Great-martyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia (4th c.).
St. Irenarchus, abbot, of Solovki (1628). St. Leonid, founder of Ust-Neduma Monastery (Vologda) (1654). Translation of the relics of St. Lazarus the Wonderworker, of Mt. Galesion near Ephesus. St. Timothy, fool-for-Christ, of Svyatogorsk, near Pskov (1563). Glorification (1996) and translation of the relics (2000) of St. Gabriel of Seven Lakes Monastery (Kazan) and Pskov-Eleazar Monastery (Pskov).
Martyrs Speratus and his companions: Nartzalus, Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Aquilinus, Laetantius, Januaria, Generosa, Vestia, Donata, and Secunda, at Scilli, near Carthage (180). Child-martyr Prince Kenelm of Wales (ca. 821). St. Euphrasius of Ionopolis, bishop (Gr. Cal).
Slaying of Bishop John (Bulin) of Pechersk (Pskov Caves) (1941).
Saturday. [Rom. 9:1-5; Matt. 9:18-26]
The woman with the issue of blood said:
If I may but touch His garment, (the Lord’s),
I shall be whole, and she received healing
according to her faith. We, the sensual, need physical
contact in order to receive intangible strength. The Lord
arranged things this way. His holy Church has a visible
structure. Its various parts embrace us and we touch them.
The power of God, found inside the Church, is received
through such contact by those who have a
receiver—faith, which says: “If I may but
touch, I shall be made whole.” The Church is the
body and garment of the Lord. The most visible parts,
which we touch, are the Divine Mysteries, particularly
baptism and Chrismation, the Sacrament of the Lord’s
Body and Blood in conjunction with the Sacrament of
confession. But contact with all the other aspects can
draw needed strength from the Lord, Who is everywhere. He
sees each person who does this, and says to his heart,
“Be bold, my child!” Free-thinkers,
antagonistic toward the external rites of the Church, thus
deprive themselves of the opportunity to enter into
contact with the inner, divine, all-animating power. This
is why they remain sick, and exhausting themselves with
the flow of vain thoughts and feelings, they dry up
spiritually and die.