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Holy and Great Wednesday
The commemoration of our venerable Father John, disciple of St. Gregory the Decapolite.
Fast day. No Meat, Fish, Dairy or Alcohol Allowed. Holy Week
There is no Epistle Reading this day because of Holy Week.
In the Orthros
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ mid 41]. At that time:
12 17The crowd that was with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead bore witness. 18On this account the crowd also went to meet Him, because it heard that He had done this sign. 19The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Observe ye that ye profit nothing? Behold, the world hath gone away after Him.”
20And there were certain Greeks from among those going up that they might do reverence at the feast. 21Then these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour hath come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24“Verily, verily, I say to you, unless the grain of the wheat that falleth into the earth should die, it abideth alone; but if it should die, it beareth much fruit. 25“The one who loveth his life shall lose it; and the one who hateth his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. 26“If anyone serve Me, let him keep on following Me; and where I am, there My servant shall be also. And if anyone serve Me, the Father shall honor him. 27“Now My soul hath been troubled; and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’; but on this account I came to this hour. 28“Father, glorify Thy name.” Then a voice came out of the heaven: “I both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd then that stood by and heard it was saying that thunder had occurred; others were saying, “An angel hath spoken to Him.” 30Jesus answered and said, “This voice hath not occurred for My sake, but for your sakes. 31“Now is a judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. 32“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself.” 33But He was saying this, signifying by what manner of death He was about to die. 34The crowd answered Him, “We heard out of the law that the Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35Then Jesus said to them, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Be walking while ye have the light, that darkness might not overtake you; and indeed the one who walketh in the darkness knoweth not where he goeth. 36“While ye have the light, keep on believing in the light, that ye might become sons of light.” Jesus spoke these things, and departed, and was hidden from them.
37But though He had done so many signs before them, yet they kept on not believing in Him, 38that the word of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who believed our report? And to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed [Is. 53:1]?” 39On this account they were not able to believe, because Esaias said again, 40“He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes and understand with their heart and should be converted; and I shall heal them [cf. Is. 6:9, 10].” 41These things said Esaias when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. 42Yet, nevertheless, from among the rulers also many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be expelled from the synagogue; 43for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. 44But Jesus cried and said, “The one who believeth in Me, believeth not in Me, but in the One Who sent Me; 45“and the one who seeth Me, seeth the One Who sent Me. 46“I have come a light into the world, that everyone who believeth in Me should not abide in the darkness. 47“And if anyone hear My words and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not that I might judge the world, but that I might save the world. 48“The one who rejecteth Me and receiveth not My words, hath that which judgeth him—the word which I spoke, that shall judge him in the last day. 49“For I spoke not of Myself, but the Father Who sent Me, He Himself gave a commandment to Me, what I should say and what I should speak. 50“And I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Therefore, what things I speak, as the Father hath said to Me, so I speak.”
In the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 108]. At that time:
26 6When 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.
No readings given.
May 1st — Civil Calendar April 18th — Church Calendar
1. Our Holy Father John.
He was a disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis. In the time of the iconoclast heresy, the Emperor Leo the Armenian put John to torture, together with his teacher, Gregory, and Joseph the Hymnographer. When Gregory finished his earthly course, John became abbot of the Decapolite monastery in Constantinople. Becoming abbot, he intensified his asceticism for the sake of the Kingdom of God. He died peacefully in about 820. After his death, St Joseph buried him near the grave of St Gregory.
2. The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina.
He was born in Ioannina, the ancient capital of King Pyrrhus. When his poor parents died, the young John went to Constantinople and there continued his trade, for he was a craftsman. The Turks had occupied Constantinople not long before this, and many Christians had, out of fear, denied Christ and accepted Islam. St John had his workshop right in the midst of these men who had become Turks. The more inflamed St John became with love for Christ, the more outwardly apparent this became to these apostates. He began to dispute with them about the Faith, and to reprimand them for their betrayal of Christ. They dragged him before the judge and falsely accused him of having earlier accepted Islam and having returned to Christianity. For this he was tortured—beaten and flogged with iron flails—and then cast into prison. On the second day, which was the day of Pascha, they brought him out for further torture, and John emerged full of joy and singing: ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ He spoke courageously to his torturers, saying: ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him!’ After that, John was bound in chains and taken to the place of burning. Seeing the great flames prepared for him, John ran forward and leapt into them. But his torturers, seeing how he sought death in the fire, pulled him out of it and sentenced him to be beheaded. When they had cut off his head, they threw it and his body into the fire. Later, Christians gathered the ashes and some of his precious and wonderworking relics and buried them in the Great Church in Constantinople. Thus he died a martyr’s death and received the glorious wreath of martyrdom on April 18th, 1526.
3. The Holy Martyrs Victor, Zoticus, Zeno, Acyndius and Severian.
They were all martyred under the Emperor Diocletian. They were pagans until they witnessed the martyrdom of St George the Great Martyr. Then, seeing the sufferings and courage of this glorious martyr and the many miracles that were wrought at that time, they embraced the Christian faith. For this Faith they soon suffered, and were crowned with glory.
FOR CONSIDERATION
In one description of the Christian martyrs under the Persian King Sapor, it is said: ‘Swords become blunt, sword-bearers fall and sword-makers tire—but the Cross is ever higher and higher upraised and burnished with the blood of Christ’s martyrs.’ Times without number the persecutors of Christians have said complacently to themselves that they have done away with Christianity for good. In the event, their lives came to an end while Christianity sprouted and flowered anew. However, in the teeth of this experience, some of our contemporaries reckon that the Christian faith can be uprooted forcibly. But—they do not say how. And they forget that this has already been attempted again and again without success. It was with reason that Tertullian cried to the pagans: ‘You are spilling our blood in vain; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity!’
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.
