the living toward the departed, so that they may not be forgotten but continue to be remembered. The observance expresses both reverence for those who have fallen asleep and the hope of the resurrection of all.

Every Christian who loses someone near and dear has a need for spiritual consolation. The source of that consolation is the Christian faith, because God Himself is the One who gives life to us all:

“He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things.… In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:25, 28).

And it is the Lord Himself who:

“Brings down to the grave and raises up from it” (1 Samuel 2:6),

and,

“Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge” (Matthew 10:29).

The Christian faith consoles us with the assurance that our separation from one another is not eternal. Rather, according to the Word and promise of God, we live in the hope that we shall meet again:

“Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth: those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29).

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 65:22-25 ~

They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

~ 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 ~

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him"— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 3:22-36 ~

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, "I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.

FEAST OF Exaltation of

the Holy Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the principal feast dedicated to the Holy Cross and one of the five Tabernacle Feasts of the Church. All Christian Churches celebrate it on September 14, while the Armenian Church celebrates it on the Sunday falling between September 11 and 17.

Khachveratz, the Armenian name for the feast, means the exaltation or elevation of the Cross. According to Church tradition, the Cross of Christ was solemnly elevated before the people on three occasions.

First, as we learn from Torgom Gushakian, the Apostle James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, displayed a representation of the Cross of Christ to the people as a sign of protection and warning during a period when persecution against Christians had intensified. On that occasion, he sang for the first time the hymn, “Khachi Ko, Krisdos, yergirbakanemk”—“Before Your Cross, O Christ, we bow down.”

The second elevation took place on Golgotha in A.D. 326 through St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, and Bishop Cyril.

The third occasion was the return of the Cross from Persian captivity, after which the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross became firmly established.

In A.D. 610, the impious Persian king Khosrow II Parvez (590–628), while waging war against the Roman Emperor Heraclius, was victorious, captured Jerusalem, seized the Cross of the Savior, and carried it away to Persia. The population was put to the sword, while many others were taken captive. Fifty-seven thousand people were killed and thirty-five thousand were taken prisoner. Patriarch Zacharias was also taken into captivity.

When the Holy Cross of the Lord arrived in Persia, it was accorded great honor. The arrival of the Wood of Christ’s Cross in that idolatrous land was accompanied by wondrous signs, so much so that people everywhere began saying, “The God of the Christians has come to Persia.”

King Khosrow himself approached the sacred relic with great reverence. He kept it with great honor in his treasury, maintained a lamp burning continually before it, and did not even dare to remove the Wood of the Cross. Although the Persians were pagans, they did not dare to harm it. Many people approached the local Christians, heard the message of the Gospel from them, and converted to Christianity. For approximately fourteen years, the Holy Cross remained unharmed in captivity.

Finally, in A.D. 628, Emperor Heraclius invaded Persia with a vast army. A sacred war was waged for the recovery of the Cross. An Armenian contingent was also present in the army under the command of the Armenian prince Mjej Gnuni.

The emperor was victorious in the war, and a peace treaty was concluded between the two sides. One of its important provisions was the return of the Wood of the Cross.

Thus, the Holy Cross was carried back from Persia to Jerusalem in a solemn procession. On its return journey, it passed from city to city, spreading joy and enthusiasm everywhere. The Cross also passed through Armenia, where the people greeted with great rejoicing the liberation of the Lord’s “wonder-working and mighty Wood of the Cross.”

According to tradition, while the Holy Cross was being carried through Armenia, the Persians again attempted to seize it. The Armenians left the Cross in the plain of Karin and went out to confront the enemy, successfully repelling their attack. When they returned victorious, they discovered a newly flowing spring of clear water at the place where the Cross had rested. The site later became a place of pilgrimage.

To this day, the great summit of the mountains rising to the east of Karin-Erzurum is called Khachapait (“Wood of the Cross”). The Khachka Monastery was also built at the foot of these mountains.

Throughout the journey, the Wood of the Cross brought indescribable consolation and inspiration to the devout faithful. These events became the basis for the establishment of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

The Holy Cross was returned from captivity on September 14, A.D. 628.

From that time onward, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross has been celebrated by Churches throughout the Christian world. In Byzantium, the feast became almost a state celebration, while the Cross, as a symbol of the Empire, appeared on the walls of government buildings and as an ornament on the garments of officials. On the feast day, bishops and priests publicly elevated the Cross.

This solemn ceremony of the elevation of the Cross continues to be performed in churches to this day.

In the Armenian Church, the Khachveratz procession is celebrated with great solemnity on Sunday evening. The Cross is decorated in the church with colorful flowers and basil. It is then carried outside in procession around the church, recalling the journey of the Wood of the Cross through the flower-covered lands of the Armenian Highlands on its return from captivity to Jerusalem.

The Andastan, or Blessing of the Four Corners of the World, is then performed. The priest makes the sign of the Cross and blesses the four directions of the world, asking God to grant peace, and sprinkles the faithful with rose water. Following this ceremony, the Evening Service begins.

St. John Chrysostom says:

“Let us glorify the precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, for the Cross is the sign of our salvation; the Cross is the hope of Christians; the Cross is the foundation of the Church; the Cross is the defeat of Satan; the Cross is a father to orphans; the Cross is the judge of the impious; the Cross is the physician of the sick; the Cross is our weapon by day and our guardian by night; the Cross is a fountain for the thirsty; the Cross is light for those who sit in darkness and liberation for captives; the Cross is the overthrow of lawlessness.”

As the Holy Fathers of the Church teach, whenever we make upon ourselves the sign of the saving Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should do so with steadfast and living faith.

St. Ephrem the Syrian says:

“We must always and everywhere carry with us this victorious weapon, the Cross of Christ, and never put it aside—neither while sleeping nor while awake, neither at work nor while traveling. We must always surround ourselves with the sign of the Lord’s saving and life-giving Cross. Then we shall fear nothing—neither darkness nor bodily wounds.”

St. John Chrysostom says:

“See how the Heavenly King has armed the soldier who follows Him. He has given him neither shield nor helmet, neither bow nor armor, nor anything of that kind, but has bestowed upon him the power of the Cross, the sign that conquers demons.”

And again:

“If we imprint this sign upon ourselves with great faith, no unclean spirit will approach us.”

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 49:13-23 ~

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Your builders outdo your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go away from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall put all of them on like an ornament, and like a bride you shall bind them on. Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land— surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. The children born in the time of your bereavement will yet say in your hearing: "The place is too crowded for me; make room for me to settle." Then you will say in your heart, "Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away— so who has reared these? I was left all alone— where then have these come from?" Thus says the Lord God: I will soon lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

~ Galatians 6:14-18 ~

May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 3:13-21 ~

No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."

Navagadik of the HOLY CROSS

Etymologically, Navagadik means “newly built.” It is a general custom to hold an official opening ceremony for a newly constructed building. In this sense, the opening, dedication, or consecration of a newly built temple, church, house, or other object came to be known as Navagadik. Thus, the consecration of every newly built church, as well as the anniversary of its consecration, is called Navagadik.

The Armenian Church came to observe Navagadik on the days preceding major feasts, following a week of fasting. On these occasions, the strictness of the fast is relaxed without being entirely abolished: the prohibition against meat remains in effect, while fish and dairy products are permitted after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The less restrictive meal permitted on such a day is therefore also called Navagadik.

The term Navagadik is likewise applied to the days preceding the five Tabernacle Feasts of the Armenian Church, particularly in reference to this relaxation of the fasting rules. On the Saturdays preceding the Feasts of the Transfiguration (Vardavar), the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz), fish and dairy products may be consumed after the celebration of the morning Divine Liturgy. Similarly, on the Eves of Holy Easter and the Nativity and Theophany, fish and dairy products are permitted following the evening Divine Liturgy.

