ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2023
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Мч. Созонт Помпеольский Преподобномученик Макарий Каневский Прп. Макарий Оптинский
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Old Style
September 7
Wednesday
New Style
September 20
16th Week after Pentecost. Tone 6.
Fast Day.
Wine and oil allowed.

Совершается служба на шестьForefeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомMartyr Sozon of Cilicia (304). Совершается служба со славословиемSt. John, archbishop and wonderworker, of Novgorod (1186). Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомHieromartyr Macarius of Kanev, archimandrite, of Obruch and Pinsk (1678). St. Macarius, elder, of Optina Monastery (1860).

Apostles Evodus (Euodias) (66) and Onesiphorus (67), of the Seventy. Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea in Cappadocia (ca. 130). St. Luke and St. Peter the Cappadocian, abbots, of the monastery of the Deep Stream (10th c.). Sts. Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyabya), disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh, who fought at the Battle of Kulikovo (1380). St. Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov (1480)

New Hieromartyrs Eugene (Zernov), metropolitan of Nizhni- Novgorod, Leo (Yegorov), archimandrite, of the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Nicholas (Ashchepev), abbot, of the Holy Trinity Selinginsk Monastery, Eugene (Vyzhva), abbot, of Zhitomir (Ukraine), Pachomius (Ionov), hieromonk of the Holy Trinity Skanov Monastery (Penza), and Stephen (Kreidich), priest, of Robchik (Bryansk) (1937). New Hieromartyr Vasily Sungurov, priest, of Shchelkovo (Moscow) (1937). New Hieromartyr John Maslovsky, priest, of Verkhne-Poltavka, Amur (1921).

Sts. Symeon (1476) and Amphilochius (1570), of Pangarati Monastery (Romania). St. Cloud (Clodoald), founder of Nogent-sur-Seine Monastery, near Paris (560). St. Cassia (Cassiana) the Hymnographer (9th c.).

Repose of Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of St. Petersburg (1892) and Archbishop Anatole (Kamensky) of Irkutsk (1925).

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

Wednesday. [Gal. 6:2-10; Mark 7:14-24]

   From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. Here common sins are listed; but all the rest also, both large and small, proceed from the heart, and the form in which they proceed are evil thoughts. The first seed of evil falls as a thought to do this or that. Why and how does it occur? Part of these occurrences can be explained by known laws of the combining and linking of ideas and images, but only part. Another, most significant part comes from the self-propelled irritation of the passions. When a passion lives in the heart, it cannot not demand satisfaction. This demand is revealed in an urge for something or other; with the urge is united with some or other object. From here comes the thought: “That is what I must do.” Here the same thing happens as, for example, when one is hungry: feeling hunger, one feels an urge for food; with the urge comes the thought of the food itself; from this follows obtaining this or eating that. Third, perhaps a bulkier part, proceeds from unclean powers. The air is filled with them, they dart around people in packs, and each according to its kind spreads its influence around itself onto people with whom it comes into contact. Evil flies from them like sparks from a red-hot iron. Where it is readily accepted the spark takes root, and with it the thought about an evil deed. Only by this can one explain why evil thoughts arise for unknown reasons, in the midst of activities which decisively are not related to them. But this variety of reasons does not make for variety in terms of how to react to evil thoughts. There is one law: an evil thought has come—cast it out and the matter is finished. If you do not cast it out the first minute, it will be harder the second minute, and the third minute yet harder; and then you will not even notice how sympathy, desire, and the decision will be born; then the means will appear … and sin is at hand. The first opposition to evil thoughts is soberness, and vigilance with prayer.

Thursday. [Eph. 1:1-9; Mark 7:24-30]

   What moved the Syrophenician woman to come to the Lord and be so persistent in her petition? The shape of her convictions which had formed—she was convinced that the Saviour had power to heal her daughter and she came to Him; she was convinced that He would not leave her petition without fulfilment, and she would not stop asking. Convictions are the sum total of all of life, upbringing, current thinking, impressions from surroundings, from teachings received and various incidents and activities in life. One’s thoughts work under the influence of all this, and come to certain convictions. Meanwhile one must keep in mind that God’s truth is everywhere, and from everywhere crowds into the soul of man. Truth lies in the heart of man; God’s truth is imprinted in all creatures. There is God’s truth in the customs and dispositions of man; it is also in his teachings to a greater or lesser degree. But falsehood is everywhere as well. He who is of the truth gathers the truth, and is full of true, saving convictions. Whereas he who is not of the truth gathers lies and is full of false convictions, and fatal delusions. Whether a person is of the truth or not of the truth—let everyone examine for himself; but meanwhile God’s judgment awaits everyone.…

Articles

Martyr Sozon of Cilicia

The Martyr Sozon, a native of Lykaonia, was a shepherd. He read the Holy Scriptures attentively, and he loved to share his knowledge about the One God with the shepherds who gathered together with him. He brought many to the faith in Christ and to Baptism.

St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod

Saint John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings.

To Jerusalem on a Demon

Valeria Mikhailova

As God did not desire to leave this man unknown in the fifteenth century, so in our times: Today St. John of Novgorod, longing for but one thing from his childhood—to be with Christ, is remembered and glorified in the Orthodox world.

Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl

The Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev lived in the seventeenth century. This was a most terrible time for Orthodox Christians in western Rus.

St. Macarius of Optina (1788-1860)

Olga Rozhneva

On September 7/20 we celebrate the memory of the great Optina elder, Macarius. The saint’s life is deeply edifying for contemporary people. What kinds of lessons can we learn from the elder’s life?

Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy

The Holy Apostle Evodius of the Seventy was, after the holy Apostle Peter, the first bishop in Syrian Antioch.

Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy

Saint Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth.

Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov

Saint Serapion of Pskov was born at Yuriev (now Tartu), which then was under the rule of Germans, who sought to stamp out Orthodoxy. His parents were parishioners of a Russian church in the name of Saint Nicholas.

Holy Hieromartyrs Vasily Sungurov, Sergei Kudryavtsev, and Mikhail Nikologorsky

Priest Dimitry Vydumkin

The more Christians were persecuted, the more numerous they became. The persecuted Church did not disappear, as persecutors had planned, but was transformed into a flourishing Church.

Venerable Simeon Of Pângăraţi

Venerable Simeon was born at the beginning of the fifteenth century in a village close to Piatra Neamţ city, at the time of the pious ruler Prince Alexander the Kind (1400-1432).

Venerable Amphilochius of Pângăraţi

Holy Venerable Amphilochius from Pângăraţi was born in 1487, in Ţara de Sus, Moldavia. He began his monastic life in his youth at Moldoviţa Monastery, wherefrom he came to Pângăraţi in 1508.

The Hymn of Cassiani (with audio)

What made Theophilus say this to his prospective bride? Was he testing her humility? Was he testing her intellect? Was it he thrown too far off balance by Cassiani’s beauty to think of anything more romantic? And what made Cassiani make such a bold reply?
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