The holy martyrs Terence and Neolina were husband and wife from Syria, who were martyred with their seven children for their witness to Christ.

Our holy father Stephen the Sabbaite was the author of many beautiful canons. He lived in the community of St. Sabbas the Sanctified, near Jerusalem. He later became bishop, and died peacefully in 807.

The holy martyr Paraskevia of Iconium lived during the persecution of Diocletian. Paraskevia took a vow of celibacy and lived her life doing good works for the poor and needy in the name of Christ. She was arrested and taken before the governor. He had her tortured, flogged, and then beheaded in the 4th century. 

 

Troparion – Martyrs

Your martyrs, O Lord our God, in their struggle received incorruptible crowns from You. With Your strength, they brought down the tyrants and broke the cowardly valor of demons. Through their prayers, O Christ our God, save our souls. 

 

Troparion – Stephen

Guide of Orthodoxy, mirror of piety snf exemplary behavior, bright star of the universe and adornment of monks, you enlightened us all by your teachings. O wise Stephen, inspired by God and lyre of the Holy Spirit, intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.

 

Troparion – Paraskevia

Wise and all-praised martyress of Christ Paraskevia, you received masculine strength and rejected feminine infirmity, conquering the devil and shaming the torturer, crying out and saying: O come cut my body with the sword and burn it with fire, for rejoicing I go to my Groom Christ. Through these prayers, O Christ God, save our souls. 

 

Kontakion – Martyrs

The honorable memorial of the martyrdom of Terence and his wife comes again today, filling us with joy as we gather to celebrate the feast. These two have received grace from the Holy Spirit to cure ills and heal our souls. 

 

Kontakion – Stephen

You planted a garden of virtues and watered it with your tears of repentance. Since you have found the Tree of Life, O all-glorious one , by your intercession save your flock from perdition and deliver from affliction those who honor you. O wise Stephen, we have chosen you in faith and love as our great intercessor. 

 

Kontakion – Paraskevia

You were offered the all holy and blameless torture, for a payment to the most pure, immortal Groom Christ, you gladdened a place in the angelic choir and you conquered the demonic snares. For this reason we honor you through faith, O Much-suffering Martyress Paraskevia.

 

Readings for Paraskevia

Epistle

2 Corinthians 6: 1-10

Brothers and sisters: As your fellow workers we beg you not to receive the grace from God in vain. For he says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you.” Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! We avoid giving anyone offense, so that our ministry may not be blamed. On the contrary, in all that we do we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God, acting with patient endurance amid trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, and riots; as men familiar with hard work, sleepless nights, and fastings; conducting ourselves with innocence, knowledge, and patience, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love as men with the message of truth and the power of God; wielding the weapons of righteousness with right hand and left, whether honored or dishonored; spoken of well or ill. We are called imposters, yet we are truthful; nobodies who in fact are well known; dead, yet here we are alive; punished, but not put to death; sorrowful, though we are always rejoicing; poor, yet we enrich many. We seem to have nothing, yet everything is ours!

 

Gospel

Luke 7: 36-50

At that time there was a certain Pharisee who invited Jesus to dine with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and reclined to eat. A woman known in the town to be a sinner learned that he was dining in the Pharisee’s home. She brought in a vase of perfumed oil and stood behind him at his feet, weeping so that her tears fell upon his feet. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissing them and perfuming them with the oil. When his host, the Pharisee, saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet he would know who and what sort of woman this is that touched him–that she is a sinner.” In answer to his thoughts, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to propose to you.” “Teacher,” he said, “speak.”

Jesus said, “Two men owed money to a certain money-lender; one owed a total of five hundred coins, the other fifty. Since neither was able to repay, he wrote off both debts. Which of them was more grateful to him?” Simon answered, “He, I presume, to whom he remitted the larger sum.” Jesus said to him, “You are right.”

