12 August 2025
Tuesday of the 10th week after Pentecost

No Fast

Commemorations

Apostles Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus, and Andronicus of the Seventy
Hieromarytyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, and those with him (251)
Venerable Angelina, Princess of Albania.

Scripture Readings

1 Corinthians 15.29-38 (Epistle)

29Altfel, ce ar face cei ce se botează pentru cei morţi? Dacă nu învie morţii nicidecum, de ce se mai botează ei pentru cei morţi? 30Şi de ce suntem noi în primejdie în orice clipă? 31În fiecare zi eu sunt în primejdie de moarte; atât este de adevărat lucrul acesta, fraţilor, cât este de adevărat că am de ce să mă laud cu voi în Hristos Isus, Domnul nostru. 32Dacă, vorbind în felul oamenilor, m-am luptat cu fiarele în Efes, care-mi este folosul? Dacă nu învie morţii, atunci „să mâncăm şi să bem, căci mâine vom muri”. 33Nu vă înşelaţi: „Tovărăşiile rele strică obiceiurile bune”. 34Veniţi-vă în fire, cum se cuvine, şi nu păcătuiţi! Căci sunt între voi unii care nu cunosc pe Dumnezeu: spre ruşinea voastră o spun. 35Dar va zice cineva: „Cum învie morţii? Şi cu ce trup se vor întoarce?” 36Nebun ce eşti! Ce semeni tu nu învie, dacă nu moare mai întâi. 37Şi când semeni, semeni nu trupul care va fi, ci doar un grăunte, cum se întâmplă: fie de grâu, fie de altă sămânţă. 38Apoi Dumnezeu îi dă un trup, după cum voieşte; şi fiecărei seminţe îi dă un trup al ei.

Matthew 21.23-27 (Gospel)

23Isus S-a dus în Templu; şi, pe când învăţa norodul, au venit la El preoţii cei mai de seamă şi bătrânii norodului şi I-au zis: „Cu ce putere faci Tu lucrurile acestea şi cine Ţi-a dat puterea aceasta?” 24Drept răspuns, Isus le-a zis: „Vă voi pune şi Eu o întrebare; şi dacă-Mi veţi răspunde la ea, vă voi spune şi Eu cu ce putere fac aceste lucruri. 25Botezul lui Ioan de unde venea? Din cer sau de la oameni?” Dar ei vorbeau între ei şi ziceau: „Dacă vom răspunde: „Din cer”, ne va spune: „Atunci de ce nu l-aţi crezut?” 26Şi dacă vom răspunde: „De la oameni”, ne temem de norod, pentru că toţi socotesc pe Ioan drept proroc.” 27Atunci au răspuns lui Isus: „Nu ştim!” Şi El, la rândul Lui, le-a zis: „Nici Eu nu vă voi spune cu ce putere fac aceste lucruri.

Commemorations

Apostles Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus, and Andronicus of the Seventy

St Silas was a companion and fellow-worker of the Apostle Paul (see Acts 15). He became Bishop of Corinth and reposed in peace. St Silvanus became Bishop of Thessalonica and reposed in peace. St Crescens, mentioned by St Paul in 2 Timothy 4:10, became Bishop of Chalcedon. St Epenetus, praised by St Paul in Romans 16:5 as “my well-beloved Epenetus, the first-fruits of Achaia” (that is the first Christian from the Greek land) became Bishop of Carthage. St Andronicus and his fellow-worker Junia are also commemorated May 17.

Hieromarytyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, and those with him (251)

“When the Emperor Decius conquered Babylon, he arrested Polychronius, together with three priests, two deacons and two baptised princes, Eudin and Senis. Polychronius would make no reply before the Emperor, but kept silent, while St Parmenius, one of the priests, spoke for them all. The Emperor took the bishop and priests to Persia, to the city of Kordoba, and had them beheaded with an axe, but he took the princes with him to Rome, threw them first to the wild beasts and then had them slain with the sword. They all suffered with honour in 251.” (Prologue)

Venerable Angelina, Princess of Albania.

She was the daughter of Scanderbeg, Albania’s national hero. She married Stefan, Prince of Serbia, a kinsman of Scanderbeg who sought refuge in his court. Stefan, a gentle, God-fearing man, had been blinded by the Turkish Sultan. Princess Angelina, loving him despite his loss of his vision and his worldly kingdom, married him with her father’s blessing. Together they had two sons, George and John. When their sons were grown, Albania was ravaged by an invasion of the Turks. Stefan, with Angelina and their sons, fled to Italy, where they lived until his repose in 1468. The widowed Angelina buried her husband in his Serbian homeland and devoted her remaining years to good works. Her elder son George gave up his princely title and entered monastic life. John married but died without children in 1503. When Angelina had outlived her two sons as well as her husband she too entered monastic life. She was buried with her sons at Krušedol monastery in northern Serbia. There her miracle-working relics are venerated to this day, and a service is held each year in her memory. She, her husband and her two sons are all glorified as saints of the Church.