1 Thessalonians 2.20-3.8 (Epistle)

20Jer ste vi naša slava i radost.

1Zato ne moguæi više trpljeti naumismo sami ostati u Atini, 2I poslasmo Timotija, brata svojega i slugu Božijega, i pomagaèa svojega u jevanðelju Hristovu, da vas utvrdi i utješi u vjeri vašoj; 3Da se niko ne smete u ovijem nevoljama; jer sami znate da smo na to odreðeni. 4Jer kad bijasmo kod vas kazasmo vam naprijed da æemo padati u nevolje, koje i bi, i znate. 5Toga radi i ja ne moguæi više trpljeti poslah da poznam vjeru vašu, da vas kako ne iskuša kušaè, i da uzalud ne bude trud naš. 6A sad kad doðe Timotije k nama od vas i javi nam vašu vjeru i ljubav, i da imate dobar spomen o nama svagda, želeæi nas vidjeti, kao i mi vas, 7Zato se utješismo, braæo, vama u svakoj žalosti i nevolji svojoj vašom vjerom; 8Jer smo mi sad živi kad vi stojite u Gospodu.

Luke 19.37-44 (Gospel)

37A kad se približi veæ da siðe s gore Maslinske, poèe sve mnoštvo uèenika u radosti hvaliti Boga iza glasa za sva èudesa što su vidjeli, 38Govoreæi: blagosloven car koji ide u ime Gospodnje! mir na nebu i slava na visini! 39I neki fariseji iz naroda rekoše mu: uèitelju! zaprijeti uèenicima svojijem. 40I odgovarajuæi reèe im: kažem vam: ako oni uæute, kamenje æe povikati. 41I kad se približi, ugleda grad i zaplaka za njim 42Govoreæi: kad bi i ti znao u ovaj tvoj dan što je za mir tvoj! ali je sad sakriveno od oèiju tvojijeh. 43Jer æe doæi dani na tebe, i okružiæe te neprijatelji tvoji opkopima, i opkoliæe te, i obuzeæe te sa sviju strana; 44I razbiæe tebe i djecu tvoju u tebi, i neæe ostaviti u tebi kamena na kamenu, zato što nijesi poznao vremena u kojemu si pohoðen.

Holy Martyr Paramon and his 370 Companions (ca. 250)

“Akylinus, the Governor of Bithynia in the reign of the Emperor Decius (249-51), was leaving for the hot springs at Bisaltia, when he decided to make 370 Christians from Nicomedia, who had been imprisoned on his orders, worship in the temple of Isis. On their refusal to do so, they were all beheaded. Seeing this massacre, the righteous Paramon cried out: ‘What a wicked deed to slaughter so many righteous men, and strangers moreover, as if they were animals.’ The Governor heard these words and had Paramon seized and taken with him under guard. On the road he was mistreated in various ways by the soldiers. Some of them struck him with their spears, others excised his tongue and other members, and he was finally put to death in the presence of the Governor.” (Synaxarion) Note: of the various persecutions launched by the pagan Emperors before St Constantine, the persecution under Decius was probably the fiercest and bloodiest.

Our Holy Father Pitirim of Egypt (4th c.)

“Abba Pitirim directed a group of ascetics who led a very austere life in the arid mountains of the Thebaid. He was himself a disciple and third successor of Saint Anthony the Great (17 Jan.) in his hermitage. He ate no more than a little flour mixed with water twice a week, and so persevered in spiritual labours that he gained abundant graces from the Holy Spirit. Among other things, he taught that to each passion there corresponds a demon who tries to stir up that passion within us through different temptations. In order to get rid of these demons and of evil thoughts, Abba Pitirim said that we must first free our hearts from passions.” (Synaxarion)