Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt (1908). Prophet Joel (800 b.c.). Martyrs Warus and seven others with him, in Egypt (ca. 307). First translation of the relics of St. John, founder of Rila Monastery in Bulgaria (1187).
Blessed Cleopatra (327) and her son John (320), in Egypt. Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth), bishop of Persia, and 128 martyrs with him (342). St. Anthony (Abashidze), schema-archbishop, of the Kiev Caves Lavra (1942).
New Hieromartyr Alexis Stavrovsky, priest, of Petrograd (1918).
St. Leontius the Philosopher, of St. Sabbas Monastery (624). St. Frideswide of Oxford, abbess (ca. 735). St. Prochorus, abbot, in the Vranski Desert on the river Pchinja in Bulgaria (10th c.). New Monk-martyr Nicholas Dvali of Jerusalem (1314). St. Gabriel, archimandrite, of St. Elias Skete, Mt. Athos (1901).
The Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost. [Gal. 2:16-20;
Luke 8:5-15]
The thorns and thistles which choke the
word of Divine truth, in addition to being riches,
pleasures and cares of this life, at the current time must
also be understood to be various false teachings, spread
by scholars who have lost the truth and have been knocked
off the path to it. Among us such theories differ much:
some publicly and openly go against the truth; others do
so by oblique hints that are nevertheless understood by
those toward whom they are directed. In essence they act
like carbon monoxide poisoning—they enter
unnoticeably, and cloud the head, leading to a loss of
clear consciousness of everything around. He who gets this
carbon monoxide poisoning begins to rave like one who is
asleep, for everything already appears to him entirely not
as it is, not as it appears to one who is in his right
mind. When you meet such a person you see that not only is
all truth is suppressed in him, but any feeling for the
truth is also stifled, and a lie has penetrated all the
components of his mind. How should one be? Do not listen
to these ravings or read them; and when they are
unwillingly heard or read, throw them out of your head.
When they are not thrown out—submit them to reason,
and they all will scatter like smoke.