2024

On Monday | April 29

__________

THE PROPHECY

READER

Prokeimenon. Mode 4.

Psalm 125 (126).

When the Lord returned the captives of Zion.

Then our mouth was filled with joy. [SAAS]

The reading is from the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

PRIEST

Wisdom. Let us be attentive.

READER

Ezk 1:1-20

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was in the midst of the captivity by the River Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon me. I looked, and behold, a sweeping wind came from the north, and a great cloud was in it, with a surrounding brightness and fire flashing forth from it. In its midst was something like the appearance of amber in the middle of the fire, and a brightness in it. In the midst, there was as it were the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance, and the likeness of a man upon them. Each had four faces, and each had four wings. Their legs were straight, and their feet were winged. There were sparks like gleaming brass, and their wings were light. The hand of a man was underneath their wings on their four sides. The faces of those four did not turn as they proceeded, and they went with each face opposite the other. This was the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side of the foursome, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle. Their wings were spread out above them. Each had two wings joined together, and two wings covered up their bodies. Each went straight forward wherever the spirit was going, and did not turn back. In the midst of the living creatures there was an appearance as of burning coals of fire, as an appearance of lamps turning among the living creatures. There was the brightness of fire, and out of the fire lightning came forth. I looked and behold, there was one wheel on the earth next to each living creature with its four faces. The appearance of the wheels was like the appearance of beryl, and each of the four had one likeness; and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel. They went on their four sides, and did not turn when they went. Neither did their backs turn, and they were high. I saw them, and the backs of all four were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the cloud happened to be, there was the spirit ready to go. The living creatures went, and the wheels went with them, for the spirit of life was in the wheels. When the living creatures went, the wheels went; when the living creatures came to a stop, the wheels stopped; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up with them, for the spirit of life was in the wheels. [SAAS]

Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 2.

Psalm 126 (127).

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord guards the city, those who guard it stay awake in vain. [SAAS]

The Readings from Vespers

READER

Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 2.

Psalm 127 (128).

May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord. [SAAS]

The reading is from the book of Exodus.

DEACON

Wisdom. Let us be attentive.

READER

Ex 1:1-20

Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were the seed of Jacob were seventy-five persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). Now Joseph died, as well as all his brothers and all that generation. Then the children of Israel increased and multiplied, became numerous, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. But there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph. Then he said to his nation, “Look, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude and is stronger than we; come, let us outwit them, lest they multiply, and it happen in the event of war that they also join our enemies and fight against us and so escape out of the land.” Therefore he set taskmasters over them to afflict them in their works; and they built for Pharaoh strong cities – Pithom and Raamses and On, which is Heliopolis. But the more they humbled them, the more they multiplied and grew; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel. So the Egyptians tyrannized the children of Israel by force. They made their lives bitter with hard labor – in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their labor in which they made them serve was by violence. Then the king of the Egyptians spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women and see they are about to give birth, if it is a male, then you shall kill him; but if a female, let her live.” But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the male children alive?” Thus the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the women of Egypt; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. [SAAS]

Prokeimenon. Mode pl. 4.

Psalm 128 (129).

In the Lord’s name, we bless you.

Many times they warred against me from my youth. [SAAS]

The reading is from the book of Job.

DEACON

Wisdom. Let us be attentive.

READER

Job 1:1-12

There was a man in the land of Ausitis whose name was Job. That man was true, blameless, righteous, and God-fearing, and he abstained from every evil thing. Now he had seven sons and three daughters, and his cattle consisted of seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys in the pastures. Moreover he possessed a very large number of house servants. His works were also great on the earth, and that man was the most noble of all the men of the East. His sons would visit one another and prepare a banquet every day, and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of their drinking were ended, Job sent and purified them; and he rose early in the morning and offered sacrifices for them according to their number, as well as one calf for the sins of their souls. For Job said, “Lest my sons consider evil things in their mind against God.” Therefore Job did this continually. Then as it so happened one day that behold, the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil also came with them. The Lord said to the devil, “Where did you come from?” So the devil answered the Lord and said, “I came here after going about the earth and walking around under heaven.” Then the Lord said to him, “Have you yet considered my servant Job, since there is none like him on the earth: a blameless, true, and God-fearing man, and one who abstains from every evil thing?” So the devil answered and said before the Lord, “Does Job worship the Lord for no reason? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his cattle have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and touch all he has, and see if he will bless You to Your face.” Then the Lord said to the devil, “Behold, whatever he has I give into your hand; but do not touch him.” Thus the devil went out from the Lord. [SAAS]

The Gospel

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

24:3-35

At that time, as Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Lo, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” [RSV]

__________

The Readings for the Commemoration

The Epistle

For the Apostles.

The reading is from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.

1 Cor. 4:9-16

Brethren, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. [RSV]

__________

Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On April 29, we commemorate the holy Apostles of the Seventy, Jason and Sosipater.

On this day we also commemorate the holy seven Martyrs who had been robbers, and who believed in Christ through the Apostle Jason; they were ultimately thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch and thus died.

On this day we also commemorate Saint Kerkyra, daughter of King Kerkylinos; she died when she was shot with arrows.

On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyrs Zeno and Vitali who died by fire.

On this day the holy Martyr Efsevios died by fire.

On this day the holy Martyr Neo died by fire.

From the Triodion.

On great and holy Monday we commemorate blessed Joseph the handsome; and also the fig tree that was cursed by the Lord and then withered.

Verses

Self-controlled Joseph proved to be a righteous

Ruler and distributor. What a stack of virtues!

For the withered Fig Tree

Likening the synagogue of the Jews to the fig tree

Barren of spiritual fruit, with a curse

Christ makes it wither. Let us flee such a fate.

At the intercession of the handsome Joseph, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

__________

Fasting Rule

Strict: Refrain from meat, fish, oil, dairy, and eggs.

It is Holy Week.