Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Holy and Great Thursday of the Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Epistle

In the Liturgy

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 149]. Brethren:

11 ²³I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was delivered up took bread; ²⁴and having given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is being broken for you; be doing this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵In like manner also He took the cup, after having supped, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; be doing this, as often as ye may drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶For as often as ye may eat this bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death until He should come. ²⁷So that whosoever may eat this bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat of the bread and let him drink of the cup. ²⁹For the one who eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. ³⁰For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and a considerable number are falling asleep. ³¹For if we were discerning ourselves, we should not be judged; ³²but when we are judged, we are being chastised by the Lord, in order that we should not be condemned with the world.

Gospel

In the Liturgy

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 107]. The Lord said to His disciples:

26 ²“Ye know that after two days the passover taketh place, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up to be crucified.” ³Then the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people were gathered together into the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴and they took counsel together in order that they might lay hold of Jesus by guile, and kill Him. ⁵But they were saying, “Not during the feast, lest an uproar occur among the people.”

⁶Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly perfumed ointment, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at table. ⁸But His disciples, having seen it, became indignant, saying, “For what is this loss? ⁹“For it was possible for this perfumed ointment to have been sold for much and to have been given to the poor.” ¹⁰But Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do ye cause trouble to the woman? For she wrought a good work toward Me. ¹¹“For ye have the poor among yourselves always, but Me ye have not always. ¹²“For in putting this perfumed ointment upon My body, she did it for My burial. ¹³“Verily I say to you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, also what she did shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” ¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariote, went to the chief priests, ¹⁵and said, “What are ye willing to give to me, and I will deliver Him up to you?” And they fixed by agreement with him for thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶And from that time he sought an opportunity that he might deliver Him up.

¹⁷Now on the first day of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where dost Thou wish that we should prepare for Thee to eat the passover?” ¹⁸And He said, “Go ye into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher saith, “My time is near; with thee I am celebrating the passover with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹And the disciples did as Jesus ordered them; and they prepared the passover. ²⁰And evening having come to pass, He was reclining at table with the twelve.

Continue hereunder Jn. 13:3-17 [§ 44]:

13 ³Jesus, knowing that the Father hath given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God and goeth to God, ⁴riseth from the supper and layeth aside His garments; and He took a towel and girded Himself. ⁵Then He putteth water into the basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them off with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶Then He cometh to Simon Peter, and the latter saith to Him, “Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt understand after these things.” ⁸Peter saith to Him, “In no wise shalt Thou ever wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I should wash thee, thou hast no part with Me.” ⁹Simon Peter saith to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” ¹⁰Jesus saith to him, “The one who hath been bathed hath no need other than to wash the feet, but is wholly clean; and ye are clean, but not all.” ¹¹For He knew the one delivering Him up; on account of this He said, “Ye are not all clean.”

¹²When therefore He washed their feet and took His garments, He reclined again, and said to them, “Know ye what I have done to you? ¹³“Ye call Me the Teacher and the Lord, and ye say well, for I am. ¹⁴“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher washed your feet, ye also ought to wash the feet of one another. ¹⁵“For I gave you an example, that ye be doing even as I did to you. ¹⁶“Verily, verily, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his lord, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye be doing them.”

Continue hereunder Mt. 26:21-39 [§ mid 108]:

26 ²¹And as they were eating, He said, “Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver Me up.” ²²And being exceedingly grieved, they began to say to Him, each of them, “I am not the one, am I, Lord?” ²³And He answered and said, “The one who dipped his hand with Me in the dish, this one shall deliver Me up. ²⁴“The Son of Man indeed goeth even as it hath been written concerning Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is delivered up. Good were it for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵And answering, Judas, the one delivering Him up, said, “I am not the one, am I, Rabbi?” He saith to him, “Thou didst say.” ²⁶And as they ate, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and was giving it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; ²⁸“for this is My blood, that of the new covenant, which is being poured out for many for remission of sins. ²⁹“But I say to you that in no wise will I drink from now of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of My Father.” ³⁰And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ³¹Then Jesus saith to them, “Ye all shall be made to stumble because of Me during this night, for it hath been written: ‘I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad [cf. Zach. 13:7].’ ³²“But after I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee.” ³³And Peter answered and said to Him, “Though all shall be made to stumble because of Thee, but I will never be made to stumble.” ³⁴Jesus said to him, “Verily I say to thee, that during this night, before a cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice.” ³⁵Peter saith to Him, “Even if it should be necessary for me to die with Thee, in no wise will I deny Thee.” Likewise also said all the disciples.

³⁶Then Jesus cometh with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He saith to the disciples, “Sit here while I depart and pray there.” ³⁷And He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sorely troubled. ³⁸Then Jesus saith to them, “My soul is very sad, even unto death. Tarry here and be watching with Me.” ³⁹And He went forth a little and fell upon His face, praying and saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

Continue hereunder Lk. 22:43-45 [§ mid 109]:

22 ⁴³And an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴And having come to be in an agony, He was praying more intently. And His sweat became as clots of blood falling down upon the ground. ⁴⁵And having risen up from the prayer,...

