Orthodoxy Daily2000

Exploring the roots of Christianity in our time.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2026

july 11_june28

VENERABLE SERGIIUS AND HERMAN (14th c.), ABBOTS OF VALAAM

  The Monks Sergei and German of Valaamo settled on the island of Valaamo in 1329. The brethren gathered by them shone forth the light of Orthodoxy in this frontier land. The Karelian people began to regard Christianity with renewed suspicion, as its authority in the XIII Century was undermined by the Swedes, who sought to spread Catholicism by the sword. The Monks Sergei and German died in about the year 1353. A second commemoration of them is on 11 September.

VENERABLE PAUL THE PHYSICIAN OF CORINTH (7th c.).

Saint Paul the Physician, from the city of Corinth, in his youth took monastic tonsure at one of the monasteries. Here the saint toiled much and became an experienced ascetic.

Once, Paul was slandered by a woman through demonic malice. She came to the monastery with a newborn infant and said that Saint Paul was the father. The Elder with humility and joy endured the slander, he did not deny it and he took the infant, as though it were his own son. When they began to reproach the saint for breaking his monastic vows, Saint Paul said, “Brethren, let us ask the infant who his father is!” The newborn, pointing his hand at the blacksmith, said, “Here is my father and not the monk Paul.” Seeing this miracle, people bowed down to the Elder and asked for forgiveness. From this time, Saint Paul received from God the gift of healing the sick, by which he was called "physician." Saint Paul died at age 70.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

Romans 9:1-5

1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Matthew 9:18-26

18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. 20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. 23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2026

july 10_june 27

6th Week after Pentecost. Apostles’ (Peter & Paul) Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

VENERABLE SAMPSON THE HOSPITAL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (530)

      The Monk Sampson the Hospitable-to-Strangers was the son of rich and illustrious Roman parents. In his youth, he received an excellent education; he studied the medical arts and, for free, doctored the sick. After the death of his parents, Saint Sampson generously distributed alms and set his slaves free, preparing to enter the wilderness.       With this intent in mind, he soon journeyed from Rome to the East. But the Lord directed him onto a different path, that of service to his neighbor, and so Saint Sampson came to Constantinople. Settling into a small house, the saint began to take in the wandering homeless, the poor and the sick, and he attended to them zealously. The Lord blessed the efforts of Saint Sampson and endowed him with the power of wonderworking. He healed the sick not only as a skilled physician but also as a bearer of God's grace. The news about Saint Sampson spread widely. The patriarch, having summoned him, ordained him as a presbyter.

One time it was revealed to the grievously sick emperor Justinian (527-565), that he could receive healing only through Saint Sampson. In praying, the saint extended his hand toward the sick emperor, who then received relief and soon recovered altogether. In gratitude the emperor wanted to reward his healer with silver and gold, but the saint refused and instead asked Justinian to build a domicile for wanderers and the sick. The emperor readily fulfilled his request.       All the rest of his life Saint Sampson devoted to serving his neighbour. He survived into old age and after a short illness he with joy expired to the Lord (+ c. 530). The saint was buried at the church of the holy Martyr Mokias. Many an healing was effected at the grave of Saint Sampson. His home for wanderers and the hospice remained open, and the saint did not cease to care for the suffering. He twice appeared to a neglectful worker of the hospice and upbraided him for his laziness. At the request of an admirer of Saint Sampson the vagrants-home was transformed into a church, and alongside it was built a new edifice for taking in the homeless. During the time of a powerful conflagration at Constantinople the flames did not touch the vagrants-home of Saint Sampson: through his prayers a strong rain poured down, which quenched the fire.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

St JOANNA THE MYRRH BEARER (1st.c.)

   Saint Joanna the Myhrbearer, wife of Chuza, – the household steward of king Herod, was one of the women following and attending the Lord Jesus Christ during the time of His preaching and public ministry. And together with the other Myrrh-bearing Women, after the Savior's death on the Cross, Saint Joanna went to the Sepulcher to anoint the Holy Body of the Lord with myrrh, and she heard from the Angels the joyful proclamation of His All-Glorious Resurrection.

1 Corinthians 4:5-8

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God. 6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us-and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!

Matthew 13:44-54

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." 52 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." 53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

[orthodoxydaily]

ICON, SAINTS&READING: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

july 9 _ june 26

VENERABLE JOHN BISHOP OF THE GOTHS IN CRIMEA (ca. 787).

The Monk John, Bishop of the Goths

      The Monk John, Bishop of the Goths, lived during the 8th century. The future saint was born amidst the fervent prayer of his parents, and from an early age he pursued asceticism within monasticism. The monk made pilgrimage to Jerusalem and during the course of three years he made the rounds of all the holy places, and then returned to his native country. During this period the emperor Constantine Kopronymos the Iconoclast (741-775) banished the Gothic bishop, and the Gothic christians fervently besought Saint john to become their bishop. Saint John journeyed to Iveria (Gruzia / Georgia), – safely intact from the spread of the Iconoclast heresy, where hands of ordination were put upon him. Upon his return to the Goths he was compelled soon to depart from them and, hidden away from the pursuing Khazars, he settled at Amastrideia, where he dwelt for four years. Hearing about the death of the Khazar kagan (ruler), the saint said: "After 40 days I shall go to be judged with him before Christ the Saviour". Indeed, after 40 days the saint died, and this occurred at the time when he returned to his people with preaching, in the year 790. The body of the saint was conveyed to the Parthenit monastery, situated in the Crimea at the foot of Mount Ayu-Dag, where formerly the saint lived in a large church built by him in the name of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The memory of Sainted John, Bishop of the Goths, is celebrated also on 26 June.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

APPEARANCE OF THE TIKHVIN ICON OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS (1383).

