The holy martyr Conon was brought up in the Christian Faith and baptized in the name of the All-holy and Life-giving Trinity by the Archangel Michael himself. Until his death, the archangel of God invisibly watched over him. Conon was illumined and empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that his heart was driven not by anything worldly but only by the spiritual and heavenly. When his parents forced him into marriage, the first evening he took a candle and placed it under a vessel and asked his bride: “Which is better, light or darkness?” She replied: “Light.” He began to talk to her about the Faith of Christ, and about the spiritual life as being far superior and more desirable than the physical. Afterward Conon converted his wife and her parents to the Christian Faith. Conon and his wife lived as brother and sister. Shortly thereafter, his wife and parents died, and he withdrew completely from this worldly life and devoted himself totally to prayer, fasting, and divine contemplation. He performed great miracles, through which he converted many to Christianity. He even compelled evil spirits to serve him. During a time of persecution, Conon was captured, tortured, and pierced throughout with knives. The sick anointed themselves with his blood, and they were healed. Afterward he lived for two more years in his town of Isauria. Conon lived and was martyred in the second century.

Troparion

With our hymn, let us praise Conon as a hard worker and a great martyr. He is a blessed sufferer who received authority over devils, so let us cry out to him: Beg Christ to save our souls.

Kontakion

Having lived an angelic life on earth in your purity, you were admitted to their company in heaven. You brought your parents to a knowledge of Christ and shed your blood to profess the one God in the Trinity. Pray unceasingly for all of us, O martyr Conon. 

Epistle

Hebrews 1: 1-12

    In the past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, he has spoken to us through his Son, who he has made heir of all things and through whom he first created the universe. The Son is the reflection of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of the Father’s being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

    To which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son; today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son”? And again, when he leads his first-born into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers flaming fire”; but of the Son, “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved justice and hated wickedness, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings.” And, “Lord, of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; all of them will grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, like a garment they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

Gospel

Mark 2:23- 3:5

    At that time Jesus was walking through standing grain on the sabbath, and his disciples began to pull off the heads of grain as they went along. At this the Pharisees protested: “Look! Why do they do a thing not permitted on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his men were hungry? How he entered God’s house in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the holy bread which only the high priests were permitted to eat? He even gave it to his men.” Then Jesus said to them: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

    Jesus returned to the synagogue where there was a man whose hand was shriveled up. They kept an eye on Jesus to see whether he would heal the man on the sabbath, hoping to be able to bring an accusation against him. Jesus addressed the man with the shriveled hand: “Stand up here in front!” Then he said to them: “Is it permitted to do a good deed on the sabbath– or an evil one? To preserve life– or destroy it?” At this they remained silent. Jesus looked around at them with anger, for he was deeply grieved that they had closed their minds against him. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man did so and his hand was perfectly restored.

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

St. Gerasimus first learned about the ascetic life while he was in the Egyptian Thebaid. He went to the Jordan and founded a community in which there were seventy monks. He instituted a special rule in his monastery: each monk spent five days a week in their cell weaving baskets and rush mats. They were never allowed to light a fire in their cells. Five days a week they ate only a little dry bread and a few dates. The monks were required to keep their cells open so that, when they went out, anyone could enter and take whatever they needed. On Saturdays and Sundays they gathered in the monastery church. They had a common meal with a few vegetables and a little wine. Each monk would then bring in and place at the feet of the abbot that which he made during the past five days. Each monk had only one robe. St. Gerasimus set the example to all. During Great Lent he did not eat anything except what he received in Holy Communion. Gerasimus attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council in 451. Although at the beginning Gerasimus leaned toward the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, he was a great defender and champion of Orthodoxy at the Council.

Troparion

Living a life angelic in fasting and powerful in prayer, a life unwavering in trials, unceasing in vigil, and temperate in all things, you astonished the angels and vanquished the legions of devils, O father Gerasimus. You gladden the hearts of the faithful, O blessed saint. The beasts were obedient to you for all of this. Since you have achieved a place of honor before the Lord, pray for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion

Inflamed with an exalted ideal, you preferred Jordan severity to worldly delights. Until the day you died, the wild animals listened to you; and they died of sorrow upon your grave, O father. Truly they praised you before God. Pray to Him, O father Gerasimus, and keep us in your holy memory. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 2:20- 3:20

The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.

