| Previous day | 
|
Next day |
| Old Style
February 20
|
Monday |
New Style
March 5
|
|
3rd Week of Great Lent.
Tone 6.
Great Lent. |
 Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).
|
St. Leo, bishop of Catania in Sicily (ca. 780). Abbot Macarius and 34 monks and novices of Valaam Monastery martyred by the Lutherans: hieromonk Titus, schemamonk Tikhon, monks Gelasius, Sergius, Varlaam, Sabbas, Conon, Sylvester, Cyprian, Pimen, John, Simonas, Jonah, David, Cornelius, Niphon, Athanasius, and Serapion, and novices Varlaam, Athanasius, Anthony, Luke, Leontius, Thomas, Dionysius, Philip, Ignatius, Basil, Pachomius, Basil, Theophilus, John, Theodore, and John (1578),
Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth), bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him (342-344). St. Agatho, pope of Rome (682). St. Yaroslav the Wise, great prince of Kiev (1054). St. Agatho, wonderworker of the Kiev Caves (13th c.-14th c.). Martyrdom of St. Cornelius, abbot of the Pskov Caves Monastery, and his disciple St. Bassian of Murom (1570).
Hieromartyr Eleutherius, bishop in Byzantium (2nd c.). St. Eleutherius, bishop of Tournai (531). St. Eucherius, bishop of Orleans (ca. 740). St. Bessarion the Great, wonderworker of Egypt (466). St. Cindeus, bishop of Pisidia.
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Monday (3rd week of Lent).
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil (Prov. 8:13);[1] and if it hateth evil, it will drive it away; if it drives it away, the soul will be cleansed of it, and will thus appear righteous
before the Lord. This is everything that we now seek with such effort. Thus, restore the fear of God in yourself and maintain it, and you will possess the most powerful means for self-healing. The fear of the Lord will not allow you to sin, and it will force you to do every good thing on every possible occasion. Then you will fulfil the commandment: Depart from evil and do good (Ps. 34:14), which the prophet gives to those seeking true life. How can one attain fear of God? Seek and ye shall find (cf. Matt. 7:7). We cannot say in this regard, “Do this,” or “Do that;” the fear of God is a spiritual feeling, secretly conceived in the heart that is turning to God. Reflection helps, and the effort to have this feeling helps; but in fact it is given from the Lord. Search it out like a gift and it will be given to you. When it is given, then listen to it without contradicting, and it will correct all evil within you.[2]
[1]The Slavonic for Prov. 8:13 reads: The fear of the Lord hateth evil.
[2]“All evil within you”—here St. Theophan refers to the word in the quote from Prov. 8:13, which in the KJV slightly differs from the Slavonic.
Articles
 Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of PersiaThe Hieromartyr Sadoc, Bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him suffered in Persia under Sapor II. |
 St. Agathon the Pope of RomeSaint Agathon, Pope of Rome, was the son of pious Christian parents, who provided him an excellent education. |
 Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev CavesSaint Agathon of the Kiev Caves was a great ascetic, and he healed the sick by a laying his hands upon them. |