The history of the Tikhvin icon remains a mystery to this day. Traditionally, it was believed that the icon was painted by the Apostle Luke himself, who then sent it as a gift to Theophilus in Antioch. The icon was located in Jerusalem for some time, and then, in the fifth century, was brought to Constantinople by the Byzantine Empress Eudocia. During the iconoclastic heresy, the icon was hidden in the Pantocrator Monastery and later became one of the most revered relics of Constantinople. It is believed that the icon later on disappeared from the church where it was kept, and reappeared again only in 1383 in the Novgorod region of Rus’ near the town of Tikhvin.

The icon was noticed by fishermen near Lake Ladoga as it appeared to be drifting downwards from the sky, and, after much prayer stopped near the Tikvhin River—a tributary of the Syas River which flows into the Ladoga. Soon afterwards, a church dedicated to the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos was built there, and the miraculous image was hung on the right pillar of the church near the western entrance doors.

This event took place exactly half a century before Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks (in 1453). The miraculous transfer of the icon from the “Second Rome” to the Third was taken as a sign that the center of Christianity would soon become Moscow.

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was built around the Dormition church in Tikhvin, which attracted thousands of pilgrims from all over Russia. The Tikhvin icon became renowned for the many miraculous healings that were wrought through it by the grace of God. Furthermore, when the Swedes once attacked the Tikhvin monastery, the Mother of God gave instruction to one pious woman to make a procession with the icon around the monastery, after which the Swedes were, by a miracle, for no apparent reason, thrown into a state of fear and fled. For this reason, the Tikhvin monastery was always kept in high regard by pious Russian tsars.

Another miracle that took place soon after the Tikhvin icon was found was the appearance of the Holy Theotokos and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to a local church warden—Yurish (or Yury, George). When the first wooden church was built in the Prechistenskoye Pogost (the future town of Tikhvin), Yurish went to inform neighboring peasants that church services would now take place there. On his way back, he saw in radiant light the Most Pure One, holding a staff in her hand, and next to her was St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Later on, icons depicting this appearance became well-known, for through them by the grace of God were also wrought miraculous deeds in several places: in Pavlovskoye village of the Zvenigorodsky county, in Epifanovka of the Gorbatovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod province, and in Alekseevka-Losevka near Voronezh.

Every year twenty-four processions were made around the Tikhvin monastery with the icon. The icon itself was covered with a precious-metal frame, and a golden icon-lamp hung before it. The monastery itself prospered until it was closed down during the soviet period, and the miraculous image was then taken to a local museum, where, as it seems, no serious scientific research was ever conducted on it.

During the Second World War, the city of Tikhvin was briefly seized by the Nazis, and with their departure the miraculous icon was nowhere to be found. Some say the icon was seen in 1944 in one of the antiques shops occupied by the Germans in Riga. From there the icon was taken to Chicago, and has since been returned to the Tikhvin Monastery, which was reopened.

According to ancient historical descriptions, the icon is painted in the Greek style and is of a significant size. The face of the Theotokos is dark, almost black. Over the centuries it has been restored quite a few times. In all likelihood, the last one to restore the icon was Ignatius the Greek, who worked for Yuri Dmitrievich, the prince of Moscow. It has long been observed that the hand of the Mother of God on the icon "emits an extraordinary physical warmth that is tangible to the lips when venerating the icon." According to rumors, an X-ray analysis conducted in America has confirmed the presence of anomalous behavior in that area of the icon. The Tikhvin icon belongs to the “Hodegitria” (Way-shower) style of iconographic depiction of the Holy Theotokos, which depicts the Holy Theotokos in a half-portrait style with her face turned to the right from the point of view of one standing before the icon (although according to pious tradition, the right and left sides of icons are usually determined from the point of view of those who are depicted on them); additionally, the hand of Christ is depicted making the sign of the Cross with two fingers.

In the second half of the sixteenth century, Russian scribes had already begun to identify the Tikhvin icon as the Blachernae icon of the Theotokos—the most important relic of the “Second Rome”. However, others however believe that the original Blachernae icon was actually brought to Mt. Athos and in 1653 was transferred to the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Moscow.

