Our venerable father and confessor Chariton was abbot in the Old Lavra near Bethlehem in Palestine during the 4th century. He was diligent in prayer and fasting, and founded many lavras in the desert before his falling asleep in the Lord in 362.

The holy martyr Wenceslaus, prince of the Czechs, was the leader of the Bohemians. He was trained in divine and human wisdom by his grandmother St. Ludmilla. He was severe toward himself but gentle in ruling his kingdom and merciful to the poor. He redeemed in large numbers pagan slaves about to be sold so that they might be baptized. After enduring many difficulties in ruling his subjects and in spreading the faith, he was betrayed by his brother Boleslaus and killed by assassins in a church in Old Boleslavia (modern-day Altbunzlau) in Bohemia in the year 929. 

The holy prophet Baruch was a disciple and faithful friend of the prophet Jeremiah. He foretold the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, and the coming of the Son of God on earth. It is held that he was killed by the Jews from Egypt, as was the prophet Jeremiah, in the seventh century before Christ. 

 

Troparion

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

 

Kontakion

O divinely minded Chariton, you found your delight in the monastic life. You conquered the passions of your body and increased in faith; you blossomed forth like the Tree of Life in the midst of paradise, O most blessed and holy father.  

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 5: 1-11

At that time as Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd pressed in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats moored by the side of the lake; the fisherman had disembarked and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the other belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a short distance from the shore; then, remaining seated, he continued to teach the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your net for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have been hard at work all night long and have caught nothing; but if you say so, I will lower the nets.” Upon doing this they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point. They signaled to their mates in the other boat to come and help them. These came, and together they filled the two boats until they nearly sank. 

At the sight of this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man.” For indeed, amazement at the catch they had made seized him and all his shipmates, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “So not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” With that they brought their boats to land, left everything, and became his followers.

Readings of the Venerable Fathers

Epistle

2nd Corinthians 4: 6-15

Brothers and sisters: God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts, that we in turn might make known the glory of God shining on the face of Christ. This treasure we possess in earthen vessels to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way possible, but we are not crushed; full of doubts, we never despair. We are persecuted but never abandoned; we are struck down but never destroyed. Continually, we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed. While we live we are constantly being delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh. Death is at work in us, but life in you. We have that spirit of faith which the Scripture says, “Because I believed, I spoke out.” We believe and so we speak, knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up along with Jesus and place both us and you in his presence. Indeed, everything is ordered to your great benefit, so that the grace bestowed in abundance may bring greater glory to God because they who give thanks are many.

 

Gospel

Luke 6: 17-23

At that time, coming down the mountain with the Twelve, Jesus stopped at a level to stretch where there were many of his disciples; a large crowd of people was with them from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coast of Tyre and Sidon, people who came to hear him and be healed of their diseases. Those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured; indeed, the whole crowd was trying to touch him because power went out from him which cured all. Then, raising his eyes to his disciples, he said: “Blest are you poor; the reign of God is yours. Blest are you who hunger; you shall be filled. Blest are you who are weeping; you shall laugh. Blest shall you be when men hate you, when they ostracize you and insult you and proscribe your name as evil because of the Son of Man. On the day they do so, rejoice and exult, for your reward shall be great in heaven.”

 

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

 

The holy martyr Callistratus was raised a Christian and became a soldier. Reported by one of his cohort as a believer, he was imprisoned and ordered to offer sacrifice to idols. He refused. He was repeatedly tortured and still remained faithful, so much so that forty-nine of his fellow soldiers came to believe in Christ. They were all killed by the sword in the year 304.

Our venerable father Nilus was the founder and hegumen of the Grottaferrata Monastery. He was of Greek origin and sought the holy life of conversation. He pursued abstinence, humility, and wandering. He was remarkable for his prophecy and his teaching of wisdom. He established the celebrated monastery of Grottaferrata according to the customs of the eastern Fathers. In his ninetieth year of life, he surrendered his spirit to God while praying in the year 1002. 

 

Troparion

Your martyrs, O Lord our God, in their struggles 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. 

