Do Not Pass By The Presanctified
Saturday March 8, 2025 / February 23, 2025
First Saturday of the Great Lent. Tone three.
Great Lent. Fast.
Great Martyr Theodore Tyro (306) (movable holiday on Saturday of the 1st week of the Great Lent).
Hieromartyr Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (167).
New Hieromartyrs Alexis, Nicholas priests and Martyr Sergius (1938).
Uncovering of the relics (1998) St Matrona the Blind of Moscow (1952).
Venerable Polycarp, monk, of Briansk (1620-21).
Venerables John, Antioch, Antoninus, Moses, Zebinas, Polychronius, Moses, and Damian, ascetics of the Syrian desert (5th c.).
Venerable Alexander, founder of the order of the Unsleeping Ones (430).
Venerable Moses, monk, of White Lake (1480).
Venerable Gorgonia, sister of St. Gregory the Theologian (372) (Greek).
Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou, Mt. Athos (1280) (Greek).
New Monk-martyr Damian the New of Philotheou, who suffered at Larissa (1568) (Greek).
St. John the Harvester of Stylos in Calabria (11th c.).
Venerable Cosmas of Zographou, Mt. Athos (1281).
New Hieromartyr Lazarus of the Peloponnese (1618).
St. Nazarius, abbot of Valaam (1809).
St. Mildburga, abbess of Much Wenlock..
Martyr Clement (Greek).
Martyr Thea (Greek).
The Scripture Readings
1
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4
having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5
For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?
6
But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
7
And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”
8
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10
And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11
They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;
12
Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”
2 Timothy 2:1-10 (St. Theodore)
1
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
5
And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6
The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
7
Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
8
Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
9
for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
23
Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
24
And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25
But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:
26
how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?
27
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
28
Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.
1
And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
2
So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3
And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”
4
Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
5
And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
John 15:17-16:2 (St. Theodore)
17
These things I command you, that you love one another.
18
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21
But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23
He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
25
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
26
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
1
These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2
They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.