Prophet Hosea (Osee) (820 b.c.). Monk-martyr Andrew of Crete (767).
Holy Martyrs and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, and their brothers Martyrs Leontius, Anthimus, and Eutropius in Cilicia (4th.c.). Translation to Constantinople of the relics of St. Lazarus “of the Four Days” (in the tomb), bishop of Kition on Cyprus (898). St. Anthony, founder of Leokhnov Monastery (Novgorod) (1611). St. Joseph the Wonderworker, catholicos of Georgia (1770).
New Monk-martyrs Jacinthus and Callistus, of the St. Nicholas Monastery (Verkhoturye) (1918). New Hieromartyr Alexander (Shchukin), archbishop of Semipalatinsk (1937).
Icon of the Mother of God the “Deliveress.” (ca. 1889)
Martyr Queen Shushanik (Susanna) of Georgia (475). Martyrs Ethelred and Ethelbert, princes of Kent (ca. 640).
Repose of Elder Athanasius (Zakharov) of Ploshchansk Hermitage (1825), disciple of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), and Nun Alypia, fool-for-Christ, of Goloseyevo (Kiev) (1988).
Monday. [Col. 2:13-20; Luke 9:18-22]
Whom say the people that I am?
the Lord asked. In answer to this the Apostles related the
current opinions among the people concerning Him, formed
according to the nature of people’s views at that
time. Some said that He was John the Baptist, others that
He was Elias, others that he was one of the ancient
prophets resurrected. How do they answer today? Also in
various ways, each according to his own way of thinking.
What sort of answers could be given by materialists,
atheists, and the soulless who believe we are descended
from the apes, when they have neither God nor a soul?
Spiritualists, like the Arians, have the same response
that was denounced at the first ecumenical council. Deists
see God as being very far from the world, and since they
do cannot contain in their system the mystery of the
incarnation, they answer like the Ebionites,[1]
Socinians[2]. You
will hear similar answers in Russian society, for the
aforesaid three types of identities exist and are
multiplying among us. But thanks to the Lord, we still
have a boundlessly predominating number of sincere
believers and those who strictly maintain the apostolic
confession that the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only-begotten Son of God incarnate, the Saviour and
Redeemer of the human race who even in paradise was
promised to our forefathers. Which party will overcome
is known only to God. Let us pray that we preserve
within us the light of Christ, and that darkness of
false teachings be driven away. We have a weakness for
bad things; that is why it is not surprising that a lie
comes out on top. Now it is already walking the streets
of town openly, while in the past it cautiously hid
from the gaze of Christian believers.
[1] An
early Judaizing, heretical sect of Jewish Christians
originating in Palestine, who did not believe in the
virginal birth of Christ, or that He is the Son of God.
[2] An
antitrinitarian Protestant sect begun by Lelio Sozzini
(1525-62) and his nephew Fausto Sozzini.