1 Thessalonians 5.14-23 (Epistle)

14Molimo vas pak, braæo, pouèavajte neuredne, utješavajte malodušne, branite slabe, snosite svakoga. 15Gledajte da niko ne vraæa kome zla za zlo; 16Nego svagda idite za dobrom, i meðu sobom, prema svima. 17Radujte se svagda. 18Molite se Bogu bez prestanka. Na svaèemu zahvaljujte; jer je ovo volja Božija u Hristu Isusu od vas. 19Duha ne gasite. Proroštva ne prezirite. 20A sve kušajuæi dobro držite. 21Uklanjajte se od svakoga zla. 22A sam Bog mira da posveti vas cijele u svaèemu; 23I cijel vaš duh i duša i tijelo da se saèuva bez krivice za dolazak Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista.

Luke 17.3-10 (Gospel)

3Èuvajte se. Ako ti sagriješi brat tvoj, nakaraj ga; pa ako se pokaje, oprosti mu. 4I ako ti sedam puta na dan sagriješi, i sedam puta na dan doðe k tebi i reèe: kajem se, oprosti mu. 5I rekoše apostoli Gospodu: dometni nam vjere. 6A Gospod reèe: kad biste imali vjere koliko zrno gorušièno, i rekli biste ovome dubu: išèupaj se i usadi se u more, i poslušao bi vas. 7Koji pak od vas kad ima slugu koji ore ili èuva stoku pa kad doðe iz polja, reèe mu: hodi brzo i sjedi za trpezu? 8Nego ne kaže li mu: ugotovi mi da veèeram, i zapregni se te mi služi dok jedem i pijem, pa onda i ti jedi i pij? 9Eda li æe on zahvaliti sluzi tome kad svrši što mu se zapovjedi? Ne vjerujem. 10Tako i vi kad svršite sve što vam je zapovjeðeno, govorite: mi smo zaludne sluge, jer uèinismo što smo bili dužni èiniti.

Translation of the relics of St Ignatius of Antioch (107)

For his life, see December 20.

After his martyrdom, devoured by wild beasts in the amphitheater in Rome, only a few bones remained. These precious relics were gathered by the faithful, who took them back to Antioch, where they were received with joy by his former flock.

St Andrei Rublev, iconographer (1430)

Many consider him the greatest iconographer of all time, and his “Holy Trinity” the finest icon. Very little is known of his life. He was born around 1360, and probably studied with the Byzantine iconographer Theophanes the Greek. He is known to have created icons for the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow and the Cathedral of the Dormition at Vladimir. He created a highly spiritual and distinctively Russian iconographic style that set the standard for Russian iconography for centuries thereafter. It is said that he knew St Sergius of Radonezh (July 5). In his later years he became a monk.

Our Holy Father Aphrahat the Persian (4th c.)

He was from the pagan Persian aristocracy, but came to faith in Christ and left his home for the Christian city of Edessa, where he was baptized. He later moved to Antioch, where he lived in prayer and asceticism a short distance from the city. He ate nothing but a small amount of bread until he was extremely old, when he added some greens to his diet. Though he knew very little Greek, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to win many converts to Christ and to confound the learned Arian heretics who were disturbing the Church in Antioch.

When Aphrahat learned that the Arian Emperor Valens was persecuting Christ’s Church, he moved to the city to support the true Faith. One day the Emperor himself met Aphrahat in the city square and asked him why he had left his solitude and come to Antioch. The Saint answered ‘Tell me this: if I were a maiden at home in my secluded apartment and saw someone setting fire to my father’s house, would you not advise me to put out the blaze as soon as possible? That is what I am doing now, because the Church, the heavenly Father’s house, is burning down in the fire that you have set!’ One of the Emperor’s attendants threatened Aphrahat with death for this impertinence; but the attendant himself later perished, drowned as he was heating water for the Emperor’s bath. This made the Emperor afraid to persecute the holy one, who continued to preach the true Faith and to perform many miracles. He reposed in peace.

Repose of Blessed Father Dimitrios Gagastathis (1975)

Though not yet officially a Saint of the Church, Papa Dimitrios is widely revered in Greece and abroad. His life is an inspiring example of the possibility of great holiness for those living in the world: a simple married parish priest, he spent forty-two years serving his childhood parish, and had nine daughters. He was a spiritual child of Elder Amphilochios of Patmos, and in turn became a spiritual father to many. His biography describes his last years thus: “On October 1, 1973, he resigned for reasons of health. Since then, he remained confined at home, living as a saint with incessant prayer, glorifying and thanking God for the trial of his illness. He delivered his holy soul to the hands of the living God on January 29, 1975, in peace.”

For more on Papa-dimitri, read this biographical sketch.