اعمال رسولان ۱۳.۱۳-۲۴ (رساله)

۱۳آنگاه پولس و همراهانش از راه دریا از پافوس به پِرجۀ پامفیلیه رفتند. امّا در آنجا یوحنا از ایشان جدا شد و به اورشلیم بازگشت. ۱۴آنها از پِرجه گذشتند و به اَنطاکیۀ پیسیدیه رسیدند. در روز شَبّات، به کنیسه درآمدند و نشستند. ۱۵پس از تلاوت تورات و کتب پیامبران، رهبرانِ کنیسه نزد ایشان فرستادند و گفتند: «برادران، اگر پند و اندرزی برای مردم دارید، بگویید.» ۱۶پولس ایستاد و با دست اشاره کرده، گفت: «ای مردان اسرائیلی و ای غیریهودیانِ خداترس، گوش فرا دهید! ۱۷خدای قوم اسرائیل، پدران ما را برگزید و قوم ما را در زمان غربتشان در مصر سرافراز ساخت و با قدرتی عظیم آنها را از آن سرزمین به در آورد، ۱۸و قریب به چهل سال رفتارشان را در بیابان تحمل کرد. ۱۹او هفت قوم را که در کنعان بودند، نابود ساخت و سرزمینشان را به قوم خود به میراث داد. ۲۰این همه حدود چهارصد و پنجاه سال به طول انجامید. «پس از آن، تا زمان سموئیل نبی، خدا داوران بدیشان داد. ۲۱آنگاه پادشاهی خواستند و خدا شائول، پسر قِیس، از قبیلۀ بِنیامین را به ایشان داد، که چهل سال حکومت کرد. ۲۲پس از برداشتن شائول، داوود را برانگیخت تا شاه ایشان گردد، و بر او چنین گواهی داد: ”داوود پسر یَسا را دلخواه خویش یافتم؛ او خواستِ مرا به‌طور کامل به جا خواهد آورد.“ ۲۳«از نسل همین مرد، خدا طبق وعدۀ خود، نجات‌دهنده یعنی عیسی را برای اسرائیل فرستاد. ۲۴پیش از آمدن عیسی، یحیی تعمیدِ توبه را به همۀ مردم اسرائیل موعظه می‌کرد.

یوحنا ۶.۵-۱۴ (انجیل)

۵چون عیسی نگریست و دید که گروهی بسیار به سویش می‌آیند، فیلیپُس را گفت: «از کجا نان بخریم تا اینها بخورند؟» ۶این را گفت تا او را بیازماید، زیرا خود نیک می‌دانست چه خواهد کرد. ۷فیلیپُس پاسخ داد: «دویست دینار نان نیز کفافشان نمی‌کند، حتی اگر هر یک فقط اندکی بخورند.» ۸یکی دیگر از شاگردان به نام آندریاس، که برادر شَمعون پطرس بود، گفت: ۹«پسرکی اینجاست که پنج نان جو و دو ماهی دارد، امّا این کجا این گروه را کفایت می‌کند؟» ۱۰عیسی گفت: «مردم را بنشانید.» در آنجا سبزۀ بسیار بود. پس ایشان که نزدیک پنج هزار مرد بودند، نشستند. ۱۱آنگاه عیسی نانها را برگرفت، و پس از شکرگزاری، میان نشستگان تقسیم کرد، و ماهیها را نیز، به قدری که خواستند. ۱۲چون سیر شدند، به شاگردان گفت: «پاره‌نانهای باقی‌مانده را جمع کنید تا چیزی هدر نرود.» ۱۳پس آنها را جمع کردند و از پاره‌های باقی‌ماندۀ آن پنج نان جو که جماعت خورده بودند، دوازده سبد پر شد. ۱۴مردم با دیدن این آیت که از عیسی به ظهور رسید، گفتند: «براستی که او همان پیامبر است که می‌باید به جهان بیاید.»

