Χριστος Ανεστη!
Christ Is Risen! 
المسيح قام حقا قام!
Христос воскресе!
Krishti u ngjall!
Hristos a înviat

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs, granting life.


           

When You descended to death, O Immortal Life, then, the light of Your divinity destroyed Hades. When You raised the dead from the depths of darkness, all the heavenly powers cried out, "Glory to You our Christ, the Giver of Life."
O Lord, receive me in repentance; 
O Lord, leave me not; 
O Lord, save me from temptation; 
O Lord, grant me pure thoughts; 
O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and the sense of peace; 
O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins; O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience; 
O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness; 
O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings: the fear of You in my heart; 
O Lord, grant that I may love You with all my heart and soul, and that I may obey in all things Your will; 
O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all other lawless matters; 
O Lord, Who knows Your creation and that which You have willed for it; may Your will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for You are blessed unto the ages of ages.    Amen.



Martyrs Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura 
of Antinoe in Egypt  

 

Acts of the Apostles 8:18-25
Prokeimenon.  Mode 3.  Luke 1:46-48
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Verse: For he has regarded the humility of his servant. 
IN THOSE DAYS, when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that any one on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.


The Gospel according to 
John 6:35-39
The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day."


In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.

 

O heavenly King, 0 Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who are in all places and fill all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, 0 gracious Lord.

 

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: 

have mercy on us.  

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: 

have mercy on us.  

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: 

have mercy on us.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

 

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.  Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name's sake.


 

Lord, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.


 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.


 
 