Conclude with Mt. 26:40-27:2 hereunder [§ mid 108]:

26 ⁴⁰He cometh to the disciples and findeth them sleeping, and saith to Peter, “Were ye not thus able to watch with Me one hour! ⁴¹“Be watching and praying, that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴²Again, for the second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass from Me, unless I should drink it, Thy will be done.” ⁴³And He came and found them again sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴And leaving them, He went away again and prayed for a third time, saying the same utterance. ⁴⁵Then He cometh to His disciples and saith to them, “Sleep on for what time remaineth and be taking your rest! Behold, the hour hath drawn near, and the Son of Man is being delivered up into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶“Rouse yourselves, let us be going; behold, the one delivering Me up hath drawn near.”

⁴⁷And while He yet spoke, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸And the one delivering Him up gave them a sign, saying, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, it is He Himself; lay hold of Him.” ⁴⁹And straightway he came to Jesus, and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and ardently kissed Him. ⁵⁰But Jesus said to him, “Comrade, wherefore art thou come?” Then having come forward, they laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. ⁵¹And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched forth his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and took off his ear. ⁵²Then Jesus saith to him, “Turn back thy sword to its place; for all those who take the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³“Or thinkest thou that I am not able now to call upon My Father, and He shall place beside Me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴“How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must come to be?” ⁵⁵In that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “As against a robber ye came out with swords and clubs to arrest Me. Daily I was sitting with you in the temple teaching, and ye did not lay hold of Me. ⁵⁶“But all this hath come to pass that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

⁵⁷And they who laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸But Peter was following Him from afar, even to the courtyard of the high priest. And having entered within, he was sitting with the servants to see the end. ⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the elders, and the whole sanhedrin, were seeking false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death, ⁶⁰but they did not find any; even after many false witnesses came forward, they did not find any. But afterwards two false witnesses came forward, and said, ⁶¹“This One said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” ⁶²And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these bear witness against Thee?” ⁶³But Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I adjure Thee by God, the living One, that Thou tell us if Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴Jesus saith to him, “Thou hast said; moreover, I say to you, henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right of the power, and coming on the clouds of the heaven.” ⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He blasphemed; what need have we still of witnesses? Behold, now ye heard His blasphemy. ⁶⁶“What do ye think?” And they answered and said, “He is liable to the penalty of death.” ⁶⁷Then they spat in His face and buffeted Him; and they slapped Him in the face with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸saying, “Prophesy to us, O Christ: Who is the one that smote Thee?” ⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And one young maidservant approached him, saying, “Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilæan.” ⁷⁰But he denied before them all, saying, “I know not what thou sayest.” ⁷¹And after he went out into the porch, another maidservant saw him, and saith to them, “This one was also there with Jesus the Nazaræan.” ⁷²And again he denied with an oath, “I know not the Man.” ⁷³And, a little after, they who stood by came to him and said to Peter, “Truly thou also art one of them, for even thy mode of speech maketh thee manifest.” ⁷⁴Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I know not the Man.” And straightway a cock crowed. ⁷⁵And Peter was reminded of the word of Jesus Who had said to him, “Before a cock crow, thrice thou shalt deny Me.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

27 ¹And it having become morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, so as to put Him to death. ²And after they bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him up to Pontius Pilate the governor.

HOLY AND GREAT THURSDAY EVENING

First Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§§ 46-56]. The Lord said to His disciples:

13 ³¹“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. ³²“If God is glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him. ³³“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I go, ye are not able to come,’ I also say to you now. ³⁴“A new commandment I give to you, that ye be loving one another; even as I loved you, that ye also be loving one another. ³⁵“By this shall all know that ye are My disciples, if ye be having love among one another.” ³⁶Simon Peter saith to Him, “Lord, where goest Thou?” Jesus answered him, “Where I go, thou art not able to follow Me now; but afterwards thou shalt follow Me.” ³⁷Peter saith to Him, “Lord, why am I not able to follow Thee now? I will lay down my life for Thee.” ³⁸Jesus answered him, “Thy life wilt thou lay down for Me! Verily, verily, I say to thee, in no wise shall a cock crow until thou hast denied Me thrice.

14 ¹“Let not your heart be troubled; keep on believing in God, and believing in Me. ²“In My Father’s house are many abodes; otherwise I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³“And if I go and prepare a place for you, again I am coming, and will receive you to Myself, that where I am ye may be also. ⁴“And where I go ye know, and the way ye know.” ⁵Thomas saith to Him, “Lord, we know not where Thou goest; and how can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus saith to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father, except by Me. ⁷“If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also. And from now ye know Him, and have seen Him.” ⁸Philip saith to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” ⁹Jesus saith to him, “Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known Me, Philip? The one who hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words which I speak to you I speak not from Myself; but the Father Who abideth in Me, He doeth the works. ¹¹“Keep on believing Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; otherwise keep on believing Me on account of the works themselves. ¹²“Verily, verily, I say to you, the one who believeth in Me, the works which I do shall that one do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to My Father. ¹³“And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, this will I do, that the Father might be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴“If ye should ask anything in My name, I will do it.

