St. Agatha
Posted on 02/05/2005 5:49:59 AM PST by Kolokotronis
Apolytikion:
Fourth Tone
O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept me offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.
Kontakion:
Fourth Tone
Let the Church be clad today with royal purple in a splendid covering dyed in the chaste and hallowed blood of Martyr Agatha, and let it now cry: Rejoice, O thou boast of Catania.
This Martyr, who was from Panormus (that is, Palermo) or perhaps Catania of Sicily, was a most comely and chaste virgin. After many exceedingly harsh torments, she gave up her spirit in prison at Catania in 251, because she did not consent to the seductions of Quintian, the Governor of Sicily. At her burial, an Angel placed a stone tablet on her grave inscribed with the words, "A righteous mind, self-determining, honor from God, the deliverance of her father-land." The following year this was fulfilled when Mount Etna erupted, spewing forth violent fire from which Catania was manifestly saved by Saint Agatha's prayers. The holy Martyr Agatha, the protectress and chief patroness of Sicily, is, with perhaps the exception of Saint Agnes of Rome, the most highly venerated Virgin Martyr of the West. Saint Damasus, Pope of Rome, and Saint Ambrose of Milan both wrote in praise of her.
Ping
Beautiful. Thanks Kolokotronis!
The publication of St. Dmitri of Rostov's Great Lives of Saints -- all 12 volumes, has progressed from September through February.
But perhaps the most marvelous development has been the publication of the Greek Great Synaxarion. Four volumes (Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec, Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr) have been published, but unfortunately the translator has passed away -- we can only hope that the translators who finished the last volume for him will continue the work.
It is, interestingly, being translated not from the Greek, but from a French translation, but it doesn't seem to have hurt the quality of the work at all: it resonates deeply.
The Prologue is accessible because its lives are relatively short, and is restricted to 3 saints a day, give or take a little. St. Dimitri of Rostov is a huge 12 volume work, but the main difference is that each life is very long -- compiling virtually everything written about each saint from differnt sources, but only has 2 or 3 saints a day. I find St. Dimitri to be my favorite reading for the Great Feasts and Feasts which commemorate events, because there is so much detailed information. For lives of saints, they can sometimes be hard to get through, because there is a lot of repetitive commentary. Not great family reading, in general.
The Greek Great Synaxarion has lives that are in general much more detailed than those in the Prologue, but shorter than in St. Dimitri, but the best thing is that it has many lives for each day -- not just the first few in the commemoration list.
Last year, I had the Synaxarion, and my wife had St. Dimitri -- this year, it has been reversed, and she has possession of the Synaxarion, and I'm reading the Prologue and reading at St. Dimitri (it's hard to read an entire life each day -- quite long). But occasionally I sneak it away from her...
At a former parish, our priest would read the entries from the Prologue each Sunday after Liturgy. Another practice that is traditional is to read the Prologue in church at Vespers, which is a great time to do it, since Vespers contains so much hymnology about the saint of the day. I think that reading it before Vespers would be ideal, since the stichera sung about the saint would come to life. I've usually read the life before going to Vespers, but most people don't have that opportunity, and doing it publically would be beneficial.
Most people don't know that liturgical readings are appointed in the Orthodox Typikon (the main "instruction book" on how to put the services together.) For instance, the Prologue is appointed before Vespers, the Explanation of the following day's Epistle from St. Theophylact is appointed to be read after Vespers, the Explanation of the day's Gospel from St. Theophylact is appointed to be read after the Psalter readings at Matins, the Synaxarion (a briefer version) is appointed to be read after the 6th Ode of the Canon at Matins, etc... During Great Lent, the readings appointed are even more numerous and extensive, with an emphasis on St. John Climacus (see Kolokotronis' home page.)
Amongst the Russians, this has been completely lost, although the reading of the Prologue at or after Liturgy is making an appearance in Russian churches and Serbian churches (the modern compilation and revision of the Prologue was done by St. Nikolai (Velimirovich) of Zhicha). The Greeks in Greece have maintained the tradition of reading a short Synaxarion entry at Matins/Orthros -- I think the Greeks do it here in America, too -- Kolokotronis will know. The Russian Old Believers have maintained the most liturgical readings of patristic sermons, commentaries, and lives... Of course, much of this material has never been translated. The translational project of the Explanation St. Theophylact has only progressed from Matthew through Luke. St. John may not come out for a year or two, and the epistles, welll.... I just hope they come out in my lifetime!
All of the appointed readings can only be done in a monastic setting, but I believe that the recovery of doing a few short traditional readings would be very healthy for our parish lives.
**The daily reading of the lives of the saints is one of the most important things we can do for our spiritual life, and we now have so many available to us in English.**
Amen!
"The perfect purity of intention by which St. Agatha was entirely dead to the world and herself, and sought only to please God, is the circumstance which sanctified her sufferings, and rendered her sacrifice complete."
Theosis!
"The Greeks in Greece have maintained the tradition of reading a short Synaxarion entry at Matins/Orthros -- I think the Greeks do it here in America, too -- Kolokotronis will know."
Indeed we do! The short passage after the Kontakion above is that reading for today's Feast.
Here's a link to much of the Synaxarion: http://www.rongolini.com/synaxariontoc.htm
"I notice that the Antiochian EO Church near me has Vespers on Saturday evening. Do you think that this is something a Catholic could appreciate?"
You'd love it. Its likely being an Antiochian parish that much of it will be in English. Antiocian chant is quite haunting too. Go for it; just remember to cross yourself with three fingers and backwards! :)
Hmmm, interesting timing. Agatha, from the Greek, meaning "good".
18 agathos {ag-ath-os'}
a primary word; TDNT - 1:10,3; adj
AV - good 77, good thing 14, that which is good+3588 8, the thing which is good+3588 1, well 1, benefit 1; 102
1) of good constitution or nature
2) useful, salutary
3) good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy
4) excellent, distinguished
5) upright, honourable
"Suppose I forget and do that when I worship in my Catholic parish? Busted!"
Gasp!!! Cross yourself with three fingers backwards three times and spit!
Thanks.
Vespers is a great service to visit at most parishes. We have a Catholic priest and an Episcopal priest who regularly haunt our Saturday evening Vespers service. As K says, most Antiochian churches are all English, and their form of Byzantine chant is pretty accessible to the western ear. Tell me all about it after you go -- I want details!
You'd have to ask an Italian. Personally I'm grateful for any excuse to fry sausages and peppers, eat pizza and drink wine!
Ayeeee...MANGIA! It's a Feast for everyone!
Thank you for the ping.
Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Memorial
February 5th
Francisco de Zurbaran
St Agatha
1630-33 -- Oil on canvas
Musée Fabre, Montpellier
History:
One of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity, put to death for her steadfast profession of faith in Catania, Sicily. Although it is uncertain in which persecution this took place, we may accept, as probably based on ancient tradition, the evidence of her legendary life, composed at a later date, to the effect that her martyrdom occurred during the persecution of Decius (250-253).Her name appears in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).
Collect:
Lord,
Let Your forgiveness be won for us
by the pleading of Saint Agatha,
who found favor with You by her chastity
and by her courage in suffering death for the Gospel.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord."Gospel Reading: Luke 9:23-26
And He[Jesus] said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
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