Acts 15.35-41 (Epistle)

35Pavel şi Barnaba au rămas în Antiohia şi învăţau pe norod şi propovăduiau, cu mulţi alţii, Cuvântul Domnului. 36După câteva zile, Pavel a zis lui Barnaba: „Să ne întoarcem şi să mergem pe la fraţii din toate cetăţile în care am vestit Cuvântul Domnului, ca să vedem ce mai fac.” 37Barnaba voia să ia cu el şi pe Ioan, numit Marcu; 38dar Pavel socotea că nu este bine să ia cu ei pe acela care îi părăsise din Pamfilia şi nu-i însoţise în lucrarea lor. 39Neînţelegerea aceasta a fost destul de mare, ca să-i facă să se despartă unul de altul. Barnaba a luat cu el pe Marcu şi a plecat cu corabia la Cipru. 40Pavel şi-a ales pe Sila şi a plecat, după ce a fost încredinţat de fraţi în grija harului Domnului.

41El a străbătut Siria şi Cilicia, întărind bisericile.

John 10.27-38 (Gospel)

27Oile Mele ascultă glasul Meu; Eu le cunosc, şi ele vin după Mine. 28Eu le dau viaţa veşnică, în veac nu vor pieri, şi nimeni nu le va smulge din mâna Mea. 29Tatăl Meu, care Mi le-a dat, este mai mare decât toţi; şi nimeni nu le poate smulge din mâna Tatălui Meu. 30Eu şi Tatăl una suntem.” 31Atunci iudeii iarăşi au luat pietre ca să-L ucidă. 32Isus le-a zis: „V-am arătat multe lucrări bune care vin de la Tatăl Meu: pentru care din aceste lucrări aruncaţi cu pietre în Mine?” 33Iudeii I-au răspuns: „Nu pentru o lucrare bună aruncăm noi cu pietre în Tine, ci pentru o hulă şi pentru că Tu, care eşti un om, Te faci Dumnezeu.” 34Isus le-a răspuns: „Nu este scris în Legea voastră: „Eu am zis: sunteţi dumnezei”? 35Dacă Legea a numit „dumnezei” pe aceia cărora le-a vorbit cuvântul lui Dumnezeu – şi Scriptura nu poate fi desfiinţată – 36cum ziceţi voi că hulesc Eu, pe care Tatăl M-a sfinţit şi M-a trimis în lume? Şi aceasta, pentru că am zis: „Sunt Fiul lui Dumnezeu!” 37Dacă nu fac lucrările Tatălui Meu, să nu Mă credeţi. 38Dar dacă le fac, chiar dacă nu Mă credeţi pe Mine, credeţi măcar lucrările acestea, ca să ajungeţi să cunoaşteţi şi să ştiţi că Tatăl este în Mine, şi Eu sunt în Tatăl.”

Hieromartyr Dorotheus, bishop of Tyre (361)

He became Bishop of Tyre in Phoenecia during the reign of Diocletian. The persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian drove him to Thrace; after their death he returned to Tyre. Persecution broke out again under Julian the Apostate, and Dorotheus was seized and tortured to death at the age of 107. He wrote learned writings in both Greek and Latin, telling the lives of the Prophets and the Saints.

Our Holy Father Theodore the Hermit and Wonderworker (583)

He lived for many years as a hermit in the wilderness of the Jordan, and after long and hard ascetic struggle was granted the gift of wonderworking. Once he travelled by ship to Constantinople, and the ship went off course in a storm. The drinking water ran out, and the crew and passengers were near death from thirst. Theodore prayed to God, made the sign of the cross over the sea, and told the crew to drink the seawater. When they did so, they found to their astonishment that it was fresh and sweet. When the people began to honor him, he begged them only to thank God, who had worked the wonder. He reposed in peace.

Blessed Igor-George, tonsured Gabriel, great prince of Chernigov and Kiev (1147)

“Persecuted by his kinsfolk, he left the world and became a monk. The citizens of Kiev, disgusted with the Olgovitch dynasty [of which he had been prince], determined to exterminate it. They hurried to the monastery, seized the young and innocent schema-monk and killed him. For this evil-doing, much misfortune fell on the inhabitants of Kiev, but candles were several times seen to light of themselves on the grave of this blessed monk, and a fiery column appeared over the church where he was buried.” (Prologue)

Blessed Constantine, Metropolitan of Kiev (1159)

In his day there was great disorder among the princes of Russia and in the Russian Church. One of the rival princes appointed a monk named Kim as Metropolitan of Kiev without seeking the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople, as was still done at that time. The Patriarch sent Metropolitan Constantine to investigate, and he deposed Kim and banished the priests whom Kim had ordained. This led to strife among the people, some of whom supported Constantine, some Kim. Finally, at the request of the princes, the Patriarch sent a third Metropolitan, and both Kim and Constantine were removed.

When Constantine died in 1159, his will ordered that he not be buried, but cast out to be eaten by dogs, since he felt that he was guilty of sowing discord in the Church. Horrified, but unwilling to go against his last wishes, the people threw his body outside as he had ordered. During the three days that it lay exposed, Kiev was wracked with thunderstorms and earth tremors, in which eight people were killed. Finally the Prince of Kiev ordered that the Metropolitan’s body be buried in the church, and the weather immediately became calm.