May 3
3rd Wednesday after Pascha
Martyrs Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura of Antinoe in Egypt (286)
These holy martyrs were husband and wife. During the persecutions of Diocletian, the governor Arian demanded that Timothy hand over his sacred books (these were rare at that time, and as a Reader he was entrusted with their care). Timothy refused, saying that he would no more do so than a father would hand over his own children to death. He was brutally tortured and, when he refused to yield, the governor summoned Timothy's wife Maura, thinking that she would urge her husband to bow to the idols, but instead she confessed herself to be a Christian too. She in turn was subjected to many tortures, and finally the couple were crucified facing one another, where they hung for nine days, encouraging one another in the Faith, before they met their blessed end. They had been married for less than a month when they received their crowns.
St Theodosius, abbot of the Kiev Caves Monastery and founder of cenobitic monasticism in Russia (1074).
"Our righteous Father Theodosius was born in 1009, not far from Kiev, and brought up in Kursk. From early childhood he showed the wisdom of an elder, avoiding childish games and refusing to wear anything but the poorest of clothing. When he was about thirteen years old, and his father died, he began to humble himself even more, going out to work with the serfs in the field. His mother went so far as to beat him in her attempts to make him behave more respectably. Hearing of the labours of Saint Anthony of Kiev, he fled to him secretly and was accepted by him as his disciple. He was tonsured at the age of twenty-four by Saint Anthony's disciple Nicon, and was elected Abbot of the Caves Monastery in 1057, since Saint Anthony refused this out of humility, and lived his whole life as a hermit. It was Saint Theodosius who introduced in Russia the cenobitic rule of the Monastery of Studium in Constantinople, and under his guidance many monks attained to great holiness, and the monastic life spread. When Prince Svyatoslav drove out his elder brother the pious Prince Isyaslav, and ascended to the throne of Chernigov in his place, Saint Theodosius courageously rebuked him, and continued reproving him even when threatened with exile. At the request of Prince Shimon, the son of a Varangian (Viking) prince, the Saint wrote a prayer for the nobleman's forgiveness of sins, and, at his behest, had it placed in his coffin, whence arose this custom in Rusia. He reposed on May 3, 1074, being sixty-five years of age." (Great Horologion)
Peter the Wonderworker 
St Peter the Wonderworker, Bishop of Argos in the Peloponnesos, lived during the ninth and early tenth centuries, and was raised by pious parents. St Peter's parents, and later his brothers Paul, Dionysius, Platon and St Peter himself, all became monks. St Peter zealously devoted himself to monastic labors, and he excelled all his fellows. This came to the attention of the Italian bishop Nicholas (who from 895 was Patriarch of Constantinople), who wanted to elevate him to the rank of bishop. St Peter declined, accounting himself unworthy of such honor.  Bishop Nicholas consecrated Paul, St Peter's brother, as Bishop of Corinth, and St Peter went to his brother and lived with him, taking upon himself the spiritual struggle of silence. After a year emissaries came to Bishop Paul from the city of Argos, where the bishop had died, and they asked for St Peter as their bishop. After long and intense entreaties, St Peter finally gave his consent. As bishop, St Peter toiled zealously in guiding his flock. He was extraordinarily compassionate, concerning himself with those in need, especially orphans and widows.  The saint fed the hungry in years of crop failure. Through his prayers the food set aside for the hungry never ran out. The saint also ransomed captives, healed the sick and the afflicted, and possessed the gift of insight. The saint predicted the day of his death, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy. His relics were transferred from Argos to Nauplos in 1421, exuding myrrh, and working miracles and healings.
Xenia of Kalamata the Great Martyr 
One of the sweetest saints in all Orthodoxy remained for seventeen centuries in comparative oblivion unknown, unhonored, and unsung. The name of this Greek girl, who had been sainted but ignored for altogether too many centuries, was Xenia; and the name of the devout Christian to whom she made herself known was the pious Father George Nasis, the highly respected priest of the Greek Archdiocese Annunciation Church in New York City. Father Nasis, in one of his customary periods of meditation and prayer there appeared before him a very lovely girl who announced herself as Xenia, a martyred saint of the Church. Not only did she reveal herself for the first time in 1700 years, but she bade the good priest to paint her likeness, asking that in the icon her hands appear clasping a Cross. At first Father Nasis kept the incident to himself, lest he be ridiculed; but finally he could contain himself no longer. He told his superiors about the appearance of St. Xenia with such conviction that scholars went in search of her in ancient manuscripts, even going back to the oldest of calendars in a vain effort to find the name Xenia mentioned. The credibility of the priest was on the wane when at long last St. Xenia was found in an ecclesiastical work entitled "O Megas Synaxaristes," comprising twelve volumes of the history of the saints of Orthodoxy by the scholar and monk, Victor Mattheou. In such a massive work Xenia was not easily found, but in the end Father Nasis was vindicated. Mattheou's work describes Xenia as having long, golden-blonde hair, blue eyes (as witnessed by Father Nasis), and beautiful features. Moreover, when she was born in 291 AD, to parents named Nicholas and Despina, in the town of Kalamata, Greece, it was determined that she be raised in the faith of Jesus Christ. At maturity her depth of faith outshone her physical beauty, and she was looked upon with great admiration by the Christian community. The roving eye of Magistrate Domitianos of Kalamata happened to fall on the lovely Xenia who stirred within him more than admiration. It was love at first sight and he soon offered a proposal of marriage. This proposal was rejected, however, because Domitianos had refused to accept Christ and clung to ancient idolatry with a tenacity which Xenia saw as folly and superstition. It was decided that a prison would change her mind. All else having failed, she was jailed on spurious charges with the stipulation that she could be released if she changed her mind. When months of incarceration and abuse failed to move Xenia, she was put to death. Soon after, she was sainted because of the many miracles attributed to her, and was given a feast day on May 3rd. This date somehow failed to appear on the Greek Orthodox calendar, although it is a matter of record as indicated by the research of the monk Mattheou. The icon of St. Xenia still adorns the Annunciation Church and has for forty years been the site of miracles, and miracles in this twentieth century have been hard to come by. Father Nasis, who never sought public acclaim and managed to remain his humble self throughout, was a priest of the Annunciation Church for more than thirty years, passing on in 1974.  
Ahmet the Calligrapher & Martyr (1682)
AHMET, the holy New Martyr, was from Constantinople, having been reared in the ungodliness of the Moslems by his parents. By trade he was a scribe of the Great Archives. In accordance with the law of the Ottomans, since he did not have a wife in her place he had a slave, a certain woman from Russia. With her there lived another captive from Russia, an old woman who was also his slave. Both of these women were exceedingly pious.' Now on feast days this old woman would go the church of the Christians, and taking antidoron, she would give it also to the young woman who would eat it. The old woman also would bring her holy water which she would drink. Whenever this occurred and Ahmet was close to her, he would perceive a most beautiful and ineffable fragrance coming forth from her mouth. Wherefore he asked her once what it was she ate that made her mouth so fragrant. But she, not knowing, would say that she ate nothing. He, however, persisted in asking so that he might learn. She told him, therefore, that she ate nothing else except bread which had been blessed by the priests, which the old woman brought to her whenever she returned from the church of the Christians. Upon hearing this, Ahmet was filled with a great longing to see in what manner the Christians received the bread, as well as the order of their church. Therefore he summoned a priest of the Great Church and told him to prepare a hidden place for him that he might go when the patriarch was serving the Holy Liturgy. When the appointed day arrived, he dressed as the Christians dressed and went to the Patriarchate of the Christians and there he followed the Divine Liturgy. Now the Master of all, Who knows the secrets of the soul of man, added a second miracle to the first and thus led Ahmet to the knowledge of the truth. While in the church he beheld-O the wonder!-the patriarch shining with a radiance and lifted above the floor as he came forth from the Tribunal and through the Beautiful Gate to bless the people. As he blessed, rays of light came forth from his fingers; but although the rays fell upon the heads of all the Christians they would not come upon Ahmet's head. Having done this two or three times, Ahmet would see the same thing. Therefore, the blessed one believed without hesitation and sent for the priest, who gave him rebirth through Holy Baptism, and thus he remained a Christian secretly for a goodly time. Once when Ahmet and certain noblemen had come together, they dined and afterwards sat about conversing while smoking the narghilej, as the Moslems do. And in the course of the conversation they began to discuss what the greatest thing in the world might be, and each brought forth his opinion. Thus the first spoke and said that the greatest thing in the world was for a man to have wisdom. And the second spoke in his turn, maintaining that woman was the greatest thing in the world. And yet a third spoke out saying that the greatest thing in the world, and by far the most delightful, was pilaf with yoghurt-for was it not to be the food of the righteous in paradise? After this it was Ahmet's turn to speak, and all turned to him, asking him what his opinion might be in the matter. Then Ahmet, being filled with holy zeal, cried out as loudly as he could that the greatest of all things was the Faith of the Christians. And having confessed himself to be a Christian, he boldly censured the falseness and deception of the Moslems. At first, upon hearing these things, the Moslems stood aghast Then being filled with unspeakable rage, they rushed upon the holy Martyr and dragged him to the judge that he might be given the sentence of death. Thus he received the crown of martyrdom, being beheaded by command of the ruler on the third day of May in the year 1682, at the place called Kayambane Bahche. Such was the blessed end of the holy New Martyr, through whose holy prayers may we be deemed worthy of the Kingdom of God.

