Dorotheos of Tyre

Bishop and Martyr

Dorotheos was the bishop of Tyre in Lebanon during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Lichinos; he endured many various sufferings and was exiled from his cathedral to the city of Odisopolis in Trakia, because of his faith in Christ.

When Lichinos was killed in the year 324, and Constantine succeeded him on the throne of Rome, the Church was free again, and Dorotheos returned to his people in Tyre. He was a prudent intellectual person, knew Greek and Latin very well, and left some valuable writings that reflect his love for God and his Church and his vast knowledge. He was killed during the persecutions of Julian the apostate in the year 362, and thus ended his life with the crown of martyrdom.

Prayer of the Day
Father,
you call your people to stand fast in the faith
in spite of the hostility of the world.
As we recall the example of Dorotheos of Tyre,
grant your Church the strength of conviction
to always speak the truth,
live by the imperatives of the Gospel,
and advocate for justice and peace in the world.
We make our prayer through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Boniface of Mainz

Bishop and Martyr

Boniface, whose name means ‘good deeds’, was born in Britain. He was a Benedictine monk who, at the age of thirty, was called to missionary work among the Vandal tribes of Germany. He led large numbers of his fellow Benedictines –men and women alike – in establishing churches, schools, and seminaries. Boniface was also a reformer. He was instrumental in calling two Synods that put an end to the practice of selling Church offices to the highest bidder. Following in the footsteps of Willibrord, he was preaching in the lands of the Frisians as his life drew to an end. While preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation on the eve of Pentecost in the year 754, he and his companions were killed by Vandal warriors.

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God,
you called your bishop Boniface
to be a witness among the Germans and the Frisians,
raising up though his life a people for your own possession,
and through his death an example of selfless service.
Pour forth your Holy Spirit upon the Church in every land,
that by the service and sacrifice of many
your holy Name may be glorified
and your kingdom enlarged.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Uganda

On 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. In the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith.

These martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Introduced by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. His successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. Martyrdoms began in 1885. Mwanga first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity.

The Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. The martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. Most of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. Uganda now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

One African clergyman, born of pagan parents, tell of his conversion. He said: “One afternoon I was bicycling along a road and met a young man about my own age bicycling in the opposite direction. He promptly turned about and began to ride beside me and to talk. He spoke with great enthusiasm about Jesus, whom I had never heard of before, and how He had destroyed the power of death and evil by dying and rising again, and how He was God become man to reconcile man with God. I heard what my companion had to say, and before we parted I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Now, the young man who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to me that afternoon had himself heard of Jesus for the first time that morning.”

Renewed persecution of Christians in the 1970's by the military dictatorship of Idi Amin proved the vitality of the example of the Namugongo martyrs. Among the thousands of new martyrs, both Anglican and Roman, was Janani Luwum, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda

Prayer of the Day
Good and gracious God,
as we celebrate today the faith and sacrifice of the Martyrs of Uganda,
grant that we may,
at all times and in all places,
be constant in our witness to your Son,
regardless of the cost.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Lyons

In Gaul, there were missionary centers which had drawn many Christians from Asia and Greece. Persecution began in 177.

At first, Christians were excluded from the public baths, the market place, and from social and public life. They were subject to attack when they appeared in public, and many Christian homes were vandalized. At this point the government became involved, and began to take Christians into custody for questioning. Some slaves from Christian households were tortured to obtain confessions, and were induced to say that Christians practiced cannibalism and incest. These charges were used to arouse the whole city against the Christians, particularly against Pothinus, the aged bishop of Lyons; Sanctus, a deacon; Attalus; Maturus, a recent convert; and Blandina, a slave. Pothinus was beaten and then released, to die of his wounds a few days later. Sanctus was tormented with red-hot irons. Blandina, tortured all day long, would say nothing except, "I am a Christian, and nothing vile is done among us." Finally, the survivors were put to death in the public arena.

