21. август 2028.
Monday of the 12nd week after Pentecost

Dormition Fast

Commemorations

St Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus (820)
St Myron the Wonderworker, Bishop of Crete (350)
St Gregory of Sinai (Mt Athos) (1346)

Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 5.10-15 (Epistle)

10Jer nam se svima valja javiti na sudu Hristovu, da primimo svaki što je koji u tijelu èinio, ili dobro ili zlo; 11Znajuæi dakle strah Gospodnji ljude svjetujemo; a Bogu smo poznati, a nadamo se da smo i u vašijem savjestima poznati. 12Jer se ne hvalimo opet pred vama, nego vama dajemo uzrok da se hvalite nama, da imate što odgovoriti onima koji se hvale onijem što je spolja a ne što je u srcu. 13Jer ako se odviše hvalimo, Bogu se hvalimo; ako li smo smjerni, vama smo. 14Jer ljubav Božija nagoni nas, kad mislimo ovo: ako jedan za sve umrije, to dakle svi umriješe. 15Hristos za sve umrije, da oni koji žive ne žive više sebi, nego onome koji za njih umrije i vaskrse.

Mark 1.9-15 (Gospel)

9I u to vrijeme doðe Isus iz Nazareta Galilejskoga, i krsti ga Jovan u Jordanu, 10I odmah izlazeæi iz vode vidje nebo gdje se otvori, i Duh kao golub siðe na nj. 11I glas doðe s neba: ti si sin moj ljubazni koji je po mojoj volji. 12I odmah Duh izvede ga u pustinju. 13I bi ondje u pustinji dana èetrdeset, i kuša ga sotona, i bi sa zvjerinjem, i anðeli služahu mu. 14A pošto predadoše Jovana, doðe Isus u Galileju propovijedajuæi jevanðelje o carstvu Božijemu 15I govoreæi: iziðe vrijeme i približi se carstvo Božije; pokajte se i vjerujte jevanðelje.

Commemorations

St Emilian the Confessor, bishop of Cyzicus (820)

He was one of the bishops summoned by the Patriarch Nikephoros to defend the veneration of the holy icons against the Emperor Leo the Armenian. For this reason he was sent into exile around 815, and after many sufferings for his faithful confession, reposed in exile in 820.

St Myron the Wonderworker, Bishop of Crete (350)

He was a widowed farmer who, though poor, shared the produce of his farm freely with the needy. Once he found some thieves stealing his grain. Without saying who he was, he helped the thieves fill their sacks and make their escape. His virtue became known, and he was ordained to the priesthood, then consecrated bishop. In his own lifetime he was known as a great wonderworker. He reposed in peace.

St Gregory of Sinai (Mt Athos) (1346)

One of the great ascetics, hesychasts and spiritual teachers of the Church, he did much to restore the knowledge and practice of Orthodox hesychasm. He became a monk at Mt Sinai. He traveled to Mt Athos to learn more of Orthodox spiritual prayer and contemplation, but found that these were almost lost even on the Holy Mountain. The only true, holy hesychast he found there was St Maximos of Kapsokalyvia (Maximos the hut-burner, January 13). Maximos lived a life of reclusion in crude shelters; from time to time he would burn his hut and move to a new one, so as not to become attached even to that poor earthly dwelling. For this, he was scorned as a madman by the other monks. St Gregory upbraided the monks and told them that Maximos was the only true hesychast among them, thus beginning a reform of spiritual life on the Holy Mountain. He spent time teaching mental prayer in all the monasteries of Mt Athos, then traveled around Macedonia, establishing new monasteries. Some of his writings on prayer and asceticism can be found in the Philokalia. He reposed in peace in 1346.