Navagadik is also established as a distinct feast on the Saturday preceding the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz). This observance commemorates the dedication and consecration of the Church of the Holy Resurrection in Jerusalem following its construction through the initiative of Queen Helena in the fourth century. The consecration of this great church is an important commemoration for the entire Christian world and is therefore observed annually on a fixed place in the liturgical calendar.

Thus, in Armenian Church tradition, Navagadik has two closely related meanings: the dedication or anniversary of the dedication of a newly built church, and the liturgical observance preceding a major feast during which the strictness of fasting is partially relaxed.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 3:9-17 ~

Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My child, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

~ Isaiah 66:12-16 ~

For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies. For the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to pay back his anger in fury, and his rebuke in flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord execute judgment, and by his sword, on all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

~ 1 Timothy 3:14-16 ~

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 10:22-42 ~

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one." The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God." Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, "I said, you are gods'? If those to whom the word of God came were called "gods'—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, "I am God's Son'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, "John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." And many believed in him there.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 10:7-17 ~

Look at what is before your eyes. If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we. Now, even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters. For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." Let such people understand that what we say by letter when absent, we will also do when present. We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense. We, however, will not boast beyond limits, but will keep within the field that God has assigned to us, to reach out even as far as you. For we were not overstepping our limits when we reached you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the good news of Christ. We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others; but our hope is that, as your faith increases, our sphere of action among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may proclaim the good news in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in someone else's sphere of action. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 9:38-50 ~

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. "For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 9:10-10:6 ~

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according to human standards. Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 9:14-26 ~

When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead."

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 9:1-9 ~

Now it is not necessary for me to write you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion. The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 8:22-26 ~

They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?" And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."

The Nativity of

the Holy Virgin Mary,

Born of Anna

On September 8, all Christian Churches invariably celebrate the “most blessed” Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary. She was the child of devout parents: Joachim, who was descended from the line of the prophet and king David, and Anna, a daughter of the priestly line of Aaron.

The couple was known for their many virtues. They had no children and continually prayed and petitioned God to grant them a child, promising to dedicate the child to God. At that time, childlessness was regarded as a disgrace.

One day, when Joachim was offering a sacrifice to the Lord in the Temple, the high priest refused to accept it, claiming that one who was “cursed” by God was unworthy to present an offering. Saddened and distressed, Joachim left the Temple and, instead of returning home, withdrew into the wilderness, where he continually implored God to deliver him from the disgrace of childlessness. Anna, for her part, also patiently prayed for the Lord’s mercy.

Their prayers were heard. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to Joachim and Anna and announced that they would have a daughter whom they were to name Mary, and that the nations would rejoice at her birth, because through her salvation would be granted to the whole world.

After keeping their God-given child with them for three years, her parents, in fulfillment of their vow, took her to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate her to the Lord.

The reverence and love Christians have for the “Immaculate Virgin” Mary arise first and foremost from the fact that God chose her to be a “Temple of Light” and, through her, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. The Holy Virgin became the divine gate through which the “Sun of Righteousness,” our Lord Jesus Christ, shone forth.

The Holy Mother of God, Mary, had already been foretold by various prophets. Thus, she was the “Virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

This feast, therefore, is among the foremost feasts, because “through the Mother of God the entire human race was renewed, and the sorrow of Eve, the first mother, was transformed into joy.”

In the Armenian Church, the Feast of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God began to be celebrated regularly from the 13th century onward.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 31:29-31 ~

"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.

~ Isaiah 61:9 ~

Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

~ Galatians 3:24-29 ~

Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 1:1-17 ~

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 ~

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you —so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written, "The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little."

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 8:1-9 ~

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance." His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 13:1-11 ~

The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw. On a bare hill raise a signal, cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles. I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, have summoned my warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute my anger. Listen, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle. They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the Lord and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth. Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt, and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. See, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the insolence of tyrants.

~ 2 Corinthians 7:4-16 ~

I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—disputes without and fears within. But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God. In this we find comfort. In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 7:31-37 ~

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Commemoration DAY of

THE 318 Holy Fathers of

the Council of Nicaea

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was convened on May 20, 325, in the city of Nicaea in Bithynia, by order of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great (306–337). The Council was attended by 318 Fathers of the Universal Church, including Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria; Athanasius of Alexandria, who at the time was still a deacon; Aristakes, the younger son of St. Gregory the Illuminator; and other distinguished bishops of the Church.

The reason for convening the First Ecumenical Council was to examine and condemn the heretical teaching of Arius, a priest of Alexandria. Arius taught that Christ was not without beginning, but had been created before time by the will of God the Father so that creation might be accomplished through Him. According to Arius, God the Father alone was unbegotten, eternal, and without beginning. There was one and only one God: God the Father. Everything else that exists was, by its nature, distinct from God and possessed a separate essence of its own.

Arius taught that the Son came into being not from the essence of the Father, but out of nothing; that there was a time when the Son did not exist. Although the Son had received the fullness of grace from God the Father and had been adopted as Son, He was not immutable as the Father is, but was subject to change like created beings. Arius denied the equality of Jesus with God the Father and did not accept the divinity of Jesus. In other words, according to Arius, the Son had not always existed but had come into existence and was therefore a created being. For him, Jesus was simply a superhuman creature.

Alexander, Archbishop of Alexandria, opposed this teaching of Arius. In his sermons he emphasized:

“God is eternal, and the Son is eternal. The Father and the Son exist together. The Son is eternally of one essence with God, an eternal generation, begotten of the Unbegotten. The Father does not precede the Son even by a single moment. The Father has always existed, and so has the Son. The Son is of the same essence.”

At the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the erroneous and heretical movement of Arius was rejected, his doctrine was condemned, and a Creed containing the fundamental principles of the orthodox faith was adopted—the Nicene Creed.

As the foundation of the faith, this Creed has continued to be used without interruption in the Armenian Church to the present day. It is recited during the Divine Liturgy immediately after the reading of the Gospel. The articles contained in the Creed constitute, for every Christian, the fundamental formulations of Christian faith and doctrine.

The Creed contains the Christian faith and confession concerning God, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Church, Baptism, sin, the resurrection of the dead, eternal life, the Last Judgment, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the immortality of souls.

We Christians believe in and confess one God, who created heaven and earth and all things visible and invisible. We believe in one Son, who was begotten from the essence of the Father and is true God; He is begotten and not created. We believe in one Holy Spirit, who is uncreated and unbegotten, and who inspired and spoke through the prophets and the Law. We believe in one Church—universal, apostolic, and holy. We believe in one Baptism, repentance, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, the Kingdom of Heaven, and eternal life.

At the Council of Nicaea, in opposition to the erroneous teaching of Arius, the true doctrine concerning the Son was affirmed and formulated as follows:

“We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of God the Father, Only-Begotten, that is, of the essence of the Father. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not created; of the very nature of the Father, through whom all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, came into being.

He, for us human beings and for our salvation, came down from heaven, took flesh, became man, and was perfectly born through the Holy Spirit of the Holy Virgin Mary.

Through her He truly took body, soul, and mind, and everything that belongs to human nature, truly and not in appearance.”

The Council also adopted twenty canons of an administrative nature. These concerned such matters as heretics who had returned to the Church and their relationship with the Church, ordinations and questions relating to the hierarchical ranks of the Church, bribery and usury, the practice of praying while standing rather than kneeling on Sundays, and other matters.

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea was of fundamental importance not only in the history of the Universal Church but also in the history of humanity. It was not merely the first of the Ecumenical Councils but also the most important—the Council of Councils—which marked out the path for the subsequent development of theological and philosophical thought. No other event had such significance and influence upon the formation of theological thought. The debates surrounding the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea continued throughout the fourth century.

On the commemoration of the Council of Nicaea, as on the commemorations of the other two Ecumenical Councils, hymns dedicated to the Fathers are sung in the Church, praising them as those who established and confirmed the foundations of the faith.

The Armenian Church celebrates the commemoration of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea on the Saturday preceding the fourth Sunday after the Feast of the Assumption, in the month of September.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Ezekiel 44:23-24 ~

They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. In a controversy they shall act as judges, and they shall decide it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals, and they shall keep my sabbaths holy.

~ Hebrews 12:1-7 ~

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— "My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts." Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 14:25-30 ~

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 5:6-18 ~

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 7:24-30 ~

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Commemoration DAY of

St. John the Forerunner

and Righteous Job

St. John the Forerunner

In the Gospels, after Jesus Christ, John is the next greatest figure and the principal character in the opening chapters of the New Testament. John was the one who formally inaugurated the “Kingdom of God,” that is, the Christian era.

As is well known, he was a child of promise, and his birth took place under miraculous circumstances. His future role is described in detail in the angel’s announcement to his father:

“For he will be great before the Lord; he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. He shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare a people ready for the Lord” (Luke 1:15–17).

John’s childhood and youth were spent far from people, in solitude, under the protection of God’s presence and grace.

He appeared as a preacher at the age of thirty, “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1). The place of his preaching was the Jordan Valley. In the Gospels, John is identified with the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” foretold by the Prophet Isaiah:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth” (Luke 3:4–5).

John’s preaching was as simple and austere as his clothing and food, and as his spirit and way of life. It can be summed up in two words: repentance and righteousness.

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.… From now on, bear fruits worthy of repentance.… Behold, the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:8–9; Matt. 3:2).

And he adds:

“Whoever has two garments, let him give one to the person who has none; and whoever has food, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:11–14).

Seeing John’s powerful and fearless preaching and the great authority he possessed, some asked whether he might be the Messiah. John said no:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matt. 3:11).

The central point of John’s ministry was the baptism of Jesus and his proclamation of Him as the promised Messiah. When he saw Jesus coming for baptism, mingling with the crowd like everyone else, he recognized Him through his prophetic spirit and tried to prevent Him, saying:

“I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matt. 3:14).

After Jesus insisted, John consented and baptized Him, proclaiming:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:36).

He thereby declared that Christ would sacrifice Himself on behalf of humanity and make atonement for their sins. John continued:

“This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes One.…’ I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me: ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:30–34).

After baptizing Jesus and proclaiming Him as the promised Messiah, John’s mission was essentially complete. Indeed, after these events, King Herod first imprisoned John because John had rebuked him for taking his brother’s wife. A short time later, under the well-known tragic circumstances, Herod had John beheaded.

Christ held John in the highest regard. On one occasion He described him as “more than a prophet,” and identified him with the messenger of God foretold in the final verses of the Book of Malachi. He added:

“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.… For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come” (Matt. 11:11–14).

John had disciples, as did all the great rabbis and preachers of that time.

John is also mentioned by the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, who testifies that he was put to death by Herod.

In our Church, John is the greatest saint after the Mother of God. He is closely connected with our Church and with Armenian history. During the period of Armenia’s complete conversion to Christianity, when St. Gregory the Illuminator returned after being ordained in Caesarea, he brought with him relics of John the Baptist. These were placed near the city of Mush, at one of the earliest known places of worship established on Armenian soil. Later, the monastery of St. Karapet was built there, becoming one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites of the Armenian Church.

The Armenian Church has established four annual feasts in his honor. The first commemorates his birth, eight days after the Feast of the Nativity. The second commemorates his beheading, on the Saturday following Holy Easter. The third is celebrated on the Thursday of the Feast of the Holy Cathedral, together with Bishop Athenogenes, whose relics St. Gregory the Illuminator brought from Sebastia together with those of the Baptist. The fourth is celebrated on the Thursday of the third week following the Feast of the Assumption, together with Job.

Many hymns and sacred odes have been composed in John’s honor. Among the most prominent are the hymns for the Blessing of the Waters, in which John the Baptist is the central figure.

Job

Job, unlike those commemorated before and after him, was not a prophet in the usual sense. Nevertheless, he has been regarded as such by both the Greeks and Latins, and even by Muslims. We therefore place him as a central link between the active and writing prophets.

Job is the central figure of the book that bears his name, a book that has always been highly praised by great thinkers. Luther called it “the most excellent book in the whole Bible.” Dennis regarded it as “the greatest poem of ancient and modern times.” Carlyle declared:

“It is a noble book, a book for all humanity.… I think there is no book, within the Bible or outside it, that equals it in literary value.”

Yet, in contrast to all this praise, although the story of Job is widely known, this magnificent book itself remains relatively unfamiliar.

The Islamic form of Job’s name, Ayyub, is closer to the original form. The form used in Armenian and European languages came through Greek rather than directly from Hebrew and, in the process of transliteration, became less similar to the original name.

The familiar story of Job is presented in the first two chapters of the book bearing his name and in the prose conclusion of the final chapter. The approximately forty chapters in between are a poetic and vividly expressive outpouring from the suffering heart of a righteous man. Job’s three friends join the discussion with their stinging accusations, while God responds with His own declarations.

From beginning to end, the book is a searching and sometimes revealing exploration of the fundamental questions of life and religion. Even there, however, these questions do not receive a complete solution and seem almost destined to remain eternal mysteries. Alongside the notes of pessimism and bitterness sounds the lyre proclaiming the greatness and glory of God. The author of the book finds the secret of life in the wisdom of submitting oneself to the will of God, much as the author of Ecclesiastes had done.

The Book of Job is the story of a man who undergoes terrible trials during his lifetime but ultimately emerges from them victorious and successful.

The curtain rises upon the scene of a happy family. The father of the family, Job, was not a Jew but, like the righteous men who lived before Abraham, was simply a member of the human race. According to a note given at the end of the Book of Job in our Bible, he was an Edomite, belonging to a people related to and neighboring the Jews who lived among the mountain ranges extending south of the Dead Sea.

Job is described as “a perfect and God-fearing man, far removed from every kind of sin and evil.” He has seven sons and three daughters—a complete family. He is exceedingly wealthy, possessing seven thousand sheep and goats, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a great number of servants.

His wealth had not corrupted his character, as wealth so often does. He was generous and charitable. “Thus this man was the greatest among the nobles of the East.”

Job’s children continually held feasts together. Job, meanwhile, was meticulous in prayer and ritual purification, offering atonement for any possible transgressions committed by his children. This forms the prologue of the book (1:1–5).

The drama itself begins when the scene suddenly shifts to heaven.

One day the “angels of God”—or, according to the Hebrew text, the “sons of God”—come before the Lord. Satan is also among them, and God begins a conversation with Satan:

“Where have you come from?” God asks.

“From roaming throughout the earth,” Satan replies.

“Have you considered My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth. He is blameless, upright, and God-fearing, far removed from every kind of evil and sin.”

“Does Job worship his God for nothing?” Satan replies. “You protect him on every side. You have blessed the work of his hands and multiplied his wealth. But stretch out Your hand for a moment and strike everything he possesses, and see whether he will not curse You.”

“Very well,” God says. “I place everything he possesses at your disposal, but do not touch his person.”

Satan, like one who has found his prey, rushes down from the presence of God and mercilessly destroys Job’s possessions one after another and kills his children.

In the face of all this devastation, Job rises. As a sign of terrible grief and mourning, he tears his garments, cuts the hair from his head, falls to the ground, worships God, and says only:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

And the book adds:

“In all this Job did not sin against the Lord or attribute anything foolish to God.”

