No Fast
16A jedanaest uèenika otidoše u Galileju u goru kuda im je kazao Isus. 17I kad ga vidješe, pokloniše mu se; a jedni posumnjaše. 18I pristupivši Isus reèe im govoreæi: dade mi se svaka vlast na nebu i na zemlji. 19Idite dakle i nauèite sve narode krsteæi ih va ime oca i sina i svetoga Duha, 20Uèeæi ih da sve drže što sam vam zapovijedao; i evo ja sam s vama u sve dane do svršetka vijeka. Amin.
12Sve mi je slobodno, ali nije sve na korist; sve mi je slobodno, ali neæu da što oblada mnome. 13Jela su za trbuh, i trbuh je za jela; ali æe Bog i ova i onoga pokvariti. A tijelo nije za kurvarstvo, nego za Gospoda, i Gospod za tijelo. 14A Bog i Gospoda podiže, i nas æe podiæi silom svojom. 15Ne znate li da su tjelesa vaša udi Hristovi? Hoæu li dakle uzeti ude Hristove i od njih naèiniti ude kurvine? Bože saèuvaj! 16Ili ne znate da ko se s kurvom sveže jedno tijelo s njom postane? Jer, reèe, biæe dvoje jedno tijelo. 17A ko se Gospoda drži jedan je duh s Gospodom. 18Bježite od kurvarstva; jer svaki grijeh koji èovjek èini osim tijela je; a koji se kurva on griješi svome tijelu. 19Ili ne znate da su tjelesa vaša crkva svetoga Duha koji živi u vama, kojega imate od Boga, i nijeste svoji? 20Jer ste kupljeni skupo. Proslavite dakle Boga u tjelesima svojijem i u dušama svojijem, što je Božije.
11I reèe: jedan èovjek imaše dva sina, 12I reèe mlaði od njih ocu: oèe! daj mi dio od imanja što pripada meni. I otac im podijeli imanje. 13I potom do nekoliko dana pokupi mlaði sin sve svoje, i otide u daljnu zemlju; i onamo prosu imanje svoje živeæi besputno. 14A kad potroši sve, postade velika glad u onoj zemlji, i on se naðe u nevolji. 15I otišavši pribi se kod jednoga èovjeka u onoj zemlji; i on ga posla u polje svoje da èuva svinje. 16I željaše napuniti trbuh svoj rošèiæima koje svinje jeðahu, i niko mu ih ne davaše. 17A kad doðe k sebi, reèe: koliko najamnika u oca mojega imaju hljeba i suviše, a ja umirem od gladi! 18Ustaæu i idem ocu svojemu, pa æu mu reæi: oèe! sagriješih nebu i tebi, 19I veæ nijesam dostojan nazvati se sin tvoj: primi me kao jednoga od svojijeh najamnika. 20I ustavši otide ocu svojemu. A kad je još podaleko bio, ugleda ga otac njegov, i sažali mu se, i potrèavši zagrli ga i cjeliva ga. 21A sin mu reèe: oèe, sagriješih nebu i tebi, i veæ nijesam dostojan nazvati se sin tvoj. 22A otac reèe slugama svojijem: iznesite najljepšu haljinu i obucite ga, i podajte mu prsten na ruku i obuæu na noge. 23I dovedite tele ugojeno te zakoljite, da jedemo i da se veselimo. 24Jer ovaj moj sin bješe mrtav, i oživlje; i izgubljen bješe, i naðe se. I stadoše se veseliti. 25A sin njegov stariji bijaše u polju, i dolazeæi kad se približi kuæi èu pjevanje i podvikivanje. 26I dozvavši jednoga od slugu zapita: šta je to? 27A on mu reèe: brat tvoj doðe; i otac tvoj zakla tele ugojeno, što ga je zdrava vidio. 28A on se rasrdi i ne šæadijaše da uðe. Tada iziðe otac njegov i moljaše ga. 29A on odgovarajuæi reèe ocu: eto te služim toliko godina, i nikad ne prestupih tvoje zapovijesti, pa meni nikad nijesi dao jareta da bih se proveselio sa svojijem društvom; 30A kad doðe taj tvoj sin koji ti je imanje prosuo s kurvama, zaklao si mu tele ugojeno. 31A on mu reèe: sine! ti si svagda sa mnom, i sve je moje tvoje. 32Trebalo se razveseliti i obradovati, jer ovaj brat tvoj mrtav bješe, i oživlje; i izgubljen bješe i naðe se.
