The holy martyrs Adrian and Natalie were married in their youth for one year prior to their martyrdom. They lived in Nicomedia during the time of the emperor Maximian (305-311). The emperor promised a reward to anyone who would inform on Christians to bring them to trial. Then the denunciations began, and 23 Christians were captured in a cave near Nicomedia. They were tortured, urged to worship idols, and then brought before the Praetor, in order to record their names and responses. Adrian, the head of the praetorium, watched as these people suffered with such courage for their faith. Seeing how firmly and fearlessly they confessed Christ, he asked: “What rewards do you expect from your God for your suffering?” The martyrs replied: “Such rewards as we are not able to describe, nor can your mind comprehend.” St. Adrian told the scribes, “Write my name down also, for I am a Christian and I die gladly for Christ God.”
You saved a treasure of great wealth, the divine and true faith. Turning away from the foolish actions of your ancestors, you followed in the steps of the Master. You were enriched with the divine gifts, O glorious Adrian, and now we seek you to be generous to us.
O Adrian, martyr of Christ, you preserved in your heart the exhortations of your pious and devoted wife. Together with her, you accepted every kind of suffering and obtained the crown of victory.
Galatians 2: 11-16
Brothers and sisters: When Cephas came to Antioch I directly withstood him, because he was clearly in the wrong. He had been taking his meals with the Gentiles before others came who were from James. But when they arrived he drew back to avoid trouble with those who were circumcised. The rest of the Jews joined in his dissembling till even Barnabas was swept away by their pretense. As soon as I observed that they were not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I had this to say to Cephus in the presence of all: “If you who are a Jew are living according to Gentile ways rather than Jewish, by what logic do you force the Gentiles to adopt Jewish ways?”
We are Jews by birth, not sinners of Gentile origin. Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by legal observance but by faith in Jesus Christ, we too have believed in him in order to be justified by faith in Christ, not by observance of the law; for by works of the law no one will be justified.
Mark 5: 24-34
At that time a large crowd followed, pushing against Jesus. There was a woman from the area who had been afflicted with a hemorrhage for a dozen years. She had received treatment at the hands of doctors of every sort and exhausted her savings in the process, yet she got no relief; on the contrary, she only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and put her hand on his cloak. “If I just touch his clothing,” she thought, “I shall get well.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up and the feeling that she was cured of her affliction ran through her whole body. Jesus was conscious at once that healing power had gone out from him. Wheeling about in the crowd, he began to ask, “Who touched my clothing?” His disciples said to him, “You can see how this crowd hems you in, yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” Despite this, he kept looking around to see the woman who had done it. Fearful and beginning to tremble now as she realized what had happened, the woman came and fell in front of him and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, it is your faith that has cured you. Go in peace and be free of this illness.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Sunday, August 25 –