¹⁵“If ye love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶“And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷“the Spirit of the truth, Whom the world is not able to receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He abideth by you, and shall be in you. ¹⁸“I will not leave you orphans; I am coming to you. ¹⁹“Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no longer, but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also. ²⁰“In that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. ²¹“The one who hath My commandments and keepeth them, that one is the one who loveth Me. And the one who loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.” ²²Judas, not the Iscariote, saith to Him, “Lord, then what hath come to pass that thou art about to manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?” ²³Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone love Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him. ²⁴“The one who loveth Me not keepeth not My words; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but of the Father Who sent Me.

²⁵“I have spoken these things to you, abiding with you; ²⁶“but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, that One shall teach you all things, and shall remind you of what I said to you. ²⁷“Peace I leave to you, My peace I give to you; not as the world giveth, give I to you. Let not your heart continue being troubled, nor being fearful. ²⁸“Ye heard that I said to you, ‘I go away’ and ‘I come to you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would have rejoiced that I said, ‘I am going to the Father’; for My Father is greater than I. ²⁹“And now I have told you before it should come to pass, in order that whenever it should come to pass, ye might believe. ³⁰“No longer will I talk much with you; for the ruler of this world is coming, and hath nothing in Me. ³¹“But that the world might know that I love the Father, and even as the Father enjoined Me, thus I do. Arise, let us be going from this place.

15 ¹“I am the vine, the true one, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²“Every branch in Me which beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch which beareth fruit, He pruneth it, in order that it may bear more fruit. ³“Already ye are clean by reason of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴“Abide in Me, and I in you. Even as a branch is not able to bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can ye, unless ye abide in Me. ⁵“I am the vine, ye are the branches. The one who abideth in Me, and I in him, this one beareth much fruit; for apart from Me ye are not able to do anything. ⁶“Unless one abide in Me, he is cast out as the branch and is withered—and they gather them together and cast them into the fire—and is burned. ⁷“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask for yourselves whatever ye will, and it shall come to pass for you. ⁸“In this is My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and shall become disciples to Me. ⁹“Even as the Father loved Me, I also loved you; abide in the love, that which is Mine. ¹⁰“If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, even as I have kept the commandments of My Father, and abide in His love. ¹¹“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be made full. ¹²“This is My commandment, that ye be loving one another, even as I loved you. ¹³“Greater love hath no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴“Ye are My friends if ye be doing whatsoever I command you. ¹⁵“I no longer call you slaves, for the slave knoweth not what his lord is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things which I heard from My Father I made known to you. ¹⁶“Ye did not choose Me for yourselves, but I chose you for Myself, and I appointed you that ye be going and bearing fruit, and that your fruit be abiding, in order that whatsoever ye ask the Father in My name He might give you. ¹⁷“These things I command you, that ye be loving one another.

¹⁸“If the world hate you, ye know that it hath hated Me before it hath hated you. ¹⁹“If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world—but I chose you for Myself out of the world—therefore the world hateth you. ²⁰“Keep on remembering the word which I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they know not the One Who sent Me. ²²“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no pretext for their sin. ²³“The one who hateth Me hateth My Father also. ²⁴“If I did not do the works among them which no other one hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵“But this cometh to pass that the word might be fulfilled which hath been written in their law: ‘They hated Me without a cause [cf. Ps. 34(35):22, 68(69):5(4)].’ ²⁶“But whenever the Paraclete should come, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of the truth Who proceedeth from the Father, that One shall bear witness concerning Me. ²⁷“And ye also are bearing witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning.

