SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 12:10-18 ~

Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works. How have you been worse off than the other churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. Nevertheless (you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 10:35-45 ~

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Commemoration DAY of

St. Eustathius, His Wife Theopiste

and Their Two Sons,

and the Holy Virgins

Hermione and Catherine

St. Eustathius, His Wife Theopiste,

and Their Two Sons Agapius and Theopistus

The Greeks call this saint Eustathius, while the Latins call him Eustace. His story reminds us of the blessed Job and seems almost to be a Christian repetition of Job’s life. His life is recounted through a series of fascinating and miraculous events.

Like Job, Eustathius was a wealthy nobleman who had established a happy household and lived in Rome with his wife and two young sons. Although a pagan, he was a virtuous man and had earned a reputation as a courageous commander in the Roman army.

One day while hunting, he saw a magnificent stag and pursued it. After becoming separated from his companions, he miraculously saw a radiant image of the Crucifixion between the stag’s antlers. As he gazed in wonder at the vision, a voice came from the sign of the Cross, calling him to conversion and to become a Christian.

When the vision and the stag disappeared, he returned home and told his wife everything that had happened. She, too, had experienced a similar vision. Consequently, the entire family was baptized and received new names. The husband was called Eustathius, his wife Theopiste, meaning “faithful to God,” their elder son Agapius, meaning “beloved,” and the younger Theopistus, the masculine form of his mother’s name.

As a consequence of their conversion, they were deprived of their titles by the emperor and lost all their wealth. They therefore decided to leave Rome.

When they were about to board a ship for a foreign land, the captain saw that Eustathius’s wife was beautiful. As soon as she stepped aboard, he forced the others back onto shore and ordered the ship to depart. They had not sailed far when the captain died of a heart attack. The sailors, believing that his death had occurred because of what he had done to the woman, did not dare harm her. They took her to the land of the barbarians and respectfully entrusted her to the captain’s family. After learning what had happened, they treated her honorably for some time, benefiting from her wisdom and various abilities.

Heartbroken, Eustathius took his two sons and traveled in another direction. While crossing a river, however, he lost both children, one of whom was only about seven years old and the other nine. Through God’s providence, the two boys reached opposite banks of the river, where two different shepherds found and cared for them.

Eustathius himself barely managed to reach the shore. Having now lost his last earthly consolation—his children—he threw himself upon the ground and wept bitterly. Yet in the end he confessed before God that God is Lord of all things, including his family and his own life. Though overwhelmed by sorrow, he endured these losses with great patience and did not complain against God.

Eventually, in an effort to forget his grief, he entered the service of a landowner and remained there for many years. When his patience had thus been tested and crowned with victory, God rewarded him in a most unexpected way.

The emperor, who had previously made use of Eustathius’s military abilities in campaigns against the barbarians, remembered his former vigorous young commander when the borders of the Empire were once again threatened. He ordered that Eustathius be sought everywhere. Eventually he was found and brought before the emperor, who once again entrusted him with the task of stopping the advance of the barbarians.

Considering the army assigned to him insufficient, Eustathius asked the emperor for permission to recruit additional soldiers, and his request was granted. Among those who enlisted were his own two sons. Their appearance and conduct impressed him as those of honorable and trustworthy young men, and he appointed them as his personal guards.

At that time, a woman came from among the barbarians to the Roman army, saying that she too was Roman and had long ago been taken captive into a foreign land. She was brought before the commander. Neither could believe their eyes when, after so many years of separation, husband and wife suddenly found themselves standing face to face.

Theopiste fell to her knees, raised her hands toward heaven, and said:

“Glory and thanksgiving to our Savior Jesus Christ, who preserved me undefiled through all the trials He permitted me to endure. Glory to Providence, which has made me worthy to appear before my husband just as I was when I was separated from him.”

To the astonishment of everyone present, husband and wife embraced with immeasurable joy. They prayed that God would also make them worthy to find their lost children.

In the following days, while Theopiste was in the tent, she overheard one of her husband’s young guards say to the other:

“If only I could also find my father and mother, whom I lost when I was a child. The man who is now my father rescued me from the river and adopted me. I also had a brother, but I lost him as well.”