Prayer of the Day
Lord,
hear the prayers we offer today
on the feast of the martyrs of Lyons.
May we, like them,
be rooted and grounded in our love for you and one another,
so that we may endure the sufferings of this life
with confidence in the glory of the life to come.
We ask this through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Justin and his Companions

Martyrs

Justin was the son of pagan parents. While living at Ephesus, he was touched by the stories of the Christian martyrs, and eventually came under the influence of an elderly Christian man he had met there. Justin described his conversion thusly: “Straightaway a flame was kindled in my soul and a love of the prophets and those who are friends of Christ possessed me.” Justin was a teacher of philosophy and engaged in debates about the truth of the Christian faith. He was arrested and jailed for practicing an unauthorized religion. When he refused to renounce his faith he was beheaded, together with six of his students.

Prayer of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God,
your servant Justin began his search for you
by wandering from teacher to teacher,
and through the faith of one of those teachers
you revealed to him the sublime wisdom of your eternal Word.
Not squandering the precious gift he had received,
he in turn shared it with a world in desperate need of your love,
and was, together with his students,
willing to die rather than deny you,
the source of true love and peace.
As we celebrate the martyrdom of Justin and his companions,
hear our prayers,
and grant that all who seek you,
or a deeper knowledge of you,
may find and be found by you.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Vincent of Lerins

Presbyter and Monk

Vincent of Lerins was born into a noble family of Gaul (which is located in what is now France). He began his life as a soldier, but gave up that profession and instead elected to dedicate his life to God as a monk at a monastery on the island of Lerins. He was ordained there and in about 434 authored his famous work the Commonitorium. This work offered a guide to orthodox teaching and included his famous maxim, the Vincentian Canon, by which he hoped to be able to differentiate between true and false tradition. In it he states that the true Catholic faith consists of “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all”. He believed that the ultimate source of Christian truth was Holy Scripture and that the authority of the Church was only to be invoked to guarantee the correct interpretation of Scripture.

In addition to his defense of the primitive Catholic faith, Vincent opposed the definition of Original Sin that Augustine of Hippo was developing. Vincent, instead, supported what became known in theological circles as Semi-Pelagianism. Where Augustine taught that mankind was unable to seek God at all, Vincent and the other monks of Southern Gaul taught that it is necessary for humans to make the first step toward God and then God will complete salvation.

Vincent is considered, by many, the patron of the Primitive Catholic movement.

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God,
your Holy Spirit gives to one the word of knowledge,
and to another the insight of wisdom,
and to another the steadfastness of faith.
Today, as we celebrate the feast of your servant Vincent,
we praise you for the grace that led him
to a fuller knowledge of the truth.
Grant that we, who today live out our faith,
may cling to what has been believed always, everywhere, by all
who have followed the path of your Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ.
To him, to you, and to the Spirit
be glory, honor, and praise,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Mesopotamia

Today the Church commemorates the Martyrs of Mesopotamia. In the year 303, in the midst of a mass persecution orchestrated by Galerius, Christians from throughout Mesopotamia (located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq) were rounded up and sentenced to death. They were hung upside down from rods as slow-burning fires were kindled under them, choking them with smoke. After their deaths, the fires were stoked and their bodies were burned away by fire.

Prayer of the Day
Loving God,
the fire of your truth and compassion
blazed in the hearts of the Martyrs of Mesopotamia,
kindling fear and murder in the hearts of the civil rulers of their day.
May we, like them,
always be found constant in our love for you,
and stedfast in our faith and convictions,
even when faced with difficult trials or a painful death.
We make our prayer through your Son,
Christ Jesus our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Cappadocia

Mesopotamia wasn’t the only part of the Christian world impacted by the persecutions of Galerius in the year 303. In Cappadocia (located in what is now west-central Turkey), a group of faithful Christians who were forced to endure torture before finally being murdered on account of Christ.

