The holy prophet Hosea, who not only by his words but also by his manner of life showed the unfaithful people of Israel that the Lord was an ever-faithful Spouse, moved by limitless mercy.
The holy venerable martyr Andrew of Crete was a priest who defended the cult of the holy icons with great vigor during the persecution under the emperor Copronymus. He attacked the emperor publicly in church saying, “You would do better, O King, to look to the work of the army and the governing people, than to the persecuting of Christ and his servants.” He was attacked and killed by a man with an ax in 767.
As we celebrate the memory of Your prophet Hosea, O Lord, we implore You to save our souls through his prayers.
Trained in asceticism on the mountain, you were able to defeat the devil’s assaults by the power of the Cross, O all-blessed one. With great courage, you faced the battle and crushed the emperor Copronymus with the sword of faith. O glorious venerable martyr Andrew, God crowned you for your asceticism and your good fight.
With sure steps, you followed the commands of the Lord, and you were filled with the Holy Spirit, O prophet Hosea. You received the gift of prophecy and you spoke daringly to Israel, who sought a speedy coming of Christ. You converted those who strayed from the path of justice and set them on the road to the heavenly Jerusalem. Now you stand within that city and implore the Lord, praying without ceasing for us all.
Today Constantinople, Capital of the Byzantine Empire, celebrates the brightest feast of your light-bearing memory and calls all cities and countries to participate. It rejoices in that it holds a great treasure: your body which sustained so many struggles, O holy martyr Andrew, light of Orthodoxy!
Philippians 1:27 – 2:4
Brothers and sisters: Conduct yourselves, then, in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. If you do, whether I come and see you myself or hear about your behavior from a distance, it will be clear that you are standing firm in unity of spirit and exerting yourselves with one accord for the faith of the gospel. Do not be intimidated by your opponents in any situation. Their opposition foreshadows downfall for them, but salvation for you. All this is as God intends, for it is your special privilege to take Christ’s part-not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. Yours is the same struggle as mine, the one in which you formerly saw me engaged and now hear that I am caught up.
In the name of the encouragement you owe me in Christ, in the name of the solace that love can give, of fellowship in spirit, compassion, and pity, I beg you: make my joy complete by your unanimity, possessing the one love, united in spirit and ideals. Never act out of rivalry or conceit; rather, let all parties think humbly of others as superior to themselves, each of you looking to others’ interests rather than to his own.
Luke 9: 12-18
As sunset approached the Twelve came and said to Jesus, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go into the villages and farms in the neighborhood and find themselves lodging and food, for this certainly is an out-of-the-way place.” Jesus answered them, “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?” They replied, “We have nothing but five loaves and two fish. Or shall we ourselves go and buy food for all these people?” (There were about five thousand men.) Jesus said to his disciples, “have them sit down in groups of fifty or so.” They followed his instructions and got them all seated. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced a blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to his disciples for distribution to the crowd. They all ate until they had enough. What they had left, over and above, filled twelve baskets. Jesus went to pray in seclusion and his disciples were with him.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Thursday, October 16 –
