Orthodox Calendar

7 Noiembrie 2026
Saturday of the 23rd week after Pentecost

No Fast

Commemorations

  • St Hieron and his thirty-three Companions, martyred at Melitene (290)
  • Saint Willibrord, first Bishop of Utrecht and Apostle of Holland (739)

Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 8.1-5 (Epistle)

1Fraţilor, voim să vă aducem la cunoştinţă harul pe care l-a dat Dumnezeu în bisericile Macedoniei. 2În mijlocul multelor necazuri prin care au trecut, bucuria lor peste măsură de mare şi sărăcia lor lucie au dat naştere la un belşug de dărnicie din partea lor. 3Vă mărturisesc că au dat de bunăvoie, după puterea lor şi chiar peste puterile lor. 4Şi ne-au rugat cu mari stăruinţe pentru harul şi părtăşia la această strângere de ajutoare pentru sfinţi. 5Şi au făcut aceasta nu numai cum nădăjduisem, dar s-au dat mai întâi pe ei înşişi Domnului, şi apoi nouă, prin voia lui Dumnezeu.

Luke 9.1-6 (Gospel)

1Isus a chemat pe cei doisprezece ucenici ai Săi, le-a dat putere şi stăpânire peste toţi dracii şi să vindece bolile. 2Apoi i-a trimis să propovăduiască Împărăţia lui Dumnezeu şi să tămăduiască pe cei bolnavi. 3„Să nu luaţi nimic cu voi pe drum”, le-a zis El, „nici toiag, nici traistă, nici pâine, nici bani, nici două haine. 4În orice casă veţi intra, să rămâneţi acolo, până veţi pleca din locul acela. 5Şi, dacă nu vă vor primi oamenii, să ieşiţi din cetatea aceea şi să scuturaţi praful de pe picioarele voastre, ca mărturie împotriva lor.” 6Ei au plecat şi au mers din sat în sat, propovăduind Evanghelia şi săvârşind pretutindeni tămăduiri.

Commemorations

St Hieron and his thirty-three Companions, martyred at Melitene (290)

Hieron was a farmer from Tyana in Cappadocia, known for his great bodily strength as well as purity of soul. Hearing of his prowess, imperial soldiers came to draft him into the army. Knowing that he would be required to make sacrifice to the idols, Hieron drove them off with only a wooden stave, then hid in the wilderness. Later, however, he went to the Governor voluntarily and openly confessed his faith in Christ. For this his right hand was cut off and he was imprisoned with thirty-two other believers. As they awaited their end, Hieron strengthened the others in the Faith. All were beheaded together outside Melitene in Armenia.

Saint Willibrord, first Bishop of Utrecht and Apostle of Holland (739)

He was born in Northubria in England around 638. At the age of seven he was sent to the monastery at Ripon for education under St Wilfrid (April 24), the abbot. At the age of twenty he traveled to Ireland to live among the holy monks of that land; he spent twelve years there as the spiritual child of St Egbert (also April 24). In 690 St Egbert sent Willibrord as head of a company of twelve monks to take the Gospel to the pagan lands around Frisia. The holy missionary first went to Rome to receive the blessing of Pope Sergius, then with his fellow-monks preached the Gospel throughout Holland and Zealand. In 695 Pope Sergius consecrated Willibrord Archbishop of Utrecht, instructing him to organize the Church throughout that area. As Archbishop, Willibrord continued to labor tirelessly for the spread of the Gospel in those pagan lands; his missionary travels took him as far as Denmark. He reposed in peace in 739 at Echternach Monastery (located in present-day in Luxembourg), having served for forty-four years as a bishop and for most of his life as a monastic. His tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage.