Acts 10.44-11.10 (Epistle)

44A dok još Petar govoraše ove rijeèi, siðe Duh sveti na sve koji slušahu rijeè. 45I udiviše se vjerni iz obrezanja koji bijahu došli s Petrom, videæi da se i na neznabošce izli dar Duha svetoga. 46Jer ih slušahu gdje govorahu jezike, i velièahu Boga. Tada odgovori Petar: 47Eda može ko vodu zabraniti da se ne krste oni koji primiše Duha svetoga kao i mi? 48I zapovjedi im da se krste u ime Isusa Hrista. Tada ga moliše da ostane kod njih nekoliko dana.

1A èuše i apostoli i braæa koji bijahu u Judeji da i neznabošci primiše rijeè Božiju. 2I kad iziðe Petar u Jerusalim, prepirahu se s njim koji bijahu iz obrezanja, 3Govoreæi: ušao si k ljudima koji nijesu obrezani, i jeo si s njima. 4A Petar poèevši kazivaše im redom govoreæi: 5Ja bijah u gradu Jopi na molitvi, i došavši izvan sebe vidjeh utvaru, gdje silazi sud nekakav kao veliko platno na èetiri roglja i spušta se s neba, i doðe do preda me. 6Pogledavši u nj opazih i vidjeh èetvoronožna zemaljska, i zvjerinje i bubine i ptice nebeske. 7A èuh glas koji mi govori: ustani, Petre! pokolji i pojedi. 8A ja rekoh: nipošto, Gospode! jer ništa pogano i neèisto nikad ne uðe u usta moja. 9A glas mi odgovori drugom s neba govoreæi: što je Bog oèistio ti ne pogani. 10A ovo bi triput; i uze se opet sve na nebo.

John 8.21-30 (Gospel)

21A Isus im opet reèe: ja idem, i tražiæete me; i pomrijeæete u svojemu grijehu; kud ja idem vi ne možete doæi. 22Tada rekoše Jevreji: da se neæe sam ubiti, što govori: kud ja idem vi ne možete doæi? 23I reèe im: vi ste od nižijeh, ja sam od višijeh; vi ste od ovoga svijeta, ja nijesam od ovoga svijeta. 24Tako vam kazah da æete pomrijeti u grijesima svojima; jer ako ne uzvjerujete da sam ja, pomrijeæete u grijesima svojima. 25Tada mu govorahu: ko si ti? I reèe im Isus: poèetak, kako vam i kažem. 26Mnogo imam za vas govoriti i suditi; ali onaj koji me posla istinit je, i ja ono govorim svijetu što èuh od njega. 27Ne razumješe dakle da im govoraše za oca. 28A Isus im reèe: kad podignete sina èovjeèijega, onda æete doznati da sam ja, i da ništa sam od sebe ne èinim; nego kako me nauèi otac moj onako govorim. 29I onaj koji me posla sa mnom je. Ne ostavi otac mene sama; jer ja svagda èinim što je njemu ugodno. 30Kad ovo govoraše, mnogi ga vjerovaše.

Our Holy Father Theodore the Sanctified (368), disciple of St Pachomius the Great

He was born and raised an unbeliever, but came to faith in Christ as a young man. Not long after being baptised, he heard of Pachomius (May 15) and fled to join him in the desert. Saint Pachomius accepted Theodore as a monk and, because of his humility and obedience, came to esteem him most highly of all the brethren. Theodore’s sister joined him in the desert, taking up life in a women’s monastery and becoming its abbess. When their mother came to bring them back from the desert, she in turn was persuaded to stay in the women’s monastery as a monastic. Finally, Theodore’s brother Paphnutius also came to the monastery and was tonsured.

Once the Bishop of Panopolis asked Saint Pachomius to build a monastery for him; Pachomius entrusted Theodore to carry out the work. Some of the brethren grumbled at the authority given to Theodore, for he was younger than many of them; but St Pachomius said: ‘Theodore and I fulfill the same service for God; and he also has the authority to give orders as father.’ When St Pachomius reposed, he left St Theodore to be spiritual father to the monasteries that he had founded, a task which he faithfully fulfilled until his death at a great age.

St Nicholas Mystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople (930)

He was known for the purity and austerity of his life. When the Emperor Leo VI married a fourth time (his three previous wives having died), the Patriarch barred him from the church. The Emperor sent the Patriarch into exile and had his marriage approved by delegates of the Roman Pope. When the Emperor died, Nicholas was restored to the Patriarchal throne, and called a Council in 925, at which fourth marriages were forbidded in the Church under any circumstance. He died peacefully.

The title Mystikos was given to some high-ranking members of the Imperial council (perhaps because they met in secret). The Patriarch was a courtier with this title before he forsook the world and was tonsured a monk.

Note: From early times, the Eastern and Latin churches have differed in their views on marriage. The Latin church held, and still holds, that marriage is dissolved by death, so in theory any number of re-marriages is permissible (a view that the Emperor Leo sought to exploit). The Eastern Church has traditionally been uncomfortable with any second marriage — some of the Fathers even call the re-marriage of widows or widowers “bigamy”. Still the Eastern church tolerates re-marriage (even after divorce) as a concession for the salvation of those who cannot sustain the single state.

Blessed Musa the Maiden (5th c.)

“St Gregory the Dialogist relates of her that she was a mere nine years old when the most holy Mother of God appeared to her on two occasions, surrounded by virgins bathed in light. When Musa expressed her desire to be included in the resplendent company of the Queen of heaven, the Mother of God told her that she would come for her and take her within a month, outlining for her how she should spend those thirty days. On the twenty-fifth day, Musa took to her bed and on the thirtieth day the most pure and holy Mother again appeared to her, calling to her in a quiet voice, to which Musa replied: ‘Here I am waiting, my Lady! I’m ready!’, and she breathed forth her spirit. She passed from this life to life eternal in the fifth century.” (Prologue)

St Brendan the Voyager, abbot of Clonfert (ca. 577)

He was born around 484 at Tralee in Kerry, Ireland. He founded several monasteries in Ireland, of which the chief was Cluain Ferta Brenaind (anglicized as Clonfert) in County Galway. His missionary and pastoral travels took him on voyages to the Scottish islands, and possibly to Wales; thus in his own time he was known as ‘Brendan the Voyager.’ He reposed in peace.

Early in the ninth century, a Latin saga, Navigatio Brendani (The Voyage of Brendan) made him the hero of a Christian adventure that included voyages to unknown lands far to the west of Ireland. The account provides strong evidence that Irish voyagers visited America as early as the 8th century, before the Vikings; but whether St Brendan himself made these voyages is disputed.