Turning then to the woman, Jesus said to Simon: “You see this woman? I came to your home and you provided me with no water for my feet. She has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since I entered. You did not anoint my feet with perfume. I tell you, that is why her many sins are forgiven–because of her great love. Little is forgiven the one whose love is small.”

Jesus said to her then, “Your sins are forgiven”; at which his fellow guests began to ask among themselves, “Who is this that he even forgives sins?” Meanwhile Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has been your salvation. Now go in peace.”

 

Readings for the day

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 2:20 – 3:8

Brothers and sisters: You are our boast and our delight. That is why, when we could endure it no longer, we decided to remain alone at Athens and send you Timothy. He is our brother and God’s fellow worker in preaching the gospel of Christ, and so we sent him to strengthen and encourage you in regard to your faith lest any of you be shaken by these trials. You know well enough that such trials are our common lot. When we were still with you, we used to warn you that we would undergo trial; now it has happened, and you know what we meant. That is why I sent to find out about your faith when I could stand the suspense no longer, fearing that the tempter had put you to the test and all our labor might have gone for nothing. But no, brethren, since Timothy has returned to us from you reporting the good news of your faith and love, and telling us that you constantly remember us and are as desirous to see us as we are you, we have been much consoled by your faith throughout our distress and trial–so much so that we shall continue to flourish only if you stand firm in the Lord!

 

Gospel

Luke 11: 29-33

At that time while the crowds pressed around him, Jesus began to speak to them in these words: “This is an evil age. It seeks a sign. But no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was a sign for the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign for the present age. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment along with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. She came from the farthest corner of the world to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, but you have a great Solomon here. At the judgment, the citizens of Nineveh will rise along with the present generation, and they will condemn it. For at the preaching of Jonah they reformed, but you have a greater than Jonah here. One who lights a lamp does not put it in the cellar or under a bushel basket, but rather on a lampstand, so that they who come in may see the light.”

The holy martyr Nestor learned of Christianity from St. Demetrius the Great Martyr. Nestor was moved to defend Christians being tortured in the arena of Salonica, and defeated the brute gladiator who was killing the innocents. The emperor Maximian ordered Nestor to be beheaded in the year 306.

The holy martyr Capitolina was a noble and wealthy lady who divided all of her property among the poor, and freed her slaves. When she was arrested as a Christian and appeared before the magistrate, she confessed her faith in Christ. He ordered her to be thrown into prison, and she was beheaded the next day. Eroteis, who was Capitolina’s servant, picked up some stones and threw them at the magistrate. Outraged, he commanded his guards to beat her mercilessly with sticks. By the grace of Christ Eroteis remained unharmed. Then he ordered them to behead her with a sword. In this manner, both of these Saints, the lady and her servant, died by the sword, thereby winning imperishable crowns of glory from Christ in the year 304.

 

Troparion

You took up the power of the Divine Cross from the great Demetrius, O glorious one, and you set out against the giant. His awesome strength did not save him, for he was brought down by you. You were put to death for this, O martyr, but entered into the presence of Christ. O Nestor, pray for peace and mercy for us all.

 

Kontakion

Because you fought the good fight, you now inherited immortal glory; through the prayers of Demetrius the martyr, you became a perfect soldier of the Master. Therefore, O wise Nestor, do not cease to intercede together with Demetrius for us all.

 

Epistle

Ephesians 2: 4-10

Brothers and sisters: God is rich in mercy; because of his great love for us he brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin. By this favor you were saved. Both with and in Christ Jesus he raised us up and gave us a place in the heavens, that in the ages to come he might display the great wealth of his favor, manifested by his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. I repeat, it is owing to his favor that salvation is yours through faith. This is not your own doing, it is God’s gift; neither is it a reward for anything you have accomplished, so let no one pride himself on it. We are truly his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance. 

