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| Old Style
August 27
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Saturday |
New Style
September 9
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| 14th Week after Pentecost. Tone 4. |  No fast.
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St. Poemen the Great, of Egypt (ca. 450).
St. Hosius (Osia) the Confessor, bishop of Cordoba (359). St. Liberius the Confessor, pope of Rome (366). St. Poemen of Palestine (ca. 602). Hieromartyr Kuksha and St. Pimen the Faster, of the Near Caves in Kiev (after 1114). St. Sabbas, monk, of Benephali. Uncovering of the relics of St. John Gashkevich, archpriest, of Korma (1991).
and Stephen Nemkov, priest (with 18 other martyrs) (1918), all of Nizhni-Novgorod. New Hieromartyr Methodius (Ivanov), abbot, of Sukovo (Moscow) (1937).
St. Praulius, archbishop of Jerusalem (422). St. Caesarius, bishop of Arles (543). Great-martyr Phanurius the Newly Appeared, of Rhodes.
Slaying of Archimandrite Symeon (Kholmogorov), spiritual writer (1937), and repose of Archimandrite Sergius (Ozerov) of New Valaam Monastery in Siberia (1937).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Saturday. [I Cor. 4:1-5; Matt. 23:1-12]
He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. As the Lord tells us, greatness is measured not by birth, not by power, nor by abilities and resources, but by the ability to arrange good for others. He who is more tireless and acts more broadly in this vein is greatest. As in a family, the greatest member is sincerely concerned for the whole family, and he considers it an honor and advantage to soothe all, to do such that things will be good for everyone, so in a Christian society he who wants to be greatest must take on complete care for the Christian comfort of all those in his spheres of existence, and in the area of activity which he has chosen for himself. But it is even better to abandon every thought about greatness and have heartfelt care for greater service for the good of all those around you, and then you will be greatest in the eyes of God, and people will perhaps recognize you as such, also. If only all who are greater would make this law of Christ the law of their conscience, what prosperity and ease would arise immediately among us! But the misfortune is that greatness among us begins quickly to serve itself and its own interests, and almost always joins this with demands of being served itself rather than it serving others, and soothes its conscience with the proper running of official affairs. This is why there are many superiors, but good does not prosper in our midst, and all good institutions do not bring forth that good which is expected of them.