 

Kontakion

You suffered deep wounds and received crowns from God. Pray to Christ for those who keep your dear memory alive, O great Callistratus, and you blessed martyrs who suffered with him. Pray also that Christ might give peace to His people and His flock, for He is the strength of the faithful.

 

Readings for the day

Epistle

1 Corinthians 10: 23-28

Brothers and sisters: “All things are lawful,” but not all are advantageous. “All things are lawful” –which does not mean that everything is constructive. No man should seek his own interest but rather that of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the market without raising any question of conscience. [Scripture says,] “The earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.” If an unbeliever invites you to his table and you want to go, eat whatever is placed before you, without raising any question of conscience. But if someone should say to you, “This was offered in idol worship,” do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who called attention to it and on account of the conscience issue–not your own conscience but your neighbor’s.

 

Gospel

Luke 4: 31-37

At that time Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, where he began instructing them on the sabbath day. They were spellbound by his teaching, for his words had authority.

In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, who shrieked in a loud voice: “Leave us alone! What do you want of us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.” Jesus said to him sharply, “Be quiet! Come out of him.” At that, the demon threw the man to the ground before everyone’s eyes and came out of him without doing him any harm. All were struck with astonishment, and they began saying to one another: “What is there about his speech? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave.” His renown kept spreading through the surrounding country. 

 

 

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

 

The holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. When it was time for his departure from this life, the Apostle John went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of St. John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. Each year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. 

 

Troparion

Beloved Apostle of Christ our God, hasten to deliver a people that lacks any other defense. He who accepted that you lay your head on His breast will also accept your prayer. Pray to Christ, O Theologian, that He may overcome the darkness of pagan nations, and beg that He grant us peace and abundant mercy.

 

Kontakion

O man of purity, who could describe your glory? Many are the miracles and healings you perform. Since you are a theologian and the beloved of Christ, intercede with Him for the salvation of our souls. 

 

Readings for the feast

Epistle

1 John 4: 12-19

Dearly beloved: No one has ever seen God. Yet if we love one another God dwells in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. The way we know we remain in him and he in us is that he has given us his Spirit. We have seen for ourselves, and can testify, that the Father has sent the Son as savior of the world. When anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Our love is brought to perfection in this, that we should have confidence on the day of judgment; for our relation to this world is just like his. Love has no room for fear; rather, perfect love casts out all fear. And since fear has to do with punishment, love is not yet perfect in one who is afraid. We, for our part, love because he first loved us. 

 

Gospel

John 19: 25-27; 21: 24-25

At that time near the cross of Jesus there stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciples whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, there is your son.” In turn he said to the disciple, “There is your mother.” From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care. 

It is the same disciple who is witness to these things; it is he who wrote them down and his testimony, we know, is true. There are still many other things that Jesus did, yet if they were written about in detail, I doubt there would be room enough in the entire world to hold the books to record them. 

Readings for the Day

Epistle

Ephesians 1: 7-17

Brothers and sisters: It is in Christ and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us. God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan he was pleased to decree on Christ, to be carried out in the fullness of time: namely, to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ’s headship.

In him we were chosen; for in the decree of God, who administers everything according to his will and counsel, we were predestined to praise his glory by being the first to hope in Christ. In him you too were chosen; when you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who had been promised. He is the pledge of our inheritance, the first payment against the full redemption of a people God has made his own, to praise his glory.

For my part, from the time I first heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the members of the church, I have never stopped thanking God for you and recommending you in my prayers. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, grant you a spirit of wisdom and insight to know him clearly. 

Gospel

Luke 4: 22-30

At that time, all who were present in the synagogue spoke favorably of Jesus; they marveled at the appealing discourse which came from his lips. They also asked, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Jesus said to them, “You will doubtless quote me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your own country the things we have heard you have done in Capernaum.’ But in fact,” he went on, “no prophet gains acceptance in his native place. Indeed, let me remind you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens remained closed for three and a half years and a great famine spread over the land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but to a widow of Zarephath near Sidon. Recall, too, the many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one was cured except Naaman the Syrian.”

