Titus 1.15-2.10 (Epistle)

15Totul este curat pentru cei curaţi; dar pentru cei necuraţi şi necredincioşi, nimic nu este curat: până şi mintea şi cugetul le sunt spurcate.

16Ei se laudă că cunosc pe Dumnezeu, dar cu faptele Îl tăgăduiesc, căci sunt o scârbă: nesupuşi şi netrebnici pentru orice faptă bună. 1Tu însă vorbeşte lucruri care se potrivesc cu învăţătura sănătoasă. 2Spune că cei bătrâni trebuie să fie treji, vrednici de cinste, cumpătaţi, sănătoşi în credinţă, în dragoste, în răbdare. 3Spune că femeile în vârstă trebuie să aibă o purtare cuviincioasă, să nu fie nici clevetitoare, nici dedate la vin; să înveţe pe alţii ce este bine, 4ca să înveţe pe femeile mai tinere să-şi iubească bărbaţii şi copiii; 5să fie cumpătate, cu viaţa curată, să-şi vadă de treburile casei, să fie bune, supuse bărbaţilor lor, pentru ca să nu se vorbească de rău Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu. 6Sfătuieşte, de asemenea, pe tineri să fie cumpătaţi 7şi dă-te pe tine însuţi pildă de fapte bune, în toate privinţele. Iar în învăţătură, dă dovadă de curăţie, de vrednicie, 8de vorbire sănătoasă şi fără cusur, ca potrivnicul să rămână de ruşine şi să nu poată să spună nimic rău de noi. 9Sfătuieşte pe robi să fie supuşi stăpânilor lor, să le fie pe plac în toate lucrurile, să nu le întoarcă vorba, 10să nu fure nimic, ci totdeauna să dea dovadă de o desăvârşită credincioşie, ca să facă în totul cinste învăţăturii lui Dumnezeu, Mântuitorul nostru.

Mark 10.23-32 (Gospel)

23Isus S-a uitat împrejurul Lui şi a zis ucenicilor Săi: „Cât de anevoie vor intra în Împărăţia lui Dumnezeu cei ce au avuţii!” 24Ucenicii au rămas uimiţi de cuvintele Lui. Isus a luat din nou cuvântul şi le-a zis: „Fiilor, cât de anevoie este pentru cei ce se încred în bogăţii să intre în Împărăţia lui Dumnezeu! 25Mai lesne este să treacă o cămilă prin urechea unui ac, decât să intre un om bogat în Împărăţia lui Dumnezeu!” 26Ucenicii au rămas şi mai uimiţi şi au zis unii către alţii: „Cine poate atunci să fie mântuit?” 27Isus S-a uitat ţintă la ei şi le-a zis: „Lucrul acesta este cu neputinţă la oameni, dar nu la Dumnezeu; pentru că toate lucrurile sunt cu putinţă la Dumnezeu.” 28Petru a început să-I zică: „Iată că noi am lăsat totul şi Te-am urmat.” 29Isus a răspuns: „Adevărat vă spun că nu este nimeni care să fi lăsat casă, sau fraţi, sau surori, sau tată, sau mamă, sau nevastă, sau copii, sau holde pentru Mine şi pentru Evanghelie 30şi să nu primească acum, în veacul acesta, de o sută de ori mai mult: case, fraţi, surori, mame, copii şi holde, împreună cu prigoniri; iar în veacul viitor, viaţa veşnică. 31Mulţi din cei dintâi vor fi cei de pe urmă, şi mulţi din cei de pe urmă vor fi cei dintâi.” 32Ei erau pe drum şi se suiau la Ierusalim; şi Isus mergea înaintea lor. Ucenicii erau tulburaţi şi mergeau îngroziţi după El. Isus a luat iarăşi la El pe cei doisprezece şi a început să le vorbească despre lucrurile care aveau să I se întâmple.

Holy Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia and those with her (304)

She was the daughter of a prominent family in Nicomedia during the reign of the persecutor Maximian (286-305). Her parents betrothed her to a nobleman named Eleusius, but without his knowledge, or that of her parents, she had already committed her life to Christ, and consecrated her virginity to him. To put off her suitor, she told him that she would not marry him until he became Prefect. Eleusius went to work using his fortune to bribe and influence those in power, and succeeded in being appointed Prefect of Nicomedia. When he went to Juliana to claim her as his wife, she was forced to confess herself a Christian, saying that she would never marry him unless he gave up the worship of idols and embraced the faith of Christ. For her confession, she was arrested and taken before the Prefect: Eleusius, her once-ardent suitor. He was now filled with an ardent rage toward her and, when she would not renounce her faith, had her subjected to the most sadistic tortures imaginable. Miraculously, she endured these without harm. Witnessing this wonder, 500 men and 130 women from among the pagans confessed Christ. The enraged Prefect had all of them beheaded immediately, followed by Juliana herself. She was eighteen years old when she won the Martyr’s crown.

Our Holy Father Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow (1326)

“Saint Peter was born in Volhynia in 1260 and entered a monastery there at the age of thirteen. Making the Ladder of Saint John Climacus his guide in the monastic life, his obedience, meekness and willingness to undertake tasks that were repugnant to his brethren made him beloved of them all. He also painted icons and was the originator of the Muscovite style of Russian iconography. After some years, he left for the small Monastery of the Transfiguration in order to find the quiet favourable to prayer. Saint Maximus, the metropolitan of Kiev (6 Dec.) visited this monastery and was greatly edified by the virtues of Peter, whom he decided should be his successor as head of the Russian Church. He was confirmed in this resolve by an apparition of the Mother of God, and he made the request to the Patriarch of Constantinople on whom the Russian Church depended. In 1325 therefore Saint Peter was consecrated Metropolitan of Kiev, of which the see had been transferred to Vladimir by Saint Maximus, after the sack of Kiev by the Tatars. Peter’s election was confirmed by a Council, but he immediately encountered opposition from the Russian princes, who were vying with one another for influence over the leader of the Church. Peter’s meekness and charity towards his enemies won him their respect; but although conciliatory in all that concerned himself personally, he was nonetheless strict as regards the faith and moral uprightness. He energetically opposed intense Muslim propaganda, and travelled throughout Russia to confirm the faith. He did not hesitate to risk his life for the sake of making peace among the princes and, foreseeing that Russia would reunite around the principality of Moscow, he transferred his Metropolitanate see to that city and began the construction of the renowned Cathedral of the Dormition in the Kremlin. He gave up his soul to God while at prayer on 21 December 1326, and many miracles of healing were wrought at his tomb.” (Synaxarion)

Saint Procopius of Vyatka, Fool for Christ (1627)

“Saint Procopius, the son of devout peasants, first feigned madness to escape a marriage that was being urged on him. He spent his life in the streets half-naked, slept wherever night overtook him and would never accept the shelter of a house. He used signs to make himself understood and never spoke a word, except to his spiritual father, with whom he would converse normally as a man in possession of all his faculties. When he was given an article of clothing, he wore it for a while out of obedience and then give it away to someone poor. When he visited the sick, he set fire to the beds of those who were going to get better, and rolled up in their sheets those who were going to die. He made many predictions, often by means of disconcerting prophetic signs, whose meaning became clear with the event. He spent thirty years in foolishness for Christ and, having foretold his death, fell asleep in peace in 1627.” (Synaxarion)