Prayer of the Day

Good and Gracious God,

you nourish the Church through the witness of her martyrs.

May we, who today celebrate the Martyrs of Cappadocia,

be ever faithful to the Gospel:

clinging to the knowledge of your truth,

enduring all persecutions and hardships,

and coming at the last great day to eternal life.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God,

now and ever,

and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Sudan

The Christian bishops, chiefs, commanders, clergy and people of southern Sudan declared, on May 16, 1983, that they would not abandon God as God had revealed himself to them through the Scriptures, even though they were under threat of Shariah Law imposed by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Khartoum. The Christians of the Sudan suffered from persecution and devastation through twenty-two years of civil war. Two and a half million people were killed. Many clergy and lay leaders were singled out because of their religious leadership in their communities. No buildings, including churches and schools, were left standing in an area the size of Alaska. God, however, always has a plan when his people endure persecution. When the Martyrdoms began, only five percent of the population of southern Sudan was Christian. Today, more than eighty percent of the same area has converted to the Christian faith. This faith in Jesus, rooted deeply in the message of God’s mercy and love, has renewed their spirits through out the years of strife and sorrow.

Prayer of the Day
Lord God,
you who will not be defeated
and who is steadfast in the midst of persecution,
by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
Grant that we
who remember before you the blessed martyrs of the Sudan,
may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ,
whom they refused to abandon,
even in the face of death.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Martyrs of Kaskhar

Today the Church commemorates the Martyrs of Kaskhar, who died on May 16, 366 in the midst of a severe persecution orchestrated by the Persian ruler Shapur II. Two bishops, Abda and Abdjesus, together with sixteen presbyters, nine deacons, six monks, and seven sisters were placed between heavy slabs to crush their bones and were later beheaded. These forty martyrs are among the many generated by the Syriac Church well after the major persecutions had stopped in the west.

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God,
you have given to your Church
the example of the Martyrs of Kaskhar
so that we might be encouraged to cling to our faith
even in moments of great trial and pain.
Grant that we may find
in the presence of the Spirit
the strength to endure the changes and chances of this mortal life,
so that, together with all your chosen ones,
we may complete our journey through this life
and arrive at the last in everlasting joy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Brendan of Ardfert and Clonfert

Presbyter and Monk

Brendan of Ardfert and Clonfert is better known by his popular title “the Navigator”. Brendan, was the son of a noble family, but elected to give his life to God through service to the Church as a monk and a presbyter. Together with a group of monks, Brendan set out to share the Gospel message far and wide, and a traditional tale of his journey out into the Atlantic was told for centuries. These tales were generally believed to be fanciful legend, that is until Celtic Ogam writings were discovered in various parts of North America. These Ogams include very clear and direct statements about Christ and Mary. A tale, once thought legend, now has much more credibility. It is entirely possible Brendan and his band of monks were the first from the European continent to visit North America. Upon his return from his voyage of seven years, Brendan founded more monasteries and may have been consecrated as a bishop (though the evidence to support this is spotty). Brendan died peacefully in the year 577.

Prayer of the Day

God of land and sea,

you endowed your servant Brendan

with a bold and adventurous spirit,

to occupy himself for your business on the great waters,

and revealed to him your wonders in the deep.

Make us,

who recall with thanksgiving his life and ministry,

zealous to be pioneers and pilgrims for the faith.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthias

Apostle

We know little about Matthias, the 'replacement apostle', though his selection to replace Judas is one of the foundations of the belief among Catholic Christians in the doctine of apostolic succession.

With the exception of the details of his election, the New Testament is otherwise silent about his life and work. Some legends claim that he went on to Ethiopia and was martyred there, while others state that he died peacefully at an old age after engaging in ministry in Cappadocia and near the Caspian Sea.

