Holy Martyr Agapius and the Six Martyrs with Him (284-305).
Great Fast Day 33. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 45:11-17. Presanctified – Genesis 22:1-18. Proverbs 17:17-18:5.
Read Isaiah 45:11-17
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today the Holy Spirit speaking through the prophet Isaiah gives us a reminder that Israel was to be a nation through which the entire world was to be converted and come to the knowledge of the one and true God. This was the Lord’s plan from the very beginning with Abraham, Noah and even going back further to Adam and Eve. Irregardless of all of the difficulty, and the long-suffering that the Lord had to endure through the history of Israel there were still enough faithful people through which the Light of God was able to break into the darkness of our fallen and sinful humanity. Jesus fulfills this prophecy of Isaiah through his incarnation. Through Jesus the whole world has come to understand that there is no other God but the God of Israel.
Through our faithfulness the Truth that ‘God is with you only, and there is no other, no god besides him…’ is proclaimed to the world. Our faithfulness invites the light of God to shine through us. Every little act of faithfulness, especially when it is not seen by other people, is an invitation for the light of God to shine in our life. We may be tempted to think that no one pays attention to our life or that we do not matter, but we do matter to God and He desires to work in us and through us. We belong to the body of Christ and our Saviour works through us. Let the light of God shine in you.