Orthodox Calendar

23. децембар 2024.
Monday of the 27th week after Pentecost

Nativity Fast

Commemorations

  • The Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete (250)
  • Our Venerable Father Paul, Archbishop of Neocaesarea (4th c.)
  • Our Holy Father Nahum of Ochrid, Wonderworker and Enlightener of the Slavs (ca. 900)

Scripture Readings

1 Timothy 5.1-10 (Epistle)

1Starca ne karaj, nego mu govori kao ocu; momèadma kao braæi; 2Staricama kao materama; mladima kao sestrama, sa svakom èistotom. 3Udovice poštuj, koje su prave udovice. 4Ako li koja udovica ima djecu ili unuèad, da se uèe najprije svoj dom poštovati, i zajam vraæati roditeljima; jer je ovo ugodno pred Bogom. 5A prava udovica i usamljena uzda se u Boga, i živi u molitvama i u moljenju dan i noæ. 6A koja živi u sladostima, živa je umrla. 7I ovo zapovijedaj, da budu bez mane. 8Ako li ko za svoje a osobito za domaæe ne promišlja, odrekao se vjere, i gori je od neznabošca. 9A udovica da se ne prima mlaða od šezdeset godina, i koja je bila jednome mužu žena; 10I koja ima svjedoèanstvo u dobrijem djelima, ako je djecu odgajila, ako je gostoljubiva bila, ako je svetima noge prala, ako je nevoljnima pomagala, ako je išla za svakijem dobrijem djelom.

Mark 10.46-52 (Gospel)

46I doðoše u Jerihon. I kad izlažaše iz Jerihona, on i uèenici njegovi i narod mnogi, sin Timejev Vartimej slijepi sjeðaše kraj puta i prošaše. 47I èuvši da je to Isus Nazareæanin stade vikati i govoriti: sine Davidov Isuse! pomiluj me! 48I prijeæahu mu mnogi da uæuti, a on još veæma vikaše: sine Davidov! pomiluj me! 49I stavši Isus reèe da ga zovnu. I zovnuše slijepca govoreæi mu: ne boj se; ustani, zove te. 50A on zbacivši sa sebe haljine svoje ustade, i doðe k Isusu. 51I odgovarajuæi reèe mu Isus: šta æeš da ti uèinim? A slijepi reèe mu: Ravuni! da progledam. 52A Isus reèe mu: idi, vjera tvoja pomože ti. I odmah progleda, i otide putem za Isusom.

Commemorations

The Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete (250)

All ten suffered for Christ together on Crete during the reign of the Emperor Decius. They were tormented and humiliated for thirty days, but bore their trials with such serenity that the Governor feared that others would be converted to the Faith, so had all of them beheaded.

Our Venerable Father Paul, Archbishop of Neocaesarea (4th c.)

This holy bishop was so revered that he was summoned by the Emperor Licinius himself, who attempted to turn him from the Faith. When this failed, the Emperor ordered that molten metal be poured on the bishop’s hands, which left them paralyzed and horribly disfigured. Years went by, Christianity was legalized by Constantine the Great and, when the Council of Nicaea was summoned, St Paul was among those bishops who were called to attend. Many of the bishops who attended bore in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus (Gal. 6:17): noses, ears or eyes lost, scars and burns from their trials for Christ. At the Council, the Emperor Constantine knelt before St Paul and kissed his hands as holy relics, saying ‘I will never tire of kissing these hands which have lost their life for the sake of my Christ.’ After the Council, the holy bishop served in Neocaesarea for several more years, then reposed in peace.

Our Holy Father Nahum of Ochrid, Wonderworker and Enlightener of the Slavs (ca. 900)

He was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), and traveled with them on their missionary journey to the Slavs. With them and their other companions, he endured many trials, including several imprisonments at the hands of the Latin Franks, who were seeking to seize control of the region of Moravia in order to impose the Latin language and to spread the heresy of the filioque. For a time their troubles were relieved by Pope Hadrian II, who supported the mission and made St Methodius Archbishop of Pannonia, with jurisdiction over the Eastern European Slav lands. But when St Methodius died, St Nahum and his companions were imprisoned once more, then sent into exile, where they finally found shelter in the Orthodox Kingdom of Bulgaria. There they were able to continue their work of evangelization in the Slavonic language. Saint Nahum founded the Monastery that bears his name on the shore of Lake Ochrid. After his repose his relics were brought there for burial, and are venerated there today.