Orthodox Calendar

20. мај 2028.
Saturday of the 5th Sunday of Pascha

No Fast

Commemorations

  • Martyr Thalelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia and those with him (327)
  • Our Father among the Saints Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (1378)

Scripture Readings

Acts 15.35-41 (Epistle)

35A Pavle i Varnava življahu u Antiohiji i uèahu i propovijedahu rijeè Gospodnju s mnogima drugijem. 36A poslije nekoliko dana reèe Pavle Varnavi: hajde da se vratimo i da obiðemo braæu po svijem gradovima po kojima propovijedasmo rijeè Gospodnju kako žive. 37A Varnava šæaše da uzmu sa sobom Jovana prozvanoga Marka. 38Pavle pak govoraše: onoga koji nas je odustao u Pamfiliji i nije išao s nama na djelo na koje smo bili odreðeni, da ne uzimamo sa sobom. 39Tako postade raspra da se oni razdvojiše, i Varnava uzevši Marka otplovi u Kipar. 40A Pavle izbravši Silu iziðe predan blagodati Božijoj od braæe. 41I prolažaše kroz Siriju i Kilikiju utvrðujuæi crkve.

John 10.27-38 (Gospel)

27Ovce moje slušaju glas moj, i ja poznajem njih, i za mnom idu. 28I ja æu im dati život vjeèni, i nikad neæe izginuti, i niko ih neæe oteti iz ruke moje. 29Otac moj koji mi ih dade veæi je od sviju; i niko ih ne može oteti iz ruke oca mojega. 30Ja i otac jedno smo. 31A Jevreji opet uzeše kamenje da ga ubiju. 32Isus im odgovori: mnoga vam dobra djela javih od oca svojega; za koje od onijeh djela bacate kamenje na me? 33Odgovoriše mu Jevreji govoreæi: za dobro djelo ne bacamo kamenja na te, nego za hulu na Boga, što ti, èovjek buduæi, gradiš se Bog. 34Isus im odgovori: ne stoji li napisano u zakonu vašemu: ja rekoh: bogovi ste? 35Ako one nazva bogovima kojima rijeè Božija bi, i pismo se ne može pokvariti; 36Kako vi govorite onome kojega otac posveti i posla na svijet: hulu na Boga govoriš, što rekoh: ja sam sin Božij? 37Ako ne tvorim djela oca svojega ne vjerujte mi. 38Ako li tvorim, ako meni i ne vjerujete, djelima mojima vjerujte, da poznate i vjerujete da je otac u meni i ja u njemu.

Commemorations

Martyr Thalelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia and those with him (327)

The holy Thalelaeus is counted as one of the Unmercenary Physicians. He was a physician, born in Lebanon to a Berucius (a bishop) and Romylia. During the persecutions by the Emperor Numerian, he fled to Cilicia, but was captured and brought before Theodore, the governor. When Thalelaeus boldly confessed Christ, the cruel governor ordered two soldiers, Alexander and Asterius, to bore holes through his leg-bones, pass a rope through them, and hang him from a tree. But the executioners, by the power of God, were momentarily deprived of their wits and bored through a wooden plank instead, which they hung in the tree. The governor angrily ordered that the soldiers be flogged; during their flogging they cried out: ‘The Lord is alive to us; from now on, we are become Christians. We believe in Christ, and suffer for Him.’ Hearing these words, the governor ordered that both be beheaded. He then seized their awl and attempted to bore through Thalelaeus’ legs himself; but his hand suddenly became paralyzed. The compassionate physician prayed to Christ and healed his persecutor’ hand. His heart still hardened, the governor next ordered that the Saint be thrown into water and drowned; but he survived. Next he was thrown to wild beasts, but they licked his feet and rubbed tamely against him. Finally the holy Martyr was beheaded.

Our Father among the Saints Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (1378)

He was born in Moscow in 1292. In 1354 he was ordained Metropolitan of Moscow by Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople. He founded several monasteries, including the first women’s monastery in Moscow. He translated the Holy Gospel from Greek into Slavonic. At that time Russia was under the rule of the Tartars, and St Alexis twice visited the Tartar Khan to plead with him to ease the oppression of the Russian people. On one of these visits he healed Taidula, the Khan’s wife. He founded the Chudov Monastery in Moscow on land given him by the Khan and his wife in thanksgiving for this miraculous healing; the Saint’s relics are enshrined at this same monastery. This is the feast of the uncovering of his holy relics in 1431.