Paul the Confessor, archbishop of Constantinople (350). St. Barlaam, founder of Khutyn Monastery (Novgorod) (1192).
Virgin-martyrs Tecusa, Alexandra, Claudia, Matrona, Polactia, Euphrosyne, and Athanasia, of Ancyra (303). St. Luke, monk, of Sicily (820). St. Luke, steward of the Kiev Caves (13th c.). St. Herman, archbishop of Kazan (1567). St. Barlaam of Keret (Karelia) (16th c).
New Hieromartyrs Nicetas (Delektorsky), bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsk, Barlaam (Nikolsky), abbot, of Andreyevskoe (Moscow), Gabriel (Vladimirov), hieromonk of the St. Michael Skovorodsky Monastery (Novgorod), Gabriel (Gur), hieromonk, of Lytkarino (Moscow), and Arsenius Troitsky, archpriest, of Vlasovo (Moscow) (1937). New Nun-martyrs Seraphima (Gorshkova) of Novodevichy Convent (St. Petersburg) and Nina (Shuvalova) of Chimkent (Kazakhstan) (1937). Synaxis of the New Martyrs of Sarov: Anatole, Basil, Hierotheus, Isaac, and Rufinus (1938).
St. Illtyd, abbot, of Llanilltyd Fawr, Wales (505). St. Leonard of Noblac (Gaul) (ca. 559). St. Winnoc, abbot, of Flanders (716). St. Cowey of Portaferry, abbot, of Moville Monastery (8th c.). St. Demetrianus, bishop of Cytheria on Cyprus (ca. 915). St. Elias Fondaminsky of Paris (1942).
Commemoration of the Sarov Elders: Abbot Pachomius (1794), Hieroschemamonk Joseph (1785), Hieromonks Pitirim (1789) and Matthew (1795), and Monk Joachim (1802).
Saturday. [II Cor. 11:1-6; Luke 9:1-6]
And he sent them (the holy
apostles) to preach the Kingdom of God. Then only
throughout Palestine, but later throughout the whole
world. The preaching which was begun then has not ended to
this day. Every day we hear what has been handed down by
the holy Apostles from the the Lord, in the holy Gospels
and the Apostolic writings. Time does not make a
difference: we hear the holy Apostles and the Lord Himself
as if they were before us, and the power which acted in
them acts to this day in the Church of God. The Lord has
not deprived any believers of anything: what the first
ones had, the most recent ones have as well. Faith has
always encompassed this, and still does. But false wisdom
came and made a division between the present and what was
originally. It seemed to this false wisdom that there was
a great gulf between them; its head began to spin, its
eyes grew dim, and for it, the Lord and holy Apostles were
as if plunged into a seemingly impenetrable darkness. And
it gets what it deserves: let it reap the fruits of what
it has sown; only the downfall of the spirit is in it. It
wallows in darkness and it does not see the light, and one
can only acknowledge this consciousness as being
sincere—but who is guilty? It has fogged itself over
and continues to do so. To this day, it has not stated why
one could not consider the words of New Testament
Scripture to be the true word of the holy Apostles and of
the Lord Himself. It only cries out tirelessly: “I
do not see, I do not see.” We believe, we believe,
that you do not see! But stop emitting your fog—the
air around you will clear, and then perhaps God’s
light will come in and you will see something. “But
this is the same as me ceasing to be myself.” Too
bad! Stop; others will have more peace. “No, I
cannot. I am destined to exist until the end of the age,
and very artful ones will arise. I began in the first
creature’s mind, even before this visible world
[came into being], and while the world still stands, I
will rip like a whirlwind across the paths of truth to
raise up a pillar of dust against it.” But, you see,
you only fog yourself, while around you it is light.
“No, I will dust at least someone’s eyes; and
if not, let them know me as I am. I will not be silent,
and you with your truth will never manage to bar my
lips.” Who does not know this? Everyone knows that
your first title is “pizma” (from the
Greek)—obstinately insisting on your own way,
regardless of all obviousness which unmasks your
falseness. You are blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit—so await the fulfilment of the sentence
pronounced against you by the Lord.