26 Octombrie 2027
Tuesday of the 19th week after Pentecost

No Fast

Commemorations

Holy Martyrs Carpus and Papylus, with Agathodorus and Agathonica (251)
Holy Martyr Zlata (Chryse) (1796)

Scripture Readings

Philippians 1.8-14 (Epistle)

8Căci martor îmi este Dumnezeu că vă iubesc pe toţi cu o dragoste nespusă, în Isus Hristos. 9Şi mă rog ca dragostea voastră să crească tot mai mult în cunoştinţă şi orice pricepere, 10ca să deosebiţi lucrurile alese, pentru ca să fiţi curaţi şi să nu vă poticniţi până în ziua venirii lui Hristos, 11plini de roada neprihănirii, prin Isus Hristos, spre slava şi lauda lui Dumnezeu. 12Vreau să ştiţi, fraţilor, că împrejurările în care mă găsesc, mai degrabă au lucrat la înaintarea Evangheliei. 13În adevăr, în toată curtea împărătească şi pretutindeni aiurea, toţi ştiu că sunt pus în lanţuri din pricina lui Isus Hristos. 14Şi cei mai mulţi din fraţi, îmbărbătaţi de lanţurile mele, au şi mai multă îndrăzneală să vestească fără teamă Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu.

Luke 8.1-3 (Gospel)

1Curând după aceea, Isus umbla din cetate în cetate şi din sat în sat şi propovăduia şi vestea Evanghelia Împărăţiei lui Dumnezeu. Cei doisprezece erau cu El; 2şi mai erau şi nişte femei care fuseseră tămăduite de duhuri rele şi de boli; Maria, zisă Magdalena, din care ieşiseră şapte draci, 3Ioana, nevasta lui Cuza, ispravnicul lui Irod, Susana şi multe altele care-L ajutau cu ce aveau.

Commemorations

Holy Martyrs Carpus and Papylus, with Agathodorus and Agathonica (251)

Saint Carpus was Bishop of Thyatira, and Papylus was his deacon. In the reign of the Emperor Decius, both were arrested as Christians and put to torture. Agathodorus their servant and Agathonica, Papylus’ sister, willingly followed after them and voluntarily confessed Christ also. After many sufferings, all four were beheaded.

Holy Martyr Zlata (Chryse) (1796)

“Born in the village of Slatina in the Meglin region [of Bulgaria], of poor peasants who had three other daughters, St Zlata was a meek and devout girl, wise with Christ’s wisdom and golden (‘zlata’ means ‘gold’) not only in name but also in her God-fearing heart. When Zlata went out one day to get water, some shameless Turks seized her and carried her off to their house. When one of them urged her to embrace Islam and become his wife, Zlata answered fearlessly: ‘I believe in Christ, and know Him alone as my bridegroom; I shall never deny Him even if you put me to a thousand tortures and cut me into pieces.’ Her parents and sisters then arrived, and said to her: ‘O our daughter, have mercy on yourself and us. Deny Christ publicly, that we can all be happy. Christ is merciful; He will forgive your sin, committed under the pressure of life.’ Her poor parents and kinsfolk wept bitterly. But Zlata’s heroic soul would not be overcome by devilish seduction. She replied to her parents: ‘When you urge me to deny Christ, the true God, you are no longer parents or sisters to me; I have the Lord Jesus Christ as father, the Mother of God as mother and, for brothers and sisters, the saints.’ Then the Turks threw her into prison, where she lay for three months, and they took her out every day and flogged her until her blood flowed onto the ground. Finally, they hanged her upside-down and made a fire to choke her to death with the smoke. But God was with Zlata, and gave her strength in her suffering. At the very end, they hanged her from a tree and cut her into small pieces. Thus this martyr-maiden gave her soul into God’s hands, and entered into the realm of Paradise, in 1796. Pieces of her relics were taken by Christians to their homes, that they might bring a blessing to them.” (Prologue)