2 Thessalonians 2.1-12 (Epistle)

1Ali vas molimo, braæo, za dolazak Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, i za naš sastanak u njemu, 2Da se ne date lasno pokrenuti od uma, niti da se plašite, ni duhom ni rijeèju, ni poslanicom, kao da je od nas poslana, da je veæ nastao dan Hristov. 3Da vas niko ne prevari nikakijem naèinom; jer neæe doæi dok ne doðe najprije otpad, i ne pokaže se èovjek bezakonja, sin pogibli, 4Koji se protivi i podiže više svega što se zove Bog ili se poštuje, tako da æe on sjesti u crkvi Božijoj kao Bog pokazujuæi sebe da je Bog. 5Ne pamtite li da sam vam ovo kazivao još kad sam kod vas bio? 6I sad znate što zadržava da se ne javi u svoje vrijeme. 7Jer se veæ radi tajna bezakonja, samo dok se ukloni onaj koji sad zadržava. 8Pa æe se onda javiti bezakonik, kojega æe Gospod Isus ubiti duhom usta svojijeh, i iskorijeniti svjetlošæu dolaska svojega; 9Kojega je dolazak po èinjenju sotoninu sa svakom silom, i znacima i lažnijem èudesima, 10I sa svakom prijevarom nepravde meðu onima koji ginu: jer ljubavi istine ne primiše, da bi se spasli. 11I zato æe im Bog poslati silu prijevare, da vjeruju laži; 12Da prime sud svi koji ne vjerovaše istini, nego volješe nepravdu.

Luke 21.5-7, 10-11, 20-24 (Gospel)

5I kad neki govorahu za crkvu da je ukrašena lijepijem kamenjem i zakladima, reèe: 6Doæi æe dani u koje od svega što vidite neæe ostati ni kamen na kamenu koji se neæe razmetnuti. 7Zapitaše ga pak govoreæi: uèitelju! a kad æe to biti? i kakav je znak kad æe se to dogoditi? 10Tada im reèe: ustaæe narod na narod i carstvo na carstvo; 11I zemlja æe se tresti vrlo po svijetu, i biæe gladi i pomori i strahote i veliki znaci biæe na nebu. 20A kad vidite da Jerusalim opkoli vojska onda znajte da se približilo vrijeme da opusti. 21Tada koji budu u Judeji neka bježe u gore, i koji budu u gradu neka izlaze napolje; i koji su napolju neka ne ulaze u njega: 22Jer su ovo dani osvete, da se izvrši sve što je napisano. 23Ali teško trudnima i dojilicama u te dane! Jer æe biti velika nevolja na zemlji, i gnjev na ovom narodu. 24I pašæe od oštrica maèa, i odvešæe se u ropstvo po svijem narodima; i Jerusalim æe gaziti neznabošci dok se ne izvrše vremena neznabožaca.

Our Venerable Father Patapius (6th or 7th c.)

He was born at Thebes in Egypt, and at a young age left his pious parents, his inheritance and his acquaintances to dwell in the Egyptian desert, devoting himself to ceaseless prayer. After many years, he reputation spread and, despite his desire for solitude, throngs of pilgrims would seek him out for his prayers and counsel. To escape the attentions of men, he did a surprising thing: he abandoned the desert and moved to Constantinople, settling in the Blachernae district, where, amid the bustle of the city, he was able to pass unnoticed, more secure in his solitude than he had been in the caves of Egypt.

As he grew in obedience to the commandments of Christ, the grace of working miracles grew in him, and once again he gradually became known. Once a blind man cast himself before Patapius on the street, and the Saint cured him instantly by calling on the name of Christ. Once he healed a man crippled by dropsy, anointing him with the oil from a vigil lamp and signing him with the Cross.

After blessing the Church for many years with his prayers and miracles, St Patapius fell asleep in peace, and was buried in the church of the Monastery of the Egyptians near Constantinople. In 1904 his precious and incorrupt relics were uncovered in the course of some building at a small monastery near Corinth. From that time the monastery has been dedicated to St Patapius, and many miracles are worked there.

Holy Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Tychicus and Epaphroditus, Cephas and Caesar

All of these Apostles are mentioned in the New Testament. Sosthenes was the ruler of the Synagogue in Corinth, and was converted through the preaching of St Paul. After traveling with St Paul for years, he became Bishop of Colophon near Ephesus. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria, well educated and with a deep knowledge of the Scriptures. He was brought to the fulness of the Christian faith by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, and went out preaching the Gospel among the pagans. His eloquence was so admired that for awhile the gentile Church divided into two factions, one for Paul and one for Apollos. Saint Apollos later became Bishop of Caesarea.

(The Synaxarion lists Cephas and Caesar here; but some believe that St Paul’s reference to Cephas in 1 Cor 1:12 refers to the Apostle Peter, not to a separate companion of St Paul; and that “those of Caesar’s household” (Phil. 4:22) refers to Christians in the Emperor’s palace in Rome, not to a Christian named Caesar.)