Athanasius of Mt. Athos and his six disciples (1000). Uncovering of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1422).
Martyr Anna, at Rome (304). St. Lampadus, monk, of Irenopolis (10th c.). Sts. Athanasius and Theodosius, of Cherepovets (both ca. 1388), disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
New Martyrs Abbess Elizabeth (Romanova) and Nun Barbara, and those with them: John, Igor, Constantine, Sergius, and Vladimir, princes, and Theodore, at Alapaevsk (1918). New Confessor Agapitus (Taube), monk of Optina Monastery (1936).
Hieromartyr Stephen, bishop of Rhegium, disciple of Apostle Paul, and with him Bishop Suerus and the women Agnes, Felicitas, and Perpetua (1st c.). Hieromartyr Athanasius, deacon, of Jerusalem (451). St. Morwenna, patroness of Morwenstow (England) (6th c.). New Martyr Cyprian of Koutloumousiou, Mt. Athos (1679). Synaxis of 23 Saints of Lesbos.
Tuesday. [I Cor. 6:20-7:12; Matt. 14:1-13]
A rumour of the works of the Lord
reached Herod; he immediately concluded: it is John
resurrected. One could have thought anything. Yet he did
not think of anyone except John. Who gave such a direction
to his thoughts? His conscience. From it you cannot hide
unconscionable deeds; you cannot correct its judgement
with anything. Herod assumed the right to behead John, and
others did not deny that he had the right, but his
conscience spoke, and he could not muffle its words with
anything. That is why he immediately saw John. How many
similar instances do we know where the conscience pursues
a sinner and paints the subject and deed of a sin so that
he sees them even outside himself! There is a voice in us
that we must acknowledge is not our voice. Whose is it?
God’s. He who gives us our nature, gives us this
voice. If it is God’s voice, we must obey it, for
creatures dare not contradict the Creator. This voice says
that God exists, that we completely depend upon Him, and
therefore we cannot not but have a reverent fear of God;
having this fear, we must fulfil God’s will, which
conscience indicates. All of this makes up the word of
God, written in our nature, read and offered to us. And we
see that people of all times and all countries hear this
word and heed it. Everywhere people believe in God,
everywhere they listen to their conscience and await the
future life. Only now has it somehow become fashionable to
not acknowledge these truths. This is how the naturalists
behave; which means that the teaching which the
naturalists preach is unnatural.