Whatever the case, it was during the time that Catholic expansion was gathering strength in the lands surrounding Russia that the “Tale of the Tikhvin Hodegitria” appeared, in which the Roman Pope Formos, who was considered the “number one culprit of the Latin heresies,” was especially mentioned. Thus, the Tikhvin icon was seen by the Russian people as a predominant symbol that Russia was now the successor of the Second Rome and holds primacy before Rome. The Tikhvin icon, belonging to the number of icons written by St. Luke the Evangelist himself, also served as proof that the two-finger sign of the cross, which the icon depicted the Savior making, was of an ancient origin. Thus, after the schism in the seventeenth century this fact acquired especial importance and the icon served as proof of the ancient origin of the two-fingered sign of the cross even to illiterate Christians. Also, for this reason, the “Tale of the Tikhvin Hodegitria” was reprinted secretly several times during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and to this day remains one of the favorite books of the Old Believers.[2]

Furthermore, for the same reason, small copper icons depicting the veneration of the Tikhvin icon were also popular, and were made either separately or as a part of larger icons that depicted multiple scenes. On the top of such small icons in the center would be depicted the Tikhvin icon, while Sts. Cyril of White Lake and Alexander of Svir were depicted to the left and right respectively. Both saints were founders of famous monasteries in the Northern Thebaid, and the Mother of God had appeared to both of them during their lives. On the bottom of the icon the Three Holy Hierarchs—Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom—were depicted together with St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (which, by the way, reminds us of the vision Yurish had of the Mother of God and St. Nicholas). And finally, between the four saints, a northern Russian forest with church steeples protruding above the treetops is depicted. The forest was the place of prayer and asceticism of many saints, and it also reminds us of the wonders wrought by the grace of God in these regions through the Tikhvin icon. Additionally, according to popular belief, it was thought that the Tikhvin icon was "given the grace of preserving the health of infants."

One of the most ancient and revered copies of the original Tikhvin icon is located in the Moscow Kremlin. Other copies include ones found at the St. Panteleimon Chapel near the Vladimir gates of Kitai-gorod, the Novodevichy monastery, and the Nikola-schepov church [all in Moscow]. Historically there existed 9 churches consecrated in the name of the Tikhvin icon (including one Old Believer church). One of the nine churches is located in what was formerly the village of Alekseev but is now a region in the north of Moscow, and it was never closed down during the Soviet period (according to one legend, in the autumn of 1941, Stalin took the copy of the miracle-working Tikhvin icon that was given to this church by tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich in order to make a procession with it by airplane around beleaguered Moscow); another in Sushchev (the church here was closed down and services were once again resumed only in 1992); and another—the church of Simonov and of the Donskoi Monastery—at the Medvednevsk almshouse (now the Central Hospital of the Moscow Patriarchate). The Tikhvin “Berezhki” churches in Dorogomilovo, Luzhniki, and the Skorybashchensky monastery were demolished, while the Old Believer Church on Havas street was turned into a pub for so-called “New Russians”. And finally, there were six Tikhvin churches on the banks of the Neva River (one parish in Ligovka, where services were resumed in July 1993, one house church, and four in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and its metochions).

The Tikhvin monastery, in addition to the original Tikhvin icon, also had several copies of the icon; the most revered one of which was the so-called “Militant icon” that local soldiers carried with them during the War of 1812 and Crimean War.

Other copies of the Tikhvin icon that also became well-known are those from the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg (which became especially famous after many miraculous healings of children), the Resurrection Church of Novgorod the Great (appeared in 1643), Dankov in Ryazan province, Zemlyansk in Voronezh province, and the Holy Trinity-St. Daniel Monastery in Pereslavl- Zalessky.

Several monasteries and sketes were named after the Tikhvin icon. One of the famous sketes of the Valaam monastery (located on an island about 27 kilometers from the archipelago where the original Tikhvin icon was once first seen), and a few women’s monasteries: in Yekaterinoslav, Tsivilsk near Kazan, the settlement of Borisovka of the Graivoronsky district of the Kursk province, and near Kerensky south of Penza (where in 1687 a locally venerated copy of the Tikhvin icon was found).

Another copy of the Tikhvin icon was located in the altar of the Cathedral of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple at a monastery near Tikhvin. The copy was brought as a gift by the fourth wife of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarina Darya, who became a nun and then later on the abbess of that monastery.

In truth, it is simply impossible to count all of the Tikhvin parishes, monastery churches, and copies of the Tikhvin icon. However, like a fragment of a mirror that reflects the sun no less than a whole mirror does, these copies can transmit to the world the grace of the original Tikhvin icon.

Source: Nadezhda Dmitrieva Translation by Feodor Nemets Pravoslavie.ru 7/9/2017 via Orthodox Christianity

[1] The original Tikhvin icon was removed from the monastery in Tikvin by German looters during World War II, and ended up in Riga. From there it was taken to the United States to save it from the soviets by Bishop John (Garklavs). From 1949 to 2004, the icon was kept in Chicago. It was solemnly returned to Russia after the fall of communism in 2004, and is now once again in the Tikhvin assumption monastery.—Ed.

[2] The Old Believers continue to this day to make the sign of the cross with two fingers instead of three.—Ed.