His companion replied in amazement that his own story was almost identical: he too had been rescued from a river.

Theopiste told her husband what she had heard. After questioning the young men, Eustathius became convinced that they were indeed the sons they had believed lost. Their happiness was complete when, through the mysterious workings of Divine Providence, every member of the family was reunited.

Unfortunately, their happiness did not last long.

After completely subduing the barbarians and establishing guards along the borders, Eustathius returned to Rome and received great honors. However, when he was invited to participate in a religious ceremony at the temple of the god of victory, he firmly refused, declaring that he was a Christian. He proclaimed that he owed his victories to God, the Creator of heaven and earth, whom he worshiped, and to Jesus Christ, in whom he believed and who had conquered the world.

As soon as he made this declaration, the emperor ordered the entire family to be thrown before lions. The lions, however, did not harm them.

Finally, all four were shut inside a bronze bull so that they might be tortured and killed by fire. The account of their martyrdom states that they transformed the furnace of torture into a place of prayer and peacefully and joyfully surrendered their souls to God, entering a happiness that this time would last forever.

They are believed to have been martyred around A.D. 120.

The Armenian Church commemorates them on the third Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

St. Hermione the Virgin

The Greek form of her name is Hermione. She was a daughter of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven deacons of the early Church, who “had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21:9).

According to tradition, two of these daughters, Hermione and Eutychis, decided to go to Ephesus. There they became disciples of a priest named Peter, “with whom they preached the Gospel and converted many to Christ.” Hermione was also endowed with the gift and skill of healing, through which she cured many people.

It is said that when the Roman Emperor Trajan came to Ephesus on his way to campaign against the Persians, he heard of Hermione as an influential preacher and sent men to find her and bring her before him.

After searching for a long time, the emperor’s men encountered her in a village without recognizing her and asked her where Hermione could be found. She first offered them hospitality and only afterward revealed that she herself was the woman they were seeking.

The men were taken by surprise. They were so grateful for her hospitality that they no longer wished to take her to the emperor, but Hermione willingly accompanied them.

When she appeared before the emperor, he attempted to persuade her to renounce Christianity. The saint remained steadfast in her convictions and declared that she was willing even to die for the love of Christ.

She was subjected to bitter tortures, which she endured courageously and fearlessly. Eventually, she prophesied that the emperor would return victorious from the military campaign he had undertaken. Impressed by the virgin’s endurance and pleased with her prophecy, the emperor released her.

Trajan’s successor, Hadrian, however, subjected Hermione to even more severe tortures, which she endured with astonishing courage. When she was taken to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice to the idols, the saint prayed and the idols were destroyed. Because of this, the emperor ordered her to be beheaded.

St. Catherine the Virgin

The holy virgin Catherine was the daughter of Constas, the governor of Alexandria. Possessing exceptional beauty and learning, she declared that she would marry only a man who surpassed her in every respect.

Catherine’s Christian mother took her to her spiritual teacher, who told her about the One who surpasses every earthly bridegroom. Catherine was baptized and was granted a vision of Christ, who gave her a ring as a sign of her betrothal to Him.

During a pagan festival, Catherine appeared before the emperor and exposed what she regarded as the errors of paganism. She converted fifty pagan philosophers who had been summoned by the emperor to refute her arguments.

Because of this, she was subjected to torture. However, the instruments prepared for her torture miraculously turned against the pagans and struck them instead.

After witnessing this miracle, the Empress Augusta and the commander Porphyrius, together with two hundred of his soldiers, became Christians. The enraged emperor ordered them to be beheaded.

The virgin Catherine was then put to death by the sword.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 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!"

~ 2 Timothy 3:10-15 ~

Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, and my suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

~ 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

St. David of Dvin and the Holy Martyrs

Eulampius and Eulampia

St. David of Dvin

David was the son of a Persian father and a Christian mother. His original name was Surhak. Having embraced Islam, he served in Armenia in the Arab army. Through close association with Christians, however, a desire to become a Christian gradually arose within him.