Once again the scene shifts to heaven. The same setting appears, and the same initial conversation takes place between God and Satan. Finally God adds:

“Although you incited Me against him without cause, so that I destroyed everything he possessed, you have seen that Job has maintained his integrity.”

“Skin for skin,” Satan replies. “A man will give everything he possesses to preserve his life. But stretch out Your hand once and touch his bones and his flesh, and see whether he will not curse You.”

“Very well,” God says. “I place him in your hands, but you shall not touch his life.”

Satan therefore afflicts Job’s body from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head with festering sores. Job sits upon an ash heap and takes a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape away the pus.

No one even wishes to look upon his face—not even his wife, who had distanced herself from him. One day she comes to him only to say:

“How long will you continue to endure like this, hoping for deliverance? Curse God and die, and be free of this.”

“You speak like a foolish woman,” Job replies. “If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, why should we not also endure evil?”

When Job’s three distinguished friends heard of the trials that had befallen him, they came to comfort him. When they saw him, they could not recognize him and raised their voices and wept.

Job’s condition was so hopeless that they could find no words of consolation. They sat beside him for “seven days and seven nights” and remained silent.

At last Job broke the silence and said:

“May the day of my birth perish,
And the night when it was said, ‘A boy is born.’
May that day be covered with darkness
And not be counted among the days;
May no light shine upon it…”

From this point onward, page after page unfolds the dramatic dialogue between Job and his three friends, until God Himself intervenes. He rebukes Job’s three friends, who had insisted that Job must have committed some grave sin and that the calamities that befell him were therefore punishment for it.

In the end, Job emerges from the trial vindicated, and God rewards him with blessings even greater than those he had possessed before.

“After his affliction, Job lived 170 years. The total number of Job’s years was 248. Job saw his grandchildren and their children. He died at an advanced age, having completed the fullness of his days. And in the future he shall rise again with those whom the Lord shall raise.”

Thus ended happily the life of a man who became the embodiment of patience. Without patience, no one can live a victorious life on earth and inherit eternity, as our Lord Himself affirmed: only “he who endures to the end” shall be worthy to inherit eternal life.

Job’s life teaches us two truths about life. First, behind the evils of the world there is always hidden the influence of the evil spirit—the hand of Satan. Second, the hardships and sufferings that Satan incites in order to make a person miserable ultimately contribute to that person’s perfection and increase his glory and blessedness—like gold in the refining furnace, or like coal which, it is said, under tremendous geological pressure is eventually transformed into beautiful white marble.

In the Armenian Church, the commemoration of Job is celebrated together with John the Baptist on the Thursday of the third week following the Feast of the Assumption.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 20:6-22 ~

Many proclaim themselves loyal, but who can find one worthy of trust? The righteous walk in integrity— happy are the children who follow them! A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. Who can say, "I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin"? Diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord. Even children make themselves known by their acts, by whether what they do is pure and right. The hearing ear and the seeing eye— the Lord has made them both. Do not love sleep, or else you will come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. "Bad, bad," says the buyer, then goes away and boasts. There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel. Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger; seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners. Bread gained by deceit is sweet, but afterward the mouth will be full of gravel. Plans are established by taking advice; wage war by following wise guidance. A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a babbler. If you curse father or mother, your lamp will go out in utter darkness. An estate quickly acquired in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. Do not say, "I will repay evil"; wait for the Lord, and he will help you.

~ Job 42:12-17 ~

The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.

~ Lamentations 3:22-56 ~

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone. When all the prisoners of the land are crushed under foot, when human rights are perverted in the presence of the Most High, when one's case is subverted —does the Lord not see it? Who can command and have it done, if the Lord has not ordained it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should any who draw breath complain about the punishment of their sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven. We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven. You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, killing without pity; you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. You have made us filth and rubbish among the peoples. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us; panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction. My eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of my people. My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, until the Lord from heaven looks down and sees. My eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the young women in my city. Those who were my enemies without cause have hunted me like a bird; they flung me alive into a pit and hurled stones on me; water closed over my head; I said, "I am lost." I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, "Do not close your ear to my cry for help, but give me relief!"

~ Book of Acts 13:25-33 ~

And as John was finishing his work, he said, "What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.' "My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.'

~ James 5:7-11 ~

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 14:1-12 ~

At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus; and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him." For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 3:4-17 ~

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 6:45-56 ~

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Commemoration DAY of

the Holy Prophets Ezekiel, Ezra,

and Zechariah, Father of John the Baptist

Ezekiel

Although Ezekiel was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah, whereas the information we have about Jeremiah is abundant and well established, what we know about Ezekiel is comparatively little and uncertain. He is not mentioned in any other book of the Bible, and even in his own lengthy book very little is said about him. His name itself appears only twice in his book, whereas Jeremiah’s name appears ten times in his.

All the information we have about Ezekiel comes from the first few verses of his book:

“On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, while I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. It was the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin. And the word of God came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar, and there the hand of the Lord was upon me” (Ezek. 1:1–3).

We understand the above-mentioned “thirtieth year” as referring to his age—that is, he was thirty years old. The River Chebar is considered to have been a tributary of the Euphrates near Babylon. King Jehoiachin was one of the last kings of Jerusalem. In 597 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar carried him into captivity in Babylon together with the entire royal household, the elders of the people, and the inhabitants of the city—more than ten thousand people in all (2 Kings 24:10–16). The Prophet Ezekiel, therefore, was among these captives. Thus, his call to prophecy took place in 592 B.C., while he was living in exile in Babylon.

God says to him:

“Son of man” (this form of address is used for Ezekiel throughout his book, about 87 times), “I am sending you to Israel, a rebellious people.… When you say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ they will know that a prophet has been among them. Whether they listen to you or refuse to understand is not important, for they are a rebellious people. But you, son of man, must not be afraid of them or of their words. Though they rebel against you and you feel as though you are among scorpions, you must never fear whatever they may say to you, nor be terrified by their threatening looks. You must deliver My messages to them, whether they listen or refuse. But you, son of man, must listen to My messages and not be rebellious like them. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

“And I saw a hand stretched out toward me holding a scroll. It opened it before me.… It was written on both sides and contained lamentations, mourning, and woe. Then He said to me: ‘Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat the scroll, then go and speak to the children of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll. And He added: ‘Son of man, swallow this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.’ And I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey” (2:3–9; 3:1–3).

The meaning of this final, vivid image is that Ezekiel lovingly and willingly accepts God’s call, even though his duty would be to lament the rebellious nature of the people, pronounce woes upon them, and oppose their wrongdoing.

The divine voice concludes:

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman over the house of Israel. You shall hear messages from Me and warn them. If I say to the wicked that he shall surely die, and you do not warn him so that he may turn from his evil way, that wicked man shall indeed die for his wickedness, but I will require his blood from you. But if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his evil way, although he shall die because of his wickedness, you shall be free from blame” (3:16–21).

Thereafter follow, one after another, mysterious and symbolic visions, proclamations, and prophecies against Israel and the seven surrounding nations. Particularly notable is Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, which, through the divine breath, come back to life and rise again (Chapter 37).

In his book of forty-eight chapters, there are no further references to his personal life. Holy Scripture also gives us no information concerning his death. According to one Armenian Synaxarion, he was killed by his own countrymen and buried in Babylon.

Alongside his messages of condemnation, Ezekiel also has words of hope and encouragement. For example, although he prophesies that the Israelites will be taken captive into foreign lands, God says:

“I shall gather you again from the lands where you have been scattered and shall give you the land of Israel once more. And when they return to their land, they shall remove from it all the abominable practices and defilements of idolatry. I shall give them another heart and put another spirit within them. I shall remove the heart of stone from them and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk according to My commandments, keep My laws, and carry them out. They shall be My people, and I shall be their God” (11:16–21).