So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said”

    “This one, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;

    This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.

The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame. 

Now the snake was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman,” Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I am naked, so I hid.” Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? The man replied, “The woman who you put here with me– she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”  

    Then the Lord God said to the snake: 

Because you have done this, cursed are you 

among all the animals, tame or wild;

On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;

They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.

To the woman he said:

I will intensify your toil in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.

Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

To the man he said: Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You shall not eat from it,

    Cursed is the ground because of you!

In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life.

Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you,

And you shall eat the grass of the field.

By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,

Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken;

For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living.

Proverbs

3: 19-34

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, established the heavens by understanding;

By his knowledge the depths are split, and the clouds drop down dew. 

My son, do not let these slip from your sight: hold deliberation and planning;

So will they be life to your soul, and an adornment for your neck.

Then you may go your way securely; your foot will never stumble;

When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. 

Do not withhold any goods from the owner when it is in your power to act. 

Say not to your neighbor, “Go, come back tomorrow, and  will give it to you,” when all the while you have it.

Do not plot evil against your neighbors, when they live at peace with you.

Do not contend with someone without cause, with one who has done you no harm. 

Do not envy the violent and choose none of their ways:

To the Lord the devious are an abomination, but the upright are close to him.

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling of the just he blesses;

Those who scoff, he scoffs at, but the lowly he favors. 

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

The Holy martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city og Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308. The brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, and Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, were comrades. After the martyric death of St. Theodore, they wound up in prison and by their preaching brought many of the pagans in prison with them to the Christian Faith. Saints Eutropius, Cleonicus, and Basiliscus were brought before the governor Asclepiodotus, they firmly confessed their faith in Christ before him. They were mercilessly beaten, so that their bodies were entirely bruised. On the morning of March 3, Saints Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified, but Basiliscus was left in prison. St. Basiliscus was executed on May 22 in the city of Komana. They beheaded  him and threw his body into a river, but Christian followers found his relics and buried them in a plowed field. Later at Komana a church was built and dedicated to St. Basiliscus. 

Troparion

O Lord our God, your holy martyrs have deserved the crown of immortality on account of their good fight. Armed with your strength, they have vanquished their persecutors and crushed Satan’s dreadful might. Through their supplications, O Christ our God, save our souls. 

Kontakion

This trinity of martyrs confessed the Holy Trinity before many nations. Undergoing their suffering of martyrdom, they have been presented to the angels. Today we are honoring them, celebrating their sacred and life-saving memory.

Readings for the day

Genesis 2: 4-19

    This the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens– there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the Lord God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground, but a stream was welling up out of the earth watering all the surface of the ground– then the Lord God formed the man out of dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 

    The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made grow every tree that was delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

    A river rises in Eden to water the garden; beyond there it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is google bdellium and lapis lazuli are also there. The name of the second river is the Gihon; it is the one that winds all through the land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it is the one that flows east of Asshur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

    The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. The Lord God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die. 

    The Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him. So the Lord God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever he called each living creature was then its name. 

Proverbs 3: 1-18 

My son, do not forget my teaching, take to heart my commands;

For many days, and years of life, and peace, will they bring you.

Do not let love and fidelity forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them in the tablet of your heart.

Then will you win favor and esteem before God and human beings. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely;

In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil;

This will mean health for your flesh and vigor for your bones. 

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce;

Then will your barns be filled with plenty, with new wine your vats will overflow.

The discipline of the Lord, my son, do not spurn; do not disdain his reproof;

For whom the Lord loves he reproves, as a father, the son he favors.

Happy the one who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding!

Her profit is better than profit in silver, and better than gold is her revenue;

She is more precious than corals, and no treasure of yours can compare to her. 

Long life is her right hand, in her left are riches and honor;

Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace;

She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, and those who hold her fast are happy.

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

The Hieromartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus. During a time of persecution against Christians under the impious emperor Licinius, St. Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling the pagans to abandon idolatry and turn to the true God. Sabinus, the governor of Cyprus, ordered Bishop Theodotus be arrested and brought to trial. The governor ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy, suspended from a tree, raked with sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. Five days later, St. Theodotus was brought to the governor, who presumed that after his tortures the bishop would prefer to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. Many witnessed the sufferings of the martyr. Astonished at the saint’s endurance and his divinely-inspired speech, they came to believe in Christ. Learning this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and throw the saint in prison. During the reign of St. Constantine the Great, freedom to confess their faith was given to all Christians, and among those set free from prison was St. Theodotus. The saint returned to Cyrenia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in about the year 326. 

