Hebrews 10.35-11.7 (Epistle)

35Să nu vă părăsiţi, dar, încrederea voastră pe care o aşteaptă o mare răsplătire! 36Căci aveţi nevoie de răbdare, ca, după ce aţi împlinit voia lui Dumnezeu, să puteţi căpăta ce v-a fost făgăduit. 37„Încă puţină, foarte puţină vreme”, şi „Cel ce vine va veni şi nu va zăbovi. 38Şi cel neprihănit va trăi prin credinţă; dar, dacă dă înapoi, sufletul Meu nu găseşte plăcere în el.”

39Noi însă nu suntem din aceia care dau înapoi ca să se piardă, ci din aceia care au credinţă pentru mântuirea sufletului. 1Şi credinţa este o încredere neclintită în lucrurile nădăjduite, o puternică încredinţare despre lucrurile care nu se văd. 2Pentru că, prin aceasta, cei din vechime au căpătat o bună mărturie. 3Prin credinţă pricepem că lumea a fost făcută prin Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu, aşa că tot ce se vede n-a fost făcut din lucruri care se văd. 4Prin credinţă a adus Abel lui Dumnezeu o jertfă mai bună decât Cain. Prin ea a căpătat el mărturia că este neprihănit, căci Dumnezeu a primit darurile lui. Şi prin ea vorbeşte el încă, măcar că este mort. 5Prin credinţă a fost mutat Enoh de pe pământ, ca să nu vadă moartea. Şi n-a mai fost găsit, pentru că Dumnezeu îl mutase. Căci înainte de mutarea lui, primise mărturia că este plăcut lui Dumnezeu. 6Şi, fără credinţă, este cu neputinţă să fim plăcuţi Lui! Căci cine se apropie de Dumnezeu trebuie să creadă că El este şi că răsplăteşte pe cei ce-L caută. 7Prin credinţă Noe, când a fost înştiinţat de Dumnezeu despre lucruri care încă nu se vedeau, şi, plin de o teamă sfântă, a făcut un chivot ca să-şi scape casa; prin ea, el a osândit lumea şi a ajuns moştenitor al neprihănirii care se capătă prin credinţă.

Mark 12.38-44 (Gospel)

38În învăţătura pe care le-o dădea, Isus le zicea: „Păziţi-vă de cărturari, cărora le place să umble în haine lungi şi să le facă lumea plecăciuni prin pieţe. 39Ei umblă după scaunele dintâi în sinagogi şi după locurile dintâi la ospeţe; 40casele văduvelor le mănâncă şi fac rugăciuni lungi de ochii lumii. O mai mare osândă va veni peste ei.” 41Isus şedea jos în faţa vistieriei Templului şi Se uita cum arunca norodul bani în vistierie. Mulţi, care erau bogaţi, aruncau mult. 42A venit şi o văduvă săracă şi a aruncat doi bănuţi, care fac un gologan. 43Atunci Isus a chemat pe ucenicii Săi şi le-a zis: „Adevărat vă spun că această văduvă săracă a dat mai mult decât toţi cei ce au aruncat în vistierie;

44căci toţi ceilalţi au aruncat din prisosul lor, dar ea, din sărăcia ei, a aruncat tot ce avea, tot ce-i mai rămăsese ca să trăiască.”

Prophet Malachi (ca. 400 BC)

He is the last of the twelve Minor Prophets and the last of all the Prophets of the Old Testament. His name means ‘My Angel’ or ‘My Messenger.’ He returned with the exiled Jews from Babylon and took part in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. His prophecy announces to the ear of faith that the Lord will soon bring the Hebrew priesthood to an end in the coming of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2), the eternal Priest.

Holy Martyr Gordius of Caesarea (4th c.)

“The Martyr Gordius, who was from Caesarea of Cappadocia, was a centurion by rank. Unable to bear the impiety of the heathen, he withdrew to the wilderness to purify himself through prayer and fasting. After he perceived that his ascetical training had prepared him sufficiently, he came down from the mountains when a certain pagan festival was held in Caesarea, attended by all, and presented himself to the multitude. Although the spectacles of the festival continued, no one paid them any heed, but all eyes were turned upon him. From his sojourn in the mountains, his look was wild, his beard was long, his raiment squalid, his body like a skeleton; yet a certain grace shone round about him. He was recognized, and a loud shout and tumult was made, as his fellow Christians rejoiced, and the enemies of the truth cried out for his death. He boldly professed his faith before the Governor, and after torments was beheaded, in the reign of Licinius in the year 314. Saint Basil the Great delivered a homily on Saint Gordius, mentioning that some of those in his audience had been present at the Saint’s martyrdom.” (Great Horologion)

Our Holy Mother Genevieve of Paris (ca. 502)

She was born near Paris to a family of wealthy landowners. When she was about ten years old St Germanus of Auxerre (July 31), passing through the region on his way to Britain, discerned a special divine purpose for her, and told her parents that she had been chosen for the salvation of many. “He asked her that day, and early the next, if she would consecrate herself to holy virginity for Christ and, on both occasions, she answered that it was her dearest wish. Then he blessed her and gave her a copper coin inscribed with the Cross to wear around her neck, telling her never to wear gold, silver or pearls, but to elevate her mind above the small beauties of this world in order to inherit eternal and heavenly adornments.” (Synaxarion)

Convents were unknown at that time in Gaul, so Genevieve lived as a solitary, in a cell in her own house, first with her parents then, after their death, with her godmother in Paris. She devoted herself to the poor, giving away everything that came into her hands, except the small amount that she needed to feed herself on bread and beans. (When she passed the age of fifty, she was commanded by the bishops to add some fish and milk to her diet). She kept Lent from Theophany to Pascha, during which time she never left her house. She was never afraid to rebuke the powerful for their oppression of the weak and the poor, and thus earned many powerful enemies; but the people’s love for her, and the support of the Church, kept her from persecution.

It became her custom to walk to church on Sundays in procession with her household and many pious laypeople. Once the candle borne at the front of the procession (it was still dark) blew out in a rainstorm. The Saint asked for the candle and, when she took it in her hand, it re-lit and stayed lighted until they reached the church. At several other times, candles lit spontaneously in her hand; for this reason her icon shows her holding a candle.

She traveled throughout Gaul (modern-day France) on church business, being greeted with all the honors usually accorded a bishop. Several times she saved the city of Paris from the assaults of barbarian tribes through her prayers, by pleading with barbarian chieftains, and once by organizing a convoy to bring grain to the besieged city.

Saint Genevieve reposed in peace at the age of eighty. Through the centuries since then, she has shown her holy protection of the city of Paris countless times, and her relics in the Church of Saint Genevieve have wrought innumerable healings. Her relics were many times carried in huge processions in times of war, pestilence or other national trial. These relics were mostly burned and thrown into the River Seine by the godless Revolutionaries in 1793, but, as the Synaxarion concludes, “those who continue to invoke Saint Genevieve with faith, find her to be well and truly alive.”