Sunday of the Forefathers (Ancestors) of Christ

December 14, 2014

Martyrs Thyrsos, Leukios and Kallinikos of Apollonia; Martyrs Philemon, Apollonios, Hypatios and Arrianos of Alexandria

Hymns of the Day

Troparion of the Ressurection – Tone 2

When Thou didst submit Thyself unto death, O Thou deathless and immortal One, then Thou didst destroy hell with Thy Godly power. And when Thou didst raise the dead from beneath the earth, all the powers of Heaven did cry aloud unto Thee: O Christ, Thou giver of life, glory to Thee.

Troparion of the Forefathers – Tone 2

Thou hast justified by faith the ancient Forefathers, and through them Thou hast gone before and betrothed unto Thyself the Church of the Gentiles. Let the saints, therefore, take pride in glory: for from their seed sprouted forth a noble fruit, and she it was who gave birth to Thee without seed. Wherefore, by their pleadings, O Christ God, save our souls.

Troparion of St Joseph –  Tone 2

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 – Colossians 3:4-11

Brethren, when Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them  all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.

Gospel – Luke 14:16-24

The Lord spoke this parable: “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited. ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But, one by one, they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

St Sebastion and St Zoe –December 17^th

St Zoe is mentioned in the account of St Sebastian’s martyrdom. She was the wife of the jailer Nicostratus, and was unable to speak for six years. She fell down at the feet of St Sebastian, and by her gestures implored him to heal her. The saint made the Sign of the Cross over the woman, and she immediately began to speak and to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. She said that she had seen an angel holding an open book in which everything St Sebastian said was written. All those who saw the miracle also came to believe in Christ, the Savior of the world.

Nicostratus and his wife asked to be baptized, and St Sebastian told Nicostratus to serve Christ rather than the Emperor. He also told him to assemble the prisoners so that those who believed in Christ could be baptized. Nicostratus asked his clerk, Claudius, to send all the prisoners to his house. St Sebastian spoke to them of Christ, and became convinced of their desire to be baptized. He summoned the priest Polycarp, who prepared them and told them to fast until their baptism that evening.

Claudius informed Nicostratus that the Emperor wanted to know why the prisoners were gathered at his house. Nicostratus told him about the healing of his wife, and Claudius brought his own sick sons, Symphorian and Felix, to St Sebastian. That evening, Polycarp baptized Nicostratus and all his family, Claudius and his sons, and also sixteen condemned prisoners. The newly-baptized numbered sixty-four in all.

Nicostratus, his wife Zoe and brother Castorius, and Claudius and his sons remained in Rome with St Sebastian, refusing to move to a safer place. Soon it became known that a community of Christians was active in Rome.

The pagans arrested St Zoe first, while she was praying at the grave of the Apostle Peter. St Sebastian was also arrested, placed on trial, and found guilty; he was pierced with sharp arrows and beaten with clubs and received a martyr’s crown.

At her trial, St Zoe bravely confessed her faith in Christ. She died, hung by her hair over the foul smoke from a great fire of dung. Her body then was thrown into the River Tiber. Appearing in a vision to St Sebastian, she told him about her death.

[orthodoxchristian.info]