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February 23
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Wednesday |
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March 8
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2nd Week of Great Lent.
Tone 4.
Великий пост. |
 Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).
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Hieromartyr Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (167). Finding of the Relics of St. Matrona of Moscow (1998)
St. Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones, Constantinople (ca. 430). Sts. John, Antioch, Antoninus, Moses, Zebinas, Polychronius, Moses (another), and Damian, ascetics near Cyrrhus (5th c.). St. Polycarp, monk, of Bryansk (1620-1621). St. Nazarius, abbot of Valaam Monastery (1809).
New Hieromartyr Michael Edlinsky, archpriest, of Kiev (1938). New Hieromartyrs Sergius (Bukashkin), hieromonk, of Novo-Alexandrovka (Moscow), and Antipas (Kyrillov), hieromonk, of Tatarintsevo (Moscow) (1938), and Philaret (Pryakhin), abbot, of Trubino (Tver) (1942).
St. Gorgonia (372), sister of St. Gregory the Theologian. St. John Theristes (the Harvester) of Stylos in Calabria (11th c.). St. Damian of Esphigmenou, Mt. Athos (1280). St. Cosmas of Zographou, Mt. Athos (1281). St. Moses, monk of White Lake (1480). New Monk-martyr Damian of Philotheou and Kissavos, at Larissa (1568). New Hieromartyr Lazarus of the Peloponnese (ca. 1618). St. Seraphim (Zenobius), schema-metropolitan of Tetritskaro, Georgia, monk of Glinsk Monastery (1985).
Repose of Archimandrite Agapit (Belovidov) of Optina Monastery (1922) and Elder Sabbas (Stavrobouniotes) of Cyprus (1985).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Wednesday.
When Moses and Aaron began to intercede before Pharaoh to let their people go, the answer to this was increased work for oppressed Israelites, to the point that they raised an outcry against their intercessors: ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh (Ex. 5:21). This is exactly what the soul of a repentant sinner experiences. When the fear of God and one’s conscience—the inner Moses and Aaron—begin to inspire a soul to finally rise up onto its feet and shake off the yoke of sinful slavery, joy passes through all of its members. But the enemy does not sleep; he heaps mountains of mental obstacles—thoughts that sin is insurmountable, and brings in fear from all sides—fear for one’s prosperity, for external relationships, for one’s influence, even for one’s life. It even happens that one stops having only just begun. Be inspired brother! The Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgement, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness (Is. 5:16). God is stronger than the enemy. Cry out to Him, and you will hear the same thing that Moses heard then: Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh (Ex. 6:1).
The enemy does not have power over a soul; he only can frighten it with illusory terrors. Do not give in, endure, go forward courageously, saying to yourself: I will not give in even unto death, and I will go bravely wherever the Lord calls me, with the spirit of repentance which now acts in me.
Articles
 Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of SmyrnaSaint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), was born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. |
 Venerable Polycarp of BrianskIn 1591 he was named voevod at Tiumen, but after several years he left the world, settled at Briansk and received monastic tonsure with the name Polycarp. |
