The Dormition of the Righteous Anna, Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos. Sts. Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess, of Constantinople (409), and the Virgin Eupraxia of Tabennisi (413). St. Macarius of Zheltovod and Unzha, monastic founder (1444).
Commemoration of the Holy 165 Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). St. Christopher, abbot of Solvychegodsk (Vologda) (1572).
New Hieromartyr Alexander Sakharov, archpriest, of St. Petersburg (1927). New Hieromartyr Theodore Tonkovid, priest, of Lovets (Pskov) (1942).
St. Gregory (Kallidis), metropolitan of Thessalonica and Heraclea (1925). New Hieromartyrs Vukosav Milanovic and Rodoljub Samardzic, of Kulen Vakuf, Serbia (1941-1945).
Eighth Sunday After Pentacost. [I Cor. 1:10-18; Matt.
14:14-22]
Before the miraculous filling of the five thousand
people, the disciples of the Lord wanted the people to be
sent away; but the Lord said to them: They need not
depart; give ye them to eat. Let us learn this word,
and each time the enemy suggests to us to refuse someone
who asks for something, let us say from the face of the
Lord: “They need not depart, give ye them to
eat”—and let us give whatever we find at hand.
The enemy destroys the desire to offer charity, and
suggests that maybe the asker is not worthy of being given
to; but the Lord did not investigate the worthiness of
those sitting there: he served everyone equally, while of
course, not everyone was equally devoted to Him; perhaps
there were even those who later cried: “crucify
him.” Such is God’s overall providence toward
us: He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust
(Matt. 5:45). If only the Lord would help us even a tiny
bit to be merciful, as our heavenly Father is
merciful (Luke 6:36).