Hieromartyr Myron, priest, of Cyzicus (250). St. Pimen, archimandrite, of Ugresh (1880).
Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius, and Callinicus (Coronatus), with others, of Bithynia (249-251). Martyr Patroclus of Troyes (Gaul) (270-275). Martyrs Paul and his sister Juliana, and Quadratus, Acacius, and Stratonicus, at Ptolemais in Syria (ca. 273). Martyrs Straton, Philip, Eutychian, and Cyprian, of Nicomedia (ca. 303). St. Alypius the Iconographer, of the Kiev Caves (ca. 1114). Blessed Theodoretus, enlightener of the Laps (Solovki) (1571). St. Philip, monk, of Yankov (Vologda) (1662).
“Svensk” and “Armatia” Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (1288).
Monk-martyr Macarius of Mt. St. Auxentius (768). Hieromartyr Jeroen, hieromonk, at Noordwijk (Neth.) (857). St. Elias the Younger, of Calabria (903). St. Tbeli Abuseridze of Khikhuni, Adjara (13th c.). New Monk-martyr Agapius, at Thermes, near Thessalonica (1752).
Repose of Schemanun Ardaliona of Ust-Medveditsky Convent (1864) and Schemamonk Onuphrius of Valaam (1912).
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.