It is through Ezekiel that God says:

“I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he turn from his evil ways and live” (33:11).

His prophecies “against the shepherds” of the people are particularly severe (Chapter 34). The final chapters of the book contain prophecies concerning the salvation and restoration of his people. Although Ezekiel places great emphasis on individual responsibility in a person’s fall and restoration, he also believes strongly in the importance of the collective character of his people. This becomes particularly evident in his detailed description of the worship of the restored people (Chapters 40–48).

There is no direct quotation from the Prophet Ezekiel in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the combined prophetic and priestly spirit expressed in his book forms part of the foundation upon which the renewed religion proclaimed in the Gospel is built.

Ezekiel is commemorated together with Ezra and Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, on the third Tuesday following the Feast of the Assumption.

Ezra, or Esdras

Ezra was a scribe and priest descended from Aaron.

“During the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, a man named Ezra came from Babylon.… He was a skilled scribe in the Law that the Lord God had given to Israel through Moses. And the king granted him everything he requested, because the hand of God was with him. In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, a number of Israelites came with Ezra from Babylon to Israel, including priests, Levites, psalmists, gatekeepers, and servants of the Temple” (about two thousand people). “…Ezra had set his heart on studying the Law of the Lord and putting it into practice, and on teaching everyone God’s commandments and judgments” (Ezra 7:1–10).

It is believed that the above-mentioned King Artaxerxes reigned from 404 to 359 B.C. Thus, the seventh year of his reign, and the beginning of Ezra’s activity, would correspond to approximately 397 B.C.

Ezra returned under a special royal decree in which he was highly praised and everyone was instructed to provide him with whatever assistance he required (Ezra 7:11–26).

Ezra’s principal reform was the dissolution and annulment of marriages with foreigners and the strict prohibition against Israelites marrying foreigners (Ezra, Chapter 9). He then compiled the entire Law of Moses and read it in the Temple from sunrise until noon (Neh. 8:2–8).

Nothing is said concerning the end of Ezra’s life. The Armenian Church commemorates him together with the Prophet Ezekiel on the third Tuesday following the Feast of the Assumption.

Zechariah and Elizabeth

They are the parents of John the Baptist. Although Elizabeth’s name does not appear in our liturgical calendar, on the basis of the Gospel and historical evidence, we have considered it appropriate to include her among the saints of the New Testament.

In the Gospels, both are presented equally as righteous and observant people:

“They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord” (Luke 1:6).

Historically, and to the present day, Elizabeth has long been numbered among the saints commemorated by the other ancient Churches. It therefore remains difficult for us to understand why she is absent from our own calendar. If Zechariah is included in the calendar because he was the father of John the Baptist, then Elizabeth, as the mother of the Great Forerunner, has the same claim to commemoration.

Both belonged to priestly families and had been deprived of the consolation of having a child, for, as the Gospel says, “Elizabeth was barren.” Among the Jews, barrenness was considered one of the greatest misfortunes.

Elizabeth is presented as a relative of the Holy Virgin Mary. The Gospels do not specify the exact nature of their relationship. Where the Gospels are silent, tradition supplies further details. According to tradition, they were the daughters of two sisters; thus Jesus and John were descendants of two sisters.

We may say that the curtain rises on the “drama” of the New Covenant on the sacred stage of the Gospel with the appearance of Zechariah, as he offers incense in the Temple of God.

While performing this sacred duty, Zechariah receives a vision:

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled and overcome with fear at the sight.”

But to calm his fear, the angel said:

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.”

Such news seemed unbelievable to Zechariah, so he said:

“How can I be certain of this, since my wife and I are already old?”

The angel was not pleased with this doubtful response and answered him sternly:

“I am Gabriel, who stands continually in the presence of God to carry out His commands. I was sent by God to bring you this good news. But since you ask for a sign in order to believe, from this moment you shall become mute and shall not be able to speak until what I have told you comes to pass.”

When Zechariah came out of the Temple, his tongue was already bound, and he attempted through gestures to explain the reason for his delay. Everyone understood that something supernatural had occurred.

When the days of his service in the Temple were completed, he returned to his home outside Jerusalem. Tradition identifies his residence as the village of Ein Karem, not far from Jerusalem, where his house is said to have been preserved to this day and converted into a church. Armenians call this village “The Birthplace of John” (Hovhannu Tsnund), and we once had churches there as well, though over time they passed into the hands of the Latins.

Elizabeth conceived and gave thanks to God because He had “looked upon her and taken away her reproach.”

When the Holy Virgin visited her after the Annunciation, “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,” and, addressing Mary, cried out in a loud voice:

“Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb.
How is it that such grace has come to me,
That the mother of my Lord should visit me?
For when I heard the sound of your greeting,
The child in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who believed
That what the Lord had spoken would be fulfilled.”
(Luke 1:42–46)

Two humble souls, filled with supernatural joy, speak to one another in poetic language. The Spirit of God—the Spirit of prophecy and inspiration—which had been silent for nearly three or four centuries, suddenly descends upon humanity once again, beginning with these two humble women, who truly speak in the language of the prophets.

The same occurs with the mute Zechariah. After his child opens his eyes to the light of our world, the bonds upon Zechariah’s tongue are also loosened. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesies and says:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel,
For You have visited us
And brought salvation to Your people…”

Then, addressing his newborn son, he says:

“And you, child,
Shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
You shall go before the Lord
To prepare His ways,
And to guide our feet
Into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:67–69)

From this point onward, the mission of Zechariah and Elizabeth having been fulfilled, they withdraw from the scene, yielding their place to their illustrious son. Having glimpsed the dawn of the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, they peacefully close their eyes.

In the Armenian Church, Zechariah is commemorated together with Ezekiel and Ezra on the third Tuesday following the Feast of the Assumption.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Ezekiel 18:30-32 ~

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.

~ 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 ~

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him"— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 23:34-39 ~

Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' "

Commemoration DAY of

St. Stephen of Ulne

and the Holy Martyrs Goharine,

Tsamides, Tyukikos, and Ratikos

St. Stephen of Ulne (†363)

Saint Stephen was born in the city of Kokison, on the slopes of the Taurus Mountains. His parents were Lazarus and Mary. He was considered a child granted in answer to prayer and was raised under the care and spiritual guidance of the priest who baptized him.

Tradition relates:

"This venerable priest celebrated the Divine Liturgy every day, and every Sunday, together with the other Christians, he gave Stephen Communion of the life-giving Body and Blood of the Lord. Thus the young Stephen grew in wisdom and in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. By the age of fifteen he had already been instructed in the divine commandments and was well versed in the Holy Scriptures."

When the priest sensed that his earthly life was drawing to an end, he summoned Stephen and said:

"My son, you have now reached maturity. First remain steadfast in your own faith, and then strengthen the little flock, so that they may not waver or fall into doubt until God sends them another shepherd."

When Emperor Julian the Apostate marched against the Persians, he arrived at Caesarea and dispatched persecutors throughout the surrounding regions to compel Christians to return to pagan worship. One of his officials came to Kokison, spreading terror everywhere.

Seeing the fear among the Christians, Stephen worried that some might be enticed by promises of favor or lose their faith under torture. He urged them to leave the city and take refuge in the mountains, where they could continue living as Christians in greater safety.

Taking with him his family, companions, and seven consecrated virgins—a total of thirty-three people—he fled into the mountains. Along the way, his father Lazarus died a righteous death. The others found shelter in a large cave beside a spring of fresh water.

There they gave thanks to God, and:

"Under Stephen's leadership they continually praised God with hymns and psalms."

A shepherd discovered their hiding place and reported them to the newly appointed persecuting governor, who sent soldiers to arrest them.

When some began to weep and lose heart, Stephen encouraged them:

"Do not be afraid. Let us go. We have lived together until now; let us also receive together the crown of martyrdom."