 

Gospel

Luke 8: 26-39

At that time when Jesus and his disciples came to the land of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee, they were met by a man from the town who was possessed by demons. For a long time he had not worn any clothes; he did not live in a house, but among the tombstones. On seeing Jesus he began to shriek; then the man fell at the feet of Jesus and exclaimed at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Son of God Most High, why do you meddle with me? Do not torment me, I beg you.” By now Jesus was ordering the unclean spirit to come out of the man. This spirit had taken hold of him many a time. The man used to be tied with chains and fetters, but he would break his bonds and the demon would drive him into places of solitude. “What is your name?” Jesus demanded. “Legion,” he answered, because the demons who had entered him were many. They pleaded with Jesus not to order them back to the abyss. It happened that a large herd of swine was feeding nearby on the hillside, and the demons asked Jesus to permit them to enter the swine. This he granted. The demons then came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd charged down the bluff into the lake, where they drowned. 

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they took to their heels and brought the news to the town and country roundabout. The people went out to see for themselves what had happened. Coming on Jesus, they found the man from whom the devils had departed sitting at the feet of Jesus dressed and in his full senses; this sight terrified them. They were told by witnesses how the possessed man had been cured. Shortly afterward, the entire population of Gerasene territory asked Jesus to leave their neighborhood, for a great fear had seized them; so he got into the boat and went back across the lake. 

The man from whom the devils had departed asked to come with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away with the words, “Go back home and recount all that God has done for you.” The man went all through the town making public what Jesus had done for him. 

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

The holy and great martyr Demetrius was born in Salonica of devout parents, and was a much-longed-for only child. Because of this he received an excellent education. Like his father, Demetrius became a soldier in the Roman army. The emperor Maximian appointed him to persecute Christians in Salonica, but Demetrius confessed his faith and preached Christ. He was cruelly martyred for his witness to the Lord. Since the 7th century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the burial place of St. Demetrius, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher” or Myroblyte. 

The Commemoration of the great and fearful earthquake in Constantinople, 740: In the time of the emperor Leo the Armenian, there was a terrifying and long-lasting earthquake in Constantinople. The people felt that it was punishment for their sins, and entreated the most holy Mother of God and St. Demetrius to intercede for them. 

 

Troparion

O Passion-bearer, the world has seen you as a defender of those imperiled and a conqueror of the nations. In cutting down the arrogance of Lyaeus, you bolstered Nestor by your courage. Therefore, O holy Demetrius, pray to Christ our God to grant us great mercy.

 

Troparion – Earthquake

O Christ our God, who look upon the earth, and it quakes: deliver us from the dreadful menace of earthquakes, and send down upon us Your rich mercies through the intercession of the Theotokos and save us.

 

Kontakion

With streams of your blood, O Demetrius, the God, who gives you invincible might, has dyed the Church in purple, and keeps your city unharmed, for you are its foundation. 

 

Readings for the saint

Epistle

2nd Timothy 2: 1-10

Timothy, my son: You must be strong in the grace which is ours in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses you must hand on to trustworthy men who will be able to teach others. Bear hardship along with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier becomes entangled in the affairs of civilian life; he avoids this in order to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if one takes part in an athletic contest, he cannot receive the winner’s crown unless he has kept the rules. The hardworking farmer is the one who should have the first share of the crop. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will make my meaning fully clear. 

Remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, was raised from the dead. This is the gospel I preach; in preaching it I suffer as a criminal, even to the point of being thrown into chains–but there is no chaining the word of God! Therefore I bear with all of this for the sake of those whom God has chosen, in order that they may obtain the salvation to be found in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. 

 

Gospel

John 15:27 – 16:2

The Lord said to his disciples: “The command I give you is this, that you love one another. If you find that the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own; the reason it hated you is that you do not belong to the world. But I chose you out of the world. Remember what I told you: no slave is greater than his master. They will harry you as they harried me. They will respect your words as much as they respected mine. All this they will do to you because of my name, for they know nothing of him who sent me. If I had not come to them and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; now, however, their sin cannot be excused.

