On Tuesday, March 11, 2014 we commemorate: Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem This Saint was born in Damascus. As a young man he became a monk at the Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch in Palestine, where he met John Moschus and became his close friend. Having a common desire to search out ascetics from whom they could receive further spiritual instruction, they journeyed together through Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, and Egypt, where they met the Patriarch of Alexandria, Saint John the Almsgiver, with whom they remained until 614, when Persians captured Jerusalem (see also Saint Anastasius the Persian, Jan. 22). Saint Sophronius and John Moschus departed Alexandria for Rome, where they remained until 619, the year of John Moschus death. Saint Sophronius returned to the Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch, and there buried the body of his friend. He laboured much in defence of the Holy Fourth Council of Chalcedon, and traveled to Constantinople to remonstrate with Patriarch Sergius and the Emperor Heraclius for changing the Orthodox Faith with their Monothelite teachings. After the death of Patriarch Modestus in December of 634, Sophronius was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem. Although no longer in the hands of the Persians, the Holy Land was now besieged by the armies of the newly-appeared religion of Mohammed, which had already taken Bethlehem; in the Saints sermon for the Nativity of our Lord in 634, he laments that he could not celebrate the feast in Bethlehem. In 637, for the sins of the people, to the uttermost grief of Saint Sophronius, the Caliph Omar captured Jerusalem. Having tended the flock of his Master for three years and three months, Saint Sophronius departed in peace unto Him Whom he loved on March 11, 638. Saint Sophronius has left to the Church many writings, including the life of Saint Mary of Egypt. The hymn O Joyous Light, which is wrongly ascribed to him, is more ancient than Saint Basil the Great, as the Saint himself confirms in his work On the Holy Spirit (ch. 29). However, it seems that this hymn, which was chanted at the lighting of the lamps and was formerly called The Triadic Hymn, was later supplemented somewhat by Saint Sophronius, bringing it into the form in which we now have it. Hence, some have ascribed it to him. Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone A model of faith and the image of gentleness, the example of your life has shown you forth to your sheep-fold to be a master of temperance. You obtained thus through being lowly, gifts from on high, and riches through poverty. Sophronios, our father and priest of priests, intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. The readings for TODAY: Isaiah 5:7-16 Thus says the Lord: For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry! Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land. The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah. Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening till wine inflames them! They have lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine at their feasts; but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands. Therefore my people go into exile for want of knowledge; their honored men are dying of hunger, and their multitude is parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down, her throng and he who exults in her. Man is bowed down, and men are brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled. But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness. إشعياء 5: 7-16 7 قال الرب: كَرمُ الرّبِّ القديرِ بَيتُ إِسرائيلَ وغَرسُ بَهجتِهِ شعبُ يَهوذا. إنتَظَرَ الحقَ فإذا سَفكُ الدِّماءِ، والعَدلَ فإذا صُراخُ الظُّلمِ. 