ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2018
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Мученики Спевсипп, Елевсипп и Мелевсипп Апостол Петр в темнице
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January 16
Monday
New Style
January 29
Fast-free Week. Tone 1.
No fast.

Совершается служба на шестьVeneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-glorious Apostle Peter. Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомBlessed Maximus, priest of Totma (Vologda), fool-for-Christ (1650).

Martyrs Speusippus and his brothers Eleusippus and Meleusippus, their grandmother Leonilla, and with them Neon, Turbo, and Jonilla (Jovilla), in Cappadocia (161-180). Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia (2nd c.). St. Honoratus, archbishop of Arles and founder of Lerins Monastery (429).

St. James of Tarentaise (429). Martyr Sigebert, king of the East Angles (635). St. Fursey, Irish missionary monk of Burgh Castle (East Anglia), Lagny, and Peronne (Gaul) (650). St. Romilus the Sinaite, of Ravanica Monastery (Serbia) (1375). New Hieromartyr Damascene of Gabrovo, hieromonk of Hilandar, at Svishtovo (1771). New Hieromartyr Nicholas, priest, of Mytilene (1777).

Repose of Elder Theodore of Irkutsk (1923) and Priest Demetrius Gagastathis of Platanos, Trikala (1975).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

Monday (34th). [II Pet. 1:20–2:9; Mark 13:9–13]

The fear of God leads to the beginning of a holy and God-pleasing life and is its most faithful guardian, when one follows the inspiration of the fear of God and makes such a beginning. The present Epistle reading teaches us this, bringing to mind the threatening judgements of God and the punishment shown already here of those who do not submit to His will. He, it says, spared not the angels that sinned (II Pet. 2:4). They were pure, and dwelt in a most radiant habitation. But as soon as they sinned, they were cast down into the nethermost darkness. Will He spare you and me, if we go against His will?! Impiety overflowed in the days of Noah. God brought upon them a flood, and destroyed them all, except for eight souls of the family of Noah. He did not take into account that there were many people. Will He deliberate over you alone, whether to destroy you or not, when you do not to listen to His voice?! For a long time the Lord spared Sodom and Gomorrah. But instead of coming to their senses, they rushed to the height of impiety. Therefore, they were struck by fire when they did not expect it. This fire is an image of the eternal fire, which awaits the impious. Neither will you escape this fire, if you walk the same path as they. Bring all of this to mind when sitting by yourself, especially in the silence and darkness of night; and thus arousing a fear of God, fear sin, for in it the flame of eternal fire stealthily approaches you.

Tuesday. [II Pet. 2:9–22; Mark 13:14–23]

If any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not (Mark 13:21). Christ the Lord, our Saviour, having established upon the earth the holy Church, is well pleased to abide in it, as its head, enlivener, and ruler. Christ is here, in our Orthodox Church, and He is not in any other church. Do not search for Him elsewhere, for you will not find Him. Therefore, if someone from a non-orthodox assemblage comes to you and begins to suggest that they have Christ—do not believe it. If some one says to you, “We have an apostolic community, and we have Christ,” do not believe them. The Church founded by the Apostles abides on the earth—it is the Orthodox Church, And Christ is in it. The community established only yesterday cannot be apostolic, and Christ is not in it. If you hear someone saying, “Christ is speaking in me,” while he shuns the [Orthodox] Church, does not want to know its pastors and is not sanctified by the Sacraments, do not believe him. In him is not Christ, but rather another spirit appropriating the name of Christ in order to divert people from Christ the Lord and from His holy Church. Neither believe anyone who suggests to you even some small thing alien to the [Orthodox] Church. Recognize all such people to be instruments of seducing spirits and preachers of lies.

Articles

Sermon on the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

Archpriest Andrew Phillips

It is also claimed that not only did the apostle Peter found the Church of Rome, but that somehow this gives the Church of Rome some special supremacy and superiority over all the other Churches. This is clearly not true, for the Church of Antioch, which was founded by St Peter, has never claimed any superiority. In reality, when our Lord says in the Gospel: ‘Thou art a rock and on this rock I will build my Church’, it refers not to some special authority given to Peter, it concerns all who confess Christ as the Son of the Living God. All who make this confession have authority, all who confess Christ truly are rocks and are granted the keys to the kingdom.

The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul

Sermon of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter

St Peter, the brother of St Andrew, was a fisherman on the sea of Galilee. He was married, and Christ healed his mother-in-law of a fever. He, with James and John, witnessed the most important miracles of the Savior’s earthly life.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov discusses the spiritual meaning of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul; why these very different individuals who became followers of Christ in very different ways are commemorated together; and how their personal qualities should become examples for us.

Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter

For three centuries the chains were kept in Jerusalem, and those who were afflicted with illness and approached them with faith received healing.

Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda

Blessed Maximus, Priest of Totma, was for a certain time, a priest in the city of Totma in the Vologda diocese.

Righteous Maxim of Totma, fool-for-Christ

He was made a priest, and for forty-five years he lead the ascetic life of a fool-for-Christ, abiding in ceaseless prayer, fasting, nakedness, and with total disregard for his own body.

Martyred Brothers in Cappadocia

The Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and their grandmother Leonilla together with Neon, Turbo and Jonilla suffered in Gaul (by another account, in Cappadocia) in the second century, during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius.

Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia

The Holy Martyr Danax lived during the second century and served as reader at a church in Auleneia in Macedonia.

St. Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery

Saint Honoratus was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, and came from a distinguished Roman family.

Saint Fursey of Ireland

Dmitry Lapa

Fursey spent most of his life in his native Ireland where he founded the famous Rathmat Monastery, probably in County Clare, which became a celebrated center of Irish monasticism.

Venerable Romilus of Ravenica

Saint Romilus the Hesychast was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8). He was born in Vidin, Bulgaria of a Greek father and a Bulgarian mother.

Hieromartyr Damascene the New

The Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. He left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos.
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