Acts 15.35-41 (Epistle)

35Pavel şi Barnaba au rămas în Antiohia şi învăţau pe norod şi propovăduiau, cu mulţi alţii, Cuvântul Domnului. 36După câteva zile, Pavel a zis lui Barnaba: „Să ne întoarcem şi să mergem pe la fraţii din toate cetăţile în care am vestit Cuvântul Domnului, ca să vedem ce mai fac.” 37Barnaba voia să ia cu el şi pe Ioan, numit Marcu; 38dar Pavel socotea că nu este bine să ia cu ei pe acela care îi părăsise din Pamfilia şi nu-i însoţise în lucrarea lor. 39Neînţelegerea aceasta a fost destul de mare, ca să-i facă să se despartă unul de altul. Barnaba a luat cu el pe Marcu şi a plecat cu corabia la Cipru. 40Pavel şi-a ales pe Sila şi a plecat, după ce a fost încredinţat de fraţi în grija harului Domnului.

41El a străbătut Siria şi Cilicia, întărind bisericile.

John 10.27-38 (Gospel)

27Oile Mele ascultă glasul Meu; Eu le cunosc, şi ele vin după Mine. 28Eu le dau viaţa veşnică, în veac nu vor pieri, şi nimeni nu le va smulge din mâna Mea. 29Tatăl Meu, care Mi le-a dat, este mai mare decât toţi; şi nimeni nu le poate smulge din mâna Tatălui Meu. 30Eu şi Tatăl una suntem.” 31Atunci iudeii iarăşi au luat pietre ca să-L ucidă. 32Isus le-a zis: „V-am arătat multe lucrări bune care vin de la Tatăl Meu: pentru care din aceste lucrări aruncaţi cu pietre în Mine?” 33Iudeii I-au răspuns: „Nu pentru o lucrare bună aruncăm noi cu pietre în Tine, ci pentru o hulă şi pentru că Tu, care eşti un om, Te faci Dumnezeu.” 34Isus le-a răspuns: „Nu este scris în Legea voastră: „Eu am zis: sunteţi dumnezei”? 35Dacă Legea a numit „dumnezei” pe aceia cărora le-a vorbit cuvântul lui Dumnezeu – şi Scriptura nu poate fi desfiinţată – 36cum ziceţi voi că hulesc Eu, pe care Tatăl M-a sfinţit şi M-a trimis în lume? Şi aceasta, pentru că am zis: „Sunt Fiul lui Dumnezeu!” 37Dacă nu fac lucrările Tatălui Meu, să nu Mă credeţi. 38Dar dacă le fac, chiar dacă nu Mă credeţi pe Mine, credeţi măcar lucrările acestea, ca să ajungeţi să cunoaşteţi şi să ştiţi că Tatăl este în Mine, şi Eu sunt în Tatăl.”

St Symeon Stylites (the Younger) of the Wonderful Mountain (595)

He was born in Antioch in 522. His father, John, died in an earthquake, leaving him to be raised by his mother Martha. From his earliest childhood he lived a very ascetic life and was under special protection and guidance of St John the Baptist, who often appeared to him. He became a monk as a young man and, after a vision of the Lord, who appeared to him as a handsome youth and filled his heart to overflowing with love for Christ, he ascended onto a pillar, where he stayed for eighteen years, praying and singing psalms. He then went to the mountain called ‘Wonderful’, where he lived alone in a barren place for ten years; he then ascended another pillar, where he remained in extreme hardship for forty-five years. During this time he became known as a wonder-worker and visionary: the Prologue says ‘The measure of his love for God was such that rare grace was given him, by the help of which he was able to heal every sort of illness, tame wild beasts and perceive the most distant regions of the earth and the hearts of men. He was taken out of the body and saw the heavens, conversed with angels, harried the demons, prophesied, spent thirty days at a time without sleep and even longer without food, receiving nourishment at the hands of angels.’ He reposed at the age of 85; seventy-nine years of his life had been spent in asceticism.

Our Holy Father Nikita Stylites (1186)

As a youth, he was heedless and corrupt; but one day he entered a church and heard the words of Isaiah, ‘Wash you, make you clean’ (Is. 1:16). His life changed completely: he left his family and property to enter a monastery near Pereyaslavl, where he took on a life of severe asceticism. He wore chains and (in the words of the Prologue) ‘shut himself up in a pillar’, for which he was called the Stylite. He was granted the gift of healing and by his prayers restored many who came to him, including Michael, Prince of Chernigov, whom he healed of palsy. Some thieves, seeing his chains and thinking that they were made of silver, killed him one night and made off with the chains. Soon afterward, Saint Nikita appeared to an elder named Simeon and told him to put the chains with him in his grave when they were found.

St Vincent of Lerins (445)

He was born in Toul in Gaul (modern-day France); he was the brother of St Lupus, Bishop of Troyes. He served as a soldier, but eventually became a monk at the monastery of Lerins. There he lived out the remainder of his life, and wrote his Commonitorium, an exposition of the true Orthodox faith; it contains the well-know statement that Christians must hold to the Faith that has been believed “everywhere, always, and by all.” He reposed in peace.