At these words the whole audience in the synagogue was filled with indignation. They rose up and expelled him from the town, leading him to the brow of the hill on which it was built and intending to hurl him over the edge. But he went straight through their midst and walked away. 

 

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

Our venerable mother Euphrosyna was born to parents long childless, who brought her up in the Christian faith. She presented herself, in man’s clothing, to the abbot of a local monastery, who admitted her and placed her in the spiritual care of the monk Agapetus. After thirty-eight years of living the monastic life, her father visited the monastery. Just before her death, she identified herself to him. She fell asleep in the Lord and was buried in the monastery in the year 479.

 

Troparion

In you, O mother, the divine image was strictly preserved; taking up your cross, you followed Christ. You taught us by example how to spurn the flesh, for it passes away, and how to care for the soul, which is immortal. Therefore, O venerable Euphrosyna, your soul rejoices with the angels. 

 

Kontakion

When you longed for life in the highest, you turned away from the longest delight of the world. You put on the clothing of a man, all beautiful one, and abandoned your earthly betrothed for Christ your Bridegroom before the time. 

 

Epistle

Ephesians 1: 1-9

Paul, by the will of God an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the holy ones [at Ephesus], believers in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens! God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love; he likewise predestined us through Christ Jesus to be his adopted sons — such was his will and pleasure — that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved. 

It is in Christ and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us. God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan he was pleased to decree in. Christ. 

 

Gospel

Luke 4: 16-22

At that time Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been reared, and entering the synagogue on the sabbath as he was in habit of doing, he stood up to do the reading. When the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, he unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it is written: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.”

Rolling up the scroll he gave it back to the assistant and sat down. All in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on Jesus. Then he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” All who were present spoke favorably of him; they marveled at the appealing discourse which came from his lips.

 

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

 

The holy martyr Thecla, first among women and equal to the Apostles, was converted to the faith by the preaching of the Apostle Paul when he came to Iconium with Barnabas. Thecla became a follower of Paul, and went with him to Antioch. She settled in a solitary place near Seleucia, and was martyred in the year 51 by the local physicians who were jealous over her gifts of healing. 

 

Troparion

O bride of God, Thecla, you were instructed by the words of Paul, you were made firm in the faith by Peter. You were revealed a protomartyr called by God among women and the first woman to suffer. You walked into the flames as into a flowering garden; the beasts and the brutes were frightened of you, for you were armed with the cross. O all-praiseworthy Thecla, pray to Christ God to save our souls. 

 

Kontakion

You were radiant with the goodness of virginity and you were adorned with the crown of martyrdom. You were entrusted with the work of the apostles, O Virgin Thecla, for you are most glorious since you transformed the flames of the fire into dew. Through your prayers, you tamed the anger of the youth, for you were the first woman to suffer martyrdom. 

 

Epistle

Galatians 6: 2-10

Brothers and sisters: Help carry one another’s burdens; in that way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he amounts to something, when in fact he is nothing, he is only deceiving himself. Each man should look to his conduct; if he has reason to boast of anything, it will be because the achievement is his and not another’s. Everyone should bear his own responsibility.

The man instructed in the word should share all he has with his instructor. Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what he sows. If he sows in the field of the flesh, he will reap a harvest of corruption; but if he seed-ground is the spirit, he will reap everlasting life. Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men-but especially those of the household of the faith. 

 

Gospel

Luke 4: 1-15

At that time Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was conducted by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by the devil. During that time he ate nothing, and at the end of it he was hungry. The devil said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread.” Jesus answered him, “Scripture has it, ‘Not on bread alone shall man live.’”

Then the devil took Jesus up higher and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all this power and glory of these kingdoms; the power has been given to me and I give it to whomever I wish. Prostrate yourself in homage before me, and it shall all be yours.” In reply, Jesus said to him, “Scripture has it, ‘You shall do homage to the Lord your God; him alone shall you adore.’”

Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem, set him on a parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for Scripture has it, ‘He will bid his angels watch over you’; and again [it says] ‘With their hands they will support you, that you may never stumble on a stone.’”

Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

When the devil had finished all the tempting he left him, to await another opportunity. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. He was teaching in their synagogues, and all were loud in his praise.

 

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

 

The holy martyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope, strengthened the faithful by his example and words as bishop, and brought many to the true faith. The governor of the province had him seized and tortured, and then killed him by throwing him into boiling water. He died during the reign of the emperor Trajan in 103.

The holy prophet Jonah, son of Amathi, by whose name a book of the Old Testament is called. Jonah’s famous passage from the belly of the whale is told as a sign of the resurrection of the Lord in the Gospel.

Our venerable father Jonah the priest was the father of Theophane the Hymnographer and Theodore the Artist. He was a wonder-worker who died in the monastery of St. San as the Sanctified in the 9th century. 

 

Troparion – Phocas

You shared in the apostles’ way of life and succeeded to their throne, divinely inspired Bishop. You found access to contemplation in the active life. Therefore, you rightly taught the word of truth and struggled for the faith to the shedding of your blood. O Priest-Martyr Phocas, pray to Christ our God to save our souls. 

 

Troparion – Prophet

As we celebrate the memory of your prophet Jonah, O Lord, we implore you to save our souls through his prayers 

 

Kontakion – Phocas

As a bishop you offered the sacrifice, O father, and at the end of your life you offered yourself. You gave witness to Christ God before the law, strengthened by angels and ready for death. Be ever with those who sing to you: Be with us, Phocas, and never against us.

 

Kontakion – Prophet

You accepted God‘s decree and became a marvelous prophet. You remained in the whale for three days as an image of the third day Resurrection. You left the whale unharmed. You were a confessor of the faith in the great city of Nineveh. For all of this we pray to you, Jonah, as a type of Christ God who loves mankind.

 

Epistle

Galatians 4:28 – 5:10

Brothers and sisters: You are children of the promise, as Isaac was. But just as in those days the son born in nature’s course persecuted the one whose birth was in the realm of the spirit, so do we find it now. What does Scripture say on the point? “Cast out slave girl and son together; for the slave girl’s son shall never be heir on equal terms with the son” of the one born free. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave girl but of a mother who is free.

It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm, and so not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time! Pay close attention to me, Paul, when I tell you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no use to you! I point out once more to all who receive circumcision that they are bound to the law in its entirety. Any of you who seek your justification in the law have severed yourselves from Christ and fallen from God’s favor! It is in the spirit that we eagerly await the justification we hope for, and only faith can yield it. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor the lack of it counts for anything; only faith, which expresses itself through love. 

You were progressing so very well; who diverted you from the path of truth? Such enticement does not come from him who calls you. “A little yeast can affect the entire dough.” I trust that, in the Lord, you will not adopt a different view. May condemnation fall on whoever it is that is unsettling you.

 

Gospel

Luke 3: 19-22

At that time, Herod the tetrarch was censured by John on the subject of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all his other crimes. He added to his guilt by shutting John up in prison.

When all the people were baptized, and Jesus was at prayer after likewise being baptized, the skies opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the visible form like a dove. A voice from heaven was heard to say: “You are my beloved Son. On you my favor rests.”

 

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

 

The holy apostle Quadratus of Magnesia of Greece, was a disciple of the Apostles. It is told that he, by his faith and diligence, gathered together the Church, which had been scattered by terror in the persecution of Hadrian the emperor. He also presented a book in defense of the Christian religion, worthy of the apostolic teaching, to that same emperor. 

 

Troparion

O holy Apostle Quadratus, intercede with the merciful God that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sin.

 

Kontakion

O Lord, the world offers You the apostle Quadratus, a precious hierarch and a courageous sufferer. The world honors his honorable memory with hymns, asking always remission for its sins through his intercession, O merciful Lord.

