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| Old Style
October 5
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Thursday |
New Style
October 18
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| 21st Week after Pentecost. Tone 3. |  No fast.
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Martyr Charitina of Amisus (304). 
Sts. Peter (1326), Alexis (1378), Jonah (1461), Macarius (1563), Philip (1569), Job (1607), Hermogenes (1612), Philaret (1867), Innocent (Veniaminov) (1879), Tikhon (1925), Macarius (Nevsky) (1926), and Peter (Polyansky) (1937), hierarchs of Moscow.
Hieromartyrs Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, and the deacons Gaius and Faustus (264-265). Martyr Mamelta (Mamelchtha) of Persia (ca. 344). St. Gregory (Grigol), archimandrite, of Khandzta in the Klarjeti desert, Georgia (861). St. Damian the Healer, priest (1071), and Sts. Jeremiah (ca. 1070) and Matthew (ca. 1085), clairvoyants, of the Kiev Caves. St. Charitina, princess of Lithuania (1281). St. Varlaam, desert-dweller, of Chikoysk (1846). St. Seraphim (Amelin), schema-archimandrite, of Glinsk Hermitage (1958). Uncovering of the relics of New Hiero-confessor Basil (Preobrazhensky), bishop of Kineshma (1985).
New Hiero-confessor Gabriel (Igoshkin), archimandrite, of Melekess (Saratov) (1959).
Synaxis of the holy fellow-strugglers of St. Gregory of Khandzta (9th c.). St. Cosmas, abbot, in Bithynia (10th c.). St. John (Mavropos), metropolitan of Euchaita (1100). St. Sabbas of Vatopedi, Mt. Athos, fool-for-Christ (1350). St. Methodia, recluse, of Cimola (1908).
Repose of Nun Agnia (Countess Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya) of Novgorod (1848) and Hieroschemamonk Paisius (Olaru) of Sihastria, Romania (1990).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Thursday. [Phil. 3:1-8; Luke 7:17-30]
Saint John the Forerunner sends his disciples to ask the Lord: is He the One That should come? Or should they look for another? He did not ask this for himself but for his disciples, for he knew precisely who Jesus Christ was, being informed about this from heaven. The disciples sought an answer to this question not out of empty inquisitiveness, but out of a sincere desire to know the truth. To such as these there is no need to say much; the Lord does not speak, only indicates what had been accomplished by Him at that time. Divine deeds witnessed to His divinity. It was so obvious, that the questioners no longer questioned. This is the way it always is. The power of God lives in the Church; a sincere seeker of the truth immediately feels it and is sure of this truth. This sureness through experience puts an end to all questions and completely soothes. He who does not want to believe, and, having lost his faith, begins to seek in the Church and Christianity not the foundations of faith, but grounds to justify his unbelief, will find no indications satisfactory. He considers his unbelief well-grounded, although its foundations are petty and insignificant. His heart wants this—that is why it is all tolerable.