Orthodox Calendar

1. септембар 2028.
Friday of the 13th week after Pentecost

Fast

Commemorations

  • Martyr Andrew Strateletes and 2,593 soldiers with him in Cilicia (ca. 289)

Scripture Readings

2 Corinthians 11.5-21 (Epistle)

5Jer mislim da ni u èemu nijesam manji od prevelikijeh apostola. 6Jer ako sam i prostak u rijeèi, ali u razumu nijesam. No u svemu smo poznati meðu vama. 7Ili grijeh uèinih ponižujuæi sebe da se vi povisite? Jer vam zabadava Božije jevanðelje propovjedih. 8Od drugijeh crkava oteh uzevši platu za služenje vama; i došavši k vama, i bivši u sirotinji, ne dosadih nikome. 9Jer moju sirotinju potpuniše braæa koja doðoše iz Maæedonije, i u svemu bez dosade vama sebe držah i držaæu. 10Kao što je istina Hristova u meni tako se hvala ova neæe uzeti od mene u Ahajskijem krajevima. 11Zašto? Što vas ne ljubim? Bog zna. A što èinim i èiniæu, 12Da otsijeèem uzrok onima koji traže uzrok, da bi u onome èim se hvale našli se kao i mi. 13Jer takovi lažni apostoli i prevarljivi poslenici pretvaraju se u apostole Hristove. 14I nije èudo, jer se sam sotona pretvara u anðela svijetla. 15Nije dakle ništa veliko ako se i sluge njegove pretvaraju kao sluge pravde, kojima æe svršetak biti po djelima njihovijem. 16Opet velim da niko ne pomisli da sam ja bezuman; ako li ne, a ono barem kao bezumna primite me, da se i ja što pohvalim. 17A što govorim ne govorim po Gospodu, nego kao u bezumlju, u ovoj struci hvale. 18Buduæi da se mnogi hvale po tijelu, i ja æu da se hvalim. 19Jer ljubazno primate bezumne kad ste sami mudri. 20Jer primate ako vas ko natjera da budete sluge, ako vas ko jede, ako ko uzme, ako vas ko po obrazu bije, ako se ko velièa. 21Na sramotu govorim, jer kao da mi oslabismo. Na što je ko slobodan po bezumlju govorim i ja sam slobodan.

Mark 4.1-9 (Gospel)

1I opet poèe uèiti kod mora, i skupiše se oko njega ljudi mnogi tako da mora uæi u laðu, i sjediti na moru; a narod sav bijaše na zemlji kraj mora. 2I uèaše ih u prièama mnogo, i govoraše im u nauci svojoj: 3Slušajte: evo iziðe sijaè da sije. 4I kad sijaše dogodi se da jedno pade ukraj puta, i doðoše ptice i pozobaše ga. 5A drugo pade na kamenito mjesto gdje ne bijaše mnogo zemlje; i odmah iznièe; jer ne bijaše u dubinu zemlje: 6A kad obasja sunce, uvenu, i buduæi da nemaše korijena, usahnu. 7I drugo pade u trnje; i naraste trnje i udavi ga, i ne donese roda. 8I drugo pade na zemlju dobru; i davaše rod koji napredovaše i rastijaše i donošaše po trideset i po šeset i po sto. 9I reèe: ko ima uši da èuje neka èuje.

Commemorations

Martyr Andrew Strateletes and 2,593 soldiers with him in Cilicia (ca. 289)

“He was an officer, a tribune, in the Roman army in the time of the Emperor Maximian. A Syrian by birth, he served in his native land. When the Persians attacked the imperial Roman army, this Andrew was entrusted with the command in the battle against the enemy — whence his title: commander, strateletes. A secret Christian, although as yet unbaptised, Andrew commended himself to the living God, and, taking only the cream of the army, went to war. Before the battle, he told his soldiers that, if they all called upon the aid of the one, true God, Christ the Lord, their enemies would become as dust scattered before them. All the soldiers, fired with enthusiasm by Andrew and his faith, invoked Christ’s aid and attacked. The Persian army was utterly routed. When the victorious Andrew returned to Antioch, some jealous men denounced him as a Christian and the imperial governor summoned him for trial. Andrew openly proclaimed his steadfast faith in Christ. After harsh torture, the governor threw Andrew into prison and wrote to the Emperor in Rome. Knowing Andrew’s popularity among the people and in the army, the Emperor ordered the governor to set Andrew free, but to seek another occasion and another excuse (not his faith) to kill him. By God’s revelation, Andrew came to know of this imperial command, and, taking his faithful soldiers (2,593 in all) with him, went off to Tarsus in Cilicia, where they were all baptised by the bishop, Peter. Persecuted here also by imperial might, Andrew and his companions withdrew deep into the Armenian mountain of Tavros. There in a ravine, while they were at prayer, the Roman army came upon them and beheaded them all. Not one of them would recant, all being determined on death by martyrdom for Christ. On the spot where a stream of the martyrs’ blood flowed down, a spring of healing water sprang forth, healing from every disease. The bishop, Peter, came secretly with his people and buried the martyrs’ bodies in that same place. They all suffered with honour at the end of the third century and were crowned with wreaths of eternal glory, entering into the Kingdom of Christ our God.” (Prologue)