 

Epistle

Galatians 2: 16-20

Brothers and sisters: 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. But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we are shown to be sinners, does that mean that Christ is encouraging sin? Unthinkable! If, however, I were to build up the very things I had demolished, I should then indeed be a transgressor. It was through the law that I died to the law, to live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

 

Gospel

Mark 8: 34b-38, 9:1

The Lord said, “If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross and follow in my steps. Whoever would preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will preserve it. What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process? What can a man offer in exchange for his life? If anyone in this faithless and corrupt age is ashamed of me and my doctrine, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”

He also said to them: “I assure you, among those standing here there are some who will not taste death until they see the reign of God established in power.”

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

The holy martyr Eustace was a Roman military leader in the time of the emperors Titus and Trajan. He was a righteous and merciful pagan. One day while hunting, he found a stag. In the stag’s antlers, a cross appeared, and Eustace heard a voice telling him to find a Christian priest and be baptized. He and his whole family were baptized, and then left Rome for Egypt on their way to Jerusalem. On the journey, they were all separated. Years later, they found each other again only to be martyred after confessing for Christ in front of the emperor Hadrian. 

The holy martyr Prince Michael of Chernigov was a sickly child who was known for his great piety. In his youth he was healed by the intercession of St. Nikeras the Stylite of Pereyaslavl. When the Mongol horde invaded and conquered the area in 1240, Prince Michael and his counselor Theodore went to meet the Mongol khan. A pagan priest demanded the two worship fire before their meeting, but the saints refused. They had come prepared to confess for Christ. Prince Michael was beaten and beheaded. The Mongols promised Theodore great honor if he participated in a pagan ritual, but he steadfastly refused, and followed the path of his prince. He too was beheaded. The confessors’ unwavering faith impressed the khans so much so that they no longer required the conquered Russians to perform any pagan rituals. 

Troparion – martyrs 

Your martyrs, O Lord our God, in their struggles received incorruptible crowns from You. Armed 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 – confessor

Having completed your life as martyrs, having been adorned with the crowns of confessors flowing up to the heavens, O wise Michael, pray to Christ our God to protect your country according to his great mercy. 

Kontakion – martyr

O holy Eustace, you were an imitator of Christ in His passion. You drank of His cup with courage and thereby became a sharer of His glory, receiving divine forgiveness from on high from the God of all. 

Kontakion – confessors

Perceiving an earthly kingdom as nothing and having abandoned passing glory, you came to the labor of voluntary ascetic effort. You preached the Trinity to the impure torturers, O passion-bearer Michael and brave Theodore. Standing before the King of Powers, pray to protect your country without harm, and for us who venerate you unceasingly. 

Epistle

1 Corinthians 4:17 – 5:5

Brothers and sisters: I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, just as I teach them in all the churches. Some have grown full of self-importance, thinking that I will not come to you. But I shall come to you soon, the Lord willing, and find out, not what they say, but what they can do. The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. Which do you prefer, that I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit?

It is actually reported that there is lewd conduct among you of a kind not even found among the pagans-a man living with his father’s wife. Still you continue to be self-satisfied, instead of grieving, and getting rid of the offender! As for me, though absent in body I am present in spirit, and have already passed sentence in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ on the man who did this deed. United in spirit with you and empowered by our Lord Jesus, I hand him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Gospel

Matthew 24: 1-13

At that time Jesus left the temple precincts, and his disciples came up and pointed out to him the buildings of the temple area. His comment was: “Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, not one stone will be left on another–it will all be torn down.” While he was seated on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said: “Tell us, when will all this occur? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?”

In reply Jesus said to them: “Be on guard! Let no one mislead you. Many will come attempting to impersonate me. ‘I am the Messiah!’ they will claim, and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Do not be alarmed. Such things are bound to happen, but that is not yet the end. Nation will rise against nation, one kingdom against another. There will be famine and pestilence and earthquakes in many places. These are the early stages of the birth pangs. They will hand you over to torture and kill you. Indeed, you will be hated by nations on my account. Many will falter then, betraying and hating one another. False prophets will rise in great numbers to mislead many. Because of the increase of evil, the love of most will grow cold. The man who holds out to the end, however, is the one who will see salvation.”

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