Afterfeast of the Dormition. Martyrs Agathonicus of Nicomedia and his companions Zoticus, Theoprepius, Acindynus, Severian, Zeno, and others, who suffered under Maximian (305-311). St. Isaac I (Antimonov), archimandrite, of Optina Monastery (1894). New Hieromartyr Gorazd (Pavlick), bishop of Prague (1942).
Hieromartyr Athanasius, bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia (270-275), St. Anthusa of Seleucia (298), and Martyrs Charesimus and Neophytus (270-275). Virgin-martyr Eulalia of Barcelona (303). St. Bogolep, disciple of St. Paisius of Uglich (16th c.).
New Hieromartyr Macarius (Gnevushev), bishop of Orel (1918). New Hieromartyrs Andrew (Ukhtomsky), archbishop of Ufa and Menzelin, Alexis (Orlov), archbishop of Omsk, Theodore (Smirnov), bishop of Penza (1937). New Hieromartyrs John (Troyansky), bishop of Veliki Luki, Hierotheus (Glazkov), hieromonk, of Lyubim (Yaroslasvl), John (Laba) and Hilarion (Tsurikov), hieromonks, of Mirzoyan (Kazakhstan) (1937).
Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (Moscow) (1650).
St. Symphorian of Autun (2nd c.). Martyr Julian of Heliopolis in Syria (ca. 362). St. Ariadne (515), daughter of Emperor Leo I. St. Sigfrid, abbot, of Wearmouth (ca. 688).
Monday. [II Cor. 12:10-19; Mark 4:10-23
The Lord breathed the breath of life,
and man became the image of God. It is the same with
one’s own rebirth: the beginnings of a new life are
set down and one’s image is renewed by the breath of
the Spirit of God; and whence and how it comes is not
known. This is a point of departure; from here the work
begins of raising up the image to a perfect likeness. When
we are reborn according to the image of the Creator by the
Lord’s Spirit we are transfigured from glory to
glory, but not without us, our work and effort; however it
is God who creates and restores us by the grace of the
Most Holy Spirit, according to faith in the Lord. Behold
the ideal and method of fulfilling in oneself the image
and likeness of God! People so often write about and
discuss upbringing. Meanwhile, it is all determined in the
word of God by several words. Undertake only to fulfil
what is prescribed, and upbringing will go on successfully
to the goal. This is God’s path; but it does not
exclude human paths—to the contrary, it gives them
direction and crowns their success. When only the human
remains, upbringing usually is insufficient, even
detrimental, and not rarely totally perverts those being
raised; then the rest of life goes crooked. Where those
raised in a crooked manner multiply, all of society
becomes more and more crooked, both in life and in its
attitudes. The end is universal crookedness; one bends in
one direction, then another bends in another.