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; 20 and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come-all are yours. 23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Matthew 13:36-43

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2026

july 8_june 25

Sts. DIONYSIUS AND DOMETIUS ( 1380) OF THE MONASTERY OF THE FORERUNNER ( DIONYSIOU) , Mt ATHOS

He was born in Koritza in Albania. His elder brother Theodosius went to the Holy Mountain and, in time, became abbot of the monastery of Philotheou. A few years later Dionysius followed his brother and became a monk under him at Philotheou. A heavenly light began to appear to Dionysius every night at the same place, some distance from his monastery. Believing that the light was a divine sign that he was to build a monastery, Dionysius left the Holy Mountain to seek the help of his brother (now Metropolitan of Trebizond) and the Emperor Alexios Comnenis. From the Emperor he received both money and a Royal Charter, which is still kept at the Monastery of St John the Forerunner, which Dionysius founded in 1380, and which is often referred to as the Dionysiou Monastery. Later, pirates plundered the monastery, and Dionysius went to Trebizond, where he reposed at the age of seventy-two.

1 Corinthians 2:9-3:8

9 But as it is written: 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Matthew 13:31-36

31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. 33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." 36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

[orthodoxydaily]

PSALMS: 28 (29)

1 A psalm by David; the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God, Bring to the Lord the sons of rams; Bring to the Lord glory and honor. 2Bring to the Lord the glory due His name; Worship the Lord in His holy court. 3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; The God of glory thundered; The Lord is upon the many waters. 4The voice of the Lord is strong; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5The voice of the Lord shatters cedars, And the Lord shall grind to powder the cedars of Lebanon; 6And He shall grind them fine like the young bull, and like Lebanon, But His beloved shall be like a son of unicorns. 7The voice of the Lord cuts through fiery flames; 8The voice of the Lord shakes the desert, And the Lord will shake the desert of Kadesh. 9The voice of the Lord causes deer to calve, And uncovers the thickets; And in His temple, everyone speaks of His glory. 10The Lord shall dwell in the deluge, And the Lord shall sit as King forever. 11The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.

NOTES: 28 Ps 28 is a prophecy concerning the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, celebrated in the services of Theophany (Epiphany). Both words, epiphany and theophany, mean “manifestation” or “revelation,” and theophany has the additional meaning, “revelation of God.” The God who is revealed in Christ’s Baptism is God the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus this event also reveals that Jesus Christ (the Son) is one of the Trinity. Ps 28 reveals the Father as the voice speaking from heaven at Jesus’ Baptism (vv. 3–5, 7–9; see also Mt 3:17; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22). It also reveals the Son (His beloved, v. 6) and the Holy Spirit (fiery flames, v. 7; see also canticles four and five of Compline in the Forefeast of Theophany). Unicorns (v. 6) are often symbols of purity. Verse 3 is used as the prokeimenon in the following places in the services of Theophany: before the Isaiah readings in the First, Third and Sixth Royal Hours; before the Gospel reading in the Great Blessing of the Waters; after Ps 37 and within the first canon of canticle four in Orthros; and before the Gospel reading in the Divine Liturgy. And in addition to this, vv. 1–11 are read as one of the psalms in the Third Royal Hour.

Thomas Nelson. The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's World

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2026

july 7_june 24

THE NATIVITY OF St. JOHN THE BAPTIST

"That is what the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, cried out.

In the annual liturgical cycle, the Holy Church commemorates this great God-pleasing saint several times. The Tuesdays of every week are also dedicated to him.

We have gathered today in this holy church to celebrate together with the Church and to sing glory to the Nativity of the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John. “She who was formerly barren today gives birth to the Forerunner of Christ, Who is the fulfillment of prophecy. For the Prophet, Herald and Forerunner of the Word/ submitted to Him Whom the prophets foretold by laying his hand on Him in the Jordan” (Kontakion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist).

The arrival of a righteous man in this world is always a demonstration of God’s great mercy toward men, because the whole world is held and sustained by righteous people, while the Holy Baptist of the Lord John is one of the greatest of the righteous, and according to the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, among them that are born of women there hath not risen anyone greater than him (Matthew 11:11).

And so today, on the commemoration day of the Holy Forerunner of the Lord, let us focus our attention on the life of this great God-pleasing saint and see what truly great mercy of God has been bestowed upon mankind in the person of the righteous saints.

We know from the Holy Gospel that the very Nativity of the Forerunner of the Lord wasn’t a simple birth, but was accompanied by miracles. The Holy Prophet was born according to the foretelling of the Archangel Gabriel to his elderly parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth. The Forerunner is born, and the priest Zachariah is freed of dumbness with which he was punished for his unbelief. The Forerunner is born, and Elizabeth rejoices, as she is released of her shame as a barren woman.

But it wasn’t long before the holy infant John was comforted by the affection of his elderly parents; his father, the Righteous Zachariah, was killed in the Temple, while his mother, the Righteous Elizabeth, who hid in the mountains to save the infant from the murderers sent by Herod, also died soon after. How the childhood years of St. John the Baptist passed remains unknown to us, as the Scripture tells us nothing about it. “You shall not ask me,” says St. John Chrysostom, “how John lived in the wilderness in winter and under the scorching heat of the sun, especially at his tender age.” Then he answers: John dwelt in the wilderness as if in heaven.

Strengthened by Divine help, the child was grew stronger in spirit, getting ready for his greatest ministry—to prepare the people to receive the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

He dwelt in the wilderness for thirty years, wearing clothing made of camel’s hair and eating only locusts and wild honey. But then the time came, and St. John left the wilderness to appear on the banks of the Jordan.