16 ¹“These things I have spoken to you, in order that ye should not be made to stumble. ²“They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea moreover, there cometh an hour that everyone who killeth you should think that he offereth God a service. ³“And these things they will do, because they know not the Father nor Me. ⁴“But I have said these things to you, in order that whenever the hour should come, ye may remember that I said them to you. But I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵“But now I go away to the One Who sent Me, and yet none of you asketh Me, ‘Where goest Thou?’ ⁶“But because I have said these things to you, sorrow hath filled your heart. ⁷“But I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I should go away; for unless I go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸“And having come, that One will reprove the world in regard to sin, and in regard to righteousness, and in regard to judgment: ⁹“In regard to sin, indeed, because they believe not in Me; ¹⁰“and in regard to righteousness, because I go away to My Father and ye behold Me no longer; ¹¹“and in regard to judgment, because the ruler of this world hath been judged. ¹²“Yet I have many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear them just now. ¹³“But whenever that One, the Spirit of the truth, should come, He will guide you into all the truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear He shall speak; and He shall announce the coming things to you. ¹⁴“That One shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and shall announce it to you. ¹⁵“All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine; on this account I said that He shall receive of Mine and shall announce it to you. ¹⁶“A little while, and ye behold Me not; and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go away to the Father.” ¹⁷Then some of the disciples said to one another, “What is this which He saith to us, ‘A little while, and ye behold Me not; and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me’; and ‘because I go away to the Father’?” ¹⁸They were saying therefore, “What is this which He saith, ‘A little while’? We know not what He speaketh.” ¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they were wishing to question Him, and He said to them, “Concerning this do ye inquire among one another, because I said, ‘A little while and ye behold Me not, and again, a little while and ye shall see Me’? ²⁰“Verily, verily, I say to you that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall be glad; and ye shall be grieved, but your grief shall become joy. ²¹“The woman, whenever she is about to bring forth, hath grief, because her hour is come; but whenever she should bear the child, she no longer remembereth the affliction, on account of the joy that a man is born into the world. ²²“And therefore ye now on the one hand have sorrow; but on the other hand I will see you again and your heart shall be glad, and your joy no one taketh away from you. ²³“And in that day ye shall ask Me for nothing. Verily, verily, I say to you that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. ²⁴“Until now ye asked nothing in My name. Keep on asking, and ye shall receive, in order that your joy may be made full. ²⁵“These things I have spoken to you in proverbs; but an hour is coming when I will no longer talk to you in proverbs, but I shall announce plainly to you concerning the Father. ²⁶“In that day ye shall ask for yourselves in My name, and I say not to you that I will ask the Father for you; ²⁷“for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. ²⁸“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again I leave the world and go to the Father.” ²⁹His disciples say to Him, “Behold, now Thou speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb. ³⁰“Now we know that Thou knowest all things, and hast no need that anyone should question Thee. By this we believe that Thou camest forth from God.” ³¹Jesus answered them, “Now do ye believe? ³²“Behold, an hour is coming and now hath come, that ye shall be scattered each to his own, and shall leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³“These things I have spoken to you, in order that ye may have peace in Me. In the world ye shall have affliction; but be of good courage, I have overcome the world.”

17 ¹These things Jesus spoke, and lifted up His eyes to the heaven, and said, “Father, the hour hath come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son might glorify Thee, ²“even as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh, in order that all whom Thou hast given Him, He should give to them life eternal. ³“And this is the eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou didst send forth. ⁴“I glorified Thee on the earth. I finished the work which Thou hast given Me that I should do. ⁵“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world came to be. ⁶“I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast given Me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou hast given them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. ⁷“Now they have come to know that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are from Thee. ⁸“For the words which Thou hast given Me, I have given them; and they received them, and know truly that I came forth from Thee; and they believed that Thou didst send Me forth. ⁹“I make request concerning them. I do not make request concerning the world, but concerning these whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; ¹⁰“and all My things are Thine, and Thy things are Mine, and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹“And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep in Thy name those whom Thou hast given Me, in order that they may be one, even as We. ¹²“When I was with them in the world, I was keeping them in Thy name. Those whom Thou hast given Me I guarded, and none of them perished, except the son of the perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³“And now I come to Thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in them. ¹⁴“I have given them Thy word, and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁵“I do not make request that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest guard them from the evil. ¹⁶“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁷“Sanctify them in Thy truth; the word which is Thine is truth. ¹⁸“Even as Thou didst send Me forth into the world, I also sent them forth into the world. ¹⁹“And on behalf of them I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. ²⁰“And I do not make request for these only, but also for those who shall believe on Me through their word; ²¹“in order that all may be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world might believe that Thou didst send Me forth. ²²“And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given them, in order that they may be one, even as We are one: ²³“I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one, and that the world may know that Thou didst send Me forth, and didst love them even as Thou didst love Me. ²⁴“Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold the glory, that which is Mine, which Thou gavest Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵“O righteous Father, indeed the world did not know Thee, but I knew Thee, and these knew that Thou didst send Me forth. ²⁶“And I made known to them Thy name, and will make it known, in order that the love with which Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”

18 ¹Having said these things, Jesus went forth with His disciples beyond the winter torrent of Kedron, where there was a garden, into which He entered, and His disciples.

Second Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 58]. At that time:

18 ¹Jesus went forth with His disciples beyond the winter torrent of Kedron, where there was a garden, into which He entered, and His disciples. ²And Judas also, the one delivering Him up, knew the place; for Jesus many times gathered together there with His disciples. ³Judas then, having received the cohort and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh there with torches and lamps and weapons. ⁴Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom seek ye?” ⁵They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazaræan.” Jesus saith to them, “I am.” And Judas also, the one delivering Him up, was standing with them. ⁶Then when He said to them, “I am,” they went backward and fell to the ground. ⁷Then He asked them again, “Whom seek ye?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazaræan.” ⁸Jesus answered, “I told you that I am. If therefore ye seek Me, let these withdraw,” ⁹that the word might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom Thou hast given Me, I lost not one of them.” ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and smote the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear, the right one. And the name of the slave was Malchos. ¹¹Then Jesus said to Peter, “Put thy sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father hath given to Me, shall I not drink it?”