He revealed his intention to Prince Grigor Mamikonian, who encouraged him and took him to Catholicos Anastas of the time. After providing him with the necessary instruction, the Catholicos personally baptized him in his newly built Cathedral Church at Aruch. Grigor Mamikonian became his godfather and gave the newly converted man the name David, after his own father.

He then arranged David’s marriage and granted him a village as a means of livelihood. David later moved to Dvin, where he lived for approximately thirty years as a devout Christian. For this reason, he became known as David of Dvin.

When the Arab Abdallah, described as “a cruel, immoral, and shameless man,” became governor of Armenia, he began persecuting Christians. Upon learning that David had formerly been a Muslim, he ordered him to return to his former religion. David, however, remained unwavering in his Christian faith.

Finally, an order was issued for his crucifixion. He was pierced with a spear and killed in A.D. 701, at approximately sixty to sixty-five years of age. He was buried in the Cathedral Church of St. Gregory in Dvin.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. David of Dvin on the third Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross. Three Armenian Synaxaria commemorate him on March 31, while Ormanian prefers April 4.

There is a distinctive Mankunk hymn dedicated to him, consisting of three stanzas. One stanza reads:

You were filled with divine grace,
O blessed and holy ascetic, Lord David;
And your valiant name was raised up to heaven,
To the joy of the angels,
And spread throughout the whole world,
For the rejoicing of mankind.

Eulampius

The Greek form of his name is Eulampius. His life and martyrdom are inseparably connected with those of his sister, Eulampia.

They lived in the city of Nicomedia during the reign of the persecuting Emperor Maximinus (284–305). Eulampius was arrested for being a Christian and was forcibly ordered to offer sacrifices to the idols.

When he refused, he was stripped and scourged with oxhide whips, after which he was imprisoned. Having survived trials by fire and other tortures, he ultimately received the crown of martyrdom by the sword.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Eulampius on the fourth Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Eulampia

The Greek form of her name is Eulampia. She was from the city of Nicomedia, and her story is inseparably connected with that of her brother, Eulampius.

Her brother was first arrested and tortured for being a Christian. Eulampia then joined him, and together they courageously defended the holy Christian faith and rejected the idols.

After enduring severe tortures, brother and sister were beheaded together around A.D. 303.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Eulampia on the fourth Monday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 13:1-7~

A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things, but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing. Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin. The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing, while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied. The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully. Righteousness guards one whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked. Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing; others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.

~ 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.

~ 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. Luke 13:22-30 ~

Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, "Lord, open to us,' then in reply he will say to you, "I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, "I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

📢 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to the rain forecast for this Sunday, our Annual Food Festival will be held indoors in the Church’s Toufayan Hall.

Join us for the St. Mary Armenian Church Annual Food Festival on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 12:00 PM–5:00 PM at 200 W. Mt. Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039 — rain or shine!

Come enjoy a wonderful afternoon celebrating Armenian food, heritage, faith, and community with family and friends.

🍽️ Delicious Homemade Armenian & Mediterranean Food
Enjoy favorites including shish kebab, chicken, luleh kebabs, pork barbecue, gyro platters, and more. Visit our market and baked-goods area for cheese boereg, mezze, katayif, boorma, Taste Hayastan specialties, and other treats. Vegetarian and vegan options will also be available.

🎶 There’s something for the whole family!
Enjoy DJ music by Edgar Juharian, children’s entertainment, local vendors, a 50/50 cash raffle, delicious food, baked goods, and plenty of Armenian hospitality. Eat in or take out!

🙋 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Our Food Festival is made possible by our wonderful community, and we need your help to make this year’s festival a success.

• SIGN UP today as a volunteer, INVITE your friends and family to join us, and RESERVE your spot by clicking here to serve during the festival.

❤️ BECOME A FESTIVAL SPONSOR
Support the 2026 Food Festival by sponsoring food and beverage expenses or making a general donation. Sponsorship opportunities include Shish Kebab ($100), Chicken Kebab ($50), Pilaf & Fasoulia ($50), Kadaif ($50), and Beverages ($50).