Prayer of the Day
Father,
you chose your faithful servant Matthias
to be numbered among the twelve.
Grant that your church may always be taught and guided by faithful and true pastors,
whose hearts and minds are set on you.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Readings
Acts 1: 12-26
Psalm 56
Luke 24: 44-49

Pachomius

Monastic

Today the Church commemorates one of the Desert Fathers, Pachomius. He was born around the year 290 in Egypt, and converted to the faith while he was serving as a soldier. In the year 320, he left civil service and went to live as a hermit in Upper Egypt where a growing network of hermitages was forming. Pachomius organized them into a religious community in which the members offered prayer together and shared of their own goods. His rule for monastic life eventually influenced both Eastern and Western Christianity, serving as the base for both the Rule of Basil and the Rule of Benedict.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God,
we praise you for your servant Pachomius
through whom you brought unity and direction to the monks of Upper Egypt.
Raise up in our own day men and women
who, with willing hearts, will offer themselves to a monastic vocation.
May their voices intercede for the world,
and may their example give strength to your Church.
We make our prayer through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

John

Apostle and Evangelist

Prayer of the Day
Father,
shed upon the Church the brightness of your light,
that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John,
may walk in the light of your truth,
and come at last to the fullness of eternal life.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Psalm of the Day
Psalm 92: 1-2, 11-14

Readings
1 John 1: 1-9
John 20: 1-8

Liturgical Color
White

Mark

Evangelist, Bishop, and Martyr

Prayer of the Day
Father,
you have enriched your Church with Mark’s proclamation of the Gospel.
Give us grace to believe firmly in the good news of salvation
and to walk daily in accord with it.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and ever,
and unto ages of ages.

Psalm of the Day
Psalm 57
Response: I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord!

Readings
Isaiah 52: 7-10
2 Timothy 4: 6-11, 18
Mark 1: 1-15

Liturgical Color
Red

Saint Mesrob of Armenia

Today the Church commemorates Saint Mesrob of Armenia.

Mesrob was born around the year 360 and, in his studies, he became a scholar of classical languages. He became a monk in the year 395 and founded several monasteries that served to spread the Gospel in remote parts of Armenia. Mesrob gave the Armenian people a cherished gift, their alphabet, and translated the Scriptures into the new language. He also write biblical commentaries and translated the writings of other Church fathers. After a faithful life, he died peacefully in the year 440.

Prayer of the Day

Father, we give you thanks as we commemorate your servant Mesrob, who was moved to develop a common language so that the Armenian people might more fully understand the riches of your love. May we give thanks for those who, in our own day, labor to bring your word to those divided by language, so that they may come to know the good news of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Saints Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of SaintAquila and his wife Saint Priscilla (Prisca), Jewish contemporaries of St. Paul, traveled widely. Because of persecution in Rome, they went to Corinth where they met the apostle Paul, who joined them in their trade of tentmaking (Acts 18:1-3). They, in turn, joined him in his mission of proclaiming the Christian Gospel. The couple later traveled with Paul from Corinth to Ephesus (Acts 18:18), where the two of them established a home that served as hospitality headquarters for new converts to Christianity.

Saint Apollos was one of their numerous Jewish pupils in the faith. An eloquent man, Apollos "spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus" (Acts 18:25). He later traveled from Corinth to the province of Achaia, where he "showed by the Scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus" (Acts 18:28).

Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos are all remembered and honored for their great missionary zeal.

Prayer of the Day

Father, you endowed Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos with a fervency of faith that served to spread the gospel wherever the found themselves. Send your Holy Spirit into your Church today, and raise up young men and women who, full of your Holy Spirit, may show forth the hope that has been given to us, proclaim a faith that is unquenchable, and live out in their actions love for you that changes the face of the earth. We make our prayer through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Morning Prayer Reading
Acts 18: 1-17

Divine Liturgy Readings
Acts 18: 24-26
Matthew 7: 24-29

Evening Prayer Reading
Acts 18: 27-29

Saint Maron of Mount Lebanon

Today the Church commemorations Saint Maron of Mount Lebanon.

