Nativity Fast — Fish, Wine and Oil are Allowed
11Zato se opominjite da vi koji ste negda po tijelu neznabošci bili i nazivani neobrezanje od onijeh koji su se zvali po tijelu obrezanje, koje se rukom radilo, 12Da bijaste u ono vrijeme bez Hrista, odvojeni od društva Izrailjeva, i bez dijela u zavjetima obeæanja, nada ne imajuæi, i bezbožni na svijetu: 13A sad u Hristu Isusu, vi koji ste negda bili daleko, blizu postadoste krvlju Hristovom.
1I dogodi mu se da doðe u subotu u kuæu jednoga kneza farisejskoga da jede hljeb; i oni motrahu na njega. 2I gle, bješe pred njim nekakav èovjek na kome bješe debela bolest. 3I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe zakonicima i farisejima govoreæi: je li slobodno u subotu iscjeljivati? 4A oni oæutješe. I dohvativši ga se iscijeli ga i otpusti. 5I odgovarajuæi reèe im: koji od vas ne bi svojega magarca ili vola da mu padne u bunar odmah izvadio u dan subotni? 6I ne mogoše mu odgovoriti na to. 7A gostima kaza prièu, kad opazi kako izbirahu zaèelja, i reèe im: 8Kad te ko pozove na svadbu, ne sjedaj u zaèelje, da ne bude meðu gostima ko stariji od tebe; 9I da ne bi došao onaj koji je pozvao tebe i njega, i rekao ti: podaj mjesto ovome: i onda æeš sa stidom sjesti na niže mjesto. 10Nego kad te ko pozove, došavši sjedi na pošljednje mjesto, da ti reèe kad doðe onaj koji te pozva: prijatelju! pomakni se više; tada æe tebi biti èast pred onima koji sjede s tobom za trpezom. 11Jer svaki koji se podiže, poniziæe se; a koji se ponižuje, podignuæe se.
These martyrs contested in Asia Minor during the reign of Decius. Thyrsus and Leucis were executed after horrible torture for confessing themselves as Christians and rebuking the Governor for his slaughter of their brethren. Callinicus was a pagan priest, converted by witnessing the martyrdom and miracles of St Thyrsus; he was beheaded.
“During the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the Governor of Antinoe in the Thebaid of Upper Egypt was Arian, a fierce persecutor who had sent many Christians to a violent death, among them Saints Timothy and Maura (see May 3) and Saint Sabine (Mar. 16). When he had imprisoned thirty-seven Christians for their confession of faith, one of them, named Apollonius, a reader of the Church, lost his courage at the sight of the instruments of torture, and thought how he might escape torments without denying Christ. He gave money to Philemon, a flute-player and a pagan, that he might put on Apollonius’ clothes and offer sacrifices before Arian, so that all would think Apollonius to have done the Governor’s will, and he might be released. Philemon agreed to this, but when the time came to offer sacrifice, enlightened by divine grace, he declared himself a Christian instead. He and Apollonius, who also confessed Christ when the fraud was exposed, were both beheaded. Before beheading them, Arian had commanded that they be shot with arrows, but while they remained unharmed, Arian himself was wounded by one of the arrows; Saint Philemon foretold that after his martyrdom, Arian would be healed at his tomb. When this came to pass, Arian, the persecutor who had slain so many servants of Christ, himself believed in Christ and was baptized with four of his body-guards. Diocletian heard of this and had Arian and his body-guards brought to him. For their confession of Christ, they were cast into the sea, and received the crown of life everlasting.” (Great Horologion)