Repent, we hear the voice of the exhorter of fasting and repentance, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. With his call to repentance and baptism in the Jordan, St. John the Baptist prepared the children of Israel to receive the Savior of the world.

As the bridge between the two Testaments, he seemingly saw only two things—the sins of men that flooded the sinful world, and the Lamb of God taking the sins of the world away. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, he cries out to the people.

His commanding call to repentance was not made in vain. People from all parts of Judea began to flock to him, thirsting to be cleansed of their sins and be baptized in the Jordan.

The salvific work of the preaching of repentance, my dear in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters, remains valid even after the coming of Christ the Savior into the world. After all, the Lord also began His salvific sermon with the same words: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Repentance and faith in Christ the Savior are two essential prerequisites for attaining the Kingdom of Heaven. Tears of repentance are the grace-filled rain that washes away all the uncleanness of the soul and makes the soul capable of receiving Divine grace.

Therefore, the call by the Forerunner to repent, his call to reform ourselves, and to be cleansed of our sins, remains valid for us as well.

St. John the Forerunner cries out to us even today, as he once cried out to the people of Israel, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent ... bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance (Matt. 3:8).

Dear beloved in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters, let’s take our thoughts to John’s wilderness as often as possible, and may we always try to carry in our hearts the deeds and the luminous image of the holy Forerunner of the Lord, praying that he may also prepare us, as once he did the people of Judea, to accept the Savior in our hearts. May we cleanse our souls from sins, for this is in God’s will; and may the Lord help us in this through the prayers of our Most Holy Mother of God, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John, and all the saints who stand at the Throne of God and pray unceasingly for our souls."

Metropolitan Simon (Novikov) Source: Translation by Liubov AmbrosePravoslavie.ru_OrthoChristIan

St. JOHN THE HERMIT OF BOHEMIA (904).

St. John the Hermit (also known as St.  Ivan or John the Czech) was the first Christian hermit in Bohemia.  While your query specifies the year 904, historical sources vary on his exact dates, listing his death as either 845 or 904.  He is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is closely associated with the village of Svatý Jan pod Skalou (St.  John under the Rock) in the Czech Republic.

According to legend, Ivan was the son of a Slavic prince named Gostimil. He renounced his royal status to live as an ascetic in the travertine caves of the Bohemian Karst. The most famous legend recounts that he was sustained by the milk of a hind (a female deer). When the hind was wounded during a hunt by Prince Bořivoj I (the first Christian ruler of Bohemia), the prince followed the animal to Ivan's cave. This meeting is traditionally cited as a pivotal moment in the Christianization of Bohemia. 

After Ivan's death, Prince Bořivoj is said to have built a chapel over his grave, which eventually grew into a Benedictine monastery and the current Baroque pilgrimage site. Although widely venerated as a saint by the people, he was never officially canonized by the Catholic Church, but he remains a recognized saint in the Orthodox tradition. 

Feast Day: His feast day is celebrated on June 24 (Julian calendar) / July 7 (Gregorian calendar), coinciding with the Nativity of St.  John the Baptist. This date aligns with the tradition that he received a vision of St. John the Baptist, who gave him a cross to remove evil spirits from his cave. 

Svatý Jan pod Skalou cave and church

Romans 13:11-14:4

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Luke 1:1-25, 57-68, 76, 80 or Luke 1:5-25, 57-68, 76, 80 ( Forerunner)

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.

57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John." 61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father-what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

[orthodoxydaily]

ICON, SAINTS&READING: MONDAY, JULY 6, 2026

july 6-june 23 6th Week after Pentecost. Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast. Fish Allowed

The Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed.

The Feast of the Mother of God in honor of Her Holy Vladimir Icon is celebrated in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion by Khan Akhmat. In 1480, during the reign of Great Prince Ivan III Vasil'evich (1462-1505), Khan Akhmat of the Golden Horde advanced with a vast host to the River Ugra, which those guarding the Moscow domain called "the Belt (Poyas) of the Mother of God". For an entire day, the army of the khan and that of the Moscow prince stood opposite each other, without deciding to act – "the standing at the Ugra". All of Moscow prayed to its Patroness, the Most Holy Mother of God, for the safety of the Orthodox capital. Metropolitan Gerontii (1473-1489) and the father-confessor of the prince, Archbishop Vassion of Rostov, praying, strengthened the Russian army with blessing and counsel. The metropolitan wrote the prince a cathedral missive, in which he called on him to stand bravely against the enemy, trusting in the help of the Mother of God.

The Most Holy Mother of God interceded for the Russian land. The prince commanded his army to fall back from the Ugra, hoping to await the passing over of the Tatars; the enemy decided, however, that the Russians were luring them into a trap, and they thus began to fall back, at first slowly, but by night they fled, driven by fear. In thanksgiving for the deliverance of Russia from the Tatars, this feast was established in honour of the Mother of God. (The account about the Vladimir Icon is located under 26 August).

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

St. ARTEMIUS OF VERKOLA (1545).