They are counted among the Unmercenary Physicians. Cyrus was a physician living in Alexandria. A pious Christian, he healed not only bodies but souls, bringing many to Christ, and often healing through prayer rather than the use of his medicines. He often said to his patients, ‘If you want to keep clear of illness, take care not to sin, because more often than not illness is a result of sin.’ When Diocletian’s persecution broke out, Cyrus was denounced to the pagan governor and fled to Arabia, where he became a monk. He gained great renown there by healing many ailments using only the sign of the Cross.
John was a soldier from Edessa who heard of Cyrus’ deeds and, leaving the army, sought him out. They met in Egypt, where John became a monk and Cyrus’ disciple, joining him in the practice of the virtues and in healing illnesses by prayer.
They heard of the arrest of a Christian lady named Athanasia and her daughters Theoctista and Eudoxia. Concerned that the tender maidens might renounce Christ under torture, the two monks sought them out to encourage them in their confession of the Faith. They themselves were captured, and the governor decided to have them tortured in front of the women, assuming that this would break their spirit. Instead, Cyrus and John bore their sufferings so patiently and boldly that the women were only strengthened in their resolve. Seeing that he had failed, the governor had all five of them beheaded. Their bodies were placed in the Church of St Mark in Alexandria.
In the fifth century the relics of Sts Cyrus and John were enshrined in a church at Aboukir near Alexandria by St Cyril (June 9). There they were the source of abundant healings and miracles, and the shrine became one of the greatest places of pilgrimage in the Christian world.
His is a remarkable story of spiritual delusion (prelest in Russian) and repentance of delusion. Nicetas was a young and zealous monk of the Lavra of the Kiev Caves who, against the advice of his abbot St Nikon (March 25), retired alone to a cave and walled himself in. Some time later, the young monk experienced a delightful scent filling his cave. Believing himself to be receiving a divine revelation, he cried out ‘Lord, show Thyself to me, that I might worship Thee face to face!’ A voice answered, ‘I am sending you an angel: do whatever he tells you.’ The Devil soon appeared to him as an ‘angel of light’ and Nicetas, completely taken in, prostrated before him. The Devil ordered him to stop praying and to devote all his time to reading and memorizing the Old Testament. Nicetas obeyed without question. After awhile, the Devil began to reveal to him things that were happening in the outside world, so that the young monk acquired a reputation for prophecy among visitors to his cave. When the Elders of the Caves realized that Nicetas never spoke to his visitors or anyone else of the New Testament, they decided that he was beguiled by the Devil. Breaking down the door of his cave, they drove out the deceiver by their prayers and forcibly took the young hermit back to the monastery.
As soon as the evil angel had been driven off, Nicetas became like a young child: he instantly forgot the entire Old Testament (which he had virtually memorized) and even lost the ability to read, so that he had to be sent to school again. Slowly he returned to himself, realized his former delusion and repented in tears. Thereafter he devoted himself to humility and obedience in the monastic community. Such was his repentance and progress in the virtues that he was later made Bishop of Novgorod. He reposed in peace in 1108 and became known for working many miracles, especially healing of blindness.
The daughter of a prominent Roman family, she was given in marriage despite her reluctance, but was widowed after less than a year. Following the example of the prophetess Anna, she dedicated her widowhood to God and turned her fine house in Rome into a monastery, living there in strict asceticism.
“When the Church was riven by controversies about the doctrines of Origen, Saint Marcella kept silent for a while but, deciding at length to take up the cause of Orthodoxy, and maintaining a sweet and gentle manner in the exchanges, she succeeded in confounding the arguments of the heretics.” (Ormylia Synaxarion)
When the Goths invaded and pillaged Rome in 410 they broke into her house. Marcella received them calmly, but when they demanded money she answered that no one as poorly clothed as she was could be expected to have any money. At this the invaders beat her mercilessly despite her great age. She bore their blows without complaint, asking only that they spare her spiritual daughter Principia. Struck to the heart by her response, the barbarians took her and her disciple to the Church of St Paul, where she reposed two days later.