Orthodox Calendar

23. децембар 2027.
Thursday of the 27th week after Pentecost

Nativity Fast — Wine and Oil are Allowed

Commemorations

  • The Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete (250)
  • Our Venerable Father Paul, Archbishop of Neocaesarea (4th c.)
  • Our Holy Father Nahum of Ochrid, Wonderworker and Enlightener of the Slavs (ca. 900)

Scripture Readings

1 Timothy 6.17-21 (Epistle)

17Bogatima na ovome svijetu zapovijedaj da se ne ponose niti uzdaju u bogatstvo propadljivo, nego u Boga živoga, koji nam sve daje izobilno za užitak; 18Neka dobro èine, neka se bogate u dobrijem djelima, neka budu podašni, zajednièni, 19Sabirajuæi sebi temelj dobar za unapredak, da prime život vjeèni. 20O Timotije! saèuvaj što ti je predano, kloni se poganijeh praznijeh razgovora i prepiranja lažno nazvanoga razuma, 21Kojijem se neki hvaleæi otpadoše od vjere. Blagodat s tobom. Amin.

Mark 10.17-27 (Gospel)

17I kad iziðe na put, pritrèa neko, i kleknuvši na koljena pred njim pitaše ga: uèitelju blagi! šta mi treba èiniti da dobijem život vjeèni? 18A Isus reèe mu: što me zoveš blagijem? niko nije blag osim jednoga Boga. 19Zapovijesti znaš: ne èini preljube; ne ubij; ne ukradi; ne svjedoèi lažno; ne èini nepravde nikome; poštuj oca svojega i mater. 20A on odgovarajuæi reèe mu: uèitelju! sve sam ovo saèuvao od mladosti svoje. 21A Isus pogledavši na nj, omilje mu, i reèe mu: još ti jedno nedostaje: idi prodaj sve što imaš i podaj siromasima; i imaæeš blago na nebu; i doði te hajde za mnom uzevši krst. 22A on posta zlovoljan od ove rijeèi, i otide žalostan; jer bijaše vrlo bogat. 23I pogledavši Isus reèe uèenicima svojima: kako je teško bogatima uæi u carstvo nebesko! 24A uèenici se uplašiše od rijeèi njegovijeh. A Isus opet odgovarajuæi reèe im: djeco! kako je teško onima koji se uzdaju u svoje bogatstvo uæi u carstvo Božije! 25Lakše je kamili proæi kroz iglene uši negoli bogatome uæi u carstvo Božije. 26A oni se vrlo divljahu govoreæi u sebi: ko se dakle može spasti? 27A Isus pogledavši na njih reèe: ljudima je nemoguæe, ali nije Bogu: jer je sve moguæe Bogu.

Commemorations

The Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete (250)

All ten suffered for Christ together on Crete during the reign of the Emperor Decius. They were tormented and humiliated for thirty days, but bore their trials with such serenity that the Governor feared that others would be converted to the Faith, so had all of them beheaded.

Our Venerable Father Paul, Archbishop of Neocaesarea (4th c.)

This holy bishop was so revered that he was summoned by the Emperor Licinius himself, who attempted to turn him from the Faith. When this failed, the Emperor ordered that molten metal be poured on the bishop’s hands, which left them paralyzed and horribly disfigured. Years went by, Christianity was legalized by Constantine the Great and, when the Council of Nicaea was summoned, St Paul was among those bishops who were called to attend. Many of the bishops who attended bore in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus (Gal. 6:17): noses, ears or eyes lost, scars and burns from their trials for Christ. At the Council, the Emperor Constantine knelt before St Paul and kissed his hands as holy relics, saying ‘I will never tire of kissing these hands which have lost their life for the sake of my Christ.’ After the Council, the holy bishop served in Neocaesarea for several more years, then reposed in peace.

Our Holy Father Nahum of Ochrid, Wonderworker and Enlightener of the Slavs (ca. 900)

He was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), and traveled with them on their missionary journey to the Slavs. With them and their other companions, he endured many trials, including several imprisonments at the hands of the Latin Franks, who were seeking to seize control of the region of Moravia in order to impose the Latin language and to spread the heresy of the filioque. For a time their troubles were relieved by Pope Hadrian II, who supported the mission and made St Methodius Archbishop of Pannonia, with jurisdiction over the Eastern European Slav lands. But when St Methodius died, St Nahum and his companions were imprisoned once more, then sent into exile, where they finally found shelter in the Orthodox Kingdom of Bulgaria. There they were able to continue their work of evangelization in the Slavonic language. Saint Nahum founded the Monastery that bears his name on the shore of Lake Ochrid. After his repose his relics were brought there for burial, and are venerated there today.