Hieromartyr Cyprian and Virgin-martyr Justina, of Antioch, and with them Martyr Theoctistus, at Nicomedia (304). Blessed Andrew, fool-for-Christ, of Constantinople (911). St. Theodore Ushakov, admiral of the Russian Navy (1817).
Martyrs David and Constantine, princes of Argveti, Georgia (740) (Груз.). St. Anna, princess of Kashin (Euphrosyne in monasticism) (1368). St. Cassian the Greek, monk, of Uglich (1504). Blessed Cyprian of Suzdal, fool-for-Christ (1622).
St. Damaris of Athens (1st c.). Hieromartyr Leodegarius (Leger), bishop of Autun (679). Great-martyr Theodore (Gavra) of Atran in Chaldia of Pontus (1180). New Martyr Hadji George of Philadelphia in Asia Minor (1794).
Repose of Hieroschemamonk Theodosius of Karoulia, Mt. Athos (1937), Monk Roman the Soldier, of Valaam (1994), and Schema-archimandrite Alexander (Vasiliev) of the Pskov Caves Monastery (1998).
Thursday. [Phil 1:20-27; Luke 6:12-19]
And He continued all night in prayer
to God. Here is the foundation and beginning of
Christian all-night Vigils. A prayerful heat chases away
sleep, and exhilaration of the spirit does not allow one
to notice the passing of time. True men of prayer do not
notice this; it seems to them that they had just begun to
pray, meanwhile day has already appeared. But until one
reaches such perfection, he must take on the labour of
vigils. Solitaries have borne this and bear it; cenobitic
monastics have borne this and bear it; reverent and
God-fearing laypeople have borne this and bear it. But
though vigil comes with difficulty, its fruit remains in
the soul, directly and constantly present—peace of
soul and contrition, with weakening and exhaustion of the
body. It is a state very valuable for those who are
zealous about prospering in the spirit! That is why in
places where vigils are established (on Athos), they do
not want to give them up. Everyone realizes how difficult
it is, but nobody has a desire to rescind this order, for
the sake of the profit which the soul receives from
vigils. Sleep, more than anything, relaxes and feeds the
flesh; vigils more than anything humble it. One who sleeps
abundantly is burdened by spiritual deeds and is cold
towards them; he who is vigilant is quick in movement,
like an antelope, and burns in the spirit. If the flesh
must be taught to be good, like a slave, then there is no
better way to succeed in this than through frequent
vigils. Here the flesh fully feels the power of the spirit
over it, and learns to submit to it; while the spirit
acquires the habit of reigning over the flesh.