Theophan, Bishop of Peritheorion

Oikoumenios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Trikka


Prayer of Saint Symeon
 

Now let Your servant depart in peace, O Master, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people: the Light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.


 


Regarding the Gospel of 
John 6:35-39
 
The Bread Is a Reference to the Godhead.
St. Chrysostom : Now he proceeds to commit to them mysteries. First, he speaks of his Godhead, saying, "I am the bread of life." For this is not spoken of his body since he says toward the end, "And the bread that I shall give is my flesh." At present, [bread of life] refers to his Godhead, which is "bread" through God the Word, just as this bread [of the sacrament] through the Spirit descending on it, is made heavenly bread. Here he does not use witnesses as in his former address, for he had the miracle of the loaves to witness to him and also had the Jews themselves for a while pretending to believe him. In the former case they opposed and accused him. This is the reason why here he declares himself. Homilies on the Gospel of John 45.2
 
The Bread of Life Gives Power over Death .
St. Cyril of Alexandria : In effect, Jesus is saying, "I am the bread of life," not bodily bread, which merely eliminates the physical suffering brought on by hunger, but rather that bread that refashions the entire living being to eternal life. The human being, who had been created for eternal life, is now given power over death. Commentary on the Gospel of John 3.6
 
The Benefits of Frequent Communion.
St. Cyril of Alexandria : What then does Christ promise? Nothing corruptible, but rather that blessing in the participation of his holy flesh and blood that restores humanity wholly to incorruption so that it should need none of the things that normally drive off the death of the flesh, for example, food and drink.... The holy body of Christ gives life to those who have it within themselves, and by holding them together, [it] grants incorruption, inasmuch as it is commingled with our bodies.... Since these things are so, let those who have been baptized and tasted the divine grace understand this: if they are sluggish or reluctant about going to church and for long periods of time keep away from the eucharistic gift through Christ, feigning a pernicious reverence by not partaking of him sacramentally, they exclude themselves from eternal life inasmuch as they decline to be enlivened. Thus, their refusal [to partake of the Eucharist] though seeming to be an expression of reverence, is turned into a snare and an offense. Commentary on the Gospel of John 3.6
 
