1. мај 2025.
Thursday of the 2nd Sunday of Pascha

No Fast

Commemorations

Our Holy Father John, Disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (820)
The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)

Scripture Readings

Acts 4.23-31 (Epistle)

23A kad ih otpustiše, doðoše k svojima, i javiše šta im rekoše glavari sveštenièki i starješine. 24A oni kad èuše, jednodušno podigoše glas k Bogu i rekoše: Gospode Bože, ti koji si stvorio nebo i zemlju i more i sve što je u njima; 25Koji ustima Davida sluge svojega reèe: zašto se bune neznabošci, i narodi izmišljavaju prazne rijeèi? 26Sastaše se carevi zemaljski, i knezovi se sabraše ujedno na Gospoda i na Hrista njegova. 27Zaista se sabraše u ovome gradu na svetoga sina tvojega Isusa, kojega si pomazao, Irod i Pontijski Pilat s neznabošcima i s narodom Izrailjevijem, 28Da uèine što ruka tvoja i savjet tvoj naprijed odredi da bude. 29I sad Gospode! pogledaj na njihove prijetnje, i daj slugama svojima da govore sa svakom slobodom rijeè tvoju; 30I pružaj ruku svoju na iscjeljivanje i da znaci i èudesa bivaju imenom svetoga sina tvojega Isusa. 31I pošto se oni pomoliše Bogu zatrese se mjesto gdje bijahu sabrani, i napuniše se svi Duha svetoga, i govorahu rijeè Božiju sa slobodom.

John 5.24-30 (Gospel)

24Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko moju rijeè sluša i vjeruje onome koji je mene poslao, ima život vjeèni, i ne dolazi na sud, nego je prešao iz smrti u život. 25Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ide èas, i veæ je nastao, kad æe mrtvi èuti glas sina Božijega, i èuvši oživljeti. 26Jer kako što otac ima život u sebi, tako dade i sinu da ima život u sebi; 27I dade mu vlast da i sud èini, jer je sin èovjeèij. 28Ne divite se ovome, jer ide èas u koji æe svi koji su u grobovima èuti glas sina Božijega, 29I iziæi æe koji su èinili dobro u vaskrsenije života, a koji su èinili zlo u vaskrsenije suda. 30Ja ne mogu ništa èiniti sam od sebe; kako èujem onako sudim, i sud je moj pravedan; jer ne tražim volje svoje nego volju oca koji me je poslao.

Commemorations

Our Holy Father John, Disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (820)

He entered monastic life when young and became a disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (Nov. 20). In the days of the iconoclast heresy, he was privileged to be tortured along with his teacher St Gregory and St Joseph the Hymnographer (April 3) for their defense of the holy icons. When Gregory died, John became Abbot of the Decapolite monastery in Constantinople. He reposed in peace around 820; St Joseph buried him near St Gregory’s grave.

The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)

He moved as a young man to Constantinople to work as a craftsman. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, many Christians had denied Christ and embraced Islam. John spoke with many of these about the Faith and challenged them for their betrayal of Christ. Shamed and angered, some of them had him arrested, falsely stating that he had earlier accepted Islam and then returned to Christianity, which is punishable by death in Islamic law. He was tortured and cast into prison. When he was brought out for more torture on the day of Pascha, John came forward full of joy and singing ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ To his torturers he cried, ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him.’ He has bound in chains and taken to be burned, but when he ran joyfully into the fire, his tormentors pulled him from the flames and beheaded him instead, then threw his head and body into the fire. Christians were able to gather a few of his wonderworking relics and bury them in the Great Church in Constantinople.