ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2025
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Преподобный Амвросий Оптинский
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October 10 		Thursday
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October 23
20th Week after Pentecost. Tone 2.
No fast.

Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомMartyrs Eulampius and Eulampia and 200 martyrs with them, at Nicomedia (303-311). Совершается служба с полиелеемSt. Ambrose, elder, of Optina Monastery (1891). St. Innocent, bishop of Penza (1819).

Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch (3rd-4th c.). St. Bassian of Constantinople (ca. 458). St. Theophilus the Confessor, of Bulgaria (716). Blessed Andrew of Totma (Vologda), fool-for-Christ (1673). Sts. Stephen (1094) bishops of Vladimir in Volhynia; and Amphilochius (1122), St. Yaropolk-Peter, prince of Vladimir in Volhynia (1086); St. Theodore (in monasticism Theodosius) of the Kiev Caves, prince of Ostrog in Volhynia (1483); St. Juliana, princess of Olshansk (ca. 1540); St. Job, abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev (1651); and Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev, archimandrite, of Obruch and Pinsk (1678). Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia:

New Hieromartyr Theodore (Pozdeyevsky), archbishop of Volokolamsk (1937).

Zographou Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of the Akathist.”

St. Pinytus, bishop of Knossos on Crete (2nd c.). Martyrs of the Theban Legion, along the Rhine: Sts. Cassius and Florentius, at Bonn; Sts. Gereon and companions, at Cologne; and Sts. Victor and companions, at Xanten (Germany) (ca. 287). St. Paulinus, archbishop of York (644). St. Agilbert, bishop of Paris (ca. 680). Martyrdom by the Latins of the 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos: Abbot Thomas, Monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, Job, James, Cyprian, Sabbas, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Paul, Menas, Ioasaph, Ioannicius, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, and Parthenius, and four laymen (1284).

Repose of Schemamonk Theodore, desert-dweller of Valaam (1834).

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

Thursday. [Col. 1:24-29; Luke 9:7-11]

   Hearing about the works of Christ the Saviour, Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is This?”—and he desired to see Him. He desired to see Him and sought an opportunity for this, but was not made worthy, because he sought not unto faith and salvation, but out of empty curiosity. Inquisitiveness is the tickling of the mind; truth is not the road to it, but news, especially sensational news. That is why it is not satisfied with the truth itself, seeks something extraordinary in it. When it has contrived something extraordinary, it stops there and attracts other people to it. In our days, it is the German mind that does this. The Germans are obsessed with contriving things. They covered the whole realm of the truth of God with their contrivances as with a fog. Take dogma, ethics, history, the word of God—all are so overloaded with contrivances that you cannot get to the truth of God. Meanwhile, these things interest them and those who have the same mindset. The truth of God is simple; need a proud mind be occupied with it? It would be better off contriving its own things. This is sensational, although empty and weak like a spider’s web. To see that it is so, look at the current theories of the creation of the world: they are like a somnambulistic or drunken delirium. And yet how good they seem to those who thought of them! How much energy and time are wasted on this—and all in vain! The deed was accomplished simply: He spake and it came to be. He commanded and it was created. Nobody can think up anything better than this solution.

Articles

Martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia and 200 martyrs with them, at Nicomedia

Saints Eulampius and Eulampia were brother and sister.

The Prayer Rule of St. Ambrose of Optina To Be Read in Times of Temptation

St. Ambrose, elder of Optina offered to those who came to him with various sorrows and trials a special, brief prayer rule that is possible for any Christian to read. The elder knew from his own experience the effectiveness of these prayers, how they strengthen one's enfeebled spirit, and how they scatter the enemy's attacks if read with faith and hope in God's almighty help. This prayer rule, comprised of the Psalms of David, we offer here together with extracts from the letters of St. Ambrose.

The Life of St. Ambrose of Optina

God’s abundant benevolence that resided in him, was the source of those spiritual blessings that allowed him to serve those that visited him, comforting the grieving, strengthening the faith in those that were wavering and directing everybody toward the path of salvation.

St. Ambrose, Elder of Optina

Archpriest Sergius Chetverikov

Why do people experience depression? "Depression, according to Mark the Ascetic, is a spiritual cross sent to us in order to cleanse our former sins. Depression comes also for other reasons: from offended self-love, because we are not getting our own way; also from vainglory, when one sees that his equals enjoy greater privileges; from stressful situations during which our faith in God's Providence and hope in His mercy and omnipotent help is put to test.

