St. Epiphanius, bishop of Cyprus (403).
St. Germanus, patriarch of Constantinople (740).
Glorification of St. Hermogenes, patriarch of Moscow and all Russia (1913).
St. Sabinus, archbishop of Cyprus (5th c.). St. Polybius of Cyprus, bishop of Rinokyr in Egypt (5th c.). New Martyr John of Wallachia, at Constantinople (1662). St. Dionysius of Radonezh (1633), and St. Anthony (Medvedev) (1877), archimandrites, of St. Sergius Lavra. Synaxis of the Saints of the Sofroniev-Molchensk Monastery (Ukraine): Archimandrite Theodosius (Maslov), Hieromonk Serapion, Monk Sophronius (Batovrin), and Novice Sergius (Tikhonov), fool-for-Christ.
New Martyr Athanasia (Lepeshkin), abbess of the Smolensk Hodigitria Convent near Moscow (1931).
Martyr Pancratius of Rome (304). St. Philip of Agira, Sicily (5th c.). St. Theodore of Cythera, monk (922). New Martyr John of Serres (15th-16th c.).
Commemoration of Monk Dorotheus, disciple of St. Dionysius of St. Sergius Lavra (1622).
Friday. [Acts 27:1–44; John 17:18–26]
As thou, Father, art in me, and I in
Thee, that they also may be one in us...I in them, and
thou in Me (John 17:21–23). This is the golden
chain tying us with Divinity! We have fallen
away—the Mediator has arisen, Who is one with God
the Father, and has become one with us. Becoming one with
Him, we are united in Him, and through Him with God the
Father. Glory to Thy boundless mercy toward us, O
Three-Hypostatic God, Who was well-pleased to establish
for us such a bright path to deification! The Lord raises
us up high; do not refuse His good gift. Confess His mercy
and praise His unspeakable goodness! You think it humble
to refuse such a height, but you are actually revealing
crude ingratitude and carelessness toward a lofty gift.
Know, that there is no middle ground: it is either all or
nothing. If you do not want this height, you will remain
outside in bitter abasement, both temporally and
eternally.