• CLICK FOR FOOD FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES or VIA CREDIT CARD TO SPONSOR NOW

🎟️ 50/50 CASH RAFFLE
Only 200 tickets are available at $100 per ticket. If all 200 tickets are sold, prizes are $8,000 First Prize, $1,500 Second Prize, and $500 Third Prize. The drawing will take place at the Food Festival on September 27 at 3:30 PM.

• 50/50 raffle click to buy: now via credit card or click for form

📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM–5:00 PM
📍 St. Mary Armenian Church, 200 W. Mt. Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039
☀️🌧️ Rain or Shine

Bring your family, invite your friends, come hungry, and spend the afternoon with us celebrating Faith • Heritage • Community. We look forward to seeing you there! 🇦🇲❤️

Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak

The fourth feast dedicated to the Holy Cross, the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak, is a national feast, uniquely Armenian, and is celebrated only by the Armenian Church. It is observed on the Sunday nearest September 28, falling between September 25 and October 1.

According to a beautiful Armenian tradition, the thirty-seven Hripsimian virgins, fleeing the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, left the Monastery of St. Paul and, under the leadership of their abbess, St. Gayane, came to Armenia and settled on Mount Varak.

Among the virgins, St. Hripsime possessed a relic of the True Cross of Christ, which she always wore around her neck. The sacred relic had originally been given by St. James, the Brother of the Lord, to Empress Patronike of Rome. She took the holy relic with her to Rome. After her death, it passed to her Christian heirs and, through inheritance, eventually came into the possession of the virgin Hripsime.

When the virgins were also subjected to persecution in Armenia, through God’s providence they entrusted the relic to two priests living as hermits near Mount Varak so that it would not be lost, and then departed for Vagharshapat. After the deaths of the hermits, however, only a tradition remained that a relic of the True Cross of Christ was hidden somewhere on Mount Varak.

Several centuries passed.

In A.D. 653, a monk named Todik, together with his devout disciple Hovel, went to live an ascetic life on Mount Varak and settled at the place where the holy virgins had once lived. Through continual prayer and fasting, they implored the Lord to make them worthy of finding and venerating the sacred relic.

God, in His love for mankind, who fulfills the desires of those who fear Him, heard their prayer.

One night, a cross-shaped sign of light appeared in the sky. Surrounded by twelve radiant pillars, it entered the church and came to rest upon the Holy Altar. The abbot and his disciple hurried after the light into the church, where they discovered upon the Holy Altar the precious sacred sign—the relic of the True Cross of Christ.

They fell to their knees and worshiped God. Then, taking the relic into their hands, they kissed it with tears and gave thanks to the Lord.

The radiant pillars remained visible for approximately twelve days. Seeing the brilliant light from afar, great numbers of clergy and laypeople hastened to the church. Among them were Catholicos Nerses III of Tayk, known as Nerses the Builder (641–661), and General Vard, son of the Armenian prince Theodoros Rshtuni. Filled with wonder and awe, the multitude blessed and glorified God for the miraculous manifestation of the Holy Cross.

Once the historical authenticity of the sacred relic had been established, a church was built in commemoration of the glorious vision and the discovery of the relic. The church in which the Holy Sign had appeared was also enlarged and renovated.

Mount Varak, upon which the church stands, is located southeast of Van.

In testimony to this miracle, Catholicos Nerses III of Tayk established the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak and composed the hymn “Nshanav amenahaght Khachivd Ko, Krisdos”—“By Your All-Victorious Sign of the Cross, O Christ.” He also instituted a week-long fast, popularly known as the Fast of Van (Vantsots Bahk).

The sacred relic remained in the Church of the Holy Sign at Varak until 1021, when King Senekerim Artsruni of Vaspurakan took it with him to Sebastia. Following his death in 1026, the relic was returned to Varak.

In 1651, it was plundered by the Turkish pashas Suleiman and Chomar. After their terrible deaths, Ibrahim Bey, fearing a similar fate, returned the relic to the people of Van. Considering the Church of the Holy Mother of God in the city to be a safer location, they placed the sacred relic there. From that time onward, that church also became known as the Church of the Holy Sign.

