Acts 23.1-11 (Epistle)

1A Pavle pogledavši na skupštinu reèe: ljudi braæo! ja sa svom dobrom savjesti življeh pred Bogom do samoga ovog dana. 2A poglavar sveštenièki Ananija zapovjedi onima što stajahu kod njega da ga biju po ustima. 3Tada mu reèe Pavle: tebe æe Bog biti, zide okreèeni! I ti sjediš te mi sudiš po zakonu, a prestupajuæi zakon zapovijedaš da me biju. 4A oni što stajahu naokolo rekoše: zar psuješ Božijeg poglavara sveštenièkoga? 5A Pavle reèe: ne znadoh, braæo, da je poglavar sveštenièki, jer stoji napisano: starješini naroda svojega da ne govoriš ružno. 6A znajuæi Pavle da je jedan dio sadukeja a drugi fariseja, povika na skupštini: ljudi braæo! ja sam farisej i sin farisejev: za nad i za vaskrsenije iz mrtvijeh doveden sam na sud. 7A kad on ovo reèe, postade raspra meðu sadukejima i farisejima, i razdijeli se narod. 8Jer sadukeji govore da nema vaskrsenija, ni anðela ni duha; a fariseji priznaju oboje. 9I postade velika vika, i ustavši književnici od strane farisejske prepirahu se meðu sobom govoreæi: nikakvo zlo ne nalazimo na ovome èovjeku; ako li mu govori duh ili anðeo, da se ne suprotimo Bogu. 10A kad posta raspra velika, pobojavši se vojvoda da Pavla ne raskinu, zapovjedi da siðu vojnici i da ga otmu izmeðu njih, i da ga odvedu u oko. 11A onu noæ stade Gospod predanjga i reèe: ne boj se, Pavle, jer kao što si svjedoèio za mene u Jerusalimu, tako ti valja i u Rimu svjedoèiti.

John 16.15-23 (Gospel)

15Sve što ima otac moje je: zato rekoh da æe od mojega uzeti, i javiti vam. 16Još malo, i neæete me vidjeti, i opet malo, pa æete me vidjeti: jer idem k ocu. 17A neki od uèenika njegovijeh rekoše meðu sobom: šta je to što nam kaže: još malo, i neæete me vidjeti; i opet malo pa æete me vidjeti; i: ja idem k ocu? 18Govorahu dakle: šta je to što govori: malo? ne znamo šta govori. 19A Isus razumje da šæadijahu da ga zapitaju, pa im reèe: zato li se zapitujete meðu sobom što rekoh: još malo i neæete me vidjeti, i opet malo pa æete me vidjeti? 20Zaista, zaista vam kažem da æete vi zaplakati i zaridati, a svijet æe se radovati; i vi æete žalosni biti, ali æe se vaša žalost okrenuti na radost. 21Žena kad raða trpi muku; jer doðe èas njezin: ali kad rodi dijete, više se ne opominje žalosti od radosti, jer se rodi èovjek na svijet. 22Tako i vi dakle imate sad žalost; ali æu vas opet vidjeti, i radovaæe se srce vaše, i vaše radosti niko neæe uzeti od vas; 23I u onaj dan neæete me pitati ni za što. Zaista, zaista vam kažem da što god uzištete u oca u ime moje, daæe vam.

Hieromartyr Therapon, bishop of Sardis (259)

For boldly preaching Christ and bringing many to the Faith, he was seized and tortured by the pagans. After imprisoning and starving him, his persecutors bound him to four posts and flogged him until the flesh was stripped from his bones. But he remained alive, and the four dead posts to which he was tied sprouted into tall, green trees, from which many received healing. At last St Therapon was slain by the sword, during the reign of the Emperor Valerian.

Holy Martyrs Theodora and Didymus (304)

“In the reign of the wicked Emperor Maximilian, there lived in Alexandria a maiden, Theodora, well-educated and of noble lineage. She was brought to trial before the pagans for her Christian faith. After long interrogation and torture for the Faith, the prince, her tormentor, ordered that she be thrown into a brothel and the soldiers given free access to her to indulge their carnal lusts. Theodora prayed fervently to God to save her from defilement, and, when she had prayed, a soldier called Didymus came in to her and told her that he was a servant of Christ. He dressed her in his soldier’s garb and himself in her dress, then let her out and remained in the brothel himself. He was seized and brought before the judge, where he acknowledged that he was a Christian and had saved Theodora, and was now prepared to die for Christ. He was condemned to death and taken out to the place of execution. Theodora ran up to him there and cried out: ‘Although you saved my honour, I did not ask you to save me from death. Yield the martyr’s death to me!’ Didymus replied: ‘My beloved sister, do not hinder my death for Christ, nor the washing of my sins in my blood.’ Hearing this exchange, the pagans condemned them both to death, and they were beheaded and their bodies burned. They suffered with honour and received eternal wreaths of glory in Alexandria in the year 304.” (Prologue)

Holy New Confessor John the Russian (1730)

He was captured during a Russian campaign against the Turks in 1711, and sold into slavery in Asia Minor. As a slave he strove to serve God faithfully, while serving his earthly master in everything honorable. Despite many enticements offered by the Muslims to renounce his faith, he remained steadfast, and was permitted to work miracles through his prayers. He reposed in peace in 1730. His relics remained incorrupt.

Saint David of Garesjei (6th c.)

“This David is one of the thirteen Georgian Fathers (May 7). He is thus named for the Garajeli desert near Tiflis, where he lived the ascetic life. In old age, David decided to visit the Holy Land with several of his disciples. He left the direction of the monastery to two elders, Lucian and Dodo, and set out on the way. When they came to a hill from which Jerusalem was visible, David burst into tears and said: ‘How can I dare to walk in the steps of God incarnate with these sinful feet?’, and he told his disciples to go and worship at the holy places, but he himself took up three stones and set off to return. But the Lord did not let such humility remain hidden from the world, and an angel appeared to Elias, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and said to him: ‘Send at once for the elder who is even now returning to Syria; he has taken with him three stones, and is carrying with him all the Holy Land’s grace. One stone is a sufficient blessing for him; let him return the other two to Jerusalem. He is called Abba David of Garesjei.’ The Patriarch quickly sent men off to overtake the elder. They took two stones from him, and let him go on his way. The third stone lies on his grave to this day, and possesses miraculous healing power.” (Prologue)

Venerable Bede (Baeda) (735)

He spent almost his entire life as a monk in England, and is known primarily for his many writings. He entered the monastery at Wearmouth at the age of seven, and later moved (perhaps as one of the founders) to the monastery of Jarrow, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was ordained to the priesthood in his thirtieth year. In addition to many works of biblical exegesis, very popular in the middle ages, he compiled the Ecclesiastical History, still the primary source for the history of Christianity’s establishment in the British isles. He reposed in peace.

A problem: Bede lived during the time of the undivided Church, but was only canonized, in the west, in 1899, centuries after the Great Schism. Presumably, then, he has never been formally glorified by the Orthodox Church. Is he a Saint of the Church? We leave the answer to wiser heads.