Philippians 1.12-20 (Epistle)

12Hoæu pak da znate, braæo, da ovo što se radi sa mnom iziðe za napredak jevanðelja, 13Tako da se razglasi u svoj sudnici i kod sviju ostalijeh da su moji okovi za Hrista. 14I mnoga braæa u Gospodu oslobodivši se okovima mojima veæma smiju govoriti rijeè Božiju bez straha. 15Istina, jedni iz zavisti i svaðe, a jedni od dobre volje Hrista propovijedaju. 16Tako ovi uz prkos Hrista objavljuju neèisto, misleæi da æe nanijeti žalost mojijem okovima; 17A ovi iz ljubavi, znajuæi da za obranu jevanðelja ležim u tamnici. 18Šta dakle? Bilo kako mu drago, dvolièenjem ili istinom, Hristos se propovijeda; i zato se radujem, a i radovaæu se; 19Jer znam da æe mi se ovo zbiti na spasenije vašom molitvom i pomoæu Duha Isusa Hrista. 20Kao što èekam i nadam se da se ni u èemu neæu postidjeti, nego da æe se i sad kao svagda sa svakom slobodom Hristos velièati u tijelu mojemu, bilo životom ili smræu.

Luke 11.9-13 (Gospel)

9I ja vama kažem: ištite i daæe vam se: tražite i naæi æete; kucajte i otvoriæe vam se. 10Jer svaki koji ište, prima; i koji traži, nalazi; i koji kuca, otvora mu se. 11Koji je meðu vama otac u koga ako sin zaište hljeba da mu da kamen? Ili ako zaište ribe da mu da mjesto ribe zmiju? 12Ili ako zaište jaje da mu da skorpiju? 13Kad dakle vi, zli buduæi, umijete dobre dare davati djeci svojoj, koliko æe više otac nebeski dati Duha svetoga onima koji ištu u njega?

Holy Martyr Nestor, Companion of St Demetrius (306)

See St Demetrius, commemorated yesterday, October 26.

St Procla, the wife of Pontius Pilate.

When Pilate was about to judge Christ, Procla attempted to dissuade him, saying “Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Pilate ignored her warning. (See Matthew 27). St Procla reposed in peace.

Our Venerable Father Demetrius of Basarabov (Romania) (13th c.)

He was born early in the thirteenth century to a peasant family in the village of Basarov, then part of Bulgaria. Even in childhood, he gave himself to fasting and prayer. Once, walking across a field, he accidentally stepped on a bird’s nest in the grass, killing the young birds. He was so filled with remorse that he went barefoot for three years, winter and summer, in penance. When he was grown he joined a monastery and, after a few years of community life, received a blessing to dwell in a cave near the River Lom. After many years of solitary struggle, he reposed in his cave. Three hundred years passed, during which all memory of the simple ascetic was lost. Then, one Spring the river flooded the cave and carried off Demetrius’ body, which had lain incorrupt in the cave for centuries. The body was carried downstream and buried in gravel. Another hundred years went by, and the Saint appeared in a dream to a paralyzed girl, telling her to ask her parents to take her to the river bank, where she would be healed. The family, along with many clergy and villagers, went to a spot where some local people had earlier seen an unexplained light. They dug and soon unearthed the still-incorrupt and radiant body of St Demetrius, by which the girl was instantly healed. A church was built in the village of Basarabov to honor the precious relics, and through the years the Saint worked many miracles there.

In 1774, during the Russian-Turkish war, General Peter Saltikov ordered the holy relics taken to Russia so that they would not be desecrated by the Turks. When the relics came to Bucharest, a pious Christian friend of the General begged him not to deprive the country of one of its most precious saints; so the General took only one of the Saint’s hands, sending it to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Saint Demetrius’ body was placed in the cathedral of Bucharest, where it has been venerated ever since. Every year on October 27, a three-day festival is held in the Saint’s honor, attended by crowds of the faithful.