“To hate me is to hate my Father. Had I not performed such works among them as no one has ever done before, they would not be guilty of sin; bit as it is, they have seen, and they go on hating me and my Father. However, this only fulfills the text in their law: ‘They hated me without cause.’ When the Paraclete comes, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father – and whom I myself will send from the Father – he will bear witness on my behalf. You must bear witness as well, for you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told all this to keep your faith from being shaken. Not only will they expel you from synagogues; a time will come when anyone who puts you to death will claim to be serving God!”

 

Readings for the day

Epistle

2 Corinthians 8: 1-5

Brothers and sisters, I should like you to know of the grace of God conferred on the churches of Macedonia. In the midst of severe trial their overflowing joy and deep poverty have produced an abundant generosity. According to their means – indeed I can testify even beyond their means – and voluntarily, they begged us insistently for the favor of sharing in this service to members of the church. Beyond our hopes they first gave themselves to God and then to us by the will of God. 

 

Gospel

Luke 8: 16-21

The Lord said, “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket or under a bed; he puts it on a lampstand so that whoever comes in can see it. There is nothing hidden that will not be exposed, nothing concealed that will not be known and brought to light. Take heed, therefore, how you hear: to the man who has, more will be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has.”

His mother and brothers came to be with him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He told them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

The martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, Notaries of Constantinople, served in a Constantinople cathedral. Marcian was a reader and Martyrius a subdeacon. They both performed in the capacity of notaries, i.e. secretaries, for Patriarch Paul the Confessor. Arian heretics expelled and secretly executed the righteous Patriarch Paul. His throne was given to the heretic Macedonius. The heretics attempted to entice Saints Marcian and Martyrius over to their side by flattery. They offered them gold and promised to consecrate them as archbishops, but all the efforts of the Arians were in vain. Then the impious threatened to slander them before the emperor, and sought to intimidate them with torture and death. But the saints steadfastly confessed Orthodoxy, as handed down by the Fathers of the Church. Marcian and Martyrius were sentenced to death and received their martyrs’ crowns in 355. 

 

Troparion

Two martyrs worthy of each other, Macian and Martyrius, have crushed the wickedness of Arius. Obeying Paul, teacher of truth, they taught that the Son is consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit. Thus, they died beneath the sword and were united to Christ. They intercede before Him for the salvation of our souls.

 

Kontakion

Since childhood you have been good champions, O wise Marcian and Martyrius. You vanquished the heretic Arius and preserved the true faith by following in Paul’s footsteps; therefore you deserved to be with him in eternal life. O Defenders of the Holy Trinity. 

 

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 2: 14-20

Brothers and sisters, you have been made like the churches of God in Judea which are in Christ Jesus. You suffered the same treatment from your fellow countrymen as they did from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. Displeasing to God and hostile to all mankind, they try to keep us from preaching salvation to the Gentiles. All this time they have been “filling up their quota of sins,” but the wrath has descended upon them at last.

Brethren, when we were orphaned by separation from you for a time – in sight, not in mind – we were seized with the greatest longing to see you. So we tried to come to you – I, Paul, tried more than once – but Satan blocked the way. Who, after all, if not you, will be our hope or joy, or the crown we exult in, before our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? You are our boast and our delight.

 

Gospel

Luke 11: 23-26

The Lord said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it wanders through arid wastes searching for a resting-place; failing to find one, it says, ‘I will go back to where I came from.’ It then returns, to find the house swept and tidied. Next it goes out and returns with seven other spirits far worse than itself, who enter in and dwell there. The result is that the last state of the man is worse than the first.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

The holy martyr Arethas was governor of the city of Nagran in Arabia. He and his 340 companions, in 523 during the time of the emperor Justinian, gave their lives for Christ under Dhu Nuwas or Dun’an, king of the Himayarites.

 

Troparion

Opposing the unbelieving king, after the example of Christ, this holy martyr reproached his lack of faith. He acted with courage, and suffered torture and death. For this the angels praise you, O Arethas, and those who suffered with you. All generations of the faithful bless you as a sure intercessor for our souls. 

