Holy Prophet Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Forerunner (1st c.). Martyrdom of St. Athanasius, abbot, of Brest-Litovsk, by the Latins (1648).
Virgin-martyr Rhais of Alexandria (ca. 308). Martyrs Juventinus and Maximinus, soldiers, at Antioch (361-363). Martyrs Urban, Theodore, Medimnus, and 77 companions, at Nicomedia (370). Hieromartyr Abdas, bishop of Hormidz-Ardashir, and Martyrs Hormizd and Sunin, of Persia (ca. 420). Martyrdom of the Holy Passionbearer Gleb of Russia, in holy baptism David (1015). Martyrs Sarbelus (Thathuil) and his sister Bebaia, of Edessa (98- 138) (Gr. Cal).
New Hieromartyr Alexis (Belkovsky), archbishop of Great Ustiug (1937).
Appearance of Apostle Peter to Emperor Justinian at Athira, near Constantinople (6th c.).
Repose of Priest Hilarion Felea of Romania (1961).
Saturday. [I Cor. 10:23-28; Matt. 24:34-44]
Watch therefore; for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come. To be vigilant does not
mean to sit with your arms folded, but rather to keep in
mind that the Lord will suddenly come, to behave and
conduct your affairs so as to be ready to meet Him at any
instant, not fearing reproach and condemnation. How is one
to do this? Very simply. Walk in the commandments, not
breaking a single one; and if it happens that you break
one—immediately cleanse yourself through repentance
and its proper fulfilment. Then everything in you will be
clean. And do not leave sin on your soul for a minute;
immediately repent, weep in your heart and run to your
spiritual father to confess and receive absolution, and
then again take on deeds according to God’s
commandments. If you set out zealously to be proper in
life—you will soon become proper; just don’t
remain for long in a fall. Falls in such a case will
become ever rarer, and eventually will completely cease,
with the help of the all-healing grace of God. Then there
will dwell in you the joyful assurance that you will not
meet the Lord unprepared.
Friday. [Eph. 1:7-17; Mark 8:1-10]
Having filled four thousand with seven
loaves of bread, the Lord straightway entered into a
ship, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha as if
nothing particular was done. Such is the true doing of
good—to do it continually, not paying attention to
what has been done, and always forgetting what is past, to
stretch towards what is ahead. This comes naturally for
those who are filled with goodness. Just as a strong man
lifts heavy weights without noticing while a weak man who
has lifted up a small weight cannot seem to forget it, so
one who is strong in goodness does every good without
strain, whenever the occasion arises, while one who is
poor in goodness cannot manage without straining. He
remembers the good, and he keeps looking back and glancing
at it. A good heart craves to do good, and is not
satisfied until it has done good in abundance, as a man is
not satisfied until he has eaten his fill. While hunger is
felt, dinner is remembered, but when the hunger is
satisfied, all is forgotten: so with a truly good person a
good deed is remembered while it is not yet done; but once
it is done, it is forgotten.