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| Old Style
April 21
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Saturday |
New Style
May 4
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| Bright Week. Fast-free period. |  No fast.
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Hieromartyrs Januarius, bishop of Benevento, and his companions: Festus, Proclus, and Sosius, deacons; Martyrs Desiderius, reader; and Gantiol, Eutychius, and Acutius, at Pozzuoli (ca. 305). Martyrs Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, his mother Philippa, and Dioscorus, Socrates, and Dionysius (ca. 138-161). Uncovering of the relics of St. Theodore, abbot, of Sanaxar Monastery (1999). St. Alexis, priest, of Bortsumany, Nizhni- Novgorod (1848).
Martyrs Isaac, Apollo, and Codratus, of Nicomedia (303). St. Maximus (Maximian), archbishop of Constantinople (434).
Martyr Alexandra the Empress, wife of Diocletian (303) (same as April 23). St. Beuno, abbot, of Clynnog Fawr, Wales (642). St. Maelruba of Apur Crossan, Ireland (722). New Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Basil Martysz of Teratyn (Chelm and Podlasie, Poland (1945).
Repose of Schemamonk Nicetas (1907) and Hieroschemamonk Antipas II (1912), of Valaam, Elder Dometian of Tula (1908), and Nun Stefanida of Kosovo (Serbia) (1945).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Saturday. [Acts 3:11–16; John 3:22–33]
We have two lives, fleshly and spiritual. Our spirit is as though buried in our flesh. Once it begins to extract itself—coming to life by God’s grace—from its intertwining with the flesh and to appear in its spiritual purity, then it will be resurrected, or it will resurrect itself piece by piece. When it wholly tears itself out of this binding, then it comes forth as if from a tomb, in a renewed life. In this manner the spirit becomes separate, alive and active; whereas the tomb of the flesh is separate, dead and inactive, though both are in the same person. This is the mystery of what the apostle says: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (II Cor. 3:17). This is liberty from decay, which surrounds our incorruptible spirit; or from passions, corrupting our nature. This spirit, entering into the freedom of the children of God is like a beautifully coloured butterfly, fluttering away from its cocoon. Behold its rainbow colouring: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5:22). Is it possible for such a beauty of perfection not to arouse in us a desire to emulate it?
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