 

Kontakion

The feast of the passion-bearers comes to us today as a herald of joy. Let us celebrate it and glorify the Lord on high.

 

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 2: 9-14

Brothers and sisters, you must recall our efforts and our toil: how we worked day and night all the time we preached God’s good tidings to you in order not to impose on you in any way. You are witnesses, as is God himself, of how upright, just, and irreproachable our conduct was toward you who are believers. You likewise know how we exhorted everyone of you, as a father does his children — how we encouraged and pleased with you to make your lives worthy of the God who calls you to his kingship and glory. That is why we thank God constantly that in receiving his message from us you took it, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God at work within you who believe. Brethren, you have been made like the churches of God in Judea which are in Christ Jesus. 

 

Gospel

Luke 11: 14-23

At that time Jesus was casting out a devil which was mute, and when the devil was cast out the dumb man spoke. The crowds were amazed at this. Some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.” Others, to test him, were demanding of him a sign from heaven.

Because Jesus knew their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid to waste. Any house torn by dissension falls. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? – since you say it is by Beelzebul that I cast out devils. If I cast out devils by Beelzebul, by whom do your people cast them out? In such case, let them act as your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you.

“When a strong man fully armed guards his courtyard, his possessions go undisturbed, But when someone stronger than he comes and overpowers him, such a one carries off the arms on which he was relying and divides the spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

The holy apostle James, the brother of God, called the Just One, was the first to rule the Church in Jerusalem as bishop. Paul testifies that he was among the witnesses of the Resurrection (cf 1 Cor. 15:7). St. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). In his thirty years as bishop, St. James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill St. James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. The saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. St. James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. 

 

Troparion

O righteous James, as a disciple of the Lord, you received the Gospel. As a martyr, you displayed an unyielding will. As a brother of the Lord, you have special power with Him. As a hierarch, you have the right of intercession. Intercede therefore with Christ God that He may save our souls. 

 

Kontakion

When at the completion of time God the Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father, came down to us, He established you, divine James, as the first shepherd and teacher of Jerusalem, a faithful steward of the spiritual mysteries; therefore we all honor you, O apostle. 

 

Readings for the saint

Epistle

Galatians 1: 11-19

Brothers and sisters: I assure you, the gospel I proclaimed to you is no mere human invention. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I schooled in it. It came by revelation from Jesus Christ. You have heard, I know, the story of my former way of life in Judaism. You know that I went to extremes in persecuting the Church of God and tried to destroy it; I made progress in Jewish observance far beyond most of my contemporaries, in my excess of zeal to live out all the traditions of my ancestors.

But the time came when he who had set me apart before I was born and called me by his favor chose to reveal his Son to me, that I might spread among the Gentiles the good tidings concerning him. Immediately, without seeking human advisers or even going to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, I went off to Arabia; later I returned to Damascus. Three years after that I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, with whom I stayed fifteen days. I did not meet any other apostles except James, the brother of the Lord. 

I declare before God that what I have just written is true. Thereafter I entered the regions of Syria and Cilicia. The communities of Christ in Judea had no idea what I looked like; they had only heard that “he who was formerly persecuting us is not preaching the faith he tried to destroy,” and they gave glory to God on my account. 

 

Gospel

Matthew 13: 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to his native place and spent his time teaching them in their synagogues. They were filled with amazement, and said to one another, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary known to be his mother and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? Aren’t his sisters our neighbors? Where did he get all this?” They found him altogether too much for them. Jesus said to them,” No prophet is without honor except in his native place, indeed in his own house.” And he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith. 

 

Readings for the day

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8

Brothers and sisters, You know well enough that our coming among you was not without effect. Fresh from the humiliation we suffered at Philippi – about what you know – we drew courage from our God to preach his good tidings to you in the face of great opposition.The exhortation we deliver does not spring from deceit or impure motives or any sort of trickery; rather, having met the test imposed on us by God, as men entrusted with the good tidings, we speak like those who strive to please God, “the tester of our hearts,” rather than men. 