Later, before the massacres of the Armenian Genocide, Khrimian Hayrik established a school and printing press there and sought to develop Armenian national, spiritual, and cultural life.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 3:18-26 ~

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm that strikes the wicked; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

~ 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.

~ 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. Matthew 24:30-36 ~

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Commemoration DAY of

St. George the warrior,

Adauctus, and Romanos the Melodist

St. George the General

St. George was a native of Cappadocia, in the region of present-day Caesarea. He was raised in a Christian family. He later enlisted in the Roman army and, within a short period of time, rose to the rank of general. He became one of the favored commanders of Emperor Diocletian.

When the emperor was preparing to issue an edict persecuting Christians, he first consulted his leading officials, among whom was George. Everyone approved the emperor’s proposal except George, who declared that such a decision would be unjust toward the peaceful citizens of the Empire.

They immediately suspected that George was a Christian and attempted to persuade him to embrace idolatry. George replied:

“I would wish to see all of you become Christians and to see you offer to the Creator of heaven and earth the glory and honor that you now offer to idols made by human hands.”

Because of these words, George was imprisoned and subjected to terrible tortures, which he endured courageously.

Eventually, he declared that he was willing to see the idols. The emperor joyfully led him into the pagan temple. Once there, however, St. George, filled with divine zeal, destroyed the idols one by one. Because of this bold act, Diocletian immediately ordered him to be beheaded.

In general, prominent warrior saints are often depicted on horseback in the act of slaying a dragon. It is possible that one of them may actually have performed such a heroic deed, but such an act alone would not be sufficient for someone to be numbered among the saints. These images have a symbolic rather than strictly historical meaning. The dragon symbolizes the evil of the world, demonic power, and tyranny—forces against which these courageous martyrs of Christ fearlessly struggled.

St. George is believed to have been martyred in A.D. 303 in the city of Nicomedia. According to other traditions, however, he was martyred in Ramla or Lydda in Palestine, not far from present-day Tel Aviv’s airport, where Armenians, Greeks, and Latins have churches dedicated to St. George.

St. George is the patron saint of England.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. George on the second Saturday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Duke Adauctus

Adauctus was a native of Ephesus and a Christian who practiced his faith secretly. He lived during the reign of the pagan and persecuting Emperor Maximinus.

Adauctus had a beautiful daughter whom the emperor wished to take as his wife. Her father secretly sent her away to the East. When it became known that Adauctus was a Christian, he was stripped of all his honors, his property was confiscated into the imperial treasury, and he and his family were exiled to Mesopotamia.

The local governor received orders to persuade him to renounce his faith. The judge’s efforts, however, were unsuccessful. After severe tortures, Adauctus was beheaded. His wife and his other daughter then buried him with honor.

The daughter who had fled eventually gained the favor of Constantia, the wife of Emperor Licinius, who had become a Christian. Through her assistance, she was able to find her mother and sister in Mesopotamia. They took the relics of their father and carried them back to Ephesus, where they later ended their lives in peace.

The Armenian Church commemorates Adauctus together with St. George the General on the second Saturday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

St. Romanos the Melodist, Deacon

Romanos was born in the Syrian city of Homs and served as a deacon in Beirut. He was an educated and virtuous man.

During the reign of Emperor Anastasius (491–518), he went to Constantinople, where he served at the Church of the Holy Mother of God.

In a vision, Romanos was granted an extraordinary gift for sacred hymnody and the art of music. Through this gift, he composed “a thousand and one” sacred odes and hymns, many of which continue to be used by the Greek Church to this day.

The title “the Melodist” became permanently associated with his name because of his distinction as one of the greatest composers of sacred hymns and ecclesiastical music.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Romanos the Melodist on the second Saturday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Wisdom of Solomon 8:19-9:5 ~

As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot, or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body. But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me— and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was— so I appealed to the Lord and implored him, and with my whole heart I said, “O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who have made all things by your word and by your wisdom have formed humankind to have dominion over the creatures you have made and rule the world in holiness and righteousness and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul, give me the wisdom that sits by your throne, and do not reject me from among your children. For I am your servant, the son of your female servant, a man who is weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgment and laws,

~ Isaiah 42:1-8 ~

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.

