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.
O holy Apostle Quadratus, intercede with the merciful God that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sin.
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.
1 Corinthians 1: 26-29
Brothers and sisters, you are among those called. Consider your situation. Not many of you are wise, as men account wisdom; not many are influential; and surely not many are well-born. God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong. He chose the world’s lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something; so that mankind can do no boasting before God.
John 8: 21-30
The Lord said to the people coming to him: “I am going away. You will look for me but you will die in your sins. Where I am going you cannot come.” At this some of the Jews began to ask, “Does he mean he will kill himself when he claims, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
Jesus went on: “You belong to what is below; I belong to what is above. You belong to this world–a world which cannot hold me. That is why I said you would die in your sins unless you come to believe that I AM.”
“Who are you, then?” they asked him. Jesus answered: “What I have been telling you from the beginning. I could say much about you in condemnation, but no, I only tell the world what I have heard from him, the truthful One who sent me.” They did not grasp that he was speaking of the Father. Jesus continued: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man you will come to realize that I AM and that I do nothing by myself. I say only what the Father has taught me, He has not deserted me since I always do what pleases him.” Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Friday, September 20 –