¹²Then the cohort and the tribune and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, ¹³and led Him away to Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. ¹⁴Now Caiaphas was the one who gave counsel to the Jews that “it is expedient for one man to perish for the people.” ¹⁵And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so did another disciple. And that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered together with Jesus into the court of the high priest. ¹⁶But Peter was standing at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought in Peter. ¹⁷Then the maidservant, the doorkeeper, saith to Peter, “Thou also art one of this Man’s disciples, art thou not?” That one saith, “I am not.” ¹⁸And the slaves and the officers were standing and warming themselves, having made a fire of coals, for it was cold. And Peter was with them, standing and warming himself. ¹⁹The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world; I always taught in synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always come together; and in secret I spoke nothing. ²¹“Why dost thou question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; behold, these know what I said.” ²²But after He said these things, one of the officers, who was standing by, gave Jesus a slap on the face with the palm of his hand, saying, “Thus Thou answerest the high priest?” ²³Jesus answered him, “If I spoke evilly, bear witness concerning the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?” ²⁴Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. ²⁵Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, “Thou art not also one of His disciples, art thou?” That one denied it, and said, “I am not.” ²⁶One of the slaves of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whom Peter cut off the ear, saith, “I saw thee in the garden with Him, did I not?” ²⁷Peter then denied again; and straightway a cock crowed.

²⁸Then they lead Jesus from Caiaphas into the Prætorium; and it was early. And they themselves entered not into the Prætorium, in order that they should not be defiled, but that they might eat the passover.

Third Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 109]. At that time:

26 ⁵⁷The soldiers laid hold of Jesus and led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸But Peter was following Him from afar, even to the courtyard of the high priest. And having entered within, he was sitting with the servants to see the end. ⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the elders, and the whole sanhedrin, were seeking false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death, ⁶⁰but they did not find any; even after many false witnesses came forward, they did not find any. But afterwards two false witnesses came forward, and said, ⁶¹“This One said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” ⁶²And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these bear witness against Thee?” ⁶³But Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I adjure Thee by God, the living One, that Thou tell us if Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴Jesus saith to him, “Thou hast said; moreover, I say to you, henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right of the power, and coming on the clouds of the heaven.” ⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He blasphemed; what need have we still of witnesses? Behold, now ye heard His blasphemy. ⁶⁶“What do ye think?” And they answered and said, “He is liable to the penalty of death.” ⁶⁷Then they spat in His face and buffeted Him; and they slapped Him in the face with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸saying, “Prophesy to us, O Christ: Who is the one that smote Thee?” ⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And one young maidservant approached him, saying, “Thou also wast with Jesus the Galilæan.” ⁷⁰But he denied before them all, saying, “I know not what thou sayest.” ⁷¹And after he went out into the porch, another maidservant saw him, and saith to them, “This one was also there with Jesus the Nazaræan.” ⁷²And again he denied with an oath, “I know not the Man.” ⁷³And, a little after, they who stood by came to him and said to Peter, “Truly thou also art one of them, for even thy mode of speech maketh thee manifest.” ⁷⁴Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I know not the Man.” And straightway a cock crowed. ⁷⁵And Peter was reminded of the word of Jesus Who had said to him, “Before a cock crow, thrice thou shalt deny Me.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Fourth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§§ 59, mid 59]. At that time:

18 ²⁸They led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Prætorium; and it was early. And they themselves entered not into the Prætorium, in order that they should not be defiled, but that they might eat the passover. ²⁹Pilate then went out to them, and said, “What accusation bring ye against this Man?” ³⁰They answered and said to him, “If this One were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to thee.” ³¹Then Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews therefore said to him, “It is not allowed for us to put anyone to death,” ³²that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. ³³Then Pilate entered into the Prætorium again, and called Jesus, and said to Him, “Thou art the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered him, “Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell thee about Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Thy nation and the chief priests delivered Thee up to me. What didst Thou?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting, in order that I should not be delivered up to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from this place.” ³⁷Pilate therefore said to Him, “Thou art then a king, art Thou not?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest it, for I am King. For this cause have I been born, and for this cause have I come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth heareth My voice.” ³⁸Pilate saith to Him, “What is truth?” And having said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith to them, “I do not find even one cause for accusation in Him. ³⁹“But it is a custom with you that I should release to you one at the passover. Do ye then wish that I release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this One, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

