Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-glorious Apostle Peter. Blessed Maximus, priest of Totma (Vologda), fool-for-Christ (1650).
Martyrs Speusippus and his brothers Eleusippus and Meleusippus, their grandmother Leonilla, and with them Neon, Turbo, and Jonilla (Jovilla), in Cappadocia (161-180). Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia (2nd c.). St. Honoratus, archbishop of Arles and founder of Lerins Monastery (429).
St. James of Tarentaise (429). Martyr Sigebert, king of the East Angles (635). St. Fursey, Irish missionary monk of Burgh Castle (East Anglia), Lagny, and Peronne (Gaul) (650). St. Romilus the Sinaite, of Ravanica Monastery (Serbia) (1375). St. Gerasimus II, patriarch of Alexandria (1714). New Hieromartyr Damascene of Gabrovo, hieromonk of Hilandar, at Svishtovo (1771). New Hieromartyr Nicholas, priest, of Mytilene (1777).
Repose of Elder Theodore of Irkutsk (1923) and Priest Demetrius Gagastathis of Platanos, Trikala (1975).
Saturday. [Col. 1:3-6; Luke 16:10-15]
Ye cannot serve God and mammon. A divided
thought and divided heart make a person unfit for
anything; for A double-minded man is unstable in all
his ways (James 1:8). He either does nothing, or does
and redoes; that is, he builds with one hand and destroys
with the other. The source of a truly God-pleasing life is
a firm resolution to please God in all things. This
resolution directs all of a person’s thoughts,
desires and feelings toward one thing, and thus uniting
his inward [powers], it makes him strong to do deeds,
bringing unity into all of his activities and imparting to
them a single character. Such deeds are successful and
fruitful, because they are full of true life. Where do
inertia, immobility and fruitlessness of deeds come from?
From inner lifelessness; and inner lifelessness comes from
inner division. One single goal is not acknowledged or
established as a law of life—deeds are performed
haphazardly. Therefore one deed goes in its direction,
another goes in another direction, and the edifice of
one’s life is never erected. Choose a goal and
devote your life to it. The true, main goal is indicated
by the God-like nature of man; it is living communication
with God. Direct also toward this main goal all personal,
scholarly, worldly, civic, commercial, official, and
governmental goals. If everyone in society held to this
[principle], there would be one general tenor to society,
and one spirit would fill everyone.