St. Moses the Black, of Scetis (ca. 375). St. Sabbas, founder of Krypetsk Monastery (Pskov) (1495). Uncovering of the relics of St. Job, abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev (1659). Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves whose relics repose in the Far Caves of St. Theodosius..
Righteous Anna the Prophetess (1st c.). Martyr Queen Shushanik (Susanna) of Georgia (5th c.). St. Amphilochius of the Kiev Caves, bishop of Vladimir, Volhynia (1122). St. Theodore (in monasticism Theodosius) of the Kiev Caves, prince of Ostrog in Volhynia (1483).
New Hieromartyrs Sergius (Zaitsev), archimandrite, Lawrence (Nikitin) and Seraphim (Kuzmin), hieromonks, Theodosius (Alexandrov), hierodeacon, New Monk-martyrs Leontius and Stephen, and martyred novices George, Hilarion, John, and Sergius, of Zilantov Monastery in Kazan (1918).
Righteous Hezekiah, king of Judah (691 b.c.). Repose of Blessed Augustine, bishop of Hippo (430). New Hieromartyr Chrysostom, metropolitan of Smyrna (1922).
Repose of Elder Philaret of Novo-Spassky Monastery (1842).
Tuesday. [II Cor. 8:16-9:5; Mark 3:13-19]
The Lord chose the apostles, that
they should be with Him, and that he might send them forth
to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to
cast out devils. Every Christian is
chosen—chosen for similar deeds, namely: to be with
the Lord, through unceasing remembrance of Him and
awareness of His omnipresence, through the preaching and
fulfilment of His commandments, and through a readiness to
confess one’s faith in Him. In those circles where
such a confession is made, it is a loud sermon for all to
hear. Every Christian has the power to heal
infirmities—not of others, but his own, and not of
the body, but of the soul—that is, sins and sinful
habits—and to cast out devils, rejecting evil
thoughts sown by them, and extinguishing the excitement of
passions enflamed by them. Do this and you will be an
apostle, a fulfiller of what the Lord chose you for, an
accomplisher of your calling as messenger. When at first
you succeed in all this, then perhaps the Lord will
appoint you as a special ambassador—to save others
after you have saved yourself; and to help those who are
tempted, after you yourself pass through all temptations,
and through all experiences in good and evil. But your job
is to work upon yourself: for this you are chosen; the
rest is in the hands of God. He who humbles himself shall
be exalted.
Wednesday. [II Cor. 9:12-10:7; Mark 3:20-27]
If a kingdom be divided against
itself, that kingdom cannot stand. While
single-mindedness for sinful evil is the quality within
us, the kingdom of darkness and sin is strong in us; but
when God’s grace attracts to itself the part of the
spirit held captive by sin, freeing it from captivity,
then there occurs a division within: sin on the one side,
good on the other. As soon as a person unites his
consciousness and freedom with good as a result of this
awakening, sin loses all support and starts to decay.
Constancy in the good intention taken on and patience in
labours completely thwart sin and destroy it. Then begins
the kingdom of good within, and it remains until some evil
thought steals in, and, attracting the will to itself,
once again brings about divisions. Just give entrance to
the sinful stirring which has arisen, unite with it and
set it in action, and again good will begin to weaken, and
evil will grow, until it destroys the good entirely. This
is the nearly continuous history of the inner life of
those who are weak-hearted and do not have a strong
disposition.