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December 23
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Thursday |
New Style
January 5
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29th Week after Pentecost.
Tone 3.
Рождественский пост. |
 Monastic rule: cooked food, no oil.
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Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompeius, Agathopus, Basilides, and Evaristus (250).
St. Niphon, bishop of Constantia on Cyprus (4th c.). St. Paul, bishop of Neo-Caesarea (4th c.). St. Theoctistus, archbishop of Novgorod (1310).
New Hieromartyrs Paul (Kratirov), bishop of Starobelsk (1932), and Macarius (Mironov), hieromonk, of Zavidovskaya Gorka (Tver), and John (Smirnov), hieromonk, of Bolshoye Mikhailovskoye (Tver) (1937).
St. David of Echmiadzin in Armenia (693). St. Egbert of Rathmelsigi (Neth.) (729). St. Nahum of Ochrid, enlightener of the Bulgarians (910).
Repose of Eldress Eudocia Rodionova of Leushino, fool-for-Christ (1886).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Thursday. [James 1:19-27; Mark 10:17-27]
Someone turned to the Lord with a question: Good Master, what shall I do that[mc1] I may inherit eternal life? What necessitated this question? Were there no scriptures? Was the law not read every Saturday for everyone? There was everything—both Scripture and its interpreters; but in society difference of opinion went around and muddled everyone. The Pharisees said one thing, the Sadducees another, the Essenes, their own thing, the Samaritans their own. In Galilee, perhaps even pagan teachings were heard, and each put forth their own with a tone of conviction. Anyone who was zealous for salvation naturally came to the question: What should I do? What should I follow, that my soul not be destroyed? Our situation now is very similar those times. What teachings are not going around our schools, in society, and in literature! For the indifferent it is nothing; but they for whom every teaching is not the same cannot but seek an answer to the question, “What should I do?” So what is the solution? The one the Saviour gave: Believe and live as God commanded, and do not listen to people’s talk; let them talk. The talk of scientists is like rumours and fashion: today they say one thing, tomorrow another. But you should heed only God’s word, which abides unto the ages. What the Lord commanded no philosophizing can revoke. Everything must be done, and cannot be put off. The judgment indeed will be according to the word of the Lord, and not according to our philosophizing.