Sermon on the Commemoration Day of St. Ambrose, Elder of Optina

Hieromonk Vasily (Roslyakov)

Today we too, in approaching the coffin of our holy Father Ambrose, Elder of Optina, rejoice with same inexpressible joy of Christ’s resurrection. Hymning the Tomb of our Savior, we say, “How life-giving, how much more beautiful than paradise, and more resplendent than any royal palace proved Thy tomb, oh Christ, the source of our Resurrection!” And in the troparion to St. Ambrose we sing, “As to a healing spring do we come to thee, Oh Ambrose, our father!”

“Love is Tested By Adversity.” Elder Ambrose of Optina

Fr. Sergius Chetverikov

"The love that animated Fr. Ambrose was of the kind that Christ commanded his disciples to have. It differs greatly from the feeling that the world knows as love. It is no less poetic, but it is broader, purer and knows no bounds. Its main difference is that it gives everything and asks nothing in return."

A Reply to One Well Disposed Towards the Latin Church

St. Ambrose of Optina

The Eastern Orthodox Church, from apostolic times until now, observes unchanged and unblemished by innovations both the Gospel and Apostolic teachings, as well as the Tradition of the Holy Fathers and resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils, at which God-bearing men, having gathered from throughout the entire world, in a conciliar manner composed the divine Symbol of the Orthodox Faith [the Creed], and having proclaimed it aloud to the whole universe, in all respects perfect and complete, forbade on pain of terrible punishments any addition to it, any abridging, alteration, or rearrangement of even one iota of it.

Counsels to a Christian on Unceasing Watchfulness over Oneself

St. Ambrose of Optina

On June 27/July 10, the Church celebrates the uncovering of the relics of St. Ambrose of Optina. We offer to our readers a letter from the forthcoming book by Pokrov Publications, St. Ambrose of Optina. Letters to Laymen.

St. Ambrose of Optina on the Struggle with the Passions

Olga Rozhneva

“When these three fields are cleansed, then other passions stemming from them are also imperceptibly cut off with them—that is, anger and remembrance of wrongs, earthly sorrow, envy, hatred, coolness and laziness regarding prayer and works of piety.”

St. Ambrose of Optina

Olga Glagoleva

In the history of Russia, as in world history, there are saints who serve as “milestones,’ as it were, on the road to the Most High. One such righteous one was St. Ambrose of Optina, whose memory is celebrated on October10/23.

Elder Ambrose of Optina

Sayings of St. Ambrose of Optina

St. Ambrose of Optina

"Strive in all things to live according to the Divine commandments, and remember that the Lord is present and sees the disposition of your heart. While fulfilling an obedience, consider that it has been given by the Lord through a person, and that your salvation depends on your zeal in fulfilling it."

Miraculous help from St. Ambrose in our days

"The Lord is nearer to us than it seems, and through people and situations He always guides us through life by the prayers of our venerable and God-bearing father Ambrose, elder of Optina, and of all the saints—of course, for those who follow Christ."

Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk

The proximity of the Chinese border, the expanse and sparsely-settled dioceses, the great number of diverse nationalities (Buryat, Mongol, and others), mostly unenlightened by the Christian Faith, the lack of roads and the poverty—all this made Saint Innocent’s pastoral work burdensome and his life full of deprivations.

Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch

Saint Theotecnus of Antioch was a renowned military commander at Antioch under the emperor Maximian (305-311).

Saint Bassian of Constantinople

The venerable Bassian was the igumen at a monastery where there were three hundred monks.

St. Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria

Saint Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria came from the area surrounding Tiberiada.

Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ

Blessed Andrew of Totma, the Fool-for-Christ was born in the year 1638 in the village of Ust-Totma and chose to leave the world while still a child.

Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Vladimir, Volhynia

Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Vladimir-Volhynia was the third bishop of one of the oldest of Russian dioceses, Vladimir-Volhynia, which was established in the time of Saint Vladimir.

Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev

Saint Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev (in the world named Ivan Zhelezo), was born around 1551 in Pokutia in Galicia. At age ten he came to the Transfiguration Ugornits monastery, and at age twelve he received monastic tonsure with the name Job.

St. Job of Pochaev

Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia

On this day, we commemorate the Synaxis of Saints of Volhynia—one of the most ancient domains of Christian Rus’, and now part of western Ukraine.

The Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia

The Akathist—Zographou Icon of the Mother of God

The Icon from which the elder had heard a voice was with the martyrs, and was later found, lying entirely unharmed, underneath the ashes.

26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders

26 Monkmartyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos In the year 1274 at the Council of Lyons (in France), the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Paleologos decided to buttress his waning power by forming a union with Catholic Rome.
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