19 ¹Therefore Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. ²And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and threw around Him a purple outer garment, ³and kept on saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they kept on giving Him slaps on the face with the palms of their hands. ⁴Pilate then went out again, and saith to them, “Behold, I bring Him out to you, in order that ye might know that I do not find even one cause for accusation in Him.” ⁵Then Jesus came out, wearing the thorny crown and the purple outer garment. And Pilate saith to them, “Behold, the Man.” ⁶Therefore, when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him.” Pilate saith to them, “Ye take Him and crucify Him, for I find no cause for accusation in Him.” ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself Son of God.” ⁸Therefore, when Pilate heard this saying, he was the more afraid. ⁹And he entered into the Prætorium again, and saith to Jesus, “From what place art Thou?” But Jesus did not give him an answer. ¹⁰Then Pilate saith to Him, “Speakest Thou not to me? Knowest Thou not that I have authority to crucify Thee, and authority to release Thee?” ¹¹Jesus answered, “Thou wouldest have no authority at all against Me, except it were given to thee from above. Therefore, the one delivering Me up to thee hath the greater sin.” ¹²From this time on Pilate was seeking to release Him; but the Jews were crying out, saying, “If thou shouldest release this One, thou art not a friend of the Cæsar. Everyone who maketh himself a king speaketh against the Cæsar.” ¹³Therefore Pilate, having heard this saying, brought out Jesus, and took his seat upon the tribunal in a place which is called Lithostrotos, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour. And he saith to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵But they cried out, “Take Him away, take Him away, crucify Him.” Pilate saith to them, “Your King shall I crucify?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Cæsar.” ¹⁶Therefore he then delivered Him up to them, in order that He might be crucified.

Fifth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§§ 111, 112]. At that time:

27 ³Judas, after he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, ⁴saying, “I sinned, having delivered up innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? Thou shalt see to that.” ⁵And having cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, he withdrew; and he went away and hanged himself. ⁶And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.” ⁷And having taken counsel, they bought with them the potter’s field for a burial-place for the strangers. ⁸Wherefore that field was called Field of Blood until this day. ⁹Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver [cf. Zach. 11:12], the price of Him Who was valued, Whom they of the sons of Israel valued for themselves, ¹⁰“and gave them for the potter’s field, according as the Lord prescribed to me [cf. Jer. 18:2, 39(32):6ff].”

¹¹And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor questioned Him, saying, “Thou art the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “Thou sayest.” ¹²And as He was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, He answered nothing. ¹³Then Pilate saith to Him, “Hearest Thou not how many things they bear witness against Thee?” ¹⁴And He gave no answer to him, not even to one word, so that the governor marvelled exceedingly. ¹⁵Now during the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the crowd one prisoner whom they were wanting. ¹⁶And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do ye wish that I release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus Who is called Christ?” ¹⁸For he knew that by reason of envy they delivered Him up. ¹⁹But when he sat on the tribunal, his wife sent word to him, saying, “Let there be nothing between thee and that just One, for I suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” ²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for themselves Barabbas, and utterly destroy Jesus. ²¹And the governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do ye wish that I release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²²Pilate saith to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus Who is called Christ?” They all say to him, “Let Him be crucified.” ²³And the governor said, “Why, what evil did He do?” But they kept on crying out the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified.” ²⁴And after Pilate saw that nothing was to be of use, but rather that an uproar was taking place, he took water and washed off his hands for himself before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just One; ye shall see to it.” ²⁵And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” ²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them; but after he scourged Jesus, he delivered Him up in order that He might be crucified.

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus with them into the Prætorium, and gathered together the whole cohort against Him. ²⁸And they stripped Him and put around Him a scarlet cloak. ²⁹And after they plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand. And having fallen on their knees before Him, they kept on mocking Him and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰And they spit upon Him, and took the reed and kept on striking Him on His head. ³¹And when they mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him, and led Him away in order to crucify Him. ³²And as they came out, they found a man, a Cyrenian, by name Simon. This one they impressed into service, in order that he might take up His Cross.

Sixth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 67]. At that time:

15 ¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus away inside the court, which is the Prætorium, and they called together all the cohort. ¹⁷And they clothed Him with purple. And having plaited a crown of thorns, they put it on Him, ¹⁸and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹And they kept on striking His head with a reed and spitting on Him; and bowing their knees, they were making obeisance to Him. ²⁰And when they mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, and put His own garments on Him; and they lead Him out in order that they might crucify Him. ²¹And they impress into service one Simon a Cyrenian—the father of Alexander and Rufus—as he passed by coming from a field, in order that he might take up His Cross.

²²And they bring Him to a place, Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, Place of a Skull. ²³And they were attempting to give Him wine having been flavored with myrrh, but He did not take it. ²⁴And having crucified Him, they were dividing among themselves His garments, casting a lot upon them, to determine who should take what. ²⁵And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. ²⁶And the inscription of His accusation had been written above: “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷And with Him they crucify two robbers, one on the right and one on His left. ²⁸And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, “And He was reckoned with the lawless [Is. 53:12].” ²⁹And those passing by blasphemed Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! Thou Who destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days! ³⁰“Save Thyself, and come down from the Cross.” ³¹And in like manner also the chief priests, mocking with the scribes, were saying to one another, “Others He saved, Himself He is not able to save. ³²“Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the Cross, in order that we might see and believe on Him.”

Seventh Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 113]. At that time:

27 ³³After the soldiers came to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull, ³⁴they gave Jesus vinegar to drink mingled with gall. And after He tasted it, He would not drink. ³⁵And having crucified Him, they parted His garments among themselves, casting a lot; ³⁶and sitting down, they were watching over Him there. ³⁷And they put over His head His accusation, it having been written: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” ³⁸Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads, ⁴⁰and saying, “Thou Who destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days! Save Thyself; if Thou art God’s Son, come down from the Cross.” ⁴¹And in like manner also the chief priests, mocking with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, were saying, ⁴²“Others He saved, Himself He is not able to save. If He is King of Israel, let Him come down now from the Cross, and let us believe on Him. ⁴³“He hath trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He taketh pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” ⁴⁴And also the robbers who were crucified together with Him began to reproach Him with the same thing. ⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there came to be a darkness over all the earth. ⁴⁶And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why didst Thou forsake Me?” ⁴⁷And some of those who were standing there, after they heard that, were saying, “This One calleth Elias.” ⁴⁸And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and was attempting to give Him to drink. ⁴⁹But the rest were saying, “Let be; let us see if Elias is coming to save Him.” ⁵⁰And Jesus, having cried again with a loud voice, gave up the spirit. ⁵¹And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom; and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were rent; ⁵²and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the saints who were asleep were raised, ⁵³and came out of the sepulchers after His arising, and entered into the holy city and were manifested to many. ⁵⁴Now after the centurion and those with him, who were watching over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things which took place, they were exceedingly afraid, saying, “Truly this was God’s Son.”

Eighth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 111]. At that time:

23 ³²With Jesus, two others, malefactors, were also being led with Him to be put to death.

³³And when they came upon the place which is called Skull, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right and the other one on the left. ³⁴And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And when they divided His garments among themselves, they cast a lot. ³⁵And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them were deriding Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself, if this One is the Christ, the chosen of God.” ³⁶And the soldiers also were mocking Him, approaching and offering vinegar to Him, ³⁷and saying, “If Thou art the King of the Jews, save Thyself.” ³⁸And an inscription also had been written over Him in Greek and Latin and Hebrew letters: “This is the King of the Jews.” ³⁹And one of the malefactors who were hanged kept on blaspheming Him, saying, “If Thou art the Christ, save Thyself and us.” ⁴⁰But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Dost thou not even fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹“And we indeed justly, for we are receiving things deserving of what we did; but this Man did nothing out of place.” ⁴²And he was saying to Jesus, “Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.” ⁴³And Jesus said to him, “Verily I say to thee, today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” ⁴⁴And it was about the sixth hour, and there came to be a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵while the sun failed, and the veil of the temple was torn in the midst. ⁴⁶And Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.” And having said these things, He gave up the spirit. ⁴⁷Now after the centurion saw that which took place, he kept on glorifying God, saying, “Verily this Man was righteous.” ⁴⁸And all the crowds that came together to see this sight, when they beheld the things which took place, beat their breasts and were turning back. ⁴⁹And all His acquaintances, and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

Ninth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 61]. At that time:

19 ²⁵There had stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶Then Jesus, having seen His Mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, saith to His Mother, “Woman, behold thy son.” ²⁷Then He saith to the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. ²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all things now have been accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, “I thirst.” ²⁹A vessel therefore full of vinegar was set; and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put around it hyssop, and brought it to His mouth. ³⁰Then, when Jesus took the vinegar, He said, “It hath been finished.” And having bowed His head, He delivered up the spirit.

³¹The Jews therefore, since it was the preparation, in order that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath—for great was the day of that sabbath—asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. ³²Then the soldiers came and indeed broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and straightway blood and water came out. ³⁵And the one who hath seen it hath borne witness, and his testimony is true; and that one knoweth that he speaketh true things, that also ye might believe. ³⁶For these things came to pass, in order that the Scripture should be fulfilled: “Not a bone of Him shall be broken [cf. Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 33(34):20].” ³⁷And again, another Scripture saith: “They shall look at Him Whom they pierced [cf. Zach. 12:10].”

Tenth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 69]. At that time:

15 ⁴³Joseph, a noble counselor, who was from Arimathea, and who himself also was waiting for the kingdom of God, came; and having become bold, he went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus for himself. ⁴⁴And Pilate wondered if He were already dead; and having summoned the centurion, he questioned him if He died not long ago. ⁴⁵And having come to know it from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶And he bought a linen cloth, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the sepulcher. ⁴⁷And Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Joses were beholding where He was laid.

