Acts 12.25-13.12 (Epistle)

25Barnaba şi Saul, după ce şi-au împlinit însărcinarea, s-au întors din Ierusalim, luând cu ei pe Ioan, zis şi Marcu. 1În Biserica din Antiohia erau nişte proroci şi învăţători: Barnaba, Simon, numit Niger, Luciu din Cirena, Manaen, care fusese crescut împreună cu cârmuitorul Irod, şi Saul. 2Pe când slujeau Domnului şi posteau, Duhul Sfânt a zis: „Puneţi-Mi deoparte pe Barnaba şi pe Saul, pentru lucrarea la care i-am chemat.” 3Atunci, după ce au postit şi s-au rugat, şi-au pus mâinile peste ei şi i-au lăsat să plece. 4Barnaba şi Saul, trimişi de Duhul Sfânt, s-au coborât la Seleucia, şi de acolo au plecat cu corabia la Cipru. 5Ajunşi la Salamina, au vestit Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu în sinagogile iudeilor. Aveau de slujitor pe Ioan. 6După ce au străbătut toată insula până la Pafos, au întâlnit pe un vrăjitor, proroc mincinos, un iudeu cu numele Bar-Isus, 7care era cu dregătorul Sergius Paulus, un om înţelept. Acesta din urmă a chemat pe Barnaba şi pe Saul şi şi-a arătat dorinţa să audă Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu. 8Dar Elima, vrăjitorul – căci aşa se tâlcuieşte numele lui – le stătea împotrivă şi căuta să abată pe dregător de la credinţă. 9Atunci Saul, care se mai numeşte şi Pavel, fiind plin de Duhul Sfânt, s-a uitat ţintă la el 10şi a zis: „Om plin de toată viclenia şi de toată răutatea, fiul dracului, vrăjmaş al oricărei neprihăniri, nu mai încetezi tu să strâmbi căile drepte ale Domnului? 11Acum, iată că mâna Domnului este împotriva ta: vei fi orb şi nu vei vedea soarele până la o vreme.” Îndată a căzut peste el ceaţă şi întuneric şi căuta bâjbâind nişte oameni care să-l ducă de mână. 12Atunci dregătorul, când a văzut ce se întâmplase, a crezut şi a rămas uimit de învăţătura Domnului.

John 8.51-59 (Gospel)

51Adevărat, adevărat vă spun că, dacă păzeşte cineva Cuvântul Meu, în veac nu va vedea moartea.” 52„Acum”, I-au zis iudeii, „vedem bine că ai drac; Avraam a murit, prorocii, de asemenea, au murit, şi Tu zici: „Dacă păzeşte cineva Cuvântul Meu, în veac nu va gusta moartea.” 53Doar n-ai fi Tu mai mare decât părintele nostru Avraam, care a murit? Şi decât prorocii, care, de asemenea, au murit? Cine Te crezi Tu că eşti?” 54Isus a răspuns: „Dacă Mă slăvesc Eu însumi, slava Mea nu este nimic; Tatăl Meu Mă slăveşte, El, despre care voi ziceţi că este Dumnezeul vostru; 55şi totuşi nu-L cunoaşteţi. Eu Îl cunosc bine; şi dacă aş zice că nu-L cunosc, aş fi şi Eu un mincinos ca voi. Dar Îl cunosc şi păzesc Cuvântul Lui. 56Tatăl vostru Avraam a săltat de bucurie că are să vadă ziua Mea: a văzut-o şi s-a bucurat.” 57„N-ai nici cincizeci ce ani”, I-au zis iudeii, „şi ai văzut pe Avraam!” 58Isus le-a zis: „Adevărat, adevărat vă spun că mai înainte ca să se nască Avraam, sunt Eu.”

59La auzul acestor vorbe, au luat pietre ca să arunce în El. Dar Isus S-a ascuns şi a ieşit din Templu, trecând prin mijlocul lor. Şi aşa a plecat din Templu.

Our Holy Father Theodore the Sanctified (368), disciple of St Pachomius the Great

He was born and raised an unbeliever, but came to faith in Christ as a young man. Not long after being baptised, he heard of Pachomius (May 15) and fled to join him in the desert. Saint Pachomius accepted Theodore as a monk and, because of his humility and obedience, came to esteem him most highly of all the brethren. Theodore’s sister joined him in the desert, taking up life in a women’s monastery and becoming its abbess. When their mother came to bring them back from the desert, she in turn was persuaded to stay in the women’s monastery as a monastic. Finally, Theodore’s brother Paphnutius also came to the monastery and was tonsured.

Once the Bishop of Panopolis asked Saint Pachomius to build a monastery for him; Pachomius entrusted Theodore to carry out the work. Some of the brethren grumbled at the authority given to Theodore, for he was younger than many of them; but St Pachomius said: ‘Theodore and I fulfill the same service for God; and he also has the authority to give orders as father.’ When St Pachomius reposed, he left St Theodore to be spiritual father to the monasteries that he had founded, a task which he faithfully fulfilled until his death at a great age.

St Nicholas Mystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople (930)

He was known for the purity and austerity of his life. When the Emperor Leo VI married a fourth time (his three previous wives having died), the Patriarch barred him from the church. The Emperor sent the Patriarch into exile and had his marriage approved by delegates of the Roman Pope. When the Emperor died, Nicholas was restored to the Patriarchal throne, and called a Council in 925, at which fourth marriages were forbidded in the Church under any circumstance. He died peacefully.

The title Mystikos was given to some high-ranking members of the Imperial council (perhaps because they met in secret). The Patriarch was a courtier with this title before he forsook the world and was tonsured a monk.

Note: From early times, the Eastern and Latin churches have differed in their views on marriage. The Latin church held, and still holds, that marriage is dissolved by death, so in theory any number of re-marriages is permissible (a view that the Emperor Leo sought to exploit). The Eastern Church has traditionally been uncomfortable with any second marriage — some of the Fathers even call the re-marriage of widows or widowers “bigamy”. Still the Eastern church tolerates re-marriage (even after divorce) as a concession for the salvation of those who cannot sustain the single state.

Blessed Musa the Maiden (5th c.)

“St Gregory the Dialogist relates of her that she was a mere nine years old when the most holy Mother of God appeared to her on two occasions, surrounded by virgins bathed in light. When Musa expressed her desire to be included in the resplendent company of the Queen of heaven, the Mother of God told her that she would come for her and take her within a month, outlining for her how she should spend those thirty days. On the twenty-fifth day, Musa took to her bed and on the thirtieth day the most pure and holy Mother again appeared to her, calling to her in a quiet voice, to which Musa replied: ‘Here I am waiting, my Lady! I’m ready!’, and she breathed forth her spirit. She passed from this life to life eternal in the fifth century.” (Prologue)

St Brendan the Voyager, abbot of Clonfert (ca. 577)

He was born around 484 at Tralee in Kerry, Ireland. He founded several monasteries in Ireland, of which the chief was Cluain Ferta Brenaind (anglicized as Clonfert) in County Galway. His missionary and pastoral travels took him on voyages to the Scottish islands, and possibly to Wales; thus in his own time he was known as ‘Brendan the Voyager.’ He reposed in peace.

Early in the ninth century, a Latin saga, Navigatio Brendani (The Voyage of Brendan) made him the hero of a Christian adventure that included voyages to unknown lands far to the west of Ireland. The account provides strong evidence that Irish voyagers visited America as early as the 8th century, before the Vikings; but whether St Brendan himself made these voyages is disputed.