Martyr Callinicus of Gangra, in Asia Minor (ca. 250).
Virgin-martyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch (117-138). Martyr Theodota and her three sons, in Bithynia (ca. 304). Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta, Georgia (589) (Груз.). Sts. Constantine and Cosmas, abbots, of Kosina (Stara Rus) (13th c.). St. Romanus, founder of Kirzhach Monastery, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1392). Martyr Daniel Kushnir of Mlievich (Ukraine) (1766).
New Hieromartyrs Seraphim (Bogoslovsky) and Theognostus (Pivovarov), hieromonks of a skete at Kyzyl-Zharskoe (Kazakhstan) (1921). New Hieromartyr Anatole (Smirnov), hieromonk and hermit of the Caucasus Mountains, Abkhazia (1930-1935). New Hieromartyr Pachomius (Rusin), hieromonk, of Alma Ata (Kazakhstan) (1938).
Nativity of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (3rd. c.). St. Theodosius the Younger, emperor (450). St. Lupus the Confessor, bishop of Troyes (Gaul) (479). St. Constantine I, patriarch of Constantinople (676). St. Olaf, king of Norway (1030). Hieromartyr Bessarion of Smolyan, Bulgaria (1670).
Repose of Archpriest Georges Florovsky (1979).
Tuesday. [II Cor. 2:14-3:3; Matt. 23:23-28]
Cleanse the inner so the outer will be
clean. Our outer behaviour in society is almost always
proper—we fear the judgment of people and restrain
ourselves. If outwardly we give ourselves over to vices,
it is already a most serious affair; it means that all
shame is lost. But when one’s visible behaviour is
proper, the inner tenor of thoughts and feelings is not
always proper. Here self-pleasure is given complete
freedom which is outwardly complied with as far as human
eye can bear it and as far as it can hide its deeds from
human sight. This is precisely a whited sepulchre.
Furthermore, inner uncleanness makes what is on the
outside unclean. Cleanse yourself inwardly, and then the
exterior will become clean, and you will be all clean, you
will be made a vessel which is fit for all good uses of a
householder. One must marvel at how the inside remains
neglected; for indeed, nobody wants perdition. Truly the
enemy keeps such a soul in a blindness—[he says]
that there is no problem as long as there are no obvious
sins, or he teaches the soul to put off this important
thing until tomorrow. “Tomorrow we will work
seriously on ourselves, as one ought; but now let my soul
take some pleasure in passionate thoughts and dreams, if
not deeds.” Let us be on our guard that we might not
grow old in such a frame of mind, so that correction for
us will not become impossible, like teaching an old man
new things.