1 Timothy 5.22-6.11 (Epistle)

22Să nu-ţi pui mâinile peste nimeni cu grabă şi să nu te faci părtaş păcatelor altora; pe tine însuţi păzeşte-te curat. 23Să nu mai bei numai apă, ci să iei şi câte puţin vin, din pricina stomacului tău şi din pricina deselor tale îmbolnăviri. 24Păcatele unor oameni sunt cunoscute şi merg înainte la judecată, iar ale altora vin pe urmă.

25Tot aşa şi faptele bune sunt cunoscute; şi cele ce nu sunt cunoscute nu pot să rămână ascunse. 1Toţi cei ce sunt sub jugul robiei să socotească pe stăpânii lor vrednici de toată cinstea, ca Numele lui Dumnezeu şi învăţătura să nu fie vorbite de rău. 2Iar cei ce au stăpâni credincioşi să nu-i dispreţuiască, sub cuvânt că sunt „fraţi”, ci să le slujească şi mai bine, tocmai fiindcă cei ce se bucură de binefacerile slujbei lor sunt credincioşi şi preaiubiţi. Învaţă pe oameni aceste lucruri şi spune-le apăsat. 3Dacă învaţă cineva pe oameni învăţătură deosebită, şi nu se ţine de cuvintele sănătoase ale Domnului nostru Isus Hristos şi de învăţătura care duce la evlavie, 4este plin de mândrie şi nu ştie nimic; ba încă are boala cercetărilor fără rost şi a certurilor de cuvinte, din care se naşte pizma, certurile, clevetirile, bănuielile rele, 5zadarnicele ciocniri de vorbe ale oamenilor stricaţi la minte, lipsiţi de adevăr şi care cred că evlavia este un izvor de câştig. Fereşte-te de astfel de oameni. 6Negreşit, evlavia însoţită de mulţumire este un mare câştig. 7Căci noi n-am adus nimic în lume, şi nici nu putem să luăm cu noi nimic din ea. 8Dacă avem, dar, cu ce să ne hrănim şi cu ce să ne îmbrăcăm, ne va fi de ajuns. 9Cei ce vor să se îmbogăţească, dimpotrivă, cad în ispită, în laţ şi în multe pofte nesăbuite şi vătămătoare, care cufundă pe oameni în prăpăd şi pierzare. 10Căci iubirea de bani este rădăcina tuturor relelor; şi unii, care au umblat după ea, au rătăcit de la credinţă şi s-au străpuns singuri cu o mulţime de chinuri. 11Iar tu, om al lui Dumnezeu, fugi de aceste lucruri, şi caută neprihănirea, evlavia, credinţa, dragostea, răbdarea, blândeţea.

Luke 15.1-10 (Gospel)

1Toţi vameşii şi păcătoşii se apropiau de Isus ca să-L asculte. 2Şi fariseii şi cărturarii cârteau şi ziceau: „Omul acesta primeşte pe păcătoşi şi mănâncă cu ei.” 3Dar El le-a spus pilda aceasta: 4„Care om dintre voi, dacă are o sută de oi, şi pierde pe una din ele, nu lasă pe celelalte nouăzeci şi nouă pe izlaz şi se duce după cea pierdută până când o găseşte? 5După ce a găsit-o, o pune cu bucurie pe umeri; 6şi, când se întoarce acasă, cheamă pe prietenii şi vecinii săi şi le zice: „Bucuraţi-vă împreună cu mine, căci mi-am găsit oaia care era pierdută.” 7Tot aşa, vă spun că va fi mai multă bucurie în cer pentru un singur păcătos care se pocăieşte, decât pentru nouăzeci şi nouă de oameni neprihăniţi care n-au nevoie de pocăinţă. 8Sau care femeie, dacă are zece lei din argint, şi pierde unul din ei, nu aprinde o lumină, nu mătură casa şi nu caută cu băgare de seamă până când îl găseşte? 9După ce l-a găsit, cheamă pe prietenele şi vecinele ei şi zice: „Bucuraţi-vă împreună cu mine, căci am găsit leul pe care-l pierdusem.” 10Tot aşa, vă spun că este bucurie înaintea îngerilor lui Dumnezeu pentru un singur păcătos care se pocăieşte.”

