Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Tuesday of the 2nd week after Pentecost

58 days after Pascha · Tone 8 · Liturgy · Apostles Fast (Wine and Oil are Allowed)

Saints commemorated

★ Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael of Persia

The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael were brothers descended from an illustrious Persian family. Their father was a pagan, but their mother was a Christian who baptised the children and raised them in firm faith in Christ the Saviour. Sent by the Persian King Alamundar as his emissaries to conclude a peace treaty with the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, they were received with honour at his camp near Chalcedon. When the emperor offered the customary sacrifice to the gods and invited the Persian envoys to share in the offerings, the brothers refused, declaring that they were Christians and could not worship idols. Julian, breaking the immunity of ambassadors, annulled the treaty and had them imprisoned and tortured. Their hands and feet were nailed to trees, iron spikes were driven into their heads, and sharp splinters wedged under their fingernails and toenails. At last they were beheaded, and the emperor ordered their bodies to be burned. They suffered around the year 362, and the Persian king, hearing of their death, declared war on Rome to avenge them.

Saint Botolph of Iken

Saint Botolph was an English abbot of the seventh century, the founder of the monastery of Ikanhoe in East Anglia. Born of noble Saxon parents, he and his brother Adulph were sent to the Continent to study the monastic life, where Botolph was trained in a Benedictine house in Gaul. Returning to England around 654, he was granted by King Anna of the East Angles a desolate site on a tidal island all but surrounded by water, traditionally identified with Iken on the estuary of the river Alde in Suffolk. There he built a wooden church and gathered a community of monks, attracting hermits and labourers who together turned areas of marsh and scrub into productive grazing and farmland. Botolph also worked as an itinerant missionary in East Anglia, Kent and Sussex, and was held in such honour by his contemporaries that Saint Ceolfrid travelled from the north to learn from him. He fell asleep in the Lord around 680. The city of Boston in Lincolnshire takes its name from his church, Botolph's Town, and many ancient churches across England bear his name.

Saint Hypatius, Abbot of Rufinian Monastery

446

Saint Hypatius was born in Phrygia in Asia Minor into the family of a lawyer and received a fine secular education. At eighteen, leaving home and worldly prospects behind, he went to Thrace where for a time he herded cattle and lived with a priest who taught him to chant the Psalms. He afterwards travelled to Chalcedon and settled with two companions in the abandoned monastery of Rufinianae a few miles outside the city, which had been built by the consul Rufinus and stood empty since his murder. The community was rebuilt and soon flourished, and many monks gathered around the holy ascetic. At forty he was chosen igumen, and he guided the brotherhood for forty years more. For his strict ascetic life and his love of his neighbour he was granted the gifts of wonderworking and healing. Through his prayers bread was multiplied for the brethren, and many possessed by demons, blind, paralysed and afflicted with bleeding came to him and were made whole. He defended the Orthodox faith against the heresies of Nestorius. Saint Hypatius reposed in the year 446 at the age of eighty.

Our Holy Father Botolph, Abbot of the Monastery of Ikanhoe

680

‘Saint Botolph was born in Britain about the year 610 and in his youth became a monk in Gaul. The sisters of Ethelmund, King of East Anglia, who were also sent to Gaul to learn the monastic discipline, met Saint Botolph, and learning of his intention to return to Britain, bade their brother the King grant him land on which to found a monastery. Hearing the King’s offer, Saint Botolph asked for land not already in any man’s possession, not wishing that his gain should come through another’s loss, and chose a certain desolate place called Ikanhoe. At his coming, the demons inhabiting Ikanhoe rose up against him with tumult, threats, and horrible apparitions, but the Saint drove them away with the sign of the Cross and his prayer. Through his monastery he established in England the rule of monastic life that he had learned in Gaul. He worked signs and wonders, had the gift of prophecy, and “was distinguished for his sweetness of disposition and affability.” In the last years of his life he bore a certain painful sickness with great patience, giving thanks like Job and continuing to instruct his spiritual children in the rules of the monastic life. He fell asleep in peace about the year 680. His relics were later found incorrupt, and giving off a sweet fragrance. The place where he founded his monastery came to be called “Botolphson” (from either “Botolph’s stone” or “Botolph’s town”) which was later contracted to “Boston.”’ (Great Horologion)

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Romans — Romans 4.4-12

⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁴Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. ⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, ⁶Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁷saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin.

⁹Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. ⁹Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: ¹⁰How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: ¹¹and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them; ¹²And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. ¹²and the father of circumcision to them who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he had in uncircumcision.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Matthew — Matthew 7.15-21

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. ¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁶By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. ²⁰Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.