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Friday of the Second Week
The commemoration of the Virgin-martyr Pelagia of Tarsus.
Fast day, but Wine and Oil Allowed.
The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 13]. In those days:
5 1A certain man, by name Ananias, with Sapphire his wife, sold a property, 2and appropriated for themselves part of the price, his wife also being privy to it. And he brought a certain part, and laid it at the feet of the apostles. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why did Satan fill thy heart for thee to deceive the Holy Spirit, and to appropriate part of the price of the land? 4“While it remained, it did remain thine own, did it not? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own authority? Why didst thou put this thing in thy heart? Thou didst not lie to men, but to God.” 5And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and expired. And great fear came to be upon all who heard these things. 6And the younger men rose up and wrapped him round, and carried him out, and buried him. 7And there came to pass an interval of about three hours, and his wife, who knew not what had happened, entered. 8And Peter began to speak to her, “Tell me whether ye yourselves sold the land for so much?” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9And Peter said to her, “Why was it agreed together by you to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out.” 10And immediately she fell down at his feet and expired. And the young men entered and found her dead. And they carried her out and buried her by her husband. 11And great fear came to be upon the whole church and upon all those who heard these things.
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 17]. The Lord said to the Jews having come to Him:
5 30“I am not able to do anything of Myself. Even as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the One Who sent Me, the Father. 31“If I bear witness concerning Myself, My witness is not true. 32“It is Another Who beareth witness concerning Me, and I know that the testimony which He beareth witness to concerning Me is true. 33“Ye have sent away to John, and he hath borne witness to the truth. 34“But I receive not testimony from man. But I say these things that ye might be saved. 35“That one was the lamp that burneth and shineth, and ye became willing to rejoice for an hour in his light. 36“But I have the testimony greater than that of John; for the works which the Father gave to Me in order that I should finish them, the very works which I do, bear witness concerning Me that the Father hath sent Me forth. 37“And the Father Who sent Me, Himself hath borne witness concerning Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor have seen His form. 38“And ye have not His word abiding in you, for He Whom that One sent forth, this One ye believe not. 39“Keep on searching the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have eternal life; and these are they which testify concerning Me. 40“And yet ye are not willing to come to Me in order that ye may have life. 41“I receive not glory from man. 42“But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. 43“I have come in the name of My Father, and ye receive Me not; if another should come in his own name, that one ye will receive. 44“How are ye able to believe, who receive glory from one another, and seek not the glory which is from the only God? 45“Cease thinking that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuseth you—Moses, in whom ye have hoped. 46“For if ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for concerning Me that one wrote. 47“But if ye believe not the writings of that one, how shall ye believe My words?”
6 1After these things Jesus went away across the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a great crowd was following Him, because they had been seeing the signs which He brought about upon those who were sick.
No readings given.
May 17th — Civil Calendar May 4th — Church Calendar
1. The Holy Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus.
Born in the town of Tarsus of pagan but noble and wealthy parents, she heard about Christ and the salvation of the soul from Christians, became inflamed with love for the Saviour and was a Christian in her soul. There was at that time a terrible persecution of Christians. It happened that the Emperor Diocletian himself stopped in Tarsus and that, during the time of his stay in the town, his son, the heir, fell deeply in love with Pelagia and wanted to make her his wife. Pelagia replied through her mother—a wicked woman—that she was already promised to her betrothed husband, Christ the Lord. Fleeing from the foul heir and her wicked mother, Pelagia sought and found Bishop Linus, a man renowned for his holiness. He instructed her in the Faith and baptised her. Then Pelagia gave away her luxurious clothing and great wealth, returned home and confessed to her mother that she was already baptised. Hearing of this, the Emperor’s son, losing all hope of getting this holy maiden as his wife, ran himself through with a sword and died. Then the wicked mother denounced her daughter to the Emperor and she was taken for trial. The Emperor marveled at the girl’s beauty, and forgetting his son, burned with an impure passion for her. But when Pelagia remained unfaltering in her faith, the Emperor condemned her to be burned in a metal ox heated by fire. She entered the ox with prayers of thanksgiving to God on her lips, and received a crown of martyrdom. She suffered with honour in 287. Diocletian bid that her remains be cast out of the city for wild beasts to devour, but God preserved her relics intact. Bishop Linus her relics and buried them honorably. In the time of the Emperor Constantine Copronymos (741-775), a beautiful church was built on that site in honour of this holy virgin and martyr Pelagia, who was sacrificed for Christ to reign eternally with Him.
2. The Hieromartyr Silvanus, Bishop of Gaza.
He was at first in military service, but later, urged by the strength of his faith, he transferred to spiritual service. Accused of bringing many pagans to Christianity, he was at first brutally tortured then beheaded with forty other soldiers in 311, and thus became a citizen of heaven.
3. Our Holy Father Nicephorus the Hesychast.
He was at first a Catholic, but then became Orthodox. He lived in asceticism on the Holy Mountain as a monk, with the wise Theoleptus. He was a teacher of St. Gregory Palamas, and wrote a work on mental prayer. He went peacefully to the Lord in the 14th century. He taught: ‘Gather your mind and compel it to enter into your heart and remain there. When your mind is firmly in your heart, it must not remain empty, but must incessantly make the prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!’ And it must never fall silent. Through this, the whole string of the virtues: love, joy, peace and the others, will make their abode in you, by which, then, every request of yours to God will be fulfilled.
FOR CONSIDERATION
A young man, inexperienced in the spiritual struggle, makes a show to every one of his good works with self-congratulation. But a soldier experienced in skirmishes with the passions and with demons belittles each work of his and intensifies his prayer for the help of God. Abba Matoes said: ‘The closer a man is to God, the more clearly he knows himself a sinner.’ And, again, he said: ‘When I was young, I thought that I might be able to do some good thing; but, now that I am old, I see that I have not done a single good work.’ Did not the Lord say: ‘None is good, but the one God’? If, then, the one God alone is good and the fount of all good, how can a good work be done that is not of God? And how can anyone who performs a good work attribute it to himself and not to God? And, if this is so, by what can a dead man be praised? By nothing but God and the goodness of God.
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.
