Orthodox Calendar

8. децембар 2024.
24th Sunday after Pentecost

Nativity Fast — Fish, Wine and Oil are Allowed

Commemorations

  • Our Venerable Father Patapius (6th or 7th c.)
  • Holy Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Tychicus and Epaphroditus, Cephas and Caesar

Scripture Readings

Mark 16.1-8 (2nd Matins Gospel)

1I pošto proðe subota, Marija Magdalina i Marija Jakovljeva i Solomija kupiše mirisa da doðu i da pomažu Isusa. 2I vrlo rano u prvi dan nedjelje doðoše na grob oko sunèanoga roðaja. 3I govorahu meðu sobom: ko æe nam odvaliti kamen od vrata grobnijeh? 4I pogledavši vidješe da kamen bješe odvaljen: jer bješe vrlo veliki. 5I ušavši u grob vidješe mladiæa obuèena u bijelu haljinu gdje sjedi s desne strane; i uplašiše se. 6A on im reèe: ne plašite se, Isusa tražite Nazareæanina raspetoga; usta, nije ovdje, evo mjesto gdje ga metnuše. 7Nego idite kažite uèenicima njegovijem i Petru da pred vama otide u Galileju: tamo æete ga vidjeti, kao što vam reèe. 8I izišavši pobjegoše od groba; jer ih uhvati drhat i strah; i nikom ništa ne kazaše, jer se bojahu.

Ephesians 2.14-22 (Epistle)

14Jer je on mir naš, koji oboje sastavi u jedno, i razvali plot koji je rastavljao, neprijateljstvo, tijelom svojijem. 15Zakon zapovijesti naukama ukinuvši; da iz oboga naèini sobom jednoga novog èovjeka, èineæi mir; 16I da pomiri s Bogom oboje u jednom tijelu krstom, ubivši neprijateljstvo na njemu. 17I došavši propovjedi u jevanðelju mir vama daljnima i onima koji su blizu. 18Jer on dovede k ocu oboje u jednom duhu. 19Tako dakle više nijeste tuði i došljaci, nego živite sa svetima i domaæi ste Bogu, 20Nazidani na temelju apostola i proroka, gdje je kamen od ugla sam Isus Hristos, 21Na kome sva graðevina sastavljena raste za crkvu svetu u Gospodu; 22Na kome æete se i vi sazidati za stan Božij u duhu.

Luke 17.12-19 (Gospel)

12I kad ulažaše u jedno selo sretoše ga deset gubavijeh ljudi, koji staše izdaleka, 13I podigoše glas govoreæi: Isuse uèitelju! pomiluj nas. 14I vidjevši ih reèe im: idite i pokažite se sveštenicima. I oni iduæi oèistiše se. 15A jedan od njih vidjevši da se iscijeli povrati se hvaleæi Boga iza glasa, 16I pade nièice pred noge njegove, i zahvali mu. I to bješe Samarjanin. 17A Isus odgovarajuæi reèe: ne iscijeliše li se desetorica? Gdje su dakle devetorica? 18Kako se meðu njima koji ne naðe da se vrati da zahvali Bogu, nego sam ovaj tuðin? 19I reèe mu: ustani, idi; vjera tvoja pomože ti.

Commemorations

Our Venerable Father Patapius (6th or 7th c.)

He was born at Thebes in Egypt, and at a young age left his pious parents, his inheritance and his acquaintances to dwell in the Egyptian desert, devoting himself to ceaseless prayer. After many years, he reputation spread and, despite his desire for solitude, throngs of pilgrims would seek him out for his prayers and counsel. To escape the attentions of men, he did a surprising thing: he abandoned the desert and moved to Constantinople, settling in the Blachernae district, where, amid the bustle of the city, he was able to pass unnoticed, more secure in his solitude than he had been in the caves of Egypt.

As he grew in obedience to the commandments of Christ, the grace of working miracles grew in him, and once again he gradually became known. Once a blind man cast himself before Patapius on the street, and the Saint cured him instantly by calling on the name of Christ. Once he healed a man crippled by dropsy, anointing him with the oil from a vigil lamp and signing him with the Cross.

After blessing the Church for many years with his prayers and miracles, St Patapius fell asleep in peace, and was buried in the church of the Monastery of the Egyptians near Constantinople. In 1904 his precious and incorrupt relics were uncovered in the course of some building at a small monastery near Corinth. From that time the monastery has been dedicated to St Patapius, and many miracles are worked there.

Holy Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Tychicus and Epaphroditus, Cephas and Caesar

All of these Apostles are mentioned in the New Testament. Sosthenes was the ruler of the Synagogue in Corinth, and was converted through the preaching of St Paul. After traveling with St Paul for years, he became Bishop of Colophon near Ephesus. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria, well educated and with a deep knowledge of the Scriptures. He was brought to the fulness of the Christian faith by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, and went out preaching the Gospel among the pagans. His eloquence was so admired that for awhile the gentile Church divided into two factions, one for Paul and one for Apollos. Saint Apollos later became Bishop of Caesarea.

(The Synaxarion lists Cephas and Caesar here; but some believe that St Paul’s reference to Cephas in 1 Cor 1:12 refers to the Apostle Peter, not to a separate companion of St Paul; and that “those of Caesar’s household” (Phil. 4:22) refers to Christians in the Emperor’s palace in Rome, not to a Christian named Caesar.)