2 Timothy 2.11-19 (Epistle)

11Adevărat este cuvântul acesta: dacă am murit împreună cu El, vom şi trăi împreună cu El. 12Dacă răbdăm, vom şi împărăţi împreună cu El. Dacă ne lepădăm de El, şi El Se va lepăda de noi. 13Dacă suntem necredincioşi, totuşi El rămâne credincios, căci nu Se poate tăgădui singur. 14Adu-le aminte de aceste lucruri şi roagă-i fierbinte, înaintea lui Dumnezeu, să se ferească de certurile de cuvinte, care nu duc la alt folos decât la pieirea celor ce le ascultă. 15Caută să te înfăţişezi înaintea lui Dumnezeu ca un om încercat, ca un lucrător care n-are de ce să-i fie ruşine şi care împarte drept Cuvântul adevărului. 16Fereşte-te de vorbăriile goale şi lumeşti; căci cei ce le ţin vor înainta tot mai mult în necinstirea lui Dumnezeu. 17Şi cuvântul lor va roade ca cangrena. Din numărul acestora sunt Imeneu şi Filet, 18care s-au abătut de la adevăr. Ei zic că a şi venit învierea şi răstoarnă credinţa unora. 19Totuşi temelia tare a lui Dumnezeu stă nezguduită, având pecetea aceasta: „Domnul cunoaşte pe cei ce sunt ai Lui”; şi: „Oricine rosteşte Numele Domnului să se depărteze de fărădelege!”

Luke 18.2-8 (Gospel)

2El le-a zis: „Într-o cetate era un judecător care de Dumnezeu nu se temea, şi de oameni nu se ruşina. 3În cetatea aceea era şi o văduvă care venea des la el şi-i zicea: „Fă-mi dreptate în cearta cu pârâşul meu.” 4Multă vreme n-a voit să-i facă dreptate. Dar, în urmă, şi-a zis: „Măcar că de Dumnezeu nu mă tem, şi de oameni nu mă ruşinez, 5totuşi, pentru că văduva aceasta mă tot necăjeşte, îi voi face dreptate, ca să nu tot vină să-mi bată capul.” 6Domnul a adăugat: „Auziţi ce zice judecătorul nedrept? 7Şi Dumnezeu nu va face dreptate aleşilor Lui care strigă zi şi noapte către El, măcar că zăboveşte faţă de ei? 8Vă spun că le va face dreptate în curând. Dar când va veni Fiul omului, va găsi El credinţă pe pământ?”

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.