Troparion

O holy priest-martyr Theodotus, you lent yourself to the apostles’ way of life and succeeded them on their throne. Inspired by God, you found the way to contemplation through the practice of virtue. Therefore, you became a perfect teacher of truth, fighting for the faith unto the shedding of your blood. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Kontakion

You dried up the sea of false belief and smashed the guile of the vicious idolatry by the true faith. Having become a heavenly holocaust, you feed the whole world on miracles. O sanctifying father Theodotus, beg Christ our God to have mercy on us. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 1:24 – 2:3

    Then God said: let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened: God made every kind if wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. 

        God created mankind in his image;

        In the image of God he created them;

        Male and female he created them.

    God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed– the sixth day.

    Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Proverbs 2: 1-22

My son, if you receive my words and treasure my command,

Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding;

Yes, if you call for intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice;

If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasure search her out,

Then will you understand the fear of the Lord; the knowledge of God you will find;

For the Lord give wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding;

He has success in store for the upright, in the shield of those who walk honestly,

Guarding the paths of justice, protecting the way of his faithful ones, 

Then you will understand what is right and just, what is fair, every good path;

For wisdom will enter your heart, knowing will be at home in your soul, 

Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you;

Saving you from the way of the wicked, from those whose speech is perverse.

From those who have left the straight paths to walk in the ways of darkness,

Who delight in doing evil and celebrate perversity;

Whose ways are crooked whose paths are devious;

Saving you from a stranger, from a foreign woman with her smooth words,

One who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;

For her path sinks down to death, and her footsteps lead to the shades.

None who enter there come back, or gain the paths of life.

Thus you may walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just. 

For the upright will dwell in the land, people of integrity will remain in it;

But the wicked will be cut off from the land, the faithless will be rooted out of it. 

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

Holy Monastic Martyr Eudoxia was a Samaritan, a native of the city of Heliopolis in Phoenicia. Eudoxia awoke one night at midnight and heard singing from the house of a Christian woman next to hers. A monk was reading from a book which described the Last Judgment, the punishment of sinners, and the reward of the righteous. The grace of God touched Eudoxia’s heart, and she grieved because of her great wealth and for her sinful life. This was a monk named Germanus, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Places to his own monastery. Eudoxia listened for a long time to the guidance of the Elder, and her soul was filled with joy and love for Christ. The Elder Germanus told her to give away her wealth and to forget her previous life. Eudoxia received holy Baptism from Bishop Theodotus of Heliopolis. She entered a monastery and took upon herself very strict acts of penitence. She was arrested and beheaded for the Faith under the emperor Trajan in the 2nd century. 

Troparion

You bound your soul to love of Christ by purity of heart, and you spurned perishable things as a disciple of the Word. You brought your senses under control by fasting, and then you shamed the enemy by enduring martyrdom. Because of this, Christ gave you a double crown, O glorious Eudoxia; therefore, beg Him to save our souls, O venerable martyr.

Kontakion

You fought a good fight by your sufferings, and you sanctify us after your death by miracles. We come with joy to your heavenly Church to celebrate. We beg you to deliver us from spiritual afflictions and to grace us with your miracles, O venerable Eudoxia. 

Readings for the day

Genesis 1: 14-23

    The God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate the day from night. Let them mark the seasons, the days, and the years, and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And so it happened: God made two great lights, the greater to govern the day, the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning followed– the fourth day.

    Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky. God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good, and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth. Evening came, and morning followed– the fifth day. 

Proverbs 1: 20-33

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice;

Down the crowded ways she calls out, at the city gates she utters her words:

“How long, you naive ones, will you love naivete,

How long will you turn away at my reproof? [The arrogant delight in their arrogance, and fools hate knowledge.] Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will acquaint you with my words:

‘Because I called and you refused, extended my hand and no one took notice;

Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored– 

I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom; will mock when terror overtakes you;

When terror comes upon you like a storm, and you doom approaches like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish befall you.’

Then they will call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me, but will not find me,

Because they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose.

They ignored my counsel, they spurned all my reproof;

Well, then, they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and with their own devices be glutted.

For the straying of the naive kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them. 

