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April 21
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Saturday |
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May 4
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Passion Week.
Great Lent. |
Hieromartyrs Januarius, bishop of Benevento, and his companions: Festus, Proclus, and Sosius, deacons; Martyrs Desiderius, reader; and Gantiol, Eutychius, and Acutius, at Pozzuoli (ca. 305). Martyrs Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, his mother Philippa, and Dioscorus, Socrates, and Dionysius (ca. 138-161). Uncovering of the relics of St. Theodore, abbot, of Sanaxar Monastery (1999). St. Alexis, priest, of Bortsumany, Nizhni- Novgorod (1848).
Martyrs Isaac, Apollo, and Codratus, of Nicomedia (303). St. Maximus (Maximian), archbishop of Constantinople (434).
Martyr Alexandra the Empress, wife of Diocletian (303) (same as April 23). St. Beuno, abbot, of Clynnog Fawr, Wales (642). St. Maelruba of Apur Crossan, Ireland (722). St. James, abbot of Stromynsk Monastery (Radonezh) (1392). New Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Basil Martysz of Teratyn (Chelm and Podlasie, Poland (1945).
Repose of Schemamonk Nicetas (1907) and Hieroschemamonk Antipas II (1912), of Valaam, Elder Dometian of Tula (1908), and Nun Stefanida of Kosovo (Serbia) (1945).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Saturday. [Rom 6:3–11; Matt. 28:1–20]
The Lord sleeps bodily in the tomb; in soul He descended into hades and preached salvation to the souls there. The Old Testament saints were not in heaven, although they abode in the consoling faith that they would be brought there as soon as the Promised One came to earth, having lived by faith in Him. There also the Forerunner foretold of His coming. When the Lord descended, all who believed cleaved to Him and were lifted up by Him into heaven. But even that heaven is only the threshold of the true paradise which will be revealed after the general resurrection and judgement., Although all of the new-testament saints also are blessed in heaven, they await an even more perfect bliss in the age to come, with a new heaven and new earth (cf. Rev. 21:1), when God will be all in all (cf. I Cor. 15:28).
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