ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2021
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Иларион сщмч. Икона Божией Матери Оковецкая-Ржевская Равноапостольная княгиня Ольга
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Old Style
July 11 		Saturday
New Style
July 24
5th Week after Pentecost. Tone 3.
No fast.

Совершается служба на шестьCommemoration of the Miracle of Great-martyr Euphemia the All-praised, of Chalcedon (451). Совершается служба на шестьBlessed Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, princess of Russia, named Helen in holy baptism (969). Совершается служба с полиелеемUncovering of the relics of Hieromartyr Hilarion, archbishop of Verey (1998).

Hieromartyr Cindeus, priest, of Pamphylia (283-305). St. Arcadius, monk, of Vyazma (ca. 1592).

Martyrs Januarius and Pelagia, of Nicopolis in Armenia (ca. 310). St. Drostan of Old Deer and Aberdeen (Scotland) (6th c.). St. Nicodemus of Hilandar and Vatopedi, Mt. Athos, instructor of St. Gregory Palamas (1320). New Martyr Nicodemus of Elbasan and Mt. Athos (1722). New Monk-martyr Nectarius of St. Anne’s Skete, Mt. Athos, at Vryoulla, Ephesus (1820). St. Cyril, monk, of Paros (1833). New Hieromartyrs Momcilo Grgurevic, Dobroslav Blazenovic, Milan Bozic, Mihailo Djusic, Jovan Zecevic, Bozidar Jovic, Bogdan Lalic, Trifun Maksimovic, Velimir Mijatovic, Bozidar Minic, Miladin Minic, Marko Popovic, Dimitrije Rajanovic, Budimir Sokolovic, Relja Spahic, Lazar Culibrk, Savo Siljac, Savo Skaljka, Milorad Vukojicic, Ratomir Jankovic, Mihailo Jevdjevic, Dusan Prijovic, Dobrosav Sokovic, Nestor Trkulja, Serafim Dzaric, Andrija Siljak, Slobodan Siljak, and Jovan Rapajic, priests, of Serbia (1941-1945). St. Leo, monk, of Mandra.

Repose of cave-dweller Anastasia of St. Cornelius of Padan Hermitage in Olonets (1901).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

Saturday. [Rom. 8:14-21; Matt. 9:9-13]

   When someone, by his fear of God and the demands of his conscience already has an awakened thirst for spiritual things, he possesses a certain sense enabling him to understand the meaning of words relating to the spiritual sphere, although they might be clothed in the form of a parable. For such people a parable does not hide the truth, but rather reveals it even more clearly. But he who is not of this disposition does not understand any spiritual content described in the form of a parable. Even if one were to offer him a word on these subjects that was not in the form of a parable he would only understand the words, and not comprehend the essence of the matter. It would go against all of his notions, and seem to him to be an absurdity which he would not hesitate to mock. This is precisely why the Lord talked to the people in parables. Whoever is spiritually inclined will understand a parable, whereas someone with no inclinations will not understand no matter what you say. Because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand…For this people’s heart is waxed gross (Matt. 13:12-15). Meanwhile, the parable did not deprive of needed instruction those who were capable of seeing the hidden truth: For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.

Articles

The Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised

The holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer St Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her relics.

Saints Euphemia and Olga

St. John of Shanghai

St. Euphemia was tortured during the persecutions against Christians under Diocletian, and her death and suffering are commemorated on September 16/29. But today her memory is celebrated because of a miracle that happened during the Fourth Ecumenical Council. This council was supposed to decide who is right—those who believe that Christ was both God and man, the God-Man, or those who asserted that the divinity in Christ completely swallowed up His humanity, so that even His sufferings were only apparent.

Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised

The Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching.

Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised

The young maiden Euphemia was also among those praying there. Soon the hiding place of the Christians was discovered, and they were brought before Priscus to answer for themselves.

Princess Olga Equal-to-the-Apostles

Before long a Greek bishop came to Russia and started preaching and telling Russians about our Lord the Savior and the Holy wonders recorded in the Old and New Testaments. The Russians who heard him telling about the three young men surviving the blazing furnace of Babylon (Dan. 3), stopped him and said, "If we do not see a similar miracle, we will not believe you." The bishop said prayers and then placed the holy Gospel into the fire. The flames did not harm the Gospel, not even the cloth book markers were singed.

One Woman’s Faith: St.Olga—The Mother of Saints of Many Nations

Archpriest Andrew Phillips

We sometimes see the term ‘the Russian Saints’, only to find that these saints include St.Olga and St.Vladimir and many others who lived long before Moscow became established as a small town, let alone as the capital of a country now called ‘Russia’ The problem is that English has no translation for the word ‘Rus’.

St. Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen

Saint Olga, Equal of the Apostles, was the wife of the Kievan Great Prince Igor. The struggle of Christianity with paganism under Igor and Olga, who reigned after Oleg (+ 912), entered into a new phase.

The Life of Holy Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop of Verey

One of the most eminent figures of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1920s was Archbishop Hilarion of Verey, an outstanding theologian and extremely talented individual. Throughout his life he burned with great love for the Church of Christ, right up to his martyric death for her sake. His literary works are distinguished by their strictly ecclesiastical content and his tireless struggle against scholasticism, specifically Latinism, which had been influencing the Russian Church from the time of Metropolitan Peter Moghila [of Kiev].

Reverend Hilarion Troitsky

In the morning the sun chased away the mists shrouding the beach. And at that point everyone saw the boat returning… It contained not four but nine people. And then everyone gathered on the quay, — monks, prisoners, guards, — all crossed themselves and went down on their knees. “A Miracle, indeed! The Lord has saved them!” came cries from the crowd.

Service to Holy Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) of Verey

All thy hope didst thou set on God, following His divine will; and in time of persecution thou didst take up the archpastoral staff as a cross, preparing thyself for martyrdom for the sake of Christ. Him didst thou confess before thy tormenters, enduring sufferings. And standing now before Christ, O Hilarion, thou dost rejoice with the holy Patriarch Tikhon. O Hilarion, most honored master, thy life was truly lived in accordance with thy name; for, having the serenity of prayer within thee, thou didst make manifest the joy of Pascha unto all.

The Life of Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop of Verea

Andrei Gorbachev

“He simply would give away everything that he had—which they asked for. He wasn’t interested in his things. So someone, out of charity, had to look after his suitcase at any rate. And he had such a helper on Solovki, too…"

Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk

Saint Arcadius of Vyazma and Novotorsk was from the city of Vyazma of pious parents, who from childhood taught him prayer and obedience.
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