Eleventh Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 62]. At that time:

19 ³⁸Joseph, the one from Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus—but had been concealed for fear of the Jews—asked that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave permission. Therefore he came and took away the body of Jesus. ³⁹And there also came Nicodemos, the one who came at the first to Jesus by night, bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, as is the custom with the Jews to prepare for burial. ⁴¹Now there was a garden in the place where He was crucified, and in the garden a new sepulcher in which no one as yet was laid. ⁴²There then they laid Jesus, because of the preparation of the Jews, for the sepulcher was near.

Twelfth Gospel Reading

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 114].

27 ⁶²On the morrow, which is after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³saying, “Sir, we were reminded that that deceiver said while He was yet alive, ‘I am being raised after three days.’ ⁶⁴“Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perchance His disciples come by night and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’; and the last deceit shall be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵And Pilate said to them, “Ye have a guard; go your way and make it as secure for yourselves as ye know how.” ⁶⁶And they went and made the tomb secure, having sealed the stone with the guard being present.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

April 9th – Civil Calendar
March 27th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyr Matrona.

She was an orphan, and a servant in the house of a Jew in Thessalonica. The wife of this Jew constantly derided Matrona for her faith in Christ, and urged her to cast Christ aside and go to the synagogue. But the humble Matrona went about her work conscientiously, not replying to her mistress and secretly praying to Christ our God. On one occasion the Jewess discovered that Matrona had gone to church unbeknown to her, and demanded, in a great rage, to know why she had gone to the church and not the synagogue. ‘Because God is alive in the Christian Church, but He has departed from the synagogues of the Jews,’ replied Matrona. Enraged by such a courageous answer, the Jewess thrashed her and locked her in a dark chamber, and in addition to that had her bound. But the next day she found her unbound by the power of God and kneeling in prayer, praising God. Then she locked her up again for the second time until she died of hunger. Then that wicked woman took the body of the holy maiden and threw it to the ground from the top of her house. Christians took the body of the martyr and buried it. The bishop, Alexander, when he had learned of the many miracles worked by the holy martyr, built a church over her grave. As for the evil Jewess, she soon received her just reward, when, standing on the same spot from which she had thrown Matrona’s body, she slipped and fell onto the cobbled pavement and was smashed to pieces.

2. Our Holy Father John the Clairvoyant.

He was a carpenter until the age of twenty-five, when, urged on by an unquenchable desire for constant prayer, he took himself off into the desert, where he lived until his death; that is, until the age of ninety. He lived in the body as one without a body. He could look into the heart of every person who came near him and could discover his name, and his thoughts and desires. He foretold the outcome of the Emperor Theodosios’ battles to him; prophesied to nobles, to monks, to anyone at all who was in need, to uncover what was hidden from them in the darkness of future days. A certain prince asked him to receive his wife, who wished to see him. The holy man was not willing to satisfy empty curiosity, so he appeared in a dream to the prince’s wife, and she saw him just as he was. And when the woman described her dream to her husband, he affirmed that such was the appearance of the holy man. He taught every visitor about humility, which is the basic virtue, and always drew his examples from life. He taught how pride makes war against a man of exalted character and brings him to dust and to terrible sins. He endured great assaults from evil spirits. Once Satan appeared to him with a great crowd of demons in the form of shining angels. They pressed him to bow down before Satan, lying to him and telling him that it was Christ. But he answered with great wisdom: ‘Every day I bow down to Jesus Christ my King; if it were He, it would not be necessary for me to bow down to Him at this particular moment.’ After these words, the evil forces disappeared like smoke. He died peacefully, kneeling in prayer, at the age of ninety.

3. Our Holy Father Paphnutios.

He was a disciple of St. Anthony the Great. The holiness of his life brought many sinners (for example, St. Thaïs, Oct 8th) back to the path of repentance, for he was more like a bodiless angel than a carnal man. He entered into rest towards the end of the fourth century.

FOR CONSIDERATION

‘He who thinks evil, in him is no cleanness,’ says St. Simeon the New Theologian, and adds: ‘For how can there be a clean heart in one who fouls it with unclean thoughts, as a mirror is darkened by dust?’ Do you see, then, the inaccessible height on which the Christian religion stands in relation to all other religions and worldly theories? He who contemplates evil has in some manner done evil, and is at fault before God and his own soul. It is an insult to God and a loss to self. To be Christian in the true sense means to make an enormous effort to cleanse our hearts and minds from evil thoughts. On what an effort it is, there is a vast amount of teaching (which in our day remains an almost entirely closed book, even to Christians) and a wealth of true experience on the part of holy men and women who have justified this teaching. To cleanse oneself from evil and impure thoughts, this root of all evil, was the goal of all the great ascetics, cave-dwellers and hesychasts.

Daily Scripture Readings taken from The Orthodox New Testament, translated and published by Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, copyright © 2000, used with permission, all rights reserved.

Daily Prologue Readings taken from The Prologue of Ochrid, by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, translated by Mother Maria, published by Lazarica Press, Birmingham, England, copyright © 1985, all rights reserved. Edited by Dormition Skete.