قدیس نیکیفوروس معترف (۸۲۹)

He was born in Constantinople around 758, of pious parents: his father had been exiled under Constantine Copronymus for his steadfast veneration of the holy icons. Nikephoros served in the imperial palace as a secretary, but later renounced worldly success to struggle in monastic life near Constantinople. He built and administered a monastery which soon became filled with monks; but he himself never took the monastic habit, feeling himself unworthy. Though a layman, he took part in the Seventh Ecumenical Council at the request of the Emperor and Patriarch because of his remarkable knowledge of Holy Scripture. Much against his will, he was made Patriarch of Constantinople at the death of Patriarch Tarasios. He was made a monk, then elevated through all the priestly orders in a few days, then enthroned at St Sophia in 806.

A few years later, the Emperor Leo the Armenian took the throne. Patriarch Nikephoros, as was customary, sent him a Confession of the Orthodox Faith to sign. Leo put off signing the document until his coronation, then revealed himself to be an Iconoclast heretic. The Patriarch tried quietly to bring him back to the Orthodox faith, but to no avail. When the Emperor, in his turn, tried to make the holy Nikephoros bow to iconoclasm, the Patriarch clearly and publicly upheld the veneration of the holy Icons. For this he was deposed and driven into exile at the Monastery of St Theodore, which he himself had founded. Here he reposed, having served for nine years as Patriarch, and thirteen years in exile and privation.

شهید جدید مقدس کنستانتین (۱۸۱۹)

He was born a Muslim on the island of Lesbos (Mitylene), but became convinced of the truth of Christ after he was healed of a serious illness by the aid of holy water in a church. He traveled to the Holy Mountain and was baptised at the monastery of Kapsokalyvia. Later, he was seized by the Turks, who first tortured him viciously and, when he would not deny the Faith, hanged him in Constantinople.

کشیش‌شهید اِرازمو اوخرید (۳۰۳)

“This saint was born in Antioch and lived in the reigns of Diocletian and Maximian. He lived in strict asceticism on Mount Lebanon, and was endowed by God with great wonderworking gifts. As a bishop, he set out to preach the Gospel. Arriving at the city of Ochrid, he restored the son of a man called Anastasius to life by his prayers, and baptised him. At this time, Erazmo baptised many other pagans and tore down the idolatrous altar in Ochrid. For this he was denounced to the Emperor Maximian, who was at that time staying in Illyria. The Emperor brought him before the copper image of Zeus, and ordered him to bring sacrifices and worship the idol. St Erazmo, by his power, caused a terrible dragon to come out of the statue, which terrified all the people. The saint then worked another wonder, and the dragon died. Then the saint preached Christ and baptised 20,000 souls. The furious Emperor commanded that all 20,000 be beheaded, and put Erazmo to harsh torture, before throwing him into prison. But an angel of God appeared to him, as once to the Apostle Peter, and led him out of the prison. After that, this servant of God went to Campania, where he preached the Gospel to the people, then returned again to the town of Hermelia, where he withdrew to a cave and lived in asceticism for the rest of his days. At the time of his death, he prostrated three times towards the East and, with upraised hands, prayed to God to forgive and give eternal life to all those who would, with faith, call upon his name. At the end of his prayer, a voice was heard from heaven: ‘Let it be as thou hast asked, My little healer Erazmo!’ The saint looked up once more to heaven with great joy and saw a wreath of glory descending upon him, and a choir of angels, prophets, apostles and martyrs waiting to receive his holy soul. He finally cried: ‘Lord, receive my spirit!’, and breathed his last, in about the year 303. The cave and chapel of St Erazmo stand to this day not far from Ochrid, and from there is proclaimed to this day the great power of the man of God, Erazmo the hieromartyr.” (Prologue)

Note: St Erazmo is commemorated on May 4th in the Slavonic Menaion, but St Nikolai Velomirovich gives today as the date on which he was been commemorated in Ochrid “from time immemorial”.