Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
& Tenth Sunday of Luke

December 7, 2014

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan: Martyr Athenodros of Mesopotamia: Venerable Gregory, Founder of Gregoriou Monastery on Athos

Hymns of the Day

Troparion of the Ressurection – Tone 1

While the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. For which cause the heavenly powers cried aloud unto Thee, O giver of life. Glory to Thy Resurrection O Christ, glory to Thy kingdom, glory to Thy providence, O Thou Who alone art the lover of mankind.

Troparion of St Joseph –  Tone 3

Proclaim, O Joseph to David, the ancestor of God, the amazing wonder,
for by the angel they were revealed unto thee. For thou hast seen a Virgin great with child, and thou gave glory with the shepherds and didst worship with the Magi. Wherefore, plead with Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion for Preparation of Christ’s Nativity – Tone 3

Today the Virgin cometh, cometh unto the cave, to give birth to the Word who was born before all ages, begotten in a manner that defies description. Rejoice therefore, oh universe if thou shouldst hear and glorify with the angels and the shepherds. Glorify Him who by His will shall become a new born babe and who is our God before all ages.

Koinonikon (Communion Hymn)

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest. Alleluia.

Epistle – Ephesians 5:8-19

Brethren, walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything  that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.

Gospel – Luke 13:10-17

At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrite! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As Jesus said this, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.

St Lucy (Lucia) of Syracuse – December 13^th

Saint Lucy the Virgin-Martyr (283-304), also known as Saint Lucia, was born in Syracuse, Sicily and was martyred for the Christian faith in the persecution of Emperor Diocletian around the year 304 AD.

There is no doubt of the great veneration that was shown to St. Lucy by the early church. She is one of those few female saints whose names occur in the canon of Pope Gregory the Great, and there are special prayers and antiphons for her in his Sacramentary. She is also commemorated in the ancient Roman Martyrology. At the beginning of the 8th century the Bishop Aldhelm of Sherborne included a brief account of her life among the virgins praised in De Laude Virginitatis, and following him, the Venerable Bede inserted the story in his Martyrology.

Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283. Her father was of Roman origin, but his early death left her dependent upon her mother, whose name, Eutychia, seems to indicate that she came of Greek stock.

Her mother, Eutychia, had suffered four years with dysentery but Lucy had heard the renown of Saint Agatha of Palermo, the patroness of Catania; when they were at a Liturgy, the gospel was read that made mention of a woman who was healed of the dysentery by touching of the hem of the garment of Jesus Christ, which convinced her mother to pray together at Saint Agatha's tomb. They stayed up all night praying, until they fell asleep, exhausted. Saint Agatha then appeared in a vision to Lucy and said, "Soon you shall be the glory of Syracuse, as I am of Catania." At that instant Eutychia was cured.

Lucy secretly consecrated her virginity to God, and distributed her wealth to the poor. Since she refused to marry a pagan, the rejected suitor denounced her to the prefect Paschasius as a Christian, and she was arrested.

She was first of all condemned to suffer the shame of prostitution; but in the strength of God she stood immovable, so that they could not drag her away to the place of shame, and thus she preserved her purity. Then the pagans attempted to burn her alive, and heaped bundles of wood about her and set them on fire, and again God saved her. Finally, she was killed by a sword thrust to the throat, and so she gave her spirit up to God. Holy Martyr Lucy, pray to God for us!

Lucy's name is derived from the Latin word lux or lucis meaning "light", and since there is a late tradition that she was blinded by her torturers, she is regarded as the patron saint of eyesight, of the blind, and of lucidity. She should not be confused with St Lucy of Campania (July 6).

 [orthodoxwiki.org]