18. април 2026.
Bright Saturday

No Fast

Commemorations

Our Holy Father John, Disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (820)
The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)

Scripture Readings

Acts 3.11-16 (Epistle)

11A kad se iscijeljeni hromi držaše Petra i Jovana, navališe k njima svi ljudi u trijem, koji se zvaše Solomunov, i èuðahu se. 12A kad vidje Petar, odgovaraše ljudima: ljudi Izrailjci! što se èudite ovome? Ili šta gledate na nas, kao da smo svojom silom ili pobožnošæu uèinili da on ide? 13Bog Avraamov i Isakov i Jakovljev, Bog otaca našijeh, proslavi sina svojega Isusa, kojega vi predadoste i odrekoste ga se pred licem Pilatovijem kad on sudi da ga pusti. 14A vi sveca i pravednika odrekoste se, i isprosiste èovjeka krvnika da vam pokloni; 15A naèelnika života ubiste, kojega Bog vaskrse iz mrtvijeh, èemu smo mi svjedoci. 16I za vjeru imena njegova ovoga, koga vidite i poznajete, utvrdi ime njegovo; i vjera koja je kroza nj dade mu cijelo zdravlje ovo pred svima vama.

John 3.22-33 (Gospel)

22A potom doðe Isus i uèenici njegovi u Judejsku zemlju, i ondje življaše s njima i kršæavaše. 23A Jovan kršæavaše u Enonu blizu Salima, jer ondje bješe mnogo vode; i dolažahu te ih kršæavaše. 24Jer još ne bijaše Jovan baèen u tamnicu. 25Tada postade raspra meðu uèenicima Jovanovijem i Jevrejima oko èišæenja. 26I doðoše k Jovanu i rekoše mu: Ravi! onaj što bješe s tobom preko Jordana, za koga si ti svjedoèio, evo on kršæava, i svi idu k njemu. 27Jovan odgovori i reèe: ne može èovjek ništa primati ako mu ne bude dano s neba. 28Vi sami meni svjedoèite da rekoh: ja nijesam Hristos, nego sam poslan pred njim. 29Ko ima nevjestu ženik je, a prijatelj ženikov stoji i sluša ga, i radošæu raduje se glasu ženikovu. Ova dakle radost moja ispuni se. 30Onaj treba da raste, a ja da se umaljujem. 31Koji odozgo dolazi nad svima je; koji je sa zemlje od zemlje je, i govori od zemlje; koji dolazi s neba nad svima je. 32I što vidje i èu ono svjedoèi; i svjedoèanstva njegova niko ne prima. 33Koji primi njegovo svjedoèanstvo, potvrdi da je Bog istinit.

Commemorations

Our Holy Father John, Disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (820)

He entered monastic life when young and became a disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (Nov. 20). In the days of the iconoclast heresy, he was privileged to be tortured along with his teacher St Gregory and St Joseph the Hymnographer (April 3) for their defense of the holy icons. When Gregory died, John became Abbot of the Decapolite monastery in Constantinople. He reposed in peace around 820; St Joseph buried him near St Gregory’s grave.

The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)

He moved as a young man to Constantinople to work as a craftsman. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, many Christians had denied Christ and embraced Islam. John spoke with many of these about the Faith and challenged them for their betrayal of Christ. Shamed and angered, some of them had him arrested, falsely stating that he had earlier accepted Islam and then returned to Christianity, which is punishable by death in Islamic law. He was tortured and cast into prison. When he was brought out for more torture on the day of Pascha, John came forward full of joy and singing ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ To his torturers he cried, ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him.’ He has bound in chains and taken to be burned, but when he ran joyfully into the fire, his tormentors pulled him from the flames and beheaded him instead, then threw his head and body into the fire. Christians were able to gather a few of his wonderworking relics and bury them in the Great Church in Constantinople.