Holy Righteous Artemii of Verkol'sk was born in the village of Dvina Verkol around the year 1532. The son of pious parents, Artemii was a lad with fortitude, mildness, and diligence for every good deed. On 23 June 1545 the thirteen year old Artemii and his father were taken by surprise in a field by a thunderstorm. Under one of the strokes of lightning the lad Artemii fell dead. People thought that this was a sign of judgement from God, and therefore they left the body unburied in a pine forest. After 28 days the village clergyman beheld a light over the place, where the undecayed body of Righteous Artemii lay. Taken to church, the holy relics were shewn a source of numerous healings. In this village there was later built a monastery, called the Verkol'sk. The memory of Righteous Artemii is also celebrated on 20 October.

Romans 16:17-24

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Matthew 13:10-23

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. 18 Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2026

july 5_ june 22 5th Sunday after Pentecost. Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast. Fish Allowed)

St. ALBAN, PROTOMARTYR OF BRITAIN (305)

He was a soldier in the Roman army and, according to the venerable Bede, was brought to faith in Christ by a fugitive priest to whom he gave shelter. The saint exchanged clothes with the priest, allowing him to escape and ensuring his own martyrdom. Some writers, including St Bede, place his martyrdom during the reign of Diocletian (286-303). Saint Alban's tomb was venerated as early as 429 by St Germanus of Auxerre. The town of Verulamium is either his hometown or the place of his martyrdom; near it, a monastery was founded, around which the English town of St Albans grew.

Romans 10:1-10

1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Matthew 8:28-9:1

28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." 32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. 33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.

[orthodoxydaily]

HOLY CELEBRATION: SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2026

july 4_june 21

1St. JOHN OF SHANGHAI AND SAN FRANCISCO, THE WONDERWORKER. ( 1966) (movable holiday on the Saturday closest to June 19th).

Festive celebration of the 60th anniversary of the repose of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco.

On the left, the Kursk Root icon; it was in her company that St John fell asleep in the Lord 60 years ago. The icon of St John on the right lives at the orphanage he founded, now the church of St Tichon of Zadonsk in San Francisco.

Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), in prayer at St John’s relics.

[orthodoxydaily]

Celebration of 60th anniversary of the repose of St John of Shangaï andSan Francisco

HVC 2026-07-02 - Transfer of St. John's relics to the center of the cathedral and Akathist

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026

5th Week after Pentecost Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast. Fish Allowed

St PAISIUS THE GREAT OF EGYPT (400)

The Monk Paisias the Great lived in Egypt. His parents, Christians, distributed generous alms to all the needy.  After the death of her husband his mother, on the suggestion of an Angel, gave over her young son Paisias to clergy of the church.

 The youth Paisias loved monastic life and spent his time in one of the Egyptian sketes. Disavowing his own will, he lived under the spiritual guidance of Saint Pambos (Comm. 18 July), finishing all the tasks assigned him. The starets/elder said, that a newly-begun monk in particular needs to preserve his sight, so as to guard his senses from temptation, and Paisias, heeding the instruction, went for three years with his eyes cast downwards.

The saintly ascetic diligently read spiritual books and he was especially notable for ascetic fasting and prayer. At first he did not taste of food during the course of a week, then – of two, and sometimes after partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he remained without food for seventy days.

 In search of solitary quiet the Monk Paisias went into the Nitreian wilderness, where he lived in a cave carved out by his own hands. There the monk was vouchsafed a wondrous vision – the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to him, that because of his labours all the Nitreian wilderness would become inhabited by ascetics.

The monk was impelled to ask the Lord where in the wilderness would the monks obtain the necessities of life? The Lord answered, that if they would fulfill all His commandments, He Himself would obtain for them all the necessities, to put them beyond demonic temptations and cunning.  

With time there gathered to the Monk Paisias a number of monks and laymen, and thus was established a monastery. The primary covenant of the Monk Paisias was one: no one would do anything by his own will, but in all things would fulfill the will of his mentors.

Burdened by the disturbance of the quiet, the monk withdrew to a yet farther cave. One time he was transported to a paradaisical monastery and vouchsafed there to partake of the non-material Divine food. After his ascetic labours for salvation, the Lord granted His saint the gift of foresight and healing the souls of men. In the life of the ascetic is reported an instance when one of his disciples, with the blessing of the monk, set off to sell handicrafts in Egypt and on the way he encountered a Jew, who suggested to the simple-minded monk that Christ the Saviour is not the Messiah, and that another one, a true one, will come. Confused, the monk uttered: "Perhaps it is true what thou sayest", – yet he did not attribute any particular significance to his words. Having returned, he saw with grief that the Monk Paisias would not acknowledge his arrival, and he asked the reason for his anger. The monk said: "My disciple was a Christian, thou art not a Christian, from thee hath departed the grace of Baptism". Having repented, the monk with tears besought to have absolved his sin. Only then did the holy elder rise up to prayer and seek forgiveness of the Lord for the monk.  A certain monk on his own initiative left the wilderness and re-settled not far from a city. There he had encounters with a woman, who hated and blasphemed Christ the Saviour. Having fallen under her influence, he not only left monasticism, but also scorned faith in Christ and finally he arrived at total disbelief. One time, through the blessed Providence of God, Nitreian monks came past his home. Seeing them, the sinner remembered his own former life and he asked the monks to convey to the Monk Paisias, that he pray for him to the Lord. Hearing the request, the monk began to pray fervently, and his efficacious prayer was heard. The Lord, appearing to His saint, promised to forgive the sinner. Soon the seduced-monk's woman-companion died, and he returned to the wilderness where, weeping and distressed about his sins, he began to labour at deeds of repentance.    The Monk Paisias distinguished himself by great humility, and accomplished ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, but as far as possible, he concealed them from those aside. To a question of the monks, which virtue is highest of all, the monk answered: "those, which are done in secret and about which no one knows". The Monk Paisias died in the V Cent.  in extreme old age and he was buried with veneration by many of the gathered monks. After some while his relics were transferred by the Monk Isidoros Pelusiotes (Comm. 4 February) to the Pelusiot Monastery and placed alongside the relics of the Monk Paul of the Wilderness, with whom the Monk Paisias in life was in particular spiritually close.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Teaching of St Paisios the Great