8ويلٌ للَّذينَ يَضُمُّونَ بَيتًا إلى بَيتٍ ويَصِلُونَ حقلاً بحقلٍ، حتى لا يَبقى مكانٌ لأحدٍ، فيسكُنونَ في الأرضِ وحدَهُم. 9على مَسامِعي قالَ الرّبُّ القديرُ: «بيوتٌ كثيرةٌ تصيرُ خرابًا. بيوتٌ كبيرةٌ فَخمةٌ تَبقى بغيرِ ساكِنٍ. 10عشَرَةُ فدادينَ كَرمًا لا تُخرِج إلاَ خابيةَ خمرٍ، وكَيلُ بِذارٍ واحدٌ لا يُخرِج إلاَ قُفَّةً». 11ويلٌ للمُبَكِّرينَ صباحًا في طَلَبِ المُسكِرِ، والسَّاهِرينَ اللَّيلَ كُلَّهُ والخمرُ تُلهِبُهُم. 12ولائِمُهُم الكَنَّارةُ والعودُ والدُفُّ والمِزمارُ، والخمرُ شرابُهُم. لا يَلتَفِتونَ إلى عمَلِ الرّبِّ ولا يَتأمَّلونَ ما صنَعَت يداهُ. 13لذلِكَ سُبِيَ شعبي لِجهالَتِهِم، فماتَ عُظَماؤُهُ مِنَ الجوعِ، ويَبِسَ عامَّتُهُ مِنَ العَطَشِ. 14فوَسَّعَتِ الهاويةُ جوفَها وفَتَحت فمَها بِلا حَدٍّ، لتَبتَلِعَ أشرافَ أُورُشليمَ وعامَّتَها وضجيج مباهِجها. 15فيَنحَطُّ مَقامُ البشَرِ ويسقُطونَ وتَنخفِضُ عُيونُ المُتَرفِّعينَ. 16ويتَعالَى الرّبُّ القديرُ بقضائِهِ، ويتَقدَّسُ الإلهُ القُدُّوسُ بعَدلِهِ. Genesis 4:8-15 Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not know; am I my brothers keeper? And the LORD said, What have you done? The voice of your brothers blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brothers blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me. Then the LORD said to him, Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. تكوين 4: 8-15 8وقالَ قايينُ لِهابيلَ أخيهِ: «هيَّا لِنَخرُج إلى الحقلِ». وبَينَما هُما في الحقلِ هجمَ قايينُ على هابيلَ أخيهِ فقَتَلَهُ. 9فقالَ الرّبُّ لِقايينَ: «أينَ هابيلُ أخوكَ؟ قالَ: «لا أعرِفُ. أحارِسٌ أنا لأخي؟» 10فقالَ لهُ الرّبُّ: «ماذا فَعَلْتَ؟ دَمُ أخيكَ يصرُخ إليَ مِنَ الأرضِ. 11والآنَ، فمَلعونٌ أنتَ مِنَ الأرضِ التي فتَحت فَمَها لِتقبَلَ دَمَ أخيكَ مِنْ يَدِكَ. 12فهِيَ لن تُعطيَكَ خصْبَها إذا فلَحْتَها، طريدًا شريدًا تكونُ في الأرضِ». 13فقالَ قايينُ للرّبِّ: «عِقابي أقسى مِنْ أن يُحتَمَل. 14طرَدْتَني اليومَ عَنْ وجهِ الأرضِ وحجبْتَ وجهَكَ عَنِّي، وطريدًا شريدًا صِرْتُ في الأرضِ، وكُلُّ مَنْ وجدَني يقتُلُني! » 15فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «إذًا، كُلُّ مَنْ قتَلَ قايينَ فسَبْعَةُ أضعافٍ يُنتَقَمُ مِنهُ». وجعَلَ الرّبُّ على قايينَ عَلامةً لِئلاَ يقتُلَهُ كُلُّ مَنْ وجدَهُ Proverbs 5:1-15 My son, be attentive to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding; that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a loose woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not take heed to the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house; lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless; lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien; and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I was at the point of utter ruin in the assembled congregation. Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. أمثال 5: 1-15 أصغِ إلى حِكمتي يا اَبني وأمِلْ أُذُنَيكَ إلى الفهْمِ، 2فتَحتَفِظَ بِحُسْنِ التَّدبيرِ وتَصونَ شفتاكَ المَعرِفةَ. 3شَفَتا العاهِرةِ تقطُرانِ العسَلَ وكلامُها ألينُ مِنَ الزَّيتِ. 4أمَّا عاقِبَتُها فمُرَّةٌ كالعَلقَمِ، ومَسنونَةٌ كسَيفٍ لَه حَدَّانِ. 5قدَماها تَسيرانِ إلى الموتِ، وخطواتُها تَتَمَسَّكُ بعالَمِ الأمواتِ. 6سبيلُ الحياةِ لا تُدرِكُهُ، فتَسيرُ في الضَّلالِ ولا تَرتاحُ. 7والآنَ يا اَبني إستَمِعْ لي ولا تَحِدْ عَمَّا أقولُهُ لكَ. 8أبعِدْ طريقَكَ عَنْ تِلكَ المَرأةِ ولا تَقتَرِبْ مِنْ بابِ بيتِها، 9لئلاَ تَهدُرَ كرامَتَكَ للآخرينَ وسِنيَ حياتِكَ لِمَنْ لا يَرحَمُ، 10ويَشبَعَ الأجنَبيُّ مِنْ أموالِكَ، ويضيعَ تعَبُكَ في بَيتٍ غريبٍ. 11فتَنهَمَ في أواخرِ أيّامِكَ حين يَبلى لَحمُكَ وعظْمُكَ. 12تقولُ: «أبغَضتُ حُسْنَ المَشورَةِ واَستهانَ بالتَّوبيخ قلبي. 13لم أستَمِعْ لِصوتِ مُرشديَّ ولا أَمَلْتُ أُذُني إلى مُعَلِّميَ. 14لذلِكَ ساءَ مُقامي جدُا في وسَطِ المَحفلِ والجماعةِ. 15إمرأتُكَ ماءٌ مُبارَكةٌ نازِلَةٌ في وسَطِ بِئرِكَ.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 17:28:37 +0000
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