The Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St. Sabbas: Sts. John, Sergius, Patrick, and others (796).
Martyrs Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan woman; her sisters Phota, Photis, Parasceva, and Cyriaca; her sons Victor (or Photinus) and Joses; and Sebastian the Duke, the officer Anatolius, and Theoclitus, the former sorcerer—all martyred under Nero (ca. 66). Seven Virginmartyrs of Amisus (Samsun): Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliana, Euphemia, and Theodosia (310). St. Nicetas the Confessor, bishop of Apollonias in Bithynia (9th c.). Suffering of St. Euphrosynus of Blue-Jay Lake (Novgorod) (1612).
Righteous Abel, first martyr in the history of mankind. St. Martin of Braga in Iberia (580). St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, bishop (687). St. Herbert of Derwentwater, priest and hermit (687). Hieromartyr Tadros, bishop of Edessa, at Jerusalem (691). Martyr Michael the Sabbaite, at Jerusalem (691). St. Wulfram, missionary (Neth.) (703). Martyr Archil II, king of Georgia (744). New Martyr Myron of Mega Castro on Crete (1793). New Hieromartyr Nicholas Holz, priest, of Novosiolki (Chelm and Podlasie, Poland) (1944).
Friday.
The wicked shall fall by his own wickedness (Prov.
11: 5).[1]
Impiety is an incorrect relationship to God, or
complete forgetfulness of God, to which belong also
unbelief in the existence of God and in His providence
for creatures. Some souls, being oppressed by wicked
thoughts like these, but desiring nevertheless to be
respectable individuals, resolve, “I will be
upright, honest, and humane, not occupying myself with
whether there is something higher than me which
observes me, has expectations of me, and is able to
demand an account.” And what is the result? The
blessing of God—which they do not seek—does
not abide with them, and their affairs do not prosper.
Their conscience daily reminds them about their deeds
either of unrighteousness, dishonesty or inhumanity.
They only make a show of righteousness before other
people in order to justify themselves, sharply fending
off accusation, and falsely interpreting facts as
needed. He whose conscious is inwardly blameless has no
need of self-justification. Those who are not attentive
to themselves allow this inner discord to slip by:
those who are attentive control this with difficulty.
Oh, when will one of such people conscientiously look
at this discord, and discern where it comes from and
how to set it right? He could then both set himself
right and direct others toward the proper harmony.
[1]
The Slavonic for Prov. 11:5 reads: The impious shall
fall by his own impiety.