Forefeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. St. Gregory of Decapolis (816). St. Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople (446-447).
Martyr Dasius of Dorostolum in Moesia (284-305). Martyrs Eustace, Thespesius, and Anatolius, of Nicaea (312). Hieromartyr Nerses, bishop of Shahrqart (Kirkuk), and his disciple Martyr Joseph, and those martyred with them in Persia: Hieromartyrs John, Shapur, and Isaac, bishops of Seit Selok; Martyrs Guhshtazad, eunuch, Mari, Sasan, Tima, Noah, and Zaun, of Lashom; and Bautha, Denachis, Thecla, Dinaq, Tatun, Mama, Mazakya, Ana, Abyat, and Hatay (343). Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk (1633). St. Parasceva (Rodimtseva), abbess of Toplovsky Convent (Simferopol) (1928).
New Hieromartyrs Macarius (Karmazin), bishop of Dnepropetrovsk, Arsenius (Dmitriev), abbot, of the Tikhvin Monastery, Eutychius (Kachur), abbot, of the St. Marcian Skete (Ukraine), and Hilarion (Pisarets), hieromonk of Glinsk Hermitage (1937). New Nun-martyr Ioannikia (Kozhevnikova), abbess of the Convent of the Entry of the Theotokos (Tikhvin) (1937).
St. Isaac, bishop of Armenia (440). St. Theoctistus the Confessor, of Constantinople (855). Martyr Edmund, king of East Anglia (869). St. Sozomen of Cyprus (12th c.).
Saturday. [Gal. 3:8-12; Luke 9:57-62]
No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God. That is, he who thinks to be saved while glancing
back at what he should abandon for the sake of his
salvation, is not being saved, is not walking, is not
directed toward the Kingdom of God. It is necessary to
destroy once and for all everything that is not compatible
with the work of salvation. Those who think to be saved
see this themselves, but they always put off parting with
certain attachments until tomorrow… To suddenly
break with everything is too great a sacrifice. They want
to give things up in a leisurely fashion, to not stand out
in front of others—but they almost always fail. They
introduce salvific routines, while the dispositions of
their heart remain as before. At first the incongruity is
very sharp: but “tomorrow,” and their promises
of change shut the mouth of their conscience. In such a
manner, with everything tomorrow— always
tomorrow—the conscience grows tired of saying the
same thing over and over, and at last, falls silent. Here
thoughts start to come that things can be left this way.
These thoughts strengthen, and then are established
forever. An exterior which is outwardly proper is formed,
with inner improperness. This is a whited sepulchre before
the eyes of God. The worst thing is that the conversion of
this sort of person is as difficult as the conversion of
those who have become hardened in open sins, if not more
difficult… Meanwhile, this person thinks that
everything is fine.