Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Joy of All Who Sorrow” (Moscow) (1688). Martyr Arethas of Omir and 4,299 martyrs with him, including Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters (523). St. Zosima (Verkhovsky), elder, of Siberia (1833).
Blessed Elesbaan, king of Ethiopia (553-555). St. Arethas, recluse, of the Kiev Caves (1190). St. Sisoes of the Kiev Caves (13th c.). St. Theophilus the Silent, of the Kiev Caves (12th c.-13th c.). St. Athanasius, patriarch of Constantinople (1311). St. John, recluse, of the Pskov Caves (1616).
New Hieromartyrs Lawrence (Knyazev), bishop of Balakhnin, and Alexis Porfiriev, archpriest, and with them New Martyr Alexis Neidhardt (1918). New Hieromartyr Arethas (Mitrenin), hieromonk of Valaam (1932).
St. Sebastiana, disciple of Apostle Paul, martyred at Heraclea (86). Martyr Acacius of Armenia (303). St. Maglorius, bishop of Dol (Brittany) (ca. 575). St. Senoch, abbot, of Tours (Gaul) (576).
Repose of Blessed Eudocia of Ryazan (1890) and Hieroschemamonk Barsanuphius of Valaam (1910).
Wednesday. [I Thess. 2:1-8; Luke 11:9-13]
The Lord convinces us to pray with the
promise of His hearing, explaining this promise as the
soft-heartedness of a natural father, favourably disposed
to the petitions of his children. But here He hints at the
reason why sometimes our prayers and petitions are not
heard or are not fulfilled. A father will not give His
children a stone instead of bread, or a serpent instead of
a fish. If a natural father does not do this, how much
more will the Heavenly Father not do it? And yet our
petitions not infrequently are similar to petitions for a
serpent and a stone. It seems to us that we are asking for
bread and fish; while the Heavenly Father sees that what
is requested will be for us a serpent and a
stone—and does not give us what we ask for. A father
and mother pour out before God heartfelt prayers for their
son, that He arrange for him what is best, but in addition
they express what they consider to be better for their
son, that is, that he be alive, healthy and happy. The
Lord hears their prayer and arranges for their son what is
best, not according to the understanding of those asking,
but as it is in reality for their son: He sends a disease
from which their son dies. Those who think that everything
ends with the present life will feel that the Lord has not
heard them, but rather did the opposite of what they
asked, or left the person about whom they pray to his own
fate. But those who believe that the current life is only
a preparation for the other life have no doubt that the
son for whom they prayed fell sick and died precisely
because their prayer was heard and because it was better
for him to leave here than to remain here. You will say:
then why pray? No, you must pray; but in prayers for
specific things you must always keep in mind the
condition: “if, O Lord, Thou Thyself deem this to be
saving.” Saint Isaac the Syrian advises to shorten
all prayer to this: “Thou knowest, O Lord, what is
needful for me: do unto me according to Thy
will.”