2 Corinthians 8.7-15 (Epistle)

7După cum sporiţi în toate lucrurile: în credinţă, în Cuvânt, în cunoştinţă, în orice râvnă şi în dragostea voastră pentru noi, căutaţi să sporiţi şi în această binefacere. 8Nu spun lucrul acesta ca să vă dau o poruncă; ci pentru râvna altora şi ca să pun la încercare curăţia dragostei voastre. 9Căci cunoaşteţi harul Domnului nostru Isus Hristos. El, măcar că era bogat, S-a făcut sărac pentru voi, pentru ca, prin sărăcia Lui, voi să vă îmbogăţiţi. 10În această privinţă, vă dau un sfat. Şi sfatul acesta vă este de folos vouă, care, de acum un an, cei dintâi aţi început nu numai să faceţi, ci să şi voiţi. 11Isprăviţi, dar, acum de făcut; pentru ca, după graba voinţei, să fie şi înfăptuirea, potrivit cu mijloacele voastre. 12Pentru că, dacă este bunăvoinţă, darul este primit, avându-se în vedere ce are cineva, nu ce n-are. 13Aici nu este vorba ca alţii să fie uşuraţi, iar voi strâmtoraţi; 14ci este vorba de o potrivire: în împrejurarea de acum, prisosul vostru să acopere nevoile lor, pentru ca şi prisosul lor să acopere, la rândul lui, nevoile voastre, aşa ca să fie o potrivire; 15după cum este scris: „Cel ce strânsese mult n-avea nimic de prisos, şi cel ce strânsese puţin nu ducea lipsă.”

Mark 3.6-12 (Gospel)

6Fariseii au ieşit afară şi s-au sfătuit îndată cu irodienii cum să-L piardă. 7Isus S-a dus cu ucenicii Săi la mare. După El a mers o mare mulţime de oameni din Galileea; şi o mare mulţime de oameni din Iudeea, 8din Ierusalim, din Idumeea, de dincolo de Iordan şi dimprejurul Tirului şi Sidonului, când a auzit tot ce făcea, a venit la El. 9Isus a poruncit ucenicilor să-I ţină la îndemână o corăbioară, ca să nu fie îmbulzit de norod. 10Căci El vindeca pe mulţi şi de aceea toţi cei ce aveau boli se înghesuiau spre El ca să se atingă de El. 11Duhurile necurate, când Îl vedeau, cădeau la pământ înaintea Lui şi strigau: „Tu eşti Fiul lui Dumnezeu.” 12Dar El le poruncea îndată cu tot dinadinsul să nu-L facă cunoscut.

The Placing of the Sash of the Most Holy Theotokos (395-408? 886- 912?)

At the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, her sash came into the possession of the Apostle Thomas and after various transfers came to Cappadocia. It was later taken from there to Constantinople, where it was kept in a sealed casket in the Church of the Theotokos at Blachernae, at the time of the Emperor Arcadius (395-408). The casket was not opened until the reign of the Emperor Leo the Wise (886-912), when the Empress Zoe, who was ill, had a vision in which she was told to have the sash placed upon her. The Emperor obtained the blessing of the Patriarch, the sash was placed upon the Empress, and she was immediately healed. Some accounts say that today’s feast celebrates the bringing of the sash to Constantinople; others that it commemorates the miraculous healing of the Empress.

Hieromartyr Cyprian, bishop of Carthage (258)

He was born around 190 to pagan parents in North Africa. Before baptism he was distinguished in Carthage as a teacher of philosophy and rhetoric. He came to faith in Christ and was baptized at a young age; as soon as he became a Christian he abandoned his prestigious teacher’s position, sold his many possessions and gave all his wealth to the poor. He was ordained presbyter in 247, Bishop of Carthage in 248. He was known for his gentleness and paternal care for his flock, combined with firm opposition to heretics. His extensive writings still guide the Church today.

For his confession of Christ, he was beheaded under the Emperor Valerian on September 14; since that is the date of the Exaltation of the Cross, his feast is kept today. At the time of his execution he left twenty-five gold pieces (a huge sum) for the executioner who beheaded him.

St Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (471)

He was known for his gentleness and his ascetical way of life. He would not ordain any man who did not know the Psalter by heart. He presided at a local council in which simony in the Church was anathematized. In his own lifetime he worked miracles, and he was told the time of his death in a vision. The famous monastery of Studion was built in his time, with his blessing. He reposed in peace.

Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (651)

Around AD 635, Saint Oswald (5 August), King of Northumbria, appealed to the monks of the Monastery of Iona to send missionaries to his mostly-pagan kingdom. (An earlier mission had ended with the death of St Edwin in 633.) The fathers of the monastery chose St Aidan and consecrated him bishop. He founded a monastery (and his episcopal seat) on the island of Lindisfarne, and undertook missionary journeys, always on foot, throughout the kingdom, with King Oswald often accompanying him and serving as his interpreter. He lived in great poverty, using all the gifts he received as alms for the poor or to buy back captives and slaves. He was the spiritual father of St Hilda (17 Nov.), and founded the first women’s monasteries in Northumbria. He reposed in peace in 651, and was buried at Lindisfarne.

Note: Northumbria was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is now northeastern England and southern Scotland.