All that is known about Maron, the spiritual father and protector of the movement that came to bear his name comes from Theodoret, the bishop of Cyr. In approximately 444, Theodoret undertook the project of writing a religious history. Theodoret never knew Maron personally, but he spoke with many disciples of his. He described Maron as "the one who has planted for God the garden which flourishes now in the region of Cyr."

He felt that Maron was a man born not for this world, but for heaven. In his description of the beginning of Maron's life, Theodoret assests that Maron had "already increased the number of saints in heaven."

According to history, Maron was never satisfied with the ordinary practices of asceticism, but was "always seeking for new ways to accumulate all the treasures of wisdom." Maron was the spiritual leader not only of the hermits who lived near him, but of all the Christian faithful in the area. He used to counsel them, heal their bodily and spiritual ills. All of these apostolic endeavors manifested wisdom and holiness of the hermit Maron.

His date of death us unknown, but is generally placed between the years 407 and 423.

Prayer of the Day

Lord, you appointed your priest, Maron, as a spiritual father and shepherd to a portion of your flock. You supported him with your grace and led him in your truth. Grant that we, co celebrate his memory today, may hold fast to the faith he confessed. To you, O Lord, be glory forever. Amen.

Patriarch Jacob

Editor's Note: Because Lent has begun, today is not kept with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, only a Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Today is not kept as a feast, thus Lenten fasting guidelines still hold primacy.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Patriarch Jacob.

Jacob, the third of the three Hebrew patriarchs, was the younger of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. After wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, Jacob, whose name means “deceiver," was renamed “Israel,“ which means “he strives with God“ (Gen. 25:26; 32:28). His family life was filled with trouble, caused by his acts of deception toward his father and his brother Esau and his parental favoritism toward his son Joseph (March 31). Much of his adult life was spent grieving over the death of his beloved wife Rachel and the presumed death of Joseph, who had been appointed by the Egyptian Pharaoh to be in charge of food distribution during a time of famine in the land. Prior to Jacob's death during the blessing of his sons, God gave the promise that the Messiah would come through the line of Jacob's fourth son, Judah (Genesis 49).

Prayer of the Day

Lord Jesus, you are the hope of the patriarchs and prophets. Grant that we may be encouraged by the life and witness of the Patriarch Jacob, finding in his life those things that draw us close to you. To you, your Father, and your living Holy Spirit be glory and honor, now, always, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Morning Prayer Reading

Genesis 25: 19-34

Divine Liturgy Readings

Genesis 27:1 - 28:22 (Short Form, 28: 10-22)

John 2: 43b-51

Evening Prayer Reading

Genesis 49:29 - 50:13

The Martyrs of Japan

Today the Church commemorates the Martyrs of Japan.

The Christian faith was first introduced into Japan in the sixteenth century by Jesuit and later by Franciscan missionaries. By the end of that century, there were probably about 300,000 baptized believers in Japan.

Unfortunately, this promising beginning met reverses, brought about by rivalries between different groups of missionaries and political intrigues by the Spanish and Portuguese governments, along with power politics among factions in the Japanese government itself. The result was a suppression of Christians.

The first victims were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their converts, who were executed at Nagasaki on 5 February 1597. (They were tied to crosses, the crosses were raised to an upright position, and they were then quickly stabbed to death by a soldier with a javelin.) After a short interval of relative tolerance, many other Christians were arrested, imprisoned for life, or tortured and killed; and the Church was totally driven underground by 1630. However, when Japan was re-opened to Western contacts 250 years later, it was found that a community of Japanese Christians had survived underground, without clergy, without Scriptures, with only very sketchy instructions in the doctrines of the faith, but with a firm commitment to Jesus as Lord.

Prayer of the Day

O God our Father, source of strength to all your saints, you brought the holy martyrs of Japan through the suffering of the cross to the joys of eternal life. Grant that we, being encouraged by their example, may hold fast the faith we profess, even to death itself. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.