Orthodox Calendar

21. август 2025.
Thursday of the 11th week after Pentecost

Dormition Fast

Commemorations

  • St Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus (820)
  • St Myron the Wonderworker, Bishop of Crete (350)
  • St Gregory of Sinai (Mt Athos) (1346)

Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 4.1-6 (Epistle)

1Zato imajuæi ovu službu kao što bismo pomilovani, ne dosaðuje nam se; 2Nego se odrekosmo tajnoga srama da ne živimo u lukavstvu, niti da izvræemo rijeè Božiju, nego javljanjem istine da se pokažemo svakoj savjesti èovjeèijoj pred Bogom. 3Ako li je pak pokriveno jevanðelje naše, u onima je pokriveno koji ginu, 4U kojima Bog svijeta ovoga oslijepi razume nevjernika, da im ne zasvijetli vidjelo jevanðelja slave Hristove, koji je oblièje Boga, koji se ne vidi. 5Jer sebe ne propovijedamo nego Hrista Isusa Gospoda, a sebe same vaše sluge Isusa Gospoda radi. 6Jer Bog koji reèe da iz tame zasvijetli vidjelo, zasvijetli u srcima našima na svjetlost poznanja slave Božije u licu Isusa Hrista.

Matthew 24.13-28 (Gospel)

13Ali koji pretrpi do kraja blago njemu. 14I propovjediæe se ovo jevanðelje o carstvu po svemu svijetu za svjedoèanstvo svijem narodima. I tada æe doæi pošljedak. 15Kad dakle ugledate mrzost opušæenja, o kojoj govori prorok Danilo, gdje stoji na mjestu svetome koji èita da razumije): 16Tada koji budu u Judeji neka bježe u gore; 17I koji bude na krovu da ne silazi uzeti što mu je u kuæi; 18I koji bude u polju da se ne vrati natrag da uzme haljine svoje. 19A teško trudnima i dojilicama u te dane. 20Nego se molite Bogu da ne bude bježan vaša u zimu ni u subotu; 21Jer æe biti nevolja velika kakova nije bila od postanja svijeta dosad niti æe biti; 22I da se oni dani ne skrate, niko ne bi ostao; ali izbranijeh radi skratiæe se dani oni. 23Tada ako vam ko reèe: evo ovdje je Hristos ili ondje, ne vjerujte. 24Jer æe iziæi lažni hristosi i lažni proroci, i pokazaæe znake velike i èudesa da bi prevarili, ako bude moguæe, i izbrane. 25Eto vam kazah naprijed. 26Ako vam dakle reku: evo ga u pustinji, ne izlazite; evo ga u sobama, ne vjerujte. 27Jer kako što munja izlazi od istoka i pokazuje se do zapada, taki æe biti dolazak sina èovjeèijega. 28Jer gdje je strvina onamo æe se i orlovi kupiti.

Commemorations

St Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus (820)

He was one of the bishops summoned by the Patriarch Nikephoros to defend the veneration of the holy icons against the Emperor Leo the Armenian. For this reason he was sent into exile around 815, and after many sufferings for his faithful confession, reposed in exile in 820.

St Myron the Wonderworker, Bishop of Crete (350)

He was a widowed farmer who, though poor, shared the produce of his farm freely with the needy. Once he found some thieves stealing his grain. Without saying who he was, he helped the thieves fill their sacks and make their escape. His virtue became known, and he was ordained to the priesthood, then consecrated bishop. In his own lifetime he was known as a great wonderworker. He reposed in peace.

St Gregory of Sinai (Mt Athos) (1346)

One of the great ascetics, hesychasts and spiritual teachers of the Church, he did much to restore the knowledge and practice of Orthodox hesychasm. He became a monk at Mt Sinai. He traveled to Mt Athos to learn more of Orthodox spiritual prayer and contemplation, but found that these were almost lost even on the Holy Mountain. The only true, holy hesychast he found there was St Maximos of Kapsokalyvia (Maximos the hut-burner, January 13). Maximos lived a life of reclusion in crude shelters; from time to time he would burn his hut and move to a new one, so as not to become attached even to that poor earthly dwelling. For this, he was scorned as a madman by the other monks. St Gregory upbraided the monks and told them that Maximos was the only true hesychast among them, thus beginning a reform of spiritual life on the Holy Mountain. He spent time teaching mental prayer in all the monasteries of Mt Athos, then traveled around Macedonia, establishing new monasteries. Some of his writings on prayer and asceticism can be found in the Philokalia. He reposed in peace in 1346.