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| Old Style
April 30
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Wednesday |
New Style
May 13
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5th Week after Pascha.
Tone 4.
Fast Day. |
 Fish, wine and oil allowed.
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Holy Apostle James, the brother of St. John the Theologian (44). 
Uncovering of the relics of St. Nicetas, recluse, of the Kiev Caves, bishop of Novgorod (1558). St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), bishop of the Caucasus and Stavropol (1867).
St. Donatus, bishop of Euroea in Epirus (ca. 387). Uncovering of the relics of Hieromartyr Basil, bishop of Amasea (4th c.). Martyr Maximus of Ephesus.
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of the Passion.”
Martyrs Eutropius and Estelle, of Saintes (Gaul) (3rd c.). St. Erconwald, bishop of London (ca. 693). St. Clement the Hymnographer, abbot, of the Studion (9th c.). New Martyr Argyra of Prusa, at Constantinople (1725).
Repose of Schema-abbess Martha (Protasieva) (1813), disciple of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), and Hieromonk Clement (Sederholm) of Optina Monastery (1878). Slaying of Priest Igor Rozin of Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia) (2001).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Wednesday. [Acts 13:13–24; John 6:5–14]
The disciples told the Lord to send the multitude away so they could buy themselves food in the villages; but the Lord said to them: They need not depart; give ye them to eat (Matt. 14:16). This preceded the miracle of feeding the five thousand people, beside women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fishes. Such an event, which had particular significance in the life of the Lord, offers also the following lesson. The multitude is an image of humanity, hungering and thirsting after the truth. When the Lord said to the apostles: give ye them to eat, by this He indicated in advance to them their future service to the human race—to feed it with the truth. The apostles did this for their times; in subsequent times they passed this service on to the pastorate which succeeded them. The Lord’s words extend to the present pastorate as well: Give ye them to eat. And the pastorate should keep this obligation in their conscience—to feed the people with the truth. In church there should be unceasing preaching of the word of God. What sort of pastors are silent pastors? And yet they are often silent—silent beyond measure. But it is impossible to say that this has occurred because there is no faith in their heart. It is just their misunderstanding, a bad habit. Nevertheless, this is no justification.