Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople & Fifteenth Sunday of Luke (Zacchaeus)

January 25, 2015

Venerable Demetrios the Sacristan: New-Martyr Auxentios of Constantinople

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Troparion– Tone 8

From the heights Thou didst descend, O compassionate One, and Thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that Thou might deliver us from passion; Thou art our life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to Thee.

Troparion of Saint Gregory the Theologian– Tone 1

The shepherd's pipe of thy theology conquered the trumpets of the philosophers; for since thou didst search out the depths of the Spirit, beauty of speech was added to thee. But intercede with Christ God, O Father Gregory, that our souls be saved.

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 of the Presentation of Christ– Tone 1

O Christ God, Thou hast sanctified the virgin's womb by Thy birth and as was meet hast blessed the hands of Simeon. Thou hast also come to us to save us. Do Thou when wars prevail give peace to Thy people, and make mighty those whom Thou hast loved, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.

Koinonikon (Communion Hymn)

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

Epistle – Hebrews 7:26-8:2

Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; He did this once for all when He offered up Himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son Who has been made perfect forever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a High Priest, one Who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

Gospel – Luke 19:1-10

At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see Who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

St Paula of Rome – January 26^th

St Paula was born in 347 to a noble family in Rome. At the age of sixteen, she was given in marriage to Toxotius, a prominent nobleman. Though her husband was a pagan, he was devoted to her and gave her freedom to keep a Christian home and rear her children as Christians. They were blessed with five children.

When Paula was thirty-two years of age her husband died suddenly, and she resolved to turn her large house in Rome into a monastery. Later, she traveled to the Holy Land with her spiritual father, St Jerome. In Bethlehem, she established two monasteries, one for women (where she dwelt) and one for St Jerome and his companions. Every day the nuns chanted the entire Psalter, which they were required to learn by heart. Paula was exceptionally austere in her fasting and lavish in her almsgiving, often giving away to the poor even the goods needed by her community for subsistence. She aided her spiritual father and brother Jerome in his controversies with Origen’s followers: St Jerome himself was hot-tempered, and St. Paula often exhorted him to confront his enemies with patience and humility.

When Paula was fifty-six years old, she felt her death approaching, and heard Christ say to her, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone” (Song of Songs 2:10-11). To this she replied, “The time of harvest has come. I shall truly see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living,” and gave up her soul joyfully. Her funeral was attended by throngs of monks, nuns and poor people, all of whom revered her as their mother and benefactress. She was buried in the Church of the Nativity in Jerusalem.

[antiochian.org]