Orthodox Calendar

Wednesday, March 29, 2051
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Lenten Fast — Abstain from meat, fish, dairy, eggs, wine, and oil

Service Notes

  • Presanctified Liturgy

Scripture Readings

Commemorations

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 5.16-25 (6th Hour)

16But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and the holy God shall be glorified in righteousness. 17And they that were spoiled shall be fed as bulls, and lambs shall feed on the waste places of them that are taken away. 18Woe to them that draw sins to them as with a long rope, and iniquities as with a thong of the heifer's yoke: 19who say, Let him speedily hasten what he will do, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know it. 20Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; who make darkness light, and light darkness; who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter. 21Woe to them that are wise in their own conceit, and knowing in their own sight. 22Woe to the strong ones of you that drink wine, and the mighty ones that mingle strong drink: 23who justify the ungodly for rewards, and take away the righteousness of the righteous. 24Therefore as stubble shall be burnt by a coal of fire, and shall be consumed by a violent flame, their root shall be as chaff, and their flower shall go up as dust: for they rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and insulted the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore the Lord of hosts was greatly angered against his people, and he reached forth his hand upon them, and struck them: and the mountains were troubled, and their carcasses were as dung in the midst of the way: yet for all this his anger has not been turned away, but his hand is yet raised.

Genesis 4.16-26 (Vespers)

16So Cain went forth from the presence of God and lived in the land of Nod over against Edem. 17And Cain knew his wife, and having conceived she bore Enoch; and he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18And to Enoch was born Gaidad; and Gaidad begot Maleleel; and Maleleel begot Mathusala; and Mathusala begot Lamech. 19And Lamech took to himself two wives; the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the second Sella. 20And Ada bore Jobel; he was the father of those that dwell in tents, feeding cattle. 21And the name of his brother was Jubal; he it was who invented the lute and harp. 22And Sella also bore Thobel; he was a smith, a manufacturer both of brass and iron; and the sister of Thobel was Noema. 23And Lamech said to his wives, Ada and Sella, Hear my voice, youpl wives of Lamech, consider my words, because I have slain a man to my sorrow and a youth to my grief. 24Because vengeance has been exacted seven times on Cain's behalf, on Lamech's it shall be seventy times seven. 25And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, For God has raised up to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. 26And Seth had a son, and he called his name Enos: he hoped to call on the name of the Lord God.

Proverbs 5.15-6.3 (Vespers)

15Drink waters out of your own vessels, and out of your own springing wells. 16Let not waters out of your fountain be spilled by you, but let your waters go into your streets. 17Let them be only your own, and let no stranger partake with you. 18Let your fountain of water be truly your own; and rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19Let your loving hart and your graceful colt company with you, and let her be considered your own, and be with you at all times; for ravished with her love you shall be greatly increased. 20Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold yourself in the arms of a woman not your own. 21For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths. 22Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins. 23Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.

1My son, if you become surety for your friend, you shall deliver your hand to an enemy. 2For a man's own lips become a strong snare to him, and he is caught with the lips of his own mouth. 3My son, do what I command you, and deliver yourself; for on your friend's account you are come into the power of evil men: faint not, but stir up even your friend for whom you are become surety.

Commemorations

Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa

“Saint Mark was Bishop of Arethusa in Syria. In the days of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Mark, moved with divine zeal, destroyed a temple of the idols and raised up a church in its stead. When Julian the Apostate reigned, in 361, as the pagans were now able to avenge the destruction of their temple, Saint Mark, giving way to wrath, hid himself; but when he saw that others were being taken on his account, he gave himself up. Having no regard to his old age, they stripped him and beat his whole body, cast him into filthy sewers, and pulling him out, had children prick him with their iron writing-pens. Then they put him into a basket, smeared him with honey and a kind of relish of pickled fish, and hung him up under the burning sun to be devoured by bees and wasps. But because he bore this so nobly, his enemies repented, and unloosed him.

“Saint Cyril was a deacon from Heliopolis in Phoenecia. During the reign of the Emperor Constantius, son of Saint Constantine, he had also broken the idols in pieces. When Julian came to power, Saint Cyril was seized by the idolators and his belly was ripped open. The other holy Martyrs celebrated today, martyred in Gaza and Ascalon during the reign of Julian, were men of priestly rank and consecrated virgins; they were disemboweled, filled with barley, and set before swine to be eaten. The account of all the above Saints is given in Book III, ch. 3, of Theodoret of Cyrrhus’ Ecclesiastical History. (Great Horologion)

Our Holy Father John the Hermit (4th c.)

“He was the son of Juliana, a Christian woman of Armenia. While still a child, he left his mother and ran off to the desert. He was utterly aflame with love for Christ the Lord. In the beginning he entrusted himself to the guidance of a spiritual father, Pharmutius, who was so pleasing to God that an angel brought him bread every day. John later left him and withdrew into solitude. He let himself down into a dry well and lived there for a full ten years in fasting, prayer and vigils. St Pharmutius used to bring him some of the angel’s bread, for the angel of God did not wish to bring bread to the young John in person, lest he grow proud through this, so sent it through Pharmutius his spiritual father. After ten years of arduous asceticism in his well, St John went to the Lord and his relics revealed wonderworking power. He lived and was glorified by God and men in the 4th century.” (Prologue)