James 2.14-26 (Epistle)

14Kakva je korist, braæo moja, ako ko reèe da ima vjeru a djela nema? Zar ga može vjera spasti? 15Ako, na priliku, brat ili sestra goli budu, ili nemaju šta da jedu, 16I reèe im koji od vas: idite s mirom, grijte se, i nasitite se, a ne da im potrebe tjelesne, šta pomaže? 17Tako i vjera ako nema djela, mrtva je po sebi. 18No može ko reæi: ti imaš vjeru, a ja imam djela. Pokaži mi vjeru svoju bez djela svojijeh, a ja æu tebi pokazati vjeru svoju iz djela svojijeh. 19Ti vjeruješ da je jedan Bog; dobro èiniš; i ðavoli vjeruju, i drkæu. 20Ali hoæeš li razumjeti, o èovjeèe sujetni! da je vjera bez djela mrtva? 21Avraam otac naš ne opravda li se djelima kad prinese Isaka sina svojega na oltar? 22Vidiš li da vjera pomože djelima njegovijem, i kroz djela savrši se vjera? 23I izvrši se pismo koje govori: Avraam vjerova Bogu, i primi mu se u pravdu, i prijatelj Božij nazva se. 24Vidite li dakle da se djelima pravda èovjek, a ne samom vjerom? 25A tako i Raav kurva ne opravda li se djelima kad primi uhode, i izvede ih drugijem putem? 26Jer kao što je tijelo bez duha mrtvo, tako je i vjera bez dobrijeh djela mrtva.

Luke 17.20-25 (Gospel)

20A kad ga upitaše fariseji: kad æe doæi carstvo Božije? odgovarajuæi reèe im: carstvo Božije neæe doæi da se vidi; 21Niti æe se kazati: evo ga ovdje ili ondje; jer gle, carstvo je Božije unutra u vama. 22A uèenicima reèe: doæi æe vrijeme kad æete zaželjeti da vidite jedan dan sina èovjeèijega, i neæete vidjeti. 23I reæi æe vam: evo ovdje je, ili: eno ondje; ali ne izlazite, niti tražite. 24Jer kako što munja sine s neba, i zasvijetli se preko svega što je pod nebom, tako æe biti i sin èovjeèij u svoj dan. 25Ali mu najprije treba mnogo postradati, i okrivljenu biti od roda ovoga.

Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles.

In addition to the Twelve Apostles, our Lord appointed seventy disciples to go forth and bring the Good News to the world (see Luke ch. 10). Others were later added to this company by the Holy Apostles, so that their number in fact exceeds seventy, though all are still referred to as “of the Seventy.”

On this day we also commemorate the company of those who have been sent forth by the Holy Spirit through the centuries to proclaim the joyous Gospel of Christ.

The Ethiopian Eunuch of Queen Candace

His baptism by the holy Apostle Philip is told in Acts ch. 8. He was already seeking out the things of God — the story shows him reading the Book of Isaiah, and specifies that he was going to Jerusalem to worship. He returned home (“rejoicing”, say the scriptures) and proclaimed the Gospel of Christ in his native land; the ancient Church of Ethiopia traces its beginnings to his mission. He died a martyr’s death.

Venerable Apollinaria (5th c.)

She was a maiden of high rank, the daughter of a magistrate named Anthimus in the city of Rome. Filled with love for Christ, she prevailed on her parents to allow her to travel on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In Jerusalem she dismissed most of her attendants, gave her jewels, fine clothes and money to the poor, and went on to Egypt accompanied only by two trusted servants. Near Alexandria she slipped away from them and fled to a forest, where she lived in ascesis for many years. She then made her way to Sketis, the famous desert monastic colony, and presented herself as a eunuch named Dorotheos. In this guise she was accepted as a monk.

Anthimus, having lost his elder daughter, was visited with another grief: his younger daughter was afflicted by a demon. He sent this daughter to Sketis, asking the holy fathers there to aid her by their prayers. They put her under the care of “Dorotheos”, who after days of constant prayer effected the complete cure of her (unknowing) sister. When the girl got back home it was discovered that she was pregnant, and Anthimus angrily ordered that the monk who had cared for her be sent to him. He was astonished to find that “Dorotheos” was his own daughter Apollinaria, whom he had abandoned hope of seeing again. After some days the holy woman returned to Sketis, still keeping her identity secret from her fellow-monks. Only at her death was her true story discovered.