Romans 8.22-27 (Epistle)

22Jer znamo da sva tvar uzdiše i tuži s nama dosad. 23A ne samo ona, nego i mi koji novinu duha imamo, i mi sami u sebi uzdišemo èekajuæi posinjenja i izbavljenja tijelu svojemu. 24Jer se nadom spasosmo. A nad koji se vidi nije nad; jer kad ko vidi što, kako æe mu se nadati? 25Ako li se nadamo onome što ne vidimo, èekamo s trpljenjem. 26A tako i Duh pomaže nam u našijem slabostima: jer ne znamo za što æemo se moliti kao što treba, nego sam Duh moli se za nas uzdisanjem neiskazanijem. 27A onaj što ispituje srca zna što je misao Duha, jer po volji Božijoj moli se za svete.

Matthew 10.23-31 (Gospel)

23A kad vas potjeraju u jednom gradu, bježite u drugi. Jer vam kažem zaista: neæete obiæi gradova Izrailjevijeh dok doðe sin èovjeèij. 24Nema uèenika nad uèitelja svojega ni sluge nad gospodara svojega. 25Dosta je uèeniku da bude kao uèitelj njegov i sluzi kao gospodar njegov. Kad su domaæina nazvali Veelzevulom, akamoli domaæe njegove? 26Ne bojte ih se dakle; jer nema ništa sakriveno što se neæe otkriti, ni tajno što se neæe doznati. 27Što vam govorim u tami, kazujte na vidiku; i što vam se šapæe na uši, propovijedajte s krovova. 28I ne bojte se onijeh koji ubijaju tijelo a duše ne mogu ubiti; nego se bojte onoga koji može i dušu i tijelo pogubiti u paklu. 29Ne prodaju li se dva vrapca za jedan dinar? pa ni jedan od njih ne može pasti na zemlju bez oca vašega. 30A vama je i kosa na glavi sva izbrojena. 31Ne bojte se dakle; vi ste bolji od mnogo vrabaca.

St David of Thessalonica (540)

For years he lived the ascetic life in a crude tree- house he had fashioned in the branches of an almond tree. Then he moved to Thessaly, where he continued his life of fasting, prayer and vigil, cleansing his soul and being made worthy to perform many miracles. Once, when the Emperor Justinian visited him, he took a live coal in his bare hand and censed the Emperor. The Emperor, seeing this, bowed to the ground before David. He reposed in peace.

Feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. Feast of the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God

This icon was once kept in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In 1383, it suddenly appeared in the sky over Lake Ladoga, then travelled through the air to the city of Tikhvin, where it alit by the River Tikhvina. A monastery was built there to house it. In the twentieth century it was brought to America. Innumerable miracles have been worked through this wonderworking icon, especially healings of children.

On this day is also commemorated the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God. According to many accounts, this icon and the Tikhvin Icon are one and the same, so we list them together. Hodigritia is translated “Directress” or more literally “She who shows the way.” It was painted by Luke the Evangelist himself, who knew the Mother of God in the flesh. Over the years the icon was taken from Antioch to Jerusalem, then to Constantinople where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae. When Constantinople was attacked at the same time by the Persians and the Scythians, Patriarch Sergius carried the holy icon around the ramparts, and the city was miraculously delivered from its pagan enemies. During the iconoclast period, the icon was hidden in a wall in the monastery of the Pantocrator.