~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ~

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.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 12:2-9 ~

Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 11:30-12:9~

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus (blessed be he forever!) knows that I do not lie. In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 10:28-33 ~

Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles.

Commemoration DAY of

the Holy Fathers Barlaam,

Anthimus, and Irenaeus

Barlaam

The Greek and Latin form of his name is Barlaam, while among our ancestors he was known as Bargham. He was a venerable old man who, according to Eastern martyrologies, lived in the vicinity of Antioch around the third century. According to Western martyrologies, however, he lived near Caesarea and was martyred during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, around A.D. 304.

He was a simple villager, but a man filled with faith and devotion to God. Because he was a Christian, he was arrested and brought before the imperial tribunal, where he was ordered to offer sacrifice to the idols.

When he refused, the emperor ordered incense to be placed in the palm of his hand and burning coals to be placed upon it. The intention was that, if he could no longer endure the burning and dropped the incense, he would be considered to have offered sacrifice to the idols and would therefore be released.

The virtuous old man, however, held his hand motionless until it was completely burned. Amid these torments, he surrendered his pure soul to God.

Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia

At the beginning of the fourth century, during the reign of the “impious” Emperor Maximinus, Anthimus was Bishop of Nicomedia.

From childhood he had been trained in virtue. He lived a celibate and ascetic life, eating uncooked food, with the exception of barley bread. He converted many pagans to Christianity.

Because of the persecutions, he took refuge in the mountains together with his faithful. The emperor sent men to arrest him. When they arrived, Anthimus first received them hospitably and only afterward revealed that he himself was the man they were seeking.

The men had become so fond of him that they advised him not to accompany them, saying:

“We will say that we could not find him.”

The saint, however, would not agree. Instead, he willingly went with them, preaching the Gospel to them along the way and converting all of them to the faith.

Anthimus was interrogated and gave courageous answers. He was subjected to unbearable tortures and then thrown into prison. There, he preached to his fellow prisoners and converted many of them to Christianity.

Finally, he was martyred by beheading.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Anthimus together with Bishop Irenaeus on the Thursday following the second Sunday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Irenaeus, Bishop of Sirmium

Sirmium, an ancient city and one of the early centers of Christianity, was located in the region of Slavonia. At the beginning of the fourth century, during the persecutions initiated by Diocletian and Maximinus, Irenaeus was bishop of this city.

He was arrested and brought before the provincial governor, where he “confessed and boldly proclaimed the true faith of Jesus Christ.”

He was subjected to severe tortures and imprisoned. In the end, when he remained steadfast in his faith, he was taken to the bridge of the city. There, after praying, he was beheaded.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Irenaeus on the Thursday following the second Sunday after the Feast of the Holy Cross.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Wisdom of Solomon 10:9-12 ~

Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her. When a righteous man fled from his brother’s wrath, she guided him on straight paths; she showed him the kingdom of God and gave him knowledge of holy things; she prospered him in his labors and increased the fruit of his toil. When his oppressors were covetous, she stood by him and made him rich. She protected him from his enemies and kept him safe from those who lay in wait for him; in his arduous contest she declared him victorious, so that he might learn that godliness is more powerful than anything else.

~ Malachi 2:5-7 ~

My covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

~ 1 Peter 5:1-7 ~

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it —not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

~ Holy Gospel of St. John 10:11-16 ~

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ 2 Corinthians 11:10-23~

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I do I will also continue to do, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in what they boast about. For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds. I repeat, let no one think that I am a fool; but if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying in regard to this boastful confidence, I am saying not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool; since many boast according to human standards, I will also boast. For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves! For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death.