Brought before the governor, they were told:

"Abandon your stubbornness, obey the emperor's command, and no one will harm you. You will live peacefully again in your city."

Speaking on behalf of all, Stephen replied that they could never renounce their faith and were prepared to endure every torture, even death itself.

The governor ordered the women imprisoned and the men bound, severely beaten, and subjected to various tortures. During these sufferings, a young man named Bagrat died.

The imprisoned women were then brought before the governor and urged to deny Christ. Stephen's mother, Mary, stepped forward and declared that they were prepared to die for the Creator of heaven and earth rather than worship idols.

The women were led outside the city and beheaded one by one.

The men were first condemned to be burned alive. When it became evident that the flames did not harm them, they too were taken outside the city and beheaded near the place where the women had suffered martyrdom.

The Armenian Synaxarion preserves the names of each of the martyrs individually.

The courage and serenity with which they met death deeply moved many pagans. As a result, instead of only thirty-three martyrs, more than ninety new converts embraced Christianity.

By this time Emperor Julian had been killed during his Persian campaign, and his successor brought the persecutions to an end.

Three churches were later built on the sites of their martyrdom. One was erected where the women had been beheaded, not far from the present-day city of Maraş. Stephen came to be known as "Stephen of Ulne" because the church dedicated to him stood near that town.

The ancient Armenian Synaxaria commemorate Stephen and his companions on August 1. Today, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates their feast on the third Monday after the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

Hymn to Saint Stephen of Ulne

The Armenian Church has preserved a unique hymn in his honor, consisting of two sections (seven stanzas).

Martyr and witness of Christ, O holy Stephen,
You accepted sufferings
And became a companion of the heavenly hosts.
Pray to God to grant us everlasting life.

True to your name, you became the crown of the Church,
Adorning the path with your guiding light.
You encouraged the chosen saints who followed you.
Pray to God to grant us everlasting life.

You were chosen by the Spirit to become the Church's joy,
And you enlightened the sons of Torgom.
Today the faithful rejoice
And celebrate the memory of your ascetic struggle.
Pray to God to grant us everlasting life.

The Holy Martyrs Goharine, Tsamides,

Tyukikos, and Ratikos

These four saints were brothers, the sons of an Armenian nobleman from Sebastia named David.

David had been taken captive and was released only after accepting Islam together with his eldest son, Areg. David's wife, however, remained a Christian and raised her four younger sons in the Christian faith. Their names were Goharinos, Ratikos, Tsamidos, and Tyukikos.

When they came of age, they enlisted in the army of Sebastia while openly practicing Christianity.

Eventually it became known that they were the sons of a Muslim father. They were accused of having abandoned Islam and were brought before the governor for interrogation.

Their elder brother Areg, who had embraced Islam, succeeded in obtaining their release. The four brothers, however, were dissatisfied with this outcome because it implied that they had been regarded as Muslims.

Consequently, they left military service. Ratikos entered the Monastery of the Holy Sign (Surb Nshan) as a monk, while the others continued to live openly as Christians.

They were once again denounced to the governor of Sebastia. During questioning, they openly confessed that they were Christians. Neither threats, promises, nor torture could persuade them to renounce their faith.

Finally, an order was issued for their execution, and on January 28, 1156, all four brothers were beheaded.

Their bodies and heads were buried beside a river near a place known as the Crossroads.

St. Theodore

Goharinos' son Theodore, who had become a monk as an adult, was later accused before the governor of speaking against him for ordering the deaths of his father and uncles.

He was arrested and, according to the usual custom, urged to renounce Christianity. He firmly refused.

As a result, he was beaten, tortured, and imprisoned.

Later he was forcibly taken from prison and compelled to enter a mosque. Although soldiers tried to force him inside with swords and clubs, he steadfastly refused. Frustrated, they returned him to prison.

Eventually he was handed over to an apostate judge named Thotos, who had him brutally beaten through the streets of the city before putting him to death by cutting his body into pieces. Theodore suffered martyrdom five months after his father's execution.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the Goharine Martyrs together with Saint Stephen of Ulne on the Monday following the Sunday of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

Although their martyrdom is mentioned only briefly in some editions of the Armenian Synaxarion, other Armenian Synaxaria recount their story in greater detail. One commemorates them on July 28, while another places their feast on July 30.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 10:1-7 ~

The proverbs of Solomon. A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother's grief. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. A child who gathers in summer is prudent, but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

~ Isaiah 44:24-26 ~

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth; who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of diviners; who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish; who confirms the word of his servant, and fulfills the prediction of his messengers.

~ Hebrews 4:11-15 ~

Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 5:1-12 ~

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Commemoration DAY of

the DISCOVERING of the Girdle of

the Holy Mother of God

In addition to the two garments of the Holy Mother of God, which according to her final wishes were given to the two women who lived with her, there also existed a sacred girdle.

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary gave this girdle to the Apostle Thomas, and it was thereafter passed down from one believer to another. The faithful preserved this holy relic with great reverence, handing it down from generation to generation, and through it many miracles were performed.

Later, in the fifth century, during the reign of Emperor Arcadius (A.D. 395–408), the Holy Virgin's girdle was discovered in Jerusalem and was solemnly and honorably transferred to Constantinople. Through the efforts of Emperor Arcadius and his daughter, the girdle was placed in a precious reliquary and enshrined in a church dedicated to the Mother of God.

As a result of public calamities and the passage of time, the Holy Virgin's girdle was later taken from Constantinople to Cappadocia. During the reign of Emperor Justinian, however, it was returned once again to Constantinople.

The miracles performed through the healing power of the Mother of God's girdle are beyond counting. The Greek Empress Zoe suffered from a severe illness for a long time. During her suffering she was told in a dream that she would be healed only if the Virgin's girdle were placed upon her. This was done: the girdle was removed from its reliquary and laid upon the empress, who was immediately healed.

After her healing, the girdle was ceremonially returned to its reliquary.

In later centuries, portions of the Holy Mother of God's girdle were distributed among various churches.

When the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanos Argyros married the Georgian King Bagrat, she brought with her a portion of the girdle. That relic is now preserved in Georgia in a church built by Emperor Alexander. Another portion is kept in a church in Athens. The Holy Virgin's girdle had been adorned by the emperor with pearls and emeralds.

The Feast of the Finding of the Girdle of the Mother of God was added to the liturgical calendar of the Armenian Church only in 1774, following the liturgical reforms of Catholicos Simeon.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates this feast on the second Sunday after the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. Because it is a movable feast, it falls each year between August 26 and September 1.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Isaiah 19:8-19 ~

Those who fish will mourn; all who cast hooks in the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will languish. The workers in flax will be in despair, and the carders and those at the loom will grow pale. Its weavers will be dismayed, and all who work for wages will be grieved. The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the sages, a descendant of ancient kings"? Where now are your sages? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has planned against Egypt. The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are deluded; those who are the cornerstones of its tribes have led Egypt astray. The Lord has poured into them a spirit of confusion; and they have made Egypt stagger in all its doings as a drunkard staggers around in vomit. Neither head nor tail, palm branch or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt. On that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts raises against them. And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the plan that the Lord of hosts is planning against them. On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun. On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.

~ 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 ~

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation. We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 4:35-41 ~

Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word.

Commemoration DAY of

the Holy Apostles Thomas,

James, and Simon

St. Thomas the Apostle

Saint Thomas is best known for his initial doubt. When the other Apostles told him that they had seen the risen Lord, Thomas insisted that unless he saw Jesus with his own eyes and placed his hand into His wounded side, he would not believe.

Indeed, the following week, when the Apostles were again gathered in the Upper Room, Jesus appeared among them. Turning to Thomas, He said:

"Put your finger here and see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

At that moment Thomas fell to his knees and exclaimed:

"My Lord and my God!"

