12. децембар 2026.
Saturday of the 28th week after Pentecost

Nativity Fast — Fish, Wine and Oil are Allowed

Commemorations

Holy Martyr Paramon and his 370 Companions (ca. 250)
Our Holy Father Pitirim of Egypt (4th c.)

Scripture Readings

Ephesians 1.16-23 (Epistle)

16Ne prestajem zahvaljivati za vas, i spominjati vas u svojijem molitvama, 17Da Bog Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, otac slave, dade vam Duha premudrosti i otkrivenja da ga poznate, 18I bistre oèi srca vašega da biste mogli vidjeti koje je nad njegova zvanja, i koje je bogatstvo slave našljedstva njegova u svetima, 19I kakva je izobilna velièina sile njegove na nama koji vjerujemo po èinjenju prevelike sile njegove, 20Koju uèini u Hristu, kad ga podiže iz mrtvijeh i posadi sebi s desne strane na nebesima, 21Nad svijem poglavarstvima, i vlastima, i silama, i gospodstvima, i nad svakijem imenom što se može nazvati, ne samo na ovome svijetu nego i na onome koji ide. 22I sve pokori pod noge njegove, i njega dade za glavu crkvi, nad svima, 23Koja je tijelo njegovo, punina onoga koji sve ispunjava u svemu.

Luke 10.19-21 (Gospel)

19Evo vam dajem vlast da stajete na zmije i na skorpije i na svaku silu neprijateljsku, i ništa vam neæe nauditi. 20Ali se tome ne radujte što vam se duhovi pokoravaju, nego se radujte što su vaša imena napisana na nebesima. 21U taj èas obradova se Isus u duhu i reèe: hvalim te, oèe, Gospode neba i zemlje, što si ovo sakrio od premudrijeh i razumnijeh a kazao si prostima. Da, oèe, jer je tako bila volja tvoja.

Commemorations

Holy Martyr Paramon and his 370 Companions (ca. 250)

“Akylinus, the Governor of Bithynia in the reign of the Emperor Decius (249-51), was leaving for the hot springs at Bisaltia, when he decided to make 370 Christians from Nicomedia, who had been imprisoned on his orders, worship in the temple of Isis. On their refusal to do so, they were all beheaded. Seeing this massacre, the righteous Paramon cried out: ‘What a wicked deed to slaughter so many righteous men, and strangers moreover, as if they were animals.’ The Governor heard these words and had Paramon seized and taken with him under guard. On the road he was mistreated in various ways by the soldiers. Some of them struck him with their spears, others excised his tongue and other members, and he was finally put to death in the presence of the Governor.” (Synaxarion) Note: of the various persecutions launched by the pagan Emperors before St Constantine, the persecution under Decius was probably the fiercest and bloodiest.

Our Holy Father Pitirim of Egypt (4th c.)

“Abba Pitirim directed a group of ascetics who led a very austere life in the arid mountains of the Thebaid. He was himself a disciple and third successor of Saint Anthony the Great (17 Jan.) in his hermitage. He ate no more than a little flour mixed with water twice a week, and so persevered in spiritual labours that he gained abundant graces from the Holy Spirit. Among other things, he taught that to each passion there corresponds a demon who tries to stir up that passion within us through different temptations. In order to get rid of these demons and of evil thoughts, Abba Pitirim said that we must first free our hearts from passions.” (Synaxarion)