We were not guilty, as you well know, of flattering words or greed under any pretext, as God is our witness! Neither did we seek glory from men, you or any others, even though we could have insisted on our own importance as apostles of Christ. 

On the contrary, while we were among you we were as gentle as any nursing mother fondling her little ones. So well disposed where we took you, in fact, that we wanted to share with you not only God’s tidings but our very lives, so dear had you become to us. 

 

Gospel

Luke 11: 9-13

The Lord said to his disciples: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.’ For whoever asks, receives, whoever seeks, finds; whoever knocks, is admitted. What father among you will give his son a snake if he asks for a fish, or hand him a scorpion if he asks for an egg? If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

The holy bishop Abercius, equal to the Apostles and wonder-worker lived in the 2nd century in Hieropolis in Phrygia. St. Abercius prayed to the Lord for the conversion of all the pagans living in the city. He was visited by an angel that told him to destroy the idols in the pagan temple. St. Abercius then went out and denounced the failings of pagans. There, the pagan tried to seize him. There were 3 youths possessed by demons among the crowd, and St. Abercius expelled them by his prayers. This amazed the crowd, and they asked him to instruct them on the Christian faith. After this the saint went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, he confirmed Christians in the Faith, he set the prodigal upon the righteous path, he healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Because of his great works, St. Abercius is termed “Equal of the Apostles.” St. Abercius returned home to Hieropolis, where he soon rested from his labors. After his death, many miracles took place at his tomb.

The seven holy children of Ephesus: During the persecution of the emperor Decius, even young soldiers refused to sacrifice to idols. Tradition says that their names were: Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus, and Antoninus. In the year 250 they concealed themselves in caves outside Ephesus, and the emperor had them sealed into the cave to kill them. In the reign of the Christian emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), there arose a dispute about the veracity of the Christian teaching on the resurrection of the dead. The youths awoke, testified to the true teaching, and one week later died in the year 45. 

 

Troparion – Abercius

You became a preacher of truth and a worker of miracles, a father of orphans and a support of the poor, a brave shepherd for your flock and a scourge to the demons. Protect those who cry out to you: O our father Abercius, pray to Christ our God that He may save our souls!

 

Troparion – Martyrs

The young men who were resplendent at Ephesus, numbering seven in the radiance of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, have transcended corruption throughout long years, despite death, in a manner that surpasses our understanding. They confirm our faith in the resurrection of all so clearly that the faithful cry aloud, “Glory to Him who kept you incorrupt! Glory to Him who raised you! Glory to Him who overthrew contrary things through your example!

 

Kontakion – Abercius

The Church of all the faithful honors you, Abercius, as a great priest, equal to the Apostles. Through your intercessions, keep this Church unconquered, undisturbed from all heresy and undefiled, O blessed father whom we praise for your countless miracles. 

 

Kontakion – Martyrs

You glorified Your saints on earth, O Christ, before Your second and awesome Coming. By raising the youths so gloriously, You manifested the resurrection to those who did not know it. Revealing the flesh and clothing incorrupt, You moved the emperor to cry aloud, “You are indeed the Resurrection of the dead!”

 

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 1: 6-10

Brothers and sisters: You became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word despite great trials, with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Thus you became a model for all the believers of Macedonia and Achaia. The word of the Lord has echoed forth from you resoundingly. This is true not only in Macedonia and Achaia; throughout every region your faith in God is celebrated, which makes it needless for us to say anything more. The people of those parts are reporting what kind of reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve him who is the living and true God and to await from heaven the Son he raised from the dead – Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. 

 

Gospel

Luke 11: 1-10

At that time Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we too forgive all who do us wrong; and subject us not to the trial.”