Jesus concluded by saying:

"Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
(John 20:24–29)

Despite this apparent skepticism—which is better understood as a desire for certainty than unbelief—Thomas proved himself to be a courageous and faithful Apostle.

When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, Jesus was beyond the Jordan. Upon hearing of Lazarus' death, He resolved to return and raise him from the dead. The Apostles hesitated because only days earlier the Jews had nearly stoned Jesus in Jerusalem.

At that moment Thomas stepped forward and said:

"Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
(John 11:16)

Especially in the Gospel of John, Thomas is known by the title "the Twin" (Didymus). According to tradition, he was considered the twin brother either of the Apostle Thaddeus or of another disciple.

Thomas was also one of the Apostles who interrupted Jesus with questions during the Last Supper. When Jesus said,

"You know where I am going, and you know the way,"

Thomas replied:

"Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus answered with one of His most celebrated declarations:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
(John 14:4–6)

According to ancient tradition, Thomas traveled to the farthest reaches of the known world—to Parthia and eventually India. There, from apostolic times, a Christian community has existed whose members believe that their ancestors were converted through the preaching of Saint Thomas. For this reason they call themselves "the Christians of Saint Thomas" (or Saint Thomas Christians).

His traditional tomb is still venerated near the city of Madras (Chennai), India.

According to tradition, Thomas was martyred by being pierced with spears (or lances).

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Saint Thomas together with the Apostles James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot on the Saturday preceding the Third Sunday after the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

St. James (James son of Alphaeus)

James is known as James the son of Alphaeus, distinguishing him from James the son of Zebedee. For the same reason he is sometimes called James the Less.

The Latin Church identifies him with James, the Brother of the Lord, but the Eastern Churches, including the Armenian Church, do not accept this identification.

According to tradition, James preached the Gospel along the southern coast of Palestine and later in Egypt, where he is believed to have suffered martyrdom.

St. Simon the Zealot

Simon—known in Greek as Simon—is identified in the Gospels by the title "the Cananaean", meaning "the Zealot."

The Zealots were a Jewish movement devoted to freeing Israel from foreign rule by whatever means necessary. They also sought to eliminate from among their people those whom they regarded as traitors or collaborators with foreign powers.

According to tradition, Simon preached the Gospel in Persia, where he suffered martyrdom.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates him together with the Apostle Thomas on the same feast day.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Wisdom 9:13-10:3 ~

For who can learn the counsel of God? Or who can discern what the Lord wills? For the reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail, for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind. We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labor, but who has traced out what is in the heavens? Who has learned your counsel unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus the paths of those on earth were set right, and people were taught what pleases you and were saved by wisdom.

Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had been created; she delivered him from his transgression and gave him strength to rule all things. But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger, he perished because in rage he killed his brother.

~ Micah 7:18-20 ~

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and unswerving loyalty to Abraham, as you have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

~ 1 Corinthians 12:28:13:3 ~

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 20:24-31 ~

But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 1 Corinthians 16:12-24 ~

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity. Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such persons. The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord. All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 4:26-34 ~

He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Commemoration DAY of

ST. JEREMIAH the Prophet

The Prophet Jeremiah is one of the greatest figures in the Bible. Few biblical personalities are known to us in such depth—especially regarding their inner life and emotional struggles—as Jeremiah, whose own writings reveal his heart with remarkable honesty.

Jeremiah was born around 650 B.C. in the village of Anathoth, not far from Jerusalem. Although he came from a priestly family, he never served as a priest. Instead, he criticized the conduct of the priests and often found himself in conflict with them. Until the fall of Jerusalem, his prophetic ministry was centered in the holy city.

According to Jeremiah's own testimony, his calling came under the following circumstances:

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying:

'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.'

Then I said,
'Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.'

But the Lord said to me,
'Do not say, "I am only a youth," for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.'

Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and said to me,
'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms, to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"
(Jeremiah 1:4–10)

The divine voice added:

"Kings, princes, priests, and the people will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you to rescue you."

Indeed, Jeremiah's entire life became the literal fulfillment of these words.

Few people have suffered as deeply as Jeremiah—both spiritually and physically. Few have been compelled to proclaim messages so unpopular and so contrary to their own heartfelt desires.

Though called while still very young, he willingly renounced marriage and the ordinary joys of life, devoting himself completely and faithfully to his prophetic vocation.

When his people had fallen irreversibly into idolatry and social injustice, Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Because of these warnings, he was thrown into a cistern. Though it no longer contained water, its bottom was filled with mud, and Jeremiah sank into it. After several days, he was rescued through the intervention of one of the king's officials.

By this time, Babylon had become the dominant power, conquering the surrounding nations, including Judah. Its armies laid siege to Jerusalem.

Foreseeing that the city's destruction was inevitable, Jeremiah advised the people to surrender peacefully and to seek accommodation with Babylon rather than relying on Egypt. The king not only ignored his counsel but also imprisoned and mistreated him.

When King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Jeremiah was still in prison. Learning of the prophet's political counsel, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his release and offered him honorable passage to Babylon. Jeremiah chose instead to remain with the poor remnant of his own people.

Later, after rebels assassinated the Babylonian-appointed governor, they fled to Egypt to escape Babylonian retaliation. They forcibly took the aged Jeremiah with them. According to tradition, while continuing to denounce his people's sins—as he believed God had commanded him—Jeremiah was eventually stoned to death by his own countrymen in Egypt.

Like all the prophets—and perhaps even more than most—Jeremiah was a fearless champion of social justice and true worship of God. He continually proclaimed:

"Amend your ways and your deeds. Deal justly with one another. Do not oppress the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood. Do not follow other gods to your own destruction."
(cf. Jeremiah 7:1–6)

Living during one of the darkest periods of Israel's history, Jeremiah was often required to proclaim messages that ran directly against patriotic sentiment. A deeply sensitive man, he rebuked his people's sins while at the same time constantly interceding for them before God.

Eventually, however, the people's wickedness reached such depths that God forbade Jeremiah even to pray on their behalf:

"Do not pray for this people, nor plead for mercy on their behalf, nor intercede for them, for I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?"

Idolatry had spread everywhere.

And the Lord continued:

"Do they provoke Me? No—they bring shame upon themselves and disgrace their own faces."
(cf. Jeremiah 7:16–20)

Seeing that his people had become hopelessly lost and foreseeing the disasters that would befall them, Jeremiah often gave himself over to tears and lamentation.

His book contains many heartfelt laments, and the biblical book of Lamentations has traditionally been attributed to him. There are striking similarities between Jeremiah and Job. Jeremiah 20:14–18 recalls Job's curse upon the day of his birth, while the preceding verses resemble Job's profound complaints.

Yet throughout all his suffering, Jeremiah remained deeply united with God.

His prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction, his tears over the city, his unceasing sorrow for his people, and finally his rejection, stoning, and death all make him a powerful foreshadowing of Christ.

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church commemorates the Prophet Jeremiah on the second Thursday following the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Jeremiah 1:1-10, 38:1-13 ~

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, "I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people, Thus says the Lord, Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out to the Chaldeans shall live; they shall have their lives as a prize of war, and live. Thus says the Lord, This city shall surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon and be taken. Then the officials said to the king, "This man ought to be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm." King Zedekiah said, "Here he is; he is in your hands; for the king is powerless against you." So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate, So Ebed-melech left the king's house and spoke to the king, "My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city." Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, "Take three men with you from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies." So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe of the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Just put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes." Jeremiah did so. Then they drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

~ 2 Peter 2:9-22 ~

Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment —especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord. These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of doing wrong, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "The dog turns back to its own vomit," and, "The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud."