Holy Prophet Obadiah (Abdias)

Obadiah’s is the shortest prophetic book in the Old Testament. The scriptures tell us little of where or when he lived. Some believe that he is the Obadiah who served as steward of King Ahab’s household and, when Jezebel was killing the prophets, hid a hundred of them in a cave and fed them. It is said that this Obadiah later became a disciple of the Prophet Elijah (Elias). His name means “servant of God.”

Our Holy Father Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (1867)

Born of a priestly family near Moscow in 1782, he entered seminary at a young age and soon distinguished himself for his piety and his scholarship of ancient languages. He was tonsured a monk, but was made a professor at the seminary in Moscow, where his expositions of the Faith, spoken and written, caused him to be regarded as a Father of the Church in his own time; many called him “the new Chrysostom.”

In 1817, at the age of thirty-five, he was consecrated bishop, and in only a few years rose to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow, the highest office in the Russian Church since Peter the Great abolished the Patriarchate. He remained Metropolitan for the rest of his life. Saint Philaret seemed literally tireless in his labors for the Church: no-one knew when he slept, and his servant, no matter when he came to the Metropolitan’s quarters, would always find him working at his desk. He worked to restore moral standards among the clergy, which had fallen into laxity. Whenever he was forced to depose a cleric, he would secretly contribute to the family’s needs out of his own resources. Similarly, he used up all of his financial resources in charitable works, always taking care that his donations were kept secret. He funded the building of a large hospice for orphans and children of poor clergy families.

St Philaret gave his full support to the fifty-year project of translating the Bible into Russian, and translated several Old Testament books himself, though the project was opposed by the Tsar and by some powerful groups in the Church. He supported the work of the fathers of Optina Monastery to publish translations of the Fathers of the Church; these translations, when they appeared, contributed to a great spiritual awakening in Russia.

He reposed in peace in 1867 at the age of eighty-five.

The well-loved “Morning Prayer of Philaret of Moscow” which begins “Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace…” was brought into Orthodox piety by St Philaret but seems originally to have been written by Francois Fenelon, the French Quietist writer. The prayer also came to be used by the Optina Elders and is sometimes referred to as the “Morning Prayer of the Optina Elders.” The prayer appears in several similar versions.

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforseen events let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering or embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of this coming day with all that it will bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray You Yourself in me. Amen.

Holy Martyr Barlaam of Antioch (304)

Saint Barlaam was an old man, living in Antioch during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian. When he confessed Christ before the Governor and refused to sacrifice to the idols, he was tortured for days: his flesh was torn by iron claws and he was stretched on the rack. When these conventional tortures failed, the Governor invented a new torment: Barlaam’s hand was stretched over an altar to the idols, and a burning coal with incense was put in his palm. The torturers reasoned that when pain forced him to drop the coal, they would be able to say that he had offered sacrifice to the gods. But the holy Barlaam held his hand steady and watched calmly as his hand was burnt up by the coal. At last his hand fell to the ground and the Martyr gave up his soul to God.

In some accounts, St Barlaam survived his torments and reposed in peace. Some have held that he came from Cappadocia rather than Antioch, but this is probably incorrect. Saint John Chrysostom once delivered a homily at St Barlaam’s tomb in Antioch on his feast day.

Our Holy Fathers Barlaam and Joasaph of India (4th c.)

“They were Indian ascetics. Joasaph was son and heir to King Abenner. By God’s providence, he was visited by the elder Barlaam, who taught him the Christian faith and baptised him. After that, the elder went off into the mountains to live in asceticism, and Joasaph remained to wrestle with many temptations in the world and to overcome them by the grace of God. Joasaph finally succeeded in bringing his father to Christ. When he had been baptised, King Abenner lived a further four years in deep repentance (for he had committed grave sins in his persecution of Christians) and then finished his earthly course and went to the better life. The young Joasaph entrusted the kingdom to his friend Barachias, and himself went off into the desert to live in asceticism for the sake of Christ. His one desire on earth was to see his spiritual father, Barlaam, once more. God, in his mercy, fulfilled his desire, and, one day, Joasaph stood before Barlaam’s cave, and called: ‘Bless me, Father!’ The elder Barlaam lived in asceticism in the desert for seventy years, living a hundred years in all. St Joasaph handed over his kingdom at the age of twenty-five and went into the desert, where he lived a further thirty-five years. They both had great love for the Lord Jesus, brought many to the true Faith and entered into the eternal joy of their Lord.” (Prologue)

They are commemorated on August 26 on the Greek calendar.