Saints and Readings

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Friday 29th March 2024

Lenten Fast: strict fast

Today we commemorate:
Hieromartyr Mark, bishop of Arethusa, Martyr Cyril the deacon, of Heliopolis, and others who suffered under Julian the Apostate (c.364). St. Eustathios (Eustace) the Confessor, bishop of Bithynia (9th C).
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Gladys and St. Gwynllyn, parents of St. Cadoc (6th C). St. Lasar, niece of St. Forchera (6th C).

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 7:1-14; Genesis 5:32-6:8; Proverbs 6:20-7:1


Isaiah 7:1-14
It was in the time of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, rose up and waged war against Jerusalem, but they were not able to besiege it. A message was brought to David’s house which said, ‘Aram has made an alliance with Ephraim.’ His soul, and the soul of his people, was shaken as a tree in a wood is shaken by the wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the pool by the upper path to the fuller’s field. You are to say to him, “Keep calm. Do not be afraid, and do not let your soul quail on account of these two smoking firebrands. For when the anger of my wrath has passed, I shall heal once more. And as for the son of Aram and the son of Remaliah, because they have plotted evil against you saying, ‘Let us go up against Judah, and when we have conferred with them we shall turn them to our side and make the son of Tabeal its king,’ the Lord of hosts says that this plot will not succeed; it will not happen. The head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin, but in another sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim will no longer be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. And if you do not believe, nor will you understand.”’ The Lord spoke to Ahaz again, saying, ‘Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, in the depths or in the heights.’ And Ahaz replied, ‘I will not ask; I will not test the Lord.’ Then he said, ‘Now listen, House of David. Is it such a small matter for you to pit yourself against human beings that you would pit yourself against the Lord? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and you will name him Emmanuel.’

Genesis 5:32-6:8
Noah was five hundred years of age when he fathered three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. It was when people began to be numerous on the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful, and they took all those whom they chose as wives for themselves. The Lord God said, ‘My Spirit shall not remain in these people for ever, for they are flesh, and so their days will be one hundred and twenty years.’ Now there were giants on the earth in those days, for when the sons of God went in with the daughters of human beings they bore children. Those were the giants of old, the people of legend. The Lord God saw that the wickedness of human beings on the earth had increased, and that in their hearts the thoughts of everyone dwelt upon evil all day long. And God grieved that he had made mankind on the earth and he pondered. God said, ‘I shall wipe mankind whom I have made from the face of the earth, the people and the livestock, the animals that live on the ground and the birds of the air, for I regret that I made them.’ But Noah found favour in the presence of the Lord God.

Proverbs 6:20-7:1
My son, keep your father’s rules and do not reject the advice of your mother. Bind them to your soul continually, and hang them around your neck like a necklace. Whenever you travel, bring it along, keep it with you; and when you sleep, let it guard you so that it is with you when you wake. For a commandment of the law is a lamp and a light, a way of life and a caution and correction. Keep away from a married woman and from the slanderous tongue of a strange woman. Do not allow lust for a beautiful woman to get the better of you, nor get caught by the eyes or captivated with her eyelids, for the value of a harlot is only one loaf, and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men. How could anyone bind fire to his bosom and not burn his clothes? Or how could anyone walk on coals of fire and not burn his feet? So it is with the man who consorts with a married woman. He shall not be held guiltless, nor anyone who touches her. It is not surprising if someone is caught stealing, for he steals when he is hungry so that he may satisfy himself. But if he is caught, he will repay seven-fold, saving himself by giving up all that he possesses. The adulterer, through lack of sense, brings destruction upon his own soul. He endures pain and disgrace, and that disgrace will never be wiped away because the soul of her husband is filled with jealousy. He will not show mercy on the day of vengeance; he will not let go of his hatred for any reason, nor will he be reconciled by many gifts. My son, guard my words and hide away my commandments within you.

The text and chapter and verse references of the Old Testament readings are those of the Septuagint