Thursday, 26 February 2026

St Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza

Thursday of the First Week of Lent

45 days before Pascha · Tone 4 · Liturgy · Lenten Fast (No overrides)

Great Canon

Saints commemorated

Holy Martyr Photina, the Samaritan Woman

Holy Martyr Photina was the woman whom our Lord Jesus Christ encountered at the well in Samaria, as recorded in the Gospel of Saint John. When Christ asked her for water, he revealed to her that he knew the secrets of her heart and her sinful past. Rather than condemning her, the Lord offered her forgiveness and the grace of salvation. The woman responded with genuine repentance, cast off her former life of sin, and became a devoted follower of Christ, accepting baptism into the Christian faith and taking the name Photina, which means "the enlightened one." Following Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church, Saint Photina received baptism together with her five sisters, Anatole, Photo, Photida, Paraskeve and Kyriake, and her two sons, Photinus (also known as Victor) and Joseph. She then embarked upon an apostolic mission, travelling throughout the Mediterranean world preaching the Gospel of Christ, proclaiming his incarnation, his redemptive death and his glorious resurrection. Wherever she went, she witnessed fearlessly to her encounter with the living Christ and called people to repentance and faith. During the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (54-68 AD), whilst Photina dwelt in Carthage with her younger son Joses, she continued her bold evangelistic labours, undaunted by the hostility of pagan authorities. In an impotent rage at her refusal to acknowledge the gods of Rome, the emperor Nero issued a cruel edict condemning her to martyrdom. She was flayed of her skin and subsequently cast into a well, thereby consummating her witness with the shedding of her blood. The Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great-Martyr and Apostle-Equal, commemorating her memory on three occasions throughout the liturgical year.

New martyr John Kalphes the apprentice

1575

The holy new martyr John, called Kalphes ("the apprentice"), lived in the suburb of Galata at Constantinople in the sixteenth century, when the city was under Ottoman rule. He was a cabinetmaker by trade and had become so skilled in carpentry and woodwork that the great men of the empire entrusted to him important commissions, and he was even called upon to adorn the inner chambers of the sultan's palace. Saint John was distinguished for his Christian charity, providing for orphans and widows and visiting prisoners. A certain Turkish dignitary, struck by his integrity, asked the saint to take his nephew on as an apprentice. John consented and treated the young man as his own. The youth, perceiving John's faith, often pressed him with questions about Christ and about Mahomet. At last, on the youth's persistent demands, John spoke openly of the truth of Christianity and the falsehood of Islam. Denounced to the authorities, Saint John was brought before the judges and commanded to deny Christ. He refused, confessing the Lord boldly. After enduring tortures and imprisonment without yielding, he was led on 26 February in the year 1575 to the public square known as Ergat-Bazara near the Bezstan, where he was beheaded for the name of Christ. Pious Christians gathered up his relics and gave them honourable burial.

Saint Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza

395

He was born to a wealthy, noble family in Thessalonica around 347. Filled more and more with a yearning for God, he abandoned his worldly possessions and traveled to Egypt, living for five years as a monk at Sketis. From there he went to Palestine, where he lived for another five years in a cave in the Jordan desert. Suffering from a severe ailment, he was forced to move to Jerusalem; there he was suddenly and completely cured following a vision on Golgotha, in which he saw the Good Thief come down from the cross to lead him to Christ, who gave the Cross into his keeping.

Porphyrius took up the trade of a shoemaker in Jerusalem to provide for his few needs. His humility and charity became so well-known that the Bishop of Jerusalem ordained him to the priesthood at the age of forty-five, and made him Stavrophylax, keeper of the True Cross of the Savior — thus fulfilling Porphyrius’ vision on Golgotha. Three years later, much against his will, he was elected Bishop of Gaza.

Throughout his episcopate he was persecuted by the pagans who still dominated the life of that city — though he was able to convert many of them by his own example of holiness, and by the many miracles that were wrought through his intercessions. Once, when the city was suffering from a long drought, the Saint gathered the city’s Christians (who numbered no more than 280), told them to fast, and celebrated an all-night vigil. The next morning, as the Bishop and his entire flock went in procession through the city it began to rain. At this, 127 pagans were converted. When the pagans’ violent attacks continued, Porphyrius appealed to the Emperor Arcadius for an edict closing of the pagan temples in Gaza. With the support of St John Chrysostom the edict was issued. When the Imperial representatives entered Gaza, accompanied by Bishop Porphyrius bearing the Cross, the statue of Aphrodite in the city’s main temple shattered into pieces. Eight temples were destroyed, and a Church was built on the site of the largest. Hundreds of pagans embraced the Faith and, after instruction, were baptized by the Saint.

After twenty-five years as bishop, during which he had seen his see transformed from a small flock of beleaguered Christians into a Christian territory, Saint Porphyrius reposed in peace in 420.

Venerable Sebastian, abbot of Poshekhonye

Saint Sebastian of Poshekhonye, also called Sebastian of Sokhota, was a Russian ascetic of the fifteenth century. He was tonsured at one of the monasteries of the north and after some years sought the deeper solitude of the dense forests of Poshekhonye, on the river Sokhota, about ninety versts from the town of Romanov in the diocese of Yaroslavl. There, in a small hut amid the woods, he gave himself to unceasing prayer, fasting and manual labour. Other monks soon found their way to him, and against his desire for hidden solitude a community gathered round him. With their help he raised a small wooden church in honour of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and a monastery grew up under his direction, called the Sokhotsk Transfiguration monastery. The brethren lived under a strict cenobitic rule. Saint Sebastian himself, though abbot, was the first in every menial task. He carried water, chopped wood, kneaded the dough, baked the bread and wove ropes by night. He continued in these labours until his repose, which is placed about the year 1492. His relics were laid to rest in the church he had built. Although in 1764 the monastery was closed and reduced to the status of a parish church, the memory of its founder has been preserved among the saints of the Russian Church.

St Photini the Samaritan Woman, and those with her

She was the Samaritan Woman who met Christ at Jacob’s Well (John ch. 4). She repented, and told her townsmen that she had met the Christ, for which she is sometimes called the first to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. She converted her four sisters (Phota, Photis,Parasceva, and Cyriaca), and her sons (Victor and Joses), and all of them became tireless evangelists for Christ. After the martyrdom of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, she traveled to Carthage to proclaim the Gospel there. She, with her Christian sisters and sons, all met martyrdom under the persecutions of Nero. She is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman during the Paschal season.

Daily readings

6th Hour

weekly cycle

Isaiah — Isaiah 2.11-21

¹¹The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, 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 lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: ¹³And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, ¹⁴And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, ¹⁵And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, ¹⁶And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. ¹⁷And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. ¹⁸And the idols he shall utterly abolish. ¹⁹And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. ²⁰In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; ²¹To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Genesis — Genesis 2.4-19

⁴These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ⁶But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

⁸And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. ¹⁵And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. ¹⁹And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Vespers

weekly cycle

Proverbs — Proverbs 3.1-18

¹My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: ²For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. ³Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: ⁴So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. ⁸It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. ⁹Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: ¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: ¹²For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

¹³Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. ¹⁴For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. ¹⁵She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. ¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. ¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.