1 Peter 1.1-2, 10-12, 2.6-10 (Epistle)

1Petru, apostol al lui Isus Hristos, către aleşii care trăiesc ca străini, împrăştiaţi prin Pont, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia şi Bitinia, 2după ştiinţa mai dinainte a lui Dumnezeu Tatăl, prin sfinţirea lucrată de Duhul spre ascultarea şi stropirea cu sângele lui Isus Hristos: Harul şi pacea să vă fie înmulţite! 10Prorocii, care au prorocit despre harul care vă era păstrat vouă, au făcut din mântuirea aceasta ţinta cercetărilor şi căutării lor stăruitoare. 11Ei cercetau să vadă ce vreme şi ce împrejurări avea în vedere Duhul lui Hristos, care era în ei, când vestea mai dinainte patimile lui Hristos şi slava de care aveau să fie urmate. 12Lor le-a fost descoperit că nu pentru ei înşişi, ci pentru voi spuneau ei aceste lucruri, pe care vi le-au vestit acum cei ce v-au propovăduit Evanghelia prin Duhul Sfânt trimis din cer şi în care chiar îngerii doresc să privească. 6Căci este scris în Scriptură: „Iată că pun în Sion o Piatră din capul unghiului, aleasă, scumpă; şi cine se încrede în El nu va fi dat de ruşine.” 7Cinstea aceasta este, dar, pentru voi care aţi crezut! Dar pentru cei necredincioşi, „Piatra pe care au lepădat-o zidarii a ajuns să fie pusă în capul unghiului”, 8şi „o Piatră de poticnire şi o Stâncă de cădere”. Ei se lovesc de ea, pentru că n-au crezut Cuvântul, şi la aceasta sunt rânduiţi. 9Voi însă sunteţi o seminţie aleasă, o preoţie împărătească, un neam sfânt, un popor pe care Dumnezeu Şi l-a câştigat ca să fie al Lui, ca să vestiţi puterile minunate ale Celui ce v-a chemat din întuneric la lumina Sa minunată; 10pe voi, care odinioară nu eraţi un popor, dar acum sunteţi poporul lui Dumnezeu; pe voi, care nu căpătaserăţi îndurare, dar acum aţi căpătat îndurare.

Mark 12.1-12 (Gospel)

1Isus a început pe urmă să le vorbească în pilde. „Un om a sădit o vie. A împrejmuit-o cu un gard, a săpat un teasc în ea şi a zidit un turn; apoi a arendat-o unor vieri şi a plecat din ţară. 2La vremea roadelor, a trimis la vieri un rob, ca să ia de la ei din roadele viei. 3Vierii au pus mâna pe el, l-au bătut şi l-au trimis înapoi cu mâinile goale. 4A trimis iarăşi la ei un alt rob; ei l-au rănit la cap şi l-au batjocorit. 5A mai trimis un altul pe care l-au omorât; apoi a trimis mulţi alţii, dintre care, pe unii i-au bătut, iar pe alţii i-au omorât. 6Mai avea un singur fiu preaiubit; la urmă, l-a trimis şi pe el la ei. „Vor primi cu cinste pe fiul meu!”, zicea el. 7Dar vierii aceia au zis între ei: „Iată moştenitorul; veniţi să-l omorâm, şi moştenirea va fi a noastră.” 8Şi au pus mâna pe el, l-au omorât şi i-au aruncat trupul afară din vie. 9Acum, ce va face stăpânul viei? Va veni, va nimici pe vierii aceia, şi via o va da altora. 10Oare n-aţi citit locul acesta din Scriptură: „Piatra pe care au lepădat-o zidarii a ajuns să fie pusă în capul unghiului; 11Domnul a făcut acest lucru şi este minunat în ochii noştri”?” 12Ei căutau să-L prindă, dar se temeau de norod. Pricepuseră că împotriva lor spusese Isus pilda aceasta. Şi L-au lăsat şi au plecat.

Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John, and those with them (311)

They are counted among the Unmercenary Physicians. Cyrus was a physician living in Alexandria. A pious Christian, he healed not only bodies but souls, bringing many to Christ, and often healing through prayer rather than the use of his medicines. He often said to his patients, ‘If you want to keep clear of illness, take care not to sin, because more often than not illness is a result of sin.’ When Diocletian’s persecution broke out, Cyrus was denounced to the pagan governor and fled to Arabia, where he became a monk. He gained great renown there by healing many ailments using only the sign of the Cross.

John was a soldier from Edessa who heard of Cyrus’ deeds and, leaving the army, sought him out. They met in Egypt, where John became a monk and Cyrus’ disciple, joining him in the practice of the virtues and in healing illnesses by prayer.

They heard of the arrest of a Christian lady named Athanasia and her daughters Theoctista and Eudoxia. Concerned that the tender maidens might renounce Christ under torture, the two monks sought them out to encourage them in their confession of the Faith. They themselves were captured, and the governor decided to have them tortured in front of the women, assuming that this would break their spirit. Instead, Cyrus and John bore their sufferings so patiently and boldly that the women were only strengthened in their resolve. Seeing that he had failed, the governor had all five of them beheaded. Their bodies were placed in the Church of St Mark in Alexandria.

In the fifth century the relics of Sts Cyrus and John were enshrined in a church at Aboukir near Alexandria by St Cyril (June 9). There they were the source of abundant healings and miracles, and the shrine became one of the greatest places of pilgrimage in the Christian world.

Venerable Nicetas, hermit of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod (1108)

His is a remarkable story of spiritual delusion (prelest in Russian) and repentance of delusion. Nicetas was a young and zealous monk of the Lavra of the Kiev Caves who, against the advice of his abbot St Nikon (March 25), retired alone to a cave and walled himself in. Some time later, the young monk experienced a delightful scent filling his cave. Believing himself to be receiving a divine revelation, he cried out ‘Lord, show Thyself to me, that I might worship Thee face to face!’ A voice answered, ‘I am sending you an angel: do whatever he tells you.’ The Devil soon appeared to him as an ‘angel of light’ and Nicetas, completely taken in, prostrated before him. The Devil ordered him to stop praying and to devote all his time to reading and memorizing the Old Testament. Nicetas obeyed without question. After awhile, the Devil began to reveal to him things that were happening in the outside world, so that the young monk acquired a reputation for prophecy among visitors to his cave. When the Elders of the Caves realized that Nicetas never spoke to his visitors or anyone else of the New Testament, they decided that he was beguiled by the Devil. Breaking down the door of his cave, they drove out the deceiver by their prayers and forcibly took the young hermit back to the monastery.

As soon as the evil angel had been driven off, Nicetas became like a young child: he instantly forgot the entire Old Testament (which he had virtually memorized) and even lost the ability to read, so that he had to be sent to school again. Slowly he returned to himself, realized his former delusion and repented in tears. Thereafter he devoted himself to humility and obedience in the monastic community. Such was his repentance and progress in the virtues that he was later made Bishop of Novgorod. He reposed in peace in 1108 and became known for working many miracles, especially healing of blindness.

Marcella of Rome (410)

The daughter of a prominent Roman family, she was given in marriage despite her reluctance, but was widowed after less than a year. Following the example of the prophetess Anna, she dedicated her widowhood to God and turned her fine house in Rome into a monastery, living there in strict asceticism.

“When the Church was riven by controversies about the doctrines of Origen, Saint Marcella kept silent for a while but, deciding at length to take up the cause of Orthodoxy, and maintaining a sweet and gentle manner in the exchanges, she succeeded in confounding the arguments of the heretics.” (Ormylia Synaxarion)

When the Goths invaded and pillaged Rome in 410 they broke into her house. Marcella received them calmly, but when they demanded money she answered that no one as poorly clothed as she was could be expected to have any money. At this the invaders beat her mercilessly despite her great age. She bore their blows without complaint, asking only that they spare her spiritual daughter Principia. Struck to the heart by her response, the barbarians took her and her disciple to the Church of St Paul, where she reposed two days later.