Orthodox Calendar

21. август 2025.
Thursday of the 11th week after Pentecost

No Fast

Commemorations

  • Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy (44)
  • Holy Martyrs Bassa and her sons Theognis, Agapios, and Pistis (4th c.)
  • Holy Forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 4.1-6 (Epistle)

1Zato imajuæi ovu službu kao što bismo pomilovani, ne dosaðuje nam se; 2Nego se odrekosmo tajnoga srama da ne živimo u lukavstvu, niti da izvræemo rijeè Božiju, nego javljanjem istine da se pokažemo svakoj savjesti èovjeèijoj pred Bogom. 3Ako li je pak pokriveno jevanðelje naše, u onima je pokriveno koji ginu, 4U kojima Bog svijeta ovoga oslijepi razume nevjernika, da im ne zasvijetli vidjelo jevanðelja slave Hristove, koji je oblièje Boga, koji se ne vidi. 5Jer sebe ne propovijedamo nego Hrista Isusa Gospoda, a sebe same vaše sluge Isusa Gospoda radi. 6Jer Bog koji reèe da iz tame zasvijetli vidjelo, zasvijetli u srcima našima na svjetlost poznanja slave Božije u licu Isusa Hrista.

Matthew 24.13-28 (Gospel)

13Ali koji pretrpi do kraja blago njemu. 14I propovjediæe se ovo jevanðelje o carstvu po svemu svijetu za svjedoèanstvo svijem narodima. I tada æe doæi pošljedak. 15Kad dakle ugledate mrzost opušæenja, o kojoj govori prorok Danilo, gdje stoji na mjestu svetome koji èita da razumije): 16Tada koji budu u Judeji neka bježe u gore; 17I koji bude na krovu da ne silazi uzeti što mu je u kuæi; 18I koji bude u polju da se ne vrati natrag da uzme haljine svoje. 19A teško trudnima i dojilicama u te dane. 20Nego se molite Bogu da ne bude bježan vaša u zimu ni u subotu; 21Jer æe biti nevolja velika kakova nije bila od postanja svijeta dosad niti æe biti; 22I da se oni dani ne skrate, niko ne bi ostao; ali izbranijeh radi skratiæe se dani oni. 23Tada ako vam ko reèe: evo ovdje je Hristos ili ondje, ne vjerujte. 24Jer æe iziæi lažni hristosi i lažni proroci, i pokazaæe znake velike i èudesa da bi prevarili, ako bude moguæe, i izbrane. 25Eto vam kazah naprijed. 26Ako vam dakle reku: evo ga u pustinji, ne izlazite; evo ga u sobama, ne vjerujte. 27Jer kako što munja izlazi od istoka i pokazuje se do zapada, taki æe biti dolazak sina èovjeèijega. 28Jer gdje je strvina onamo æe se i orlovi kupiti.

Commemorations

Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy (44)

He was by birth a Jew from Edessa; it was he who instructed king Avgar in the Faith and baptised him (see August 16). According to Eusebius he is not the Thaddeus who was one of the Twelve (Mt 10:3), but was one of the Seventy. After Christ’s Resurrection, he preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia and ended his life in martyrdom.

Holy Martyrs Bassa and her sons Theognis, Agapios, and Pistis (4th c.)

“Bassa was the wife of a pagan priest, but she was secretly a Christian and brought her sons up in a Christian spirit. Her husband hated her for her faith, and handed her over to the judge for torture, together with her sons. After harsh torture, her sons were beheaded (it is thought, in Edessa in Macedonia). Bassa was filled with joy to see her sons thus gloriously finish their martyr’s course for Christ, and herself went with yet greater desire from torture to torture. When she was thrown into the sea, angels appeared to her and took her to an island in the Sea of Marmara, where she was slain with the sword under Maximian. Thus holy Bassa was in a twofold manner made worthy of the Kingdom of Christ: as a martyr and as the mother of martyrs.” (Prologue)

Holy Forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

They are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, before Nativity.