The holy martyrs Akindynos, Pegasius, Apthonius, Elpidiphor, and Anempodistus, and very many companions in Persia were martyred under the emperor Licinius and suffered under King Shapur II. The first three were servants at the court of King Shapur II but secretly served Christ their Lord. When they were accused and brought to trial before the king, he asked them where they came from. To this they replied: “Our fatherland and our life is the Most-holy Trinity, One in Essence and undivided, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God.” Elpidiphor was one of the king’s nobles. When he revealed that he was a Christian and denounced the king for his slaughter of innocent Christians, the king condemned him to death and Elpidiphor was beheaded along with seven thousand other Christians in the year 335.
O passion-bearers of the Lord, blessed is the earth which has drunk your blood, and holy are the tombs which have received your bodies. In the furnace you conquered the foe and preached Christ. Intercede with the gracious Lord to save our souls.
The pious and God-bearing martyrs, who gave up all things on earth – Akindynos, Pegasius and Anempodistus, and with them Apthonius and Elpidiphorus – you delightfully received good things of God and into rest, O You Who alone are all-good.
2 Corinthians 11: 1-6
Brothers and sisters: You must endure a little of my folly. Put up with me, I beg you! I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God himself, since I have given you in marriage to one husband, presenting you as a chaste virgin to Christ. My fear is that, just as the serpent seduced Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted and you may fall away from your sincere and complete devotion to Christ. I say this because, when someone comes preaching another Jesus than the one we preached, or when you receive a different spirit than the one you have received, or a gospel other than the gospel you accepted, you seem to endure it quite well. I consider myself inferior to the “super-apostles” in nothing. I may be unskilled in speech but I know that I am not lacking in knowledge. We have made this evident to you in every conceivable way.
Luke 9: 1-6
At that time Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them the power and authority to overcome all demons and to cure diseases. He sent them forth to proclaim the reign of God and heal the afflicted. Jesus advised them: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking staff nor traveling bag; no bread, no money. No one is to have two coats. Stay at whatever house you enter and proceed from there. When people will not receive you, leave that town and shake its dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, spreading the good news everywhere and curing diseases.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Friday, November 1 –
