Orthodox Calendar

31 Iulie 2027
Saturday of the 6th week after Pentecost

No Fast

Commemorations

  • Holy Martyr Emilian (362)
  • St Pambo, hermit of Egypt (374? 386?)

Scripture Readings

Romans 9.1-5 (Epistle)

1Spun adevărul în Hristos, nu mint; cugetul meu, luminat de Duhul Sfânt, îmi este martor, 2că simt o mare întristare şi am o durere necurmată în inimă. 3Căci aproape să doresc să fiu eu însumi anatema, despărţit de Hristos, pentru fraţii mei, rudele mele trupeşti. 4Ei sunt israeliţi, au înfierea, slava, legămintele, darea Legii, slujba dumnezeiască, făgăduinţele, 5patriarhii, şi din ei a ieşit, după trup, Hristosul, care este mai presus de toate lucrurile, Dumnezeu binecuvântat în veci. Amin!

Matthew 9.18-26 (Gospel)

18Pe când le spunea Isus aceste vorbe, iată că a venit unul din fruntaşii sinagogii, I s-a închinat şi I-a zis: „Fiica mea adineaori a murit; dar vino de pune-Ţi mâinile peste ea, şi va învia.” 19Isus S-a sculat şi a plecat după el împreună cu ucenicii Lui. 20Şi, iată, o femeie, care de doisprezece ani avea o scurgere de sânge, a venit pe dinapoi şi s-a atins de poala hainei Lui. 21Căci îşi zicea ea: „Numai să mă pot atinge de haina Lui, şi mă voi tămădui.” 22Isus S-a întors, a văzut-o şi i-a zis: „Îndrăzneşte, fiică! Credinţa ta te-a tămăduit.” Şi s-a tămăduit femeia chiar în ceasul acela. 23Când a ajuns Isus în casa fruntaşului sinagogii şi când a văzut pe cei ce cântau din fluier şi gloata bocind, 24le-a zis: „Daţi-vă la o parte; căci fetiţa n-a murit, ci doarme!” Ei îşi băteau joc de El. 25Dar, după ce a fost scoasă gloata afară, Isus a intrat înăuntru, a luat pe fetiţă de mână, şi fetiţa s-a sculat. 26Şi s-a dus vestea despre această minune în tot ţinutul acela.

Commemorations

Holy Martyr Emilian (362)

He was from the town of Dorostolon in Thrace and during the reign of Julian the Apostate became a servant of the governor in that region. Before the time of his martyrdom he was a secret Christian. An imperial legate arrived in the town with orders to seize all Christians, but failed to find any; to show his pleasure he ordered a great feast for the whole town, complete with sacrifices to the pagan gods. On the night before the appointed feast, Emilian went around the town and smashed all the idols with a hammer. The following day there was an uproar, and an innocent villager was seized and charged with the crime. Emilian, seeing this, said to himself ‘If I conceal my action, what sort of use has it been? Shall I not stand before God as the slayer of an innocent man?’ So he presented himself to the legate and confessed what he had done. When the furious official asked Emilian on whose orders he had acted, Emilian replied ‘God and my soul commanded me to destroy those dead pillars that you call gods.’ As punishment, Emilian was subjected to many tortures and finally burned alive.

St Pambo, hermit of Egypt (374? 386?)

Abba Pambo was a contemporary of St Anthony the Great and one of the greatest of the Desert Fathers. He would only eat bread which he had earned by his own labors, plaiting baskets and mats out of reeds. In his later years, he became in appearance like an angel of God: his face shone so that the monks could not look on it. Through long ascetic labor, he was enabled to control his tongue so that no unnecessary word ever passed his lips. He never gave an immediate answer to even the simplest question, but always prayed and pondered on the question first. Once, when Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, was visiting the monks, they begged Abba Pambo to give the Patriarch a word. He answered: ‘If my silence is no help to him, neither will my words be.’ He reposed in peace, some say in 374, others in 386.