The Bread of Christ Is the Food of Saints.
St. Ambrose : [Christ] is a rich treasure, for his bread is rich. And "rich" is an apt term, for one who has eaten this bread will be unable to feel hunger. He gave it to the apostles to distribute to a believing people, and today he gives it to us. For he, as a priest, daily consecrates it with his own words. Therefore this bread has become the food of saints. On the Patriarchs 9.38
 
They Saw the Miracles and Scripture.
St. Chrysostom : When he says, "You have seen me and yet have not believed," he alludes partly to his miracles, partly to the testimony from the Scriptures. "For they," he says, "testify of me." Homilies on the Gospel of John 45.2
 
Neither Faith Nor Unbelief Is an Accident.
St. Chrysostom : When he says, "All that the Father gives me shall come to me," he touches on their unbelief, showing that whoever does not believe on him transgresses the will of the Father. He covertly shows that unbelievers are not only at variance with him but also with the Father. For if this is [the Son's] will, and if this is the reason he came, that is, that he might save the entire world, then those who do not believe transgress his will. When, therefore, he says, the Father guides someone, there is nothing that hinders that person from coming to [Jesus]. ... And Paul says that [the Son] delivers them up to the Father. Now just as the Father, when he gives, does not take from himself, so neither does the Son take from himself when he gives up. The Son is said to give up to the Father because we are brought to the Father by him. And at the same time, we read that it was the Father "by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son," that is, by the will of the Father. ... Faith in me, he intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason, but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this he establishes throughout his discourse, showing that this faith requires a noble sort of soul, and one drawn on by God....The expression "that the Father gives me" shows that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. "Whoever then," our Lord says, "comes to me, shall be saved," meaning they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these I took up flesh and the form of a servant. Homilies on the Gospel of John 45.2-3
 
Pride Casts Out, Humility Restores.
St. Augustine : This is the reason why he does not cast out those who come to him. "For I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me." The soul departed from God because it was proud.... Pride casts us out, humility restores us.... When a physician in the treatment of a disease cures certain outward symptoms but not the cause that produces them, his cure is only temporary. So long as the cause remains, the disease may return.... That the cause then of all diseases, that is, pride, might be eradicated, the Son of God humbled himself. Why are you proud, O man? The Son of God humbled himself for you. It might shame you, perhaps, to imitate a humble man; but imitate at least a humble God.... And this is the proof of his humility: "I came not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me." Pride does its own will; humility does the will of God. For this very reason, therefore, I will not cast out the one who comes to me, because I came not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. I came to teach humility by being humble myself. Whoever comes to me is made a member of me. Such a person is necessarily humble, because he will not do his own will but the will of God; and therefore [this person] is not cast out. He was cast out, as proud.... But he will not cast us out because we are members of the one who desired to be our head by teaching us humility. Tractates on the Gospel of John 25.15-16, 18
 
Christ Manifests Obedience .
St. Hilary of Poitiers : It was not that he himself was unwilling but that he might manifest his obedience as the result of his Father's will. For his own will is to do his Father's. His will is to carry out the Father's will. On the Trinity 3.9
 
The Lost Sheep Are Returned.
St. Jerome : Christ speaks here of the whole of his humanity, which he had taken on him in its entirety at his birth. Then shall the sheep that was lost and was wandering in the lower world be carried healthy on the Savior's shoulders. And the sheep that was sick with sin shall be taken care of by the mercy of the Judge. Against John of Jerusalem 34
 
Foreknowledge and Perseverance.
St. Augustine : They therefore who by God's unerring providence are foreknown and predestined, called, justified, glorified, even before their new birth, or before they are born at all, are already the children of God and absolutely cannot perish. These truly come to Christ.... By him there is given also perseverance in good even to the end. For it is not given except to those who will not perish since those who do not persevere will perish. On Rebuke and Grace 23
  







  


 

Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, Υιέ του Θεού, 

ελέησόν με τον αμαρτωλόν. 

  

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, 

have mercy on me the sinner! 


 


 
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