Apostles of the Seventy Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles, and Aristobulus (1st c.). Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, at Alexandria (ca. 250).
St. Maura of Constantinople (436). Sts. Spyridon and Nicodemus the Prosphorabakers, of the Kiev Caves (12th c.). St. Anatolius, recluse of the Near Caves in Kiev (12th c.). 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi slain under Jalal al-Din (1227).
New Hieromartyr John Kochurov, archpriest, of Chicago and St. Petersburg (1917). New Hieromartyr Leonid (Molchanov), abbot, of the Sovlvychegodsk Monastery (Vologda) (1918). New Hieromartyrs Alexander Vozdvizhensky, archpriest, of Novo-Zagarye (Moscow), Peter, Voskoboinikov, archpriest, of Batkopolye (Moscow), and Vsevolod Smirnov, archpriest, of Dermentsovo (Moscow) (1937). New Hieromartyrs Euphrosynus (Antonov), hieromonk of the Seven Lakes Monastery (Kazan), Anatole (Botvinnikov), hieromonk, of Dubrovskoye (Tver), and Innocent (Mazurin), hierodeacon, of Buigorod (Volokolamsk) (1938).
Martyr Quentin of Rome (3rd-4th c.). Martyrs Epimachus the Roman and his companion Gordian (361-363). St. James, bishop of Mygdonia (4th c.). Monk-martyr Foillan, Irish missionary, of Burgh Castle (East Anglia) and Fosse (Gaul) (655). New Martyr Nicholas of Chios (1754). St. Peter Kalnyshevsky, Cossack ataman (Ukraine) (1803).
Twenty Third Sunday After Pentecost. [Eph. 2:4-10; Luke 8:
26-39]
After the Gadarene man who was possessed with devils
was healed, he cleaved to the Lord and desired to be with
Him always; then, upon hearing His will, goes and preaches
throughout the whole city about the good things he
received. The benefactor attracts, His will becomes law
for the receiver of the benefaction, and the tongue cannot
resist proclaiming what was received from Him. If only we
kept in mind all the good things which we have received
and are receiving from the Lord, there would not be
ungrateful people among us, there would not be
transgressors of His holy will, there would not be people
who do not love Him more than anything. We are saved
through baptism from our forefathers’ sin and all of
its perdition; in repentance we are constantly washed from
sins, which incessantly cling to us. Through God’s
providence we are preserved from misfortunes which often
are not visible to us ourselves, and we receive a
direction for our life which is safer for us and
favourable to our goals; but also all that we possess is
from the Lord. That is why we must belong to the Lord with
our whole soul, fulfil His will in all things, and glorify
His most holy name—especially in our life and deeds,
so that we might not fall behind the Gadarene man
possessed by devils, who immediately proved himself to be
so wise that he became an example worthy of
everyone’s imitation.