~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 2:16-18 ~

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 1 Corinthians 15:58-16:11 ~

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. I will visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I intend to pass through Macedonia— and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am; therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with the brothers.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 4:10-20 ~

When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that "they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.' " And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

Commemoration DAY of

the Holy Parents of the Mother-of-God

StS. Joachim and Anne

and the OIL-Bearing Women

Sts. Joachim and Anne

The line of New Testament saints begins with these two righteous souls, husband and wife, whose faith and spirit closely resemble those of Abraham and Sarah, or Elkanah and Hannah, the parents of the Prophet Samuel. In all three cases, the husbands were righteous, upright, and God-fearing men. In all three, the wives were devout but childless. And in each case, God promised them a child.

Joachim and Anne are honored among the saints of the New Testament primarily because they were, according to tradition, the maternal grandparents of Christ. They are not mentioned by name in the New Testament.

Most of what we know about them comes from the Protoevangelium of James (also called the Book of James), an early Christian writing that, although not included in the biblical canon, was widely read and cherished by early Christians. It contains many charming stories about the childhood of Jesus. While many of these accounts are imaginative and embellished, suggesting legendary development, the work may also preserve authentic elements of early Christian tradition.

Tradition attributes the book to James, the Brother of the Lord, though scholars generally date it to around A.D. 150, written by a Jewish Christian. According to this text, Joachim, a descendant of King David, was a devout and wealthy man, while Anne, from a priestly family, was humble and God-fearing.

One day, as Joachim brought his offering to the Temple along with the other worshippers, the officiating priest told him that he must present his gift last because he had no children. Deeply hurt, Joachim left the Temple and went into the mountains with his shepherds. He resolved not to return home or eat or drink until God visited him. Prayer became his food, and tears his drink.

When Anne learned that her husband had departed, she clothed herself in mourning garments and devoted herself to repentance and prayer. One day, while praying in her garden, she looked up and saw birds feeding their young. Her heart broke, and weeping she cried out to God:

"Alas for me! I have become lower than the birds, for they have their young, while I have not even the blessing of one child."

She continued praying with tears until an angel of the Lord appeared and told her that her prayers had been heard. God would grant her a child whose name would become known throughout the world. Anne vowed that whether the child were a son or a daughter, she would dedicate the child to God.

The same vision and joyful message were also given to Joachim. Filled with thanksgiving, he selected the finest of his cattle and sheep as offerings for the Temple, made generous sacrifices for the poor, and returned home.

Anne conceived and gave birth to a blessed daughter, radiant as light—the one through whom "all nations would be blessed." They named her Mary, a name understood here to mean "the enlightened one."

When Mary was weaned, her parents presented her to the Temple, fulfilling Anne's vow.

According to tradition, Joachim did not live to see his grandson, Jesus. Anne, however, did behold Him, rejoiced greatly, and soon afterward departed this life in peace.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Saints Joachim and Anne together with the Myrrh-Bearing Women on the Tuesday following the nine-day Feast of the Transfiguration.

Tradition identifies their house as still standing in Jerusalem, though it has since become a church. Others claim their home was in Bethlehem or Nazareth.

The Armenian Church has composed beautiful hymns in honor of Joachim and Anne, affirming that the blessing God bestowed upon these "God-blessed husband and wife" was perfectly fulfilled in them.

The hymns also recall that through Joachim and Anne the royal line and the priestly line of the Old Covenant were united, their sole and blessed fruit being the Holy Virgin.

One hymn concludes:

From the once-barren earth today has sprung for us
the fruitful and blessed plant,
the lily of the valleys, the flower of the fields;
Mary, the Ever-Virgin Mother,
the root of the Tree of Immortality.
Through their prayers, have mercy upon us.

The OIL-Bearing Women

Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas,

Salome, Joanna, and others

During Christ's public ministry, not only the Apostles and disciples followed Him, but also a number of devoted women. Their principal service was to provide material support for Jesus and His followers. As the Gospel says, "they ministered to Him out of their means."

These women were generally respectable, generous, and grateful individuals, many of whom had been healed by Jesus of diseases or delivered from evil spirits.

Most of them accompanied Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem on His final journey. There they witnessed the events of Holy Week, especially His crucifixion and burial. They later became the first heralds of His glorious Resurrection.

The Church collectively calls them the Myrrh-Bearing Women because, early on Sunday morning, they hurried to Christ's tomb carrying fragrant oils and spices to anoint His body.

Mary Magdalene

The most prominent among them was Mary Magdalene, from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Before meeting Christ, she had been possessed by seven demons, all of which Jesus cast out.

She is regarded as the leader and the most devoted member of the group. Her faithful love was rewarded, for she became the first person to see the risen Savior and the first to announce His Resurrection to the Apostles.

Mary, the Wife of Clopas

The second Mary is known as Mary the mother of James and Joses, or Mary the wife of Clopas.

James and Joses are identified as the young men called the "brothers of the Lord." Clopas was Mary's husband. This clearly indicates that these "brothers of the Lord," contrary to the view that they were biological sons of Mary and Joseph, had different parents.

The title "brothers of the Lord" therefore implies close family relationship rather than literal siblinghood. The Gospels do not explain the exact relationship.

The most widely accepted ancient tradition holds that Joseph and Clopas were brothers, making these "brothers of the Lord" Jesus' cousins. In the culture of the ancient Near East, the children of two brothers were commonly regarded as brothers because they belonged to the same extended family, often lived under one roof, and shared the same household identity.

Salome

The third well-known Myrrh-Bearer is Salome, the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the Apostles James and John.

In John's Gospel she is also referred to as "His mother's sister." This should not necessarily be understood as a literal biological relationship but rather as one of deep spiritual kinship.

Since Jesus entrusted His mother Mary to the care of John at the Crucifixion, Salome and the Virgin Mary lived together afterward. Thus they truly became like sisters in faith and were recognized as such by the Christian community.

Some traditions nevertheless suggest that there may also have been a family relationship between Salome and the Virgin Mary.

Joanna

Only Luke's Gospel also names Joanna among the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

She was the wife of Chuza, a steward in the service of Herod. Chuza is often identified with the royal official whose dying son Jesus healed (John 4:46–54), after which he and his entire household believed in Christ.

Out of gratitude, Joanna generously supported Jesus and His disciples with her own resources and accompanied them to Jerusalem.

The New Testament tells us nothing about the later lives or deaths of these women, and later traditions concerning them are neither numerous nor entirely reliable.

These noble women, who were perhaps more deeply wounded than anyone by the crucifixion and death of their beloved Teacher, also became the happiest of witnesses, for they were the first to behold their Divine Lord risen from the dead.

They were also present in the Upper Room before Pentecost, forming part of the gathering of 120 believers who became the nucleus of the Christian Church and together received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

The Armenian Church commemorates them collectively as the Myrrh-Bearing Women, together with Saints Joachim and Anne, on the tenth day after the Feast of the Transfiguration.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Ezekiel 3:16-19 ~

At the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," and you give them no warning, or speak to warn the wicked from their wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and they do not turn from their wickedness, or from their wicked way, they shall die for their iniquity; but you will have saved your life.

~ 2 Timothy 1:6-14 ~

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 10:16-20 ~

"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Song of Solomon 6:3-8 ~

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he pastures his flock among the lilies. You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me! Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins, and not one among them is bereaved. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number.

~ Malachi 3:1-2 ~

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

~ Galatians 3:24-29 ~

Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 2:1-7 ~

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 11:30-12:4 ~

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives away. If the righteous are repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but those who hate to be rebuked are stupid. The good obtain favor from the Lord, but those who devise evil he condemns. No one finds security by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved. A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

~ Zechariah 2:10-13 ~

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

~ 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 ~

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-56 ~

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.