Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, of Mesopotamia, and their mother, St. Theodota (3rd c.).
Hieromartyrs John, bishop, and James, priest, in Persia (345). Martyrs Cyrenia and Juliana, in Cilicia (305-311). Martyr Hermeningilda the Goth, prince of Spain (586). Martyrs Caesarius, Dacius, Sabbas, Sabinian, Agrippa, Adrian, and Thomas, at Damascus (7th c.).
New Hieromartyr Alexander Shalai, archpriest, of Blon (Minsk) (1937). New Hieromartyr Sergius (Zverev), archbishop of Elets and Melitopol (1937).
Hieromartyr Benignus of Dijon, priest and apostle, of Burgundy (ca. 272). St. Stremonius (Austremoine), first bishop of Clermont and apostle of the Auvergne (3rd c.). St. Marcellus, bishop of Paris (ca. 430). Monk-martyrs James of Mt. Athos and his two disciples, James and Dionysius (1520). St. David of Euboea (1589). New Virgin-martyr Helen of Sinope (18th c.).
Repose of Elder Hilarion of Valaam and Sarov (1841).
Monday. [I Thess. 2:20-3:8; Luke 11:29-33]
The queen of the south shall rise up in the
judgement with the men of this generation, and condemn
them. For what? For indifference to the work
accomplished by the Lord before their eyes. That queen,
upon hearing about Solomon’s wisdom, came from afar
to hear him, but these men, having before their face the
Lord Himself, did not heed Him, although it was obvious
that He was higher than Solomon, as the sky is higher than
the earth. And the queen of the south condemns everyone
who is indifferent to God’s works, because the Lord
always, even among us, is as obviously present in the
Gospel accounts as He was then. Reading the Gospels we
have before our eyes the Lord with all of His marvellous
works, for they are as doubtless as the testimony of
one’s own eyes. Meanwhile, what is more attentive to
the Lord as that which is impressed upon our souls? We
have closed our eyes or turned them the other way; this is
why we do not see; and not seeing, we do not devote
ourselves to works of the Lord. However, this is no
excuse, but rather the reason behind our unheedfulness,
which is as criminal as what comes from it. The work of
the Lord is our top priority—that is, the salvation
of the soul. Furthermore, we should heed what comes from
the Lord even if it is not directly related to us; ever
more so should we heed what is directed at us for the
accomplishment of our essential work, the significance of
which extends throughout eternity. Judge for yourselves
how criminal it is to disregard such a matter!