ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2023
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Благоверные князь Петр и княгиня Феврония Святитель Иоасаф Белгородский Святитель Митрофан Воронежский
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Old Style
September 4 		Sunday
New Style
September 17
15th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 6.
No fast.

Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомHoly Prophet and God-seer Moses (1531 b.c.). Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомHieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, with Martyrs Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius, and their mother Christodula (251). New Hieromartyr Parthenius, abbot, of Kiziltash Monastery in the Crimea (1867). Совершается служба с полиелеемUncovering of the relics of St. Ioasaph, bishop of Belgorod (1911). Second uncovering of the relics (1989) of St. Metrophanes (Macarius in schema), bishop of Voronezh. Synaxis of the Saints of Voronezh.

Martyr Hermione, daughter of Apostle Philip the Deacon (ca. 117). Martyrs Theodore, Ammianus, Julian, Oceanus, and Centurionus, of Nicomedia (288). Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, and with him 84 children (4th c.). New Hieromartyr Peter, metropolitan of Dabro-Bosnia (1941).

New Hieromartyrs Gregory (Lebedev), bishop of Schlisselburg, Sergius (Druzhinin), bishop of Narva, and Stephen (Kuskov), hieromonk, of Nikolskoye (Tver) (1937).

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Unburnt Bush.” (1680)

St. Petronius of Egypt, disciple of St. Pachomius the Great (346). St. Symeon, abbot and wonderworker of Gareji (1773). St. Anthimus the Blind, new ascetic, of Cephalonia (1782).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. [II Cor. 4:6-15; Matt. 22:35-46]

   The Lord offered the commandment about love for God and one’s neighbor, and immediately supplemented it with the teaching about His Sonship to God and His Divinity. Why was this? Because true love for God and people is possible no way other than by the influence of faith in the Divinity of Christ the Saviour, that He is the incarnate Son of God. Such faith arouses love for God, for how can one not love God, who has loved us so much, Who did not even spare His Only-Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us? Faith brings this love to complete fulfilment, or to what it seeks; while love seeks a living union. To attain this union, one must overcome a feeling of God’s righteousness which punishes sin; without this it is terrifying to approach God. This feeling is overcome through the conviction that God’s righteousness is satisfied by the death on the cross of the Son of God. Such a conviction comes from faith; consequently, faith opens the path of love toward God. This is the first thing. Second: faith in the Divinity of the Son of God Who was incarnate, suffered, and was buried for our sake, gives an example of love for one’s neighbor; for love is when one lays down his soul for his beloved. Faith also gives strength for the manifestation of such love. To have such love, one must become a new person instead of an egotistical person—one must become a self-sacrificing person. Only in Christ does a person become a new creature; but we can only be in Christ if we unite with Christ by faith and grace-filled rebirth through the holy mysteries accepted with faith. From here it follows that any expectation by people without faith to maintain even good moral conduct is in vain. Everything is together; it is impossible to divide a man. One must satisfy all of him.

Articles

The God-Seer Moses as a Prophet of the Past

Jesse Dominick

The prophet Moses occupies a unique position in the Scriptural Tradition of prophecy, having been granted not only to see the future and call the people to a greater faith in God, but alone was given to see the awesome creation of the world—that which God alone witnessed, and God alone can reveal. Moses, alone in the Scriptural canon can be called a prophet of the past, and his experience is confirmed for us in the experience of the saints in every age of the Church. He responded to the call of God and ascended the mountain to speak with Him, experiencing divine vision in His presence, and in turn offering to us the life-giving knowledge of the creation of the world, and there arose no greater prophet in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut. 34:10).

Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses

The Holy Prophet and God-Seer Moses was of the tribe of Levi, the son of Abram and Jochabed (Exodus 6:20). His life is described in the Bible (Exodus 2 through Deuteronomy 34:12).

Hieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, with Martyrs Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius, and their mother Christodula

The Hieromartyr Babylas and with him the three youths Urban, Prilidian, Epolonius and their mother Christodoula died as martyrs under the emperor Decius (249-251).

St. Joasaph of Belgorod, in Verse and Song

L. N. Pogozheva

The Queen of Heaven is particularly close to children who call upon her. She loves and helps them. Once the father of the holy Russian hierarch Joasaph of Belgorod was sitting on his porch at sunset pondering on what awaited his son when he grew up and finished his studies. Suddenly he saw the Mother of God in the air and his son on his knees, praying at Her feet. Then he heard her say to Joasaph, "Your prayer is enough for me," and from the heights an angel flew down and cloaked the youth in a bishop's mantle.

Saint Joasaph of Belgorod

So great were the labors of St. Joasaph that he soon became known to Empress Elizabeth I, who summoned him to court and listened to his homilies with great attention, later calling him to hierarchal service. In 1748 St. Joasaph was consecrated bishop of Belgorod and Oboyan. From that moment and until the end of his days, the saint was quite literally a good shepherd of his flock and knew each sheep by name.

The Miraculous Relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod

"At the time I was studying at St. Petersburg Theological Academy. I had much knowledge, but no real faith. There were ceremonies associated with the opening of the relics of St. Joasaph and I attended them unwillingly, thinking about the tremendous crowds of people thirsting for a miracle. How could miracles happen these days? ...I returned to Petersburg as another person—a believer."

St. Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod

Saint Joasaph was born at Proluka, in the former Poltava governance, on September 8, 1705, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Icon of the Mother of God “The Unburnt Bush”

The “Unburnt Bush” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is based on the miracle witnessed by Moses in the Old Testament.

Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker

Saint Simeon was raised at Davit-Gareji Monastery. He labored as a simple monk until he reached an advanced age, and was chosen to be abbot. Outstanding in virtue and humility, St. Simeon was endowed by the Lord with the ability to work miracles.
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