But whoever obeys me dwells in security, in peace, without fear of harm.”

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

St. Basil the Confessor was a monk and suffered during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian. When a persecution started against those who venerated holy icons, St. Basil and his companion St. Procopius of Decapolis were subjected to much torture and locked up in prison. Here both martyrs languished for a long while, until the death of the impious emperor. When the holy Confessors Basil and Procopius were set free along with other venerators of holy icons, they continued in their monastic struggles, instructing many in the Orthodox Faith and virtuous life. 

Troparion

You made the wilderness your dwelling, O father Basil, the bearer of God. You became an angel in the flesh and a wonderworker. Through fasts, vigils, and prayers, you obtained from God special graces to heal the sick and to sanctify the souls of those who come to you with trust. Glory to the One who gave you strength! Glory to the One who crowned you! Glory to the One who through your intercession grants healing to all!

Kontakion

Holy and wise father, when you received your calling from God, you left the troubles of this world and embraced the ascetic life. Most holy Basil, you received the graces of miracles and healing diseases.   

Genesis

1: 1-13

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth– and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters– 

Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed– the first day.

Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body from the other. God made the dome, and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened. God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed– the second day.

Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good. Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seeds in it. And so it happened: the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seeds in it. God saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning followed– the third day.

Proverbs

1: 1-19

The proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, king of Israel:

That people may know wisdom and discipline, may understand intelligent sayings; 

May receive instruction in wise conduct, in what is right, just, and fair;

That resourcefulness may be imparted to the naive; knowledge and discretion to the young.

The wise by hearing them will advance in learning, the intelligent will gain sound guidance,

To comprehend proverb and byword, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching;

A graceful diadem will they be for your head; a pendant for your neck.

My son, should sinners entice you,

Do not go if they say, “Come along with us! Let us lie in wait for blood, unprovoked, let us trap the innocent;

Let us swallow them alive, like Sheol, whole, like those who do down to the pit!

All kinds of precious wealth shall we gain, we shall fill our houses with booty;

Cast in your lot with us, we shall have one purse!”

My son, do not walk in the way with them, hold back your foot from their path!

For their feet run to evil, they hasten to shed blood.

In vain a net is spread right under the eyes of any bird –

They lie in wait for their own blood, they set a trap for their own lives.

This is the way of everyone greedy for loot: it takes away their lives. 

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

St. Procopius the Decapolite lived during the eighth century in the region of Decapolis, to the east of Lake Galilee. There he labored for his salvation, struggling in asceticism. St. Procopius, his fellow ascetic St. Basil, and others zealous for holy Orthodoxy rose up against the Iconoclast heresy of those times. By order of the emperor Leo the Isaurian, St. Procopius was arrested, subjected to a fierce scourging and thrown into prison. Here he languished together with St. Basil until the death of the oppressive emperor, after which the holy confessors were set free. St. Procopius lived the rest of his life in peace, guiding many on the way of virtue and salvation. 

Troparion

Your abundant tears made the wilderness bloom, and your suffering made your labors fruitful a hundredfold; you became a shining torch over the world. O venerable father Procopius, pray to Christ our God that He may save our souls.

Kontaktion

Today the church acknowledges you as a star before dawn, dispelling the darkness of error. Therefore, she honors you, O glorious Procopius, as one who contemplates heaven. 

Epistle

Romans 13:11- 14:4

    Brothers and sisters: It is now the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near. Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us live honorably as in daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

    Extend a kind welcome to those who are weak in faith. Do not enter into disputes with them. A man of sound faith knows he can eat anything, while one who is weak in faith eats only vegetables. The man who will eat anything must not ridicule him who abstains from certain foods; the man who abstains must not sit in judgment on him who eats. After all, God himself has made him welcome. Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? His master alone can judge whether he stands or falls. And stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 

Gospel

Matthew 6: 14-21

The Lord said, “If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you.

    “When you fast, you are not to look glum as the hypocrites do. They change the appearance of their faces so that others may see they are fasting. I assure you, they are already repaid. When you fast, see to it that you groom your hair and wash your face. In that way no one can see you are fasting but your Father who is hidden; and your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. 

    “Do not lay up yourselves an earthly treasure. Moths and rust corrode; thieves break in and steal. Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure, which neither moths nor rust corrode nor thieves break in and steal. Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” 

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