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 10:17-23 ~

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' " He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

Commemoration DAY of

the Holy Virgins Febronia,

Mariana, and Shushanik,

Daughter of Vardan the Great

Febronia

Febronia was from the city of Nisibis. At a young age she entered a convent and embraced the monastic life. She was a contemporary of our St. Hripsime, and her life bears similarities to that of Hripsime. Like Hripsime, who had Gayane as her spiritual mother, Febronia had a spiritual mother named Vrēn, or Prionia. She is also described, like Hripsime, as tall and beautiful.

The persecutions of Diocletian eventually reached Nisibis. On the advice of friends, the virgins left the convent so that they would not fall into the hands of the pagans. Febronia, however, because of illness, was both unable and unwilling to leave. Her spiritual mother Prionia remained with her, as did a virgin named Thomais, who later recorded the story of Febronia’s martyrdom in a beautiful and heroic narrative.

Soldiers surrounded the convent and brought only Febronia before two judges who had been specially sent by the emperor to eradicate Christianity in the East. One was Lysimachus, whose mother was a Christian and who therefore secretly looked favorably upon Christians. The other was his uncle Selenus, who wholeheartedly persecuted Christians.

When Lysimachus asked the virgin her name, she replied, “A humble Christian.”

Selenus then took over the interrogation. Seeing Febronia’s gentleness and beauty, he attempted to persuade her in a fatherly manner to renounce her faith. He promised to give her in marriage to his noble nephew Lysimachus, who was sitting beside him, and, since Selenus himself had no son, to make them his heirs.

Febronia gave noble answers, declaring that she was already betrothed to Christ.

After many unbearable tortures, Selenus ordered first that her hands and feet be cut off and then that she be beheaded. Thus, like an innocent lamb, “the immaculate and pure virgin Febronia, the much-suffering and victorious martyr,” was sacrificed.

Judge Selenus was so shaken by the courageous resistance and death of an innocent virgin that he nearly went mad. Striking his head against a pillar, he fractured his skull and died.

Lysimachus, on the other hand, came to the Christian faith. He ordered that the holy virgin be honorably buried in the convent where she had lived her ascetic life, through the ministry of St. James, Bishop of Nisibis, in the year of our Lord 305.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Febronia on the second Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Mariana

This virgin is known among the Greeks as Marina and among the Latins as Margaret. She lived around the middle of the third century in Antioch of Pisidia, near Iconium. She was the only daughter of a pagan priest and lost her mother while still very young. Her father entrusted her to the care of a Christian nurse.

When the girl came of age, her father wished to dedicate her to his gods as a priestess. Mariana, however, having become convinced of the truth of Christianity, told her father that she had no desire to become the servant of senseless idols.

Her father expelled her from his home, and she willingly returned to her nurse and tended her sheep.

Because she was a Christian, Mariana was arrested and subjected to severe tortures, which she endured with great courage. Finally, around A.D. 275, she was martyred by beheading.

The Armenian Church commemorates St. Mariana together with St. Febronia on the second Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Shushan-Vardeni (†475)

Shushanik was the equally courageous and martyred daughter of the valiant martyr Vardan Mamikonian. Her proper name was Vardeni, or Vardanuhi, but she was affectionately called Shushanik, and this became the name by which she was permanently known.

She also had a younger sister who was happily married to Prince Arshavir Kamsarakan and gave the nation three sons—Nerseh, Hrahat, and Sahak. They later played important roles in the national movement led by Vahan Mamikonian following the Vardanants War.

Vardeni, however, entered into an unhappy marriage with the Georgian prince Vazgen, who truly became the crown of thorns of her life.

She is believed to have been born in A.D. 409. Her paternal grandmother was Sahakanush, the daughter of Catholicos St. Sahak. Like their father, Shushanik and her sister received an excellent upbringing within their family. From childhood, both were devout and deeply devoted to the Church.

The Armenian Synaxarion offers the following praise of Shushanik:

“She was adorned with reverence and modesty, united to Christ by perfect faith and love, instructed in godliness, and diligent in good works.”

From her marriage to the Georgian prince Vazgen, she had three sons and one daughter.

