The Holy Seven Youths (“Seven Sleepers”) of Ephesus: Maximilian, Jamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodian (Constantine), and Antoninus (250 and ca. 446).
Martyr Eleutherius of Byzantium (beg. of 4th c.). Martyr Eudocia of Anatolia in Persia (362-364).
New Hieromartyr Michael (Zhuk), hieromonk, of Staroye Zubarevo (Mordovia) (1937).
New Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal-to-the-Apostles (1779). Martyrs Ia and 9,000 with her in Persia (363).
Monday. [II Cor. 2:4-15; Matt. 23:13-22]
Woe unto you…for ye shut up
the Kingdom of Heaven against men. This is said to the
chief priests, who neither teach the people themselves the
saving path, nor compel the priests to do it; this is said
also to priests who leave the people in neglect, not
taking care to explain to them what is necessary for the
salvation of the soul. From this the people remain in
blindness, and one part remains in the certainty that it
is going properly; the other, though it notices that
things are not going the right way, does not go where it
should, because it does not know how and where to go. This
causes various silly ideas to spread among the people;
this is why schismatics, molokans and khlysts[1] find
acceptance among them, and this is how every evil
teaching finds convenient access to them. A priest
usually thinks that in his parish everything is fine,
and rushes into action only when this evil has already
spread and come to light. But then it is too late do
anything about it. A priest must consider it the first
priority of his conscience to continually instruct the
adults in the knowledge of the Christian faith, and to
prepare the young generation from their first conscious
years, explaining to them what they can and must know.
There is no need to wait for school. This must be done
orally, gathering the children in the church and at
home on Sunday evenings, or whenever and however it is
convenient.
[1]
Schismatics refer to the Old Believers, and Molokans
and Klysts were Russian sects.