Jesus said to them: “If one of you knows someone who comes to him in the middle of the night and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come in from a journey and I have nothing to offer him’; and he from inside should reply, ‘Leave me alone. The door is shut now and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to look after your needs’ – I tell you, even though he does not get up and take care of the man because of friendship, he will do so because of his persistence, and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ‘Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.’ For whoever asks, receives, whoever seeks, finds; whoever knocks, is admitted.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

Our venerable father Hilarion the Great followed in the footsteps of St. Anthony , first leading a solitary life near Gaza. Then in this province of Cyprus, he was an outstanding founder and example of eremitical life. He fell asleep in the Lord in the year 372.

 

Troparion

Your abundant tears made the wilderness sprout and bloom, and your deep sigh made your labor fruitful a hundredfold. You became a star shining over the world with miracles, holy father Hilarion. Pray to Christ our God that He may save our souls. 

 

Kontakion

We gather today to sing hymns in your honor, O brilliant star who make shine the grace of God in our hearts. You were a Light to those in darkness and lifted up to heaven those who cry out, “Joy to you, Hilarion, model of hermits!”

 

Epistle

1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours.

We keep thanking God for all of you and we remember you in our prayers, for we constantly are mindful before our God and Father of the way you are proving your faith, and laboring in love, and showing constancy of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, too, brothers beloved of God, how you were chosen. Our preaching of the gospel proved not a mere matter of words for you but one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction. You know as well as we do what we proved to be like, when, while still among you, we acted on your behalf.

 

Gospel

Luke 10: 22-25

The Lord said, “Everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son–and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Turning to his disciples Jesus said to them privately: “Blest are the eyes that see what you see. I tell you, many prophets and kings wished to see what you see but did not see it, and hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com

 

The holy great martyr Artemius was Egyptian by birth. He was the commander-in-chief of the army of the emperor St. Constantine the Great. When the cross of the Lord appeared in the sky to the emperor, Artemius also saw it and came to faith. He was eventually appointed governor in Egypt. During the reign of the emperor Julian the Apostate, he was stripped of his rank and thrown into prison. The emperor had him cruelly killed in the year 392.

 

Troparion

Preserved in Christ by true belief, O passion-bearer, you overcame the tyrant king and his idol offerings. Because you rebuked that king, the Great King granted you a shining crown of victory and wondrous miracles of healing with which you cure all those who have recourse to you: O Artemius, pray to Christ our God to save our souls. 

 

Kontakion

Let us gather to sing worthy hymns in honor of Artemius, the pious and crown-bearing martyr who defeated his enemies: for he is great among the martyrs and generous in performing miracles, and prays to the Lord for all of us. 

 

Epistle

Galatians 6: 11-18

Brothers and sisters: See, I write to you in my own large handwriting! Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised are making a play for human approval–with an eye to escaping persecution for the cross of Christ. The very ones who accept circumcision do not follow the law themselves. They want you to be circumcised only that they may boast about your bodily observance.

May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through it, the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. It means nothing whether one is circumcised or not. All that matters is that one is created anew. Peace and mercy on all who follow this rule of life, and on the Israel of God. 

Henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear the brand marks of Jesus in my body. Brethren, may the favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

 

Gospel

Luke 16: 19-31

The Lord told this parable: “Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and linen and feasted splendidly every day. At his gate lay a beggar named Lazarus who was covered with sores. Lazarus longed to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. The dogs even came and licked his sores. Eventually the beggar died. He was carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man likewise died and was buried. From the abode of the dead where he was in torment, the rich man raised his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus resting in his bosom.

“He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue, for I am tortured in these flames.’ ‘My child,’ replied Abrahman, ‘remember that you were well off in your lifetime while Lazarus was in misery. Now he has found consolation here, but you have found torment. And that is not all. Between you and us there is fixed a great abyss, so that those who wish to cross from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross from your side to us.’

“‘Father, I ask you, then,’ the rich man said, ‘send him to my father’s house where I have five brothers. Let him be a warning to them so that they may not end in this place of torment.’ Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.’ ‘No, Father Abraham,’ replied the rich man. ‘But if someone would only go to them from the dead, then they would repent.’ Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if one should rise from the dead.’”

Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com