On Divine Providence and Love When the Lord appeared to him promising to fill the desert with monks, Paisios asked how they would survive. The Lord replied that if they possessed love—the mother of all virtues—and kept His commandments, He would provide for their needs.  Paisios further taught that if monks kept the commandments with humility, they would not only be freed from temptation but inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 

On Humility and Hidden Virtue When asked to identify the highest virtue, Saint Paisios famously replied, "That which is done in secret." He emphasized that true spiritual progress is hidden from human view to avoid the corruption of pride. He also taught, "O!  How many deaths must I endure for Your love, Lord," expressing his willingness to suffer for Christ.

On Anger and Judgment Seeking freedom from anger, Paisios received this instruction from the Lord: "Do not reproach, insult, or despise anyone, and you will not be angry." He demonstrated this by refusing to judge others; when a disciple compromised his faith by agreeing with a Jew, Paisios initially refused him entry until the disciple repented, showing that spiritual truth requires firmness without personal malice. 

On Obedience Paisios taught the necessity. When a disciple ignored Paisios's instruction to drink water blessed by Christ (who had visited as a stranger), the water vanished. Paisios later sent the repentant disciple to a holy man's tomb, instructing him to say, "The servant of God, Paisios, commands you to rise," which the dead saint did, solely to teach the novice that salvation requires obedience without hesitation. 

On Intercession and Sacrifice. Paisios once offered to take the punishment for a monk who had denied his faith, telling the Lord, "I have no good work...  I accept to be punished so that this monk might be saved." The Lord accepted his sacrifice, saving the monk and rewarding Paisios for emulating Divine love. 

Jude 1:1-10

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

John 14:21-24

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

[orthodoxydaily]

PSALMS: 27 (28)

1 Of David.

To You, O Lord, I cry; O my God, may You not pass over me in silence; May You never be silent to me, else I would become like those who go down into the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my supplication when I pray to You, and when I lift up my hands toward Your holy temple. 3 May You not associate my soul with sinners, nor destroy me with the workers of injustice, who speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts. 4Give them according to their works, According to the wickedness of their pursuits; Give them according to the works of their hands; Return to them their due reward. 5Because they do not understand the works of the Lord, Nor the deeds of His hands, You will destroy them, and never rebuild them. 6 Blessed is the Lord, Because He heard the voice of my supplication. 7 The Lord is my helper and my champion; In Him my heart hoped, and I was helped, And my flesh revived; And I will give thanks to Him willingly. 8 The Lord is the strength of His people, and the protector of the salvation of His anointed. 9 Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; And shepherd them, and raise them up forever.

NOTES

27 Ps 27 is a prophecy concerning the death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the inheritance He won for Himself (v. 9), which is the Church. Thus, in His death on the cross, Jesus destroyed death and Hades (the pit), for He is God the Word, to whom the Father was not silent (v. 1). And on the cross, the Lord’s outstretched hands were lifted up toward the Father’s holy temple (v. 2), which is the inheritance. Also, His death destroyed the devil and his angels (vv. 3–5). Therefore, blessed is God the Father (v. 6) for raising Christ (His anointed, v. 8) from the dead (my flesh revived, v. 7), and for protecting the salvation of His people (v. 8), and also for shepherding them in this world and resurrecting them into the world to come (forever, v. 9; see also Creed). Verse 9 is sung repeatedly in various Church services and is also woven into numerous hymns.

Thomas Nelson. The Orthodox Study Bible: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's World,

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2026

june 30_june 17

5th Week after Pentecost. Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast.

