1 Thessalonians 2.20-3.8 (Epistle)

20Da, voi sunteţi slava şi bucuria noastră. 1De aceea, fiindcă nu mai puteam răbda, am socotit mai bine să fim lăsaţi singuri în Atena 2şi v-am trimis pe Timotei, fratele nostru şi slujitorul lui Dumnezeu în Evanghelia lui Hristos, ca să vă întărească şi să vă îmbărbăteze în credinţa voastră, 3pentru ca nimeni din voi să nu se clatine în aceste necazuri; căci ştiţi singuri că la aceasta suntem rânduiţi. 4Şi, când eram la voi, v-am spus mai dinainte că vom avea să suferim necazuri, ceea ce s-a şi întâmplat, cum bine ştiţi. 5Astfel, în nerăbdarea mea, am trimis să-mi aducă ştiri despre credinţa voastră, de teamă ca nu cumva să vă fi ispitit ispititorul, şi osteneala noastră să fi fost degeaba. 6Dar chiar acum a venit Timotei de la voi la noi şi ne-a adus veşti bune despre credinţa şi dragostea voastră, că totdeauna păstraţi o plăcută aducere aminte despre noi şi că doriţi să ne vedeţi, cum dorim şi noi să vă vedem pe voi. 7De aceea, fraţilor, în toate strâmtorările şi necazurile noastre am fost mângâiaţi cu privire la voi, prin credinţa voastră. 8Acum, da, trăim, fiindcă voi staţi tari în Domnul.

Luke 10.22-24 (Gospel)

22Toate lucrurile Mi-au fost date în mâini de Tatăl Meu; şi nimeni nu ştie cine este Fiul, afară de Tatăl, nici cine este Tatăl, afară de Fiul şi acela căruia vrea Fiul să i-L descopere.” 23Apoi S-a întors spre ucenici şi le-a spus deoparte: „Ferice de ochii care văd lucrurile pe care le vedeţi voi! 24Căci vă spun că mulţi proroci şi împăraţi au voit să vadă ce vedeţi voi, şi n-au văzut, să audă ce auziţi voi, şi n-au auzit.”

Holy Martyr Nestor, Companion of St Demetrius (306)

See St Demetrius, commemorated yesterday, October 26.

St Procla, the wife of Pontius Pilate.

When Pilate was about to judge Christ, Procla attempted to dissuade him, saying “Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Pilate ignored her warning. (See Matthew 27). St Procla reposed in peace.

Our Venerable Father Demetrius of Basarabov (Romania) (13th c.)

He was born early in the thirteenth century to a peasant family in the village of Basarov, then part of Bulgaria. Even in childhood, he gave himself to fasting and prayer. Once, walking across a field, he accidentally stepped on a bird’s nest in the grass, killing the young birds. He was so filled with remorse that he went barefoot for three years, winter and summer, in penance. When he was grown he joined a monastery and, after a few years of community life, received a blessing to dwell in a cave near the River Lom. After many years of solitary struggle, he reposed in his cave. Three hundred years passed, during which all memory of the simple ascetic was lost. Then, one Spring the river flooded the cave and carried off Demetrius’ body, which had lain incorrupt in the cave for centuries. The body was carried downstream and buried in gravel. Another hundred years went by, and the Saint appeared in a dream to a paralyzed girl, telling her to ask her parents to take her to the river bank, where she would be healed. The family, along with many clergy and villagers, went to a spot where some local people had earlier seen an unexplained light. They dug and soon unearthed the still-incorrupt and radiant body of St Demetrius, by which the girl was instantly healed. A church was built in the village of Basarabov to honor the precious relics, and through the years the Saint worked many miracles there.

In 1774, during the Russian-Turkish war, General Peter Saltikov ordered the holy relics taken to Russia so that they would not be desecrated by the Turks. When the relics came to Bucharest, a pious Christian friend of the General begged him not to deprive the country of one of its most precious saints; so the General took only one of the Saint’s hands, sending it to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Saint Demetrius’ body was placed in the cathedral of Bucharest, where it has been venerated ever since. Every year on October 27, a three-day festival is held in the Saint’s honor, attended by crowds of the faithful.