Seeking to free himself from the moral demands of the Christian faith and to gain favor in the eyes of the Persians, Vazgen traveled to Ctesiphon. There he voluntarily renounced Christianity and embraced the Persian religion of fire-worship. He returned after marrying a relative of Shah Peroz by marriage. He had also promised the Shah that he would convert his first wife and children to the Persian religion.

When Shushanik learned that her husband was returning as an apostate, she took refuge with her children in a church. She spent the entire day there and kept vigil at night in a nearby cell.

Eventually, after considerable persuasion, she agreed to return to the palace. Even after returning, however, she refused to have any relations with her husband. Vazgen then began to beat her brutally and eventually threw her into prison, where she was given nothing but barley bread and water.

Because Vazgen was absent from the palace for long periods, he placed her under the supervision of the city’s bishopric. When he returned, Shushanik refused to go back to the palace. Vazgen therefore had her brought by force, dragged along with her head uncovered and her garments torn.

At the royal residence, he had his wife bound with chains around her hands, feet, and neck.

In this condition, this great witness of God suffered for six long years, living only on bread and plain water. In prison she wore nothing but sackcloth fastened with a belt. She was barefoot and bareheaded, and her own body served as her bed.

Despite her barbarous husband’s repeated insistence that she renounce her faith and thereby free herself from this miserable existence, she remained steadfast in her faith.

In the seventh year of her imprisonment, exhausted and worn down by the severe sufferings she had endured, Shushanik became ill. In that same prison she brought her virtuous life to an end through a martyr’s death.

Fortunately, during her final moments, the bishop of the city, the priest of her household, and Vazgen’s brother, Prince Jojik, were with her. Jojik had not renounced Christianity and had tried, though without much success, to assist his sister-in-law.

In accordance with her wishes, they buried her in the small cell where she had first taken refuge following Vazgen’s apostasy.

Shushanik’s tomb has been preserved to this day in the fortress of Tiflis.

Shushanik possessed a small Gospel book, probably inherited from her grandmother Sahakanush, who in turn had received it from St. Sahak. Reading this Gospel was the source of her greatest consolation.

She is believed to have died in A.D. 475, at about sixty years of age.

The Liakatar describes the final moments of her life as follows:

“As she prepared to depart from this valley of sorrow, she made herself ready to receive Holy Communion worthily. Directing her mind toward God, she prayed, saying: ‘Lord God, receive the soul of Your handmaid.’ And with this good confession, Varduhi-Shushan entrusted her soul into the hands of Christ, receiving after her father Vardan the perfect crown of martyrdom.”

Just as the name of St. Hripsime is associated with the Holy Cross of Varag, so Shushanik’s name is connected with another renowned Cross.

Seeing that the Persian fire-worshipping religion was spreading because of her apostate husband, Shushanik sought to save “the wonder-working Holy Cross of the holy virgin Nune, the first enlightener of the Georgians.” She arranged for it to be sent to Armenia, to her own province of Taron, so that it would not be profaned by the apostates.

She entrusted the Cross to a clergyman named Andreas, who had been a disciple of her grandfather Sahak. Carrying this precious treasure, Andreas reached Sper but was unable to continue farther and remained there for five years.

He then sent word to the ruling prince of the Mamikonian house. The prince came to Sper, received the Cross, carried it to Taron, and placed it in the Mamikonians’ Blue Fortress. From that time onward, it became known as the Cross of Shushanik.

From there, the Cross was transferred to the Holy Cross Monastery in the province of Vanand, then to the city of Kars, and 164 years later to Ani, where it remained for 142 years. When Ani was captured by the Tatars, the Cross disappeared.

Peshtimaljian’s Armenian Synaxarion commemorates Shushanik on December 29, while the Synaxarion of Marzvan commemorates her on December 25.

At present, the Armenian Church commemorates St. Shushanik together with the holy virgins Febronia and Mariana on the second Tuesday following the Feast of the Holy Cross. She has no special hymn dedicated specifically to her.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

~ Proverbs 23:15-25 ~

My child, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Hear, my child, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.

~ Hosea 14:6-8 ~

I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon. They shall again live beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine.

~ 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 6:20-23 ~

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

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.