Hebrews 8.7-13 (Epistle)

7În adevăr, dacă legământul dintâi ar fi fost fără cusur, n-ar mai fi fost vorba să fie înlocuit cu un al doilea. 8Căci, ca o mustrare a zis Dumnezeu lui Israel: „Iată, vin zile, zice Domnul, când voi face cu casa lui Israel şi cu casa lui Iuda un legământ nou; 9nu ca legământul pe care l-am făcut cu părinţii lor, în ziua când i-am apucat de mână, ca să-i scot din ţara Egiptului. Pentru că n-au rămas în legământul Meu, şi nici Mie nu Mi-a păsat de ei, zice Domnul. 10Dar iată legământul pe care-l voi face cu casa lui Israel, după acele zile, zice Domnul: voi pune legile Mele în mintea lor şi le voi scrie în inimile lor; Eu voi fi Dumnezeul lor, şi ei vor fi poporul Meu. 11Şi nu vor mai învăţa fiecare pe vecinul sau pe fratele său, zicând: „Cunoaşte pe Domnul!”, căci toţi Mă vor cunoaşte, de la cel mai mic până la cel mai mare dintre ei. 12Pentru că le voi ierta nelegiuirile şi nu-Mi voi mai aduce aminte de păcatele şi fărădelegile lor.”

13Prin faptul că zice: „un nou legământ”, a mărturisit că cel dintâi este vechi; iar ce este vechi, ce a îmbătrânit, este aproape de pieire.

Mark 10.46-52 (Gospel)

46Au ajuns la Ierihon. Şi pe când ieşea Isus din Ierihon cu ucenicii Săi şi cu o mare mulţime de oameni, fiul lui Timeu, Bartimeu, un cerşetor orb, şedea jos lângă drum şi cerea de milă. 47El a auzit că trece Isus din Nazaret şi a început să strige: „Isuse, Fiul lui David, ai milă de mine!” 48Mulţi îl certau să tacă; dar el şi mai tare striga: „Fiul lui David, ai milă de mine!” 49Isus S-a oprit şi a zis: „Chemaţi-l!” Au chemat pe orb şi i-au zis: „Îndrăzneşte, scoală-te, căci te cheamă.” 50Orbul şi-a aruncat haina; a sărit şi a venit la Isus. 51Isus a luat cuvântul şi i-a zis: „Ce vrei să-ţi fac?” „Rabuni”, I-a răspuns orbul, „să capăt vederea.”

52Şi Isus i-a zis: „Du-te, credinţa ta te-a mântuit.” Îndată orbul şi-a căpătat vederea şi a mers pe drum după Isus.

The Holy Infants Killed for Christ's Sake in Bethlehem

See Matthew ch. 2. Their number is sometimes put at fourteen thousand.

In our own day, the icon of “Rachel weeping for her children” (Matthew 2:18) has come to commemorate also the tens of millions of children who have died through abortion.

Our Venerable Father Marcellus, Abbot of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones (485)

He was born to a wealthy family in Syria at the beginning of the fifth century. Early in life he saw the futility of worldly things, gave away all of his wealth, and went to Ephesus, where he earned his living as a scribe. There he was schooled in the virtues by his fellow-worker Promotus, a slave who distributed most of his earnings to the poor; after the day’s work was done, Promotus would take Marcellus to pray all night in the churches and monasteries.

Marcellus heard of the Saint Alexander the Unsleeping (February 25), who had settled near Constantinople with about thirty disciples, who made it their discipline to send up prayer and praise to God at every hour of the day and night. The monastery aroused the resentment of some more worldly monasteries, and the brethren were forced to flee to Bithynia. It was there that Marcellus joined them and took the monastic habit.

After the death of St Alexander and his successor, Marcellus was elected Abbot of the monastery against his will. Under his direction the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones became a beacon of sanctity, with monks flocking to it from every corner of the Empire. The practice of never-ceasing service to God spread throughout the Empire, in both the West and the East. The monks were divided into three companies according to the language they spoke: Greek, Latin, or Syriac; each company took its turn celebrating the services in its particular language, and thus every hour of the day was given over to God’s glory. The monastery not only grew but give birth to others: The famed Studion Monastery in Constantinople was founded by monks from Marcellus’ monastery.

Saint Marcellus took part in the Council of Chalcedon, defending Orthodoxy against the Monophysite heresy both at the Council and in the years that followed. His generosity and contempt for worldly wealth were known to all: anyone who came to the monastery in need received alms, but God always replenished the funds so that more could be given. When Marcellus inherited his family’s fortune upon his brother’s death, he kept none of it either for himself or even for his monastery, but distributed it to poorer communities and to the needy.

Saint Marcellus reposed in peace around 484, having lived the ascetical life for some sixty years.