Orthodox Calendar

23. март 2025.
Third Sunday of Lent

Lenten Fast — Wine and Oil are Allowed

Feasts

  • Veneration of the Precious Cross

Commemorations

  • Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and those with him (258)
  • Our Holy Mother Anastasia (563)

Scripture Readings

Luke 24.36-53 (6th Matins Gospel)

36A kad oni ovo govorahu, i sam Isus stade meðu njima, i reèe im: mir vam. 37A oni se uplašiše, i poplašeni buduæi, mišljahu da vide duha. 38I reèe im: šta se plašite? I zašto takove misli ulaze u srca vaša? 39Vidite ruke moje i noge moje: ja sam glavom; opipajte me i vidite; jer duh tijela i kostiju nema kao što vidite da ja imam. 40I ovo rekavši pokaza im ruke i noge. 41A dok oni još ne vjerovahu od radosti i èuðahu se reèe im: imate li ovdje što za jelo? 42A oni mu daše komad ribe peèene, i meda u satu. 43I uzevši izjede pred njima. 44I reèe im: ovo su rijeèi koje sam vam govorio još dok sam bio s vama, da sve treba da se svrši što je za mene napisano u zakonu Mojsijevu i u prorocima i u psalmima. 45Tada im otvori um da razumiju pismo. 46I reèe im: tako je pisano, i tako je trebalo da Hristos postrada i da ustane iz mrtvijeh treæi dan; 47I da se propovijeda pokajanje u ime njegovo i oproštenje grijeha po svijem narodima poèevši od Jerusalima. 48A vi ste svjedoci ovome. 49I gle, ja æu poslati obeæanje oca svojega na vas; a vi sjedite u gradu Jerusalimskome dok se ne obuèete u silu s visine. 50I izvede ih napolje do Vitanije, i podignuvši ruke svoje blagoslovi ih. 51I kad ih blagosiljaše, otstupi od njih, i uznošaše se na nebo. 52I oni mu se pokloniše, i vratiše se u Jerusalim s velikom radošæu. 53I bijahu jednako u crkvi hvaleæi i blagosiljajuæi Boga. Amin.

Hebrews 4.14-5.6 (Epistle)

14Imajuæi dakle velikoga poglavara sveštenièkoga, koji je prošao nebesa, Isusa sina Božijega, da se držimo priznanja. 15Jer nemamo poglavara sveštenièkoga koji ne može postradati s našijem slabostima, nego koji je u svaèemu iskušan kao i mi, osim grijeha. 16Da pristupimo dakle slobodno k prijestolu blagodati, da primimo milost i naðemo blagodat za vrijeme kad nam zatreba pomoæ.

1Jer svaki poglavar sveštenièki koji se iz ljudi uzima, za ljude se postavlja na službu k Bogu, da prinosi dare i žrtve za grijehe, 2Koji može postradati s onima koji ne znadu i zalaze; jer je i on pod slabošæu. 3I zato je dužan kako za narodne tako i za svoje grijehe prinositi. 4I niko sam sebi ne daje èasti, nego koji je pozvan od Boga, kao i Aron. 5Tako i Hristos ne proslavi sam sebe da bude poglavar sveštenièki, nego onaj koji mu reèe: ti si moj sin, ja te danas rodih. 6Kao što i na drugome mjestu govori: ti si sveštenik vavijek po redu Melhisedekovu.

Mark 8.34-9.1 (Gospel)

34I dozvavši narod s uèenicima svojima reèe im: ko hoæe za mnom da ide neka se odreèe sebe i uzme krst svoj, i za mnom ide. 35Jer ko hoæe dušu svoju da saèuva, izgubiæe je; a ko izgubi dušu svoju mene radi i jevanðelja onaj æe je saèuvati. 36Jer kakva je korist èovjeku ako zadobije sav svijet a duši svojoj naudi? 37Ili kakav æe otkup dati èovjek za dušu svoju? 38Jer ko se postidi mene i mojijeh rijeèi u rodu ovome preljubotvornome i grješnom, i sin æe se èovjeèij postidjeti njega kad doðe u slavi oca svojega s anðelima svetima.

1I reèe im: zaista vam kažem: imaju neki meðu ovima što stoje ovdje koji neæe okusiti smrti dok ne vide carstvo Božije da doðe u sili.

Commemorations

Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and those with him (258)

‘In a time of persecution of Christians, many of the faithful fled to the mountains and caves. The mother of this Codratus did so. She was pregnant at that time, and gave birth to Codratus in a forest, dying almost at once. He was kept safe and fed by the providence of God and his guardian angel. Codratus grew up in solitude with nature. He who gave manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness released a sweet dew from a cloud onto the mouth of the child Codratus. When he was twelve years old, he went down to the town, and there some good people took a fancy to him and educated him. He studied medicine and then began to heal the sick, using both natural medicines and, more importantly, the spiritual power and prayer which had been with him from childhood. When a new persecution arose under Decius, Codratus was taken for trial and thrown into prison. Five of his friends stood beside him and confessed the name of Christ. They were: Cyprian, Dionysius, Anectus, Paul and Crescens. They were all dragged through the streets and struck with sticks and stones by the unbelievers, especially by the children, until they arrived at the scaffold. Here the martyrs prayed to God and were beheaded with the sword. A spring of water gushed out onto the earth at the spot, which to this day is called by Codratus’ name and commemorates the heroic death for Christ of the holy six. They suffered with honour for the truth in Corinth in the year 250, in the time of the Emperor Decius and his governor Jason.’ (Prologue)

Our Holy Mother Anastasia (563)

She was a noble lady at the Imperial court under the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora. But when she was widowed she left Constantinople and all her privileges behind and fled to the Egyptian desert. There Abba Daniel tonsured her and, at her request, presented her to the brethren as the eunuch Anastasius, so that she might avoid discovery by imperial investigators. She closed herself in a small cell, where she spent twenty-eight years in prayer and askesis. Shortly before her death, her elder Daniel saw her face shining like the sun.