Isaiah 2.11-21 (6th Hour)

11For the eyes of the Lord are high, but man is low; and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 12For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and haughty, and upon every one that is high and towering, and they shall be brought down; 13and upon every cedar of Libanus, of them that are high and towering, and upon every oak of Basan, 14and upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, 15and upon every high tower, and upon every high wall, 16and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every display of fine ships. 17And every man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall fall: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 18And they shall hide all idols made with hands, 19having carried them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the caverns of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of his might, when he shall arise to strike terribly the earth. 20For in that day a man shall cast forth his silver and gold abominations, which they made in order to worship vanities and bats; 21to enter into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of his might, when he shall arise to strike terribly the earth.

Genesis 2.4-19 (Vespers)

4This is the book of the generation of heaven and earth, when they were made, in the day in which the Lord God made the heaven and the earth, 5and every herb of the field before it was on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it. 6But there rose a fountain out of the earth, and watered the whole face of the earth. 7And God formed the man of dust of the earth, and breathed upon his face the breath of life, and the man became a living soul. 8And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed. 9And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. 10And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads. 11The name of the one, Phisom, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. 13And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. 14And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it. 16And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden you may freely eat, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—of it you⌃ shall not eat, but in whatever day you⌃ eat of it, you⌃ shall surely die. 18And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him. 19And God formed yet farther out of the earth all the wild beasts of the field, and all the birds of the sky, and he brought them to Adam, to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called any living creature, that was the name of it.

Proverbs 3.1-18 (Vespers)

1My son, forget not my laws; but let your heart keep my words: 2for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to you. 3Let not mercy and truth forsake you; but bind them about your neck: 4so shall you find favor: and do you provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men. 5Trust in God with all your heart; and be not exalted in your own wisdom. 6In all your ways acquaint yourself with her, that she may rightly direct your paths. 7Be not wise in your own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil. 8Then shall there be health to your body, and good keeping to your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your just labors, and give him the first of your fruits of righteousness: 10that your storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that your presses may burst forth with wine. 11My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when you are rebuked of him: 12for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives. 13Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence. 14For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. 15And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value. 16For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue. 17Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful. 18She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is a secure help to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.

Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon

Archippus was the son of Saints Philemon (Nov. 22) and Apphia (Feb. 15), and, like them, was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who calls him “our fellow soldier” (Philm. 2). He and his father preached the Gospel at Colossae, and Archippus probably served as a priest for the church that gathered there at his family’s house (Col. 4:17). Archippus’ fervor in preaching the Gospel of Christ so angered the pagans that they seized him and brought him before the governor Androcles. When the Saint refused to sacrifice to Artemis, he was stripped, beaten, tormented in various ways, and finally stoned to death.

Our Venerable Mother Philothea of Athens (1589)

“This bright star of compassion arose in the dark days of the Turkish occupation to shed God’s mercy upon the oppressed people of Athens and to guide many endangered souls onto the path of righteousness.” (Synaxarion)

She was born in 1528 to the prominent Venizelou family, miraculously answering her mother’s prayer of many years. Though even in childhood she showed a love for ascesis and prayer, she was much sought-after as a wealthy heiress, and was married at the age of twelve to a rough, violent man. She endured his ill-treatment nobly, and prayed daily for his conversion. After three years, the brutal husband died, and Philothea gave herself entirely to a life of prayer and fasting, living like a hermitess though still in her parents’ house. When her parents died ten years later, she used her entire fortune to found a convent. Its design had been given her in a vision by the Apostle Andrew, and it was dedicated to him. Alongside the monastery, she founded a hospital, a hospice for the poor, and schools where boys and girls could receive a Christian education, something obviously not provided by the Turkish rulers.

As soon as the monastery was begun, she took monastic vows under the name of Philothea, and she, her own maidservants, and many young women of the city, became the first nuns there. Philothea continued in her boundless compassion for the poor and infirm, whom she visited and tended. She was so free in her almsgiving that more than once the monastery was left without food or other necessities of life, and the sisters began to complain about her. But each time, large donations appeared unexpectedly and saved the community from starvation.

Philothea offered asylum and refuge to Christian slave women who had fled their masters to preserve their faith and chastity. This angered the Turks, who surrounded the monastery, seized Philothea, and brought her before the judge. She was told to deny Christ or die, and when she refused was sentenced to death; but some influential Athenian Greeks were able to intervene on her behalf and to obtain her release.

Immediately upon her release she redoubled her prayers, her apostolic labors and her works of mercy, and was soon granted the gift of working miracles and healings. So many disciples came to join her that she established a second monastery. Her growing influence aroused the hatred of some of the Turks, who broke into the monastery one night and beat her violently, leaving her half-dead. She bore the effects of her injuries patiently, and after a short time gave back her soul to God in 1589.

Twenty years after her repose, a beautiful scent began to issue from her tomb. Her precious relics, venerated at the Cathedral in Athens, remain incorrupt to this day.