Fear God, Not The Demons
“Fear God, not the demons. Fear God and His judgments, for when He decides to punish us with some kind of penance for our pride, who is able to stop Him? Therefore, when the evil is still small, let us take care to remedy it. For once it has grown worse, you will not be able to be delivered even if others help you. So love God more, since He has sent you the medicine for your illness: that is, patience, humility, and courage—and see to it that you take it.”
Elder Ephraim of Arizona
#god #demons #medicine
Tuesday March 18, 2025 / March 5, 2025
Third Week of the Great Lent. Tone five.
Great Lent. By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil
Martyr Conon of Isauria (2nd c.).
St. Nicholas (1919).
New Hieromartyr John priest and New Hieromartyrs Mardarius and Theophanes (1938).
St. Nicholas (Velimirovich), bishop of Ochrid and Zhicha, Serbia (1956) (Serbia).
Uncovering of the relics (1996) of St. Luke, hierarch-surgeon of Simferopol (1961).
Translation of the relics (1463) of St. Theodore, prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav (1299), and his children Sts. David (1321) and Constantine.
Monk-martyr Adrian, abbot of Poshekhonye (1550) and his fellow-ascetic St. Leonidas (1549).
Martyr Onisius of Isauria (2nd c.).
Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia (251).
Virgin-martyr Irais (Rhais) of Antinoe in Egypt (3rd c.) and with her Martyr Archelaus and 152 Martyrs in Egypt.
Martyr Eulogius of Palestine.
Martyr Eulampius of Palestine.
Venerable Mark the Faster of Egypt (5th c.).
Venerable Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia (790).
“Nurtured Up-Bringing” Icon of the Mother of God.
New Martyr John the Bulgarian (Mt. Athos), at Constantinople (1784) (Greek).
Martyr Archelaus and 152 Martyrs in Egypt.
St. Kieran (Ciaran) of Saigher, Munster (Ireland) (5th-6th c.) (Celtic & British).
St. Theophilus, bishop of Caesaria in Palestine (200).
St. Virgil, archbishop of Aries (618).
Sts. Basil (1249) and Constantine (1257), princes of Yaroslavl.
New Hieromartyr Parthenius, Bishop of Didymoteichon in Thrace (1805).
New Martyr George of Rapsana (1818).
St. Piran, mont of Perranporth.
The Scripture Readings
Isaiah 9:9-10:4 (6th Hour)
9
All the people will know— Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria— Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10
“The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”
11
Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on,
12
The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
13
For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14
Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15
The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16
For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17
Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out stil
18
For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
20
And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21
Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
1
“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed
2
To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless.
3
What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?
4
Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
Genesis 7:1-5 (Vespers, 1st Reading)
1
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
2
“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
3
“also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
4
“For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”
5
And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.
Proverbs 8:32-9:11 (Vespers, 2nd Reading)
32
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.
33
Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.
34
Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35
For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;
36
But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”
1
Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2
She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table.
3
She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5
“Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6
Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
7
“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8
Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
9
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11
For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.