THE HOLY MARTYR SHALVA (1227)

The Holy Martyr Shalva was distinguished by his many Christian virtues. For his bravery and valour, the holy nobleborn Empress Tamara the Great (Comm. 1 May) appointed him governor of the Akhaltsikh district (in southern Gruzia-Georgia).       While leading the Gruzian army, he gained a splendid victory over the Turkish sultan Nokardin, in consequence of which peace and prosperity accompanied the duration of the reign of Saint Tamara of Gruzia.       But during the reign of the empress Rusudan (+ 1237), Gruzia suffered invasion by the Persian shah Jelal-ed-din. In the battle against the numerously superior forces of the opponent, Prince Shalva was grievously wounded and captured.       Shah Jelal-ed-din surrounded Prince Shalva with frivolous concerns, but after the course of a year when he had recovered from his wounds, he urged him to accept Mahometanism. The promise of high position and all manner of honours were not able to sway the Gruzian confessor. He refused all these things and did not fear to suffer torture, and to his torturer he calmly answered: "I speak to thee with the words of Saint Ignatios the God-Bearer: "I seek not to gain anything, save the preservation of the Divine image, through which I was created".

 The enraged shah gave orders to drag the naked confessor along the ground, and be beaten all over. During the time of torment the holy martyr joyfully cried out: "Rejoice, Shalva! Together with the clothing thou hast stripped off from thyself the old man and freed thyself from eternal perdition". Half dead and with fractured bones, they threw the holy martyr in prison where he died in June 1227.       After this, Jelal-ed-din overran Armenia and with a numerous army headed towards Tbilisi. The Gruzian army gave heroic resistance, but because of the treachery of the Persian citizenry they were unable to hold the city. Tbilisi was taken. "Not only public and private buildings, but also all the churches and sanctuaries were given over to fire and ruin; there was not left to rest in place even the bones of the dead, an inhuman sacrifice was made of altar servers and all the churchly clergy; in a word, Tiflis now presented the view of how Jerusalem looked under its destruction by Titus".       The fierce shah gave orders to take down the cupola from the Sion cathedral church in honour of the Dormition-Uspenie of the Mother of God, and therein to make his quarters, so as to look down upon the burning of the city and the torturing of Christians. He ordered the captured Gruzians to convert to Islam. Ten thousand men were driven to the bridge across the River Kura, near the Sion cathedral. They offered the captives freedom and generous gifts from the shah, if they recanted from Christ and spit at the holy icons put upon the bridge.       The Christians, approaching by turns the holy icons, in place of insult rendered them due honour and veneration. These the executioners beheaded and threw the headless bodies into the Kura. Thus were executed all the ten thousand Gruzian confessors. It was possible to cross the river from one bank to the other on the bodies of the holy martyrs, without wetting one's feet in the water. The water in the river, mixed together with the blood of the martyrs, became red.       This terrible execution continued all day until late evening. At night there shone over the bridge a pillar of light illumining the bodies of the sufferers for Christ. After this there occurred a powerful earthquake, during the time of which the quarters of the wicked shah crashed down from the heights of the Sion cathedral.       The commemoration of the holy Ten Thousand Tbilisi Martyrs is made by the Gruzian Orthodox Church on the same day with the memory of the holy Martyr Shalva.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Romans 14:9-18

9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Matthew 12:14-16, 22-30

14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,

22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." 25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2025

june 29_june 116

VENERABLE TIKHON OF KALUGA OR MEDIN (1492).

 The Monk Tikhon of Medynsk and Kaluzh, in his youth, accepted monastic vows at one of the Moscow monasteries, but through his love for solitude he settled at an isolated spot near Maloyaroslavl. He pursued asceticism in a deep, dense forest, on the bank of the River Vepreika, in the hollow of an aged giant oak. Once during the time of a hunt, Prince Vasili Yaroslavich (grandson of Vladimir the Brave), having come upon the Monk Tikhon, angrily ordered him to immediately quit his domain, and made bold to raise his lash against the monk. The prince's hand grew numb immediately. Taken aback by such punishment, the prince repented of his conduct and humbly asked for forgiveness. He received healing through the prayer of Saint Tikhon. The prince entreated the monk to always remain in his domain and to build there a monastery for monks, promising to provide it with all necessities. The Monk Tikhon built a monastery in honor of the Uspenie (Dormition or Repose) of the Most Holy Mother of God, which he headed. He guided the monastery into extreme old age, and he died in 1492, having accepted the great monastic schema. The body of the Monk Tikhon was buried at the cathedral church of the monastery founded by him. The celebration of the Monk Tikhon was established at the Council of 1584.

 Among the disciples of the Monk Tikhon, particularly distinguished by his sanctity of life, was the Monk Nikiphor of Kaluzh. It is assumed that he was the successor of the Monk Tikhon in guiding the monastery. The Monk Nikiphor is depicted on icons together with other Kaluzh saints: the Monk Paphnutii of Borovsk (Comm. 1 May), the Monk Tikhon of Kaluzh, and Blessed Lavrenti of Kaluzh (Comm. 10 August).

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Romans 12:4-5, 15-21

4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 12:9-13

9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"-that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2026

june 27_june 14

THE HOLY PROPHET ELISHA (Elisei)

  The Holy Prophet Elisha (Elisei) lived in the IX Century before the Birth of Christ, and was a native of the village of Abelmaum, near Jordan. By the command of the Lord, he was called to prophetic service by the holy Prophet of God Eliah (Ilias, Elijah) (Comm. 20 July).       When it became time for the holy Prophet Eliah to be taken up to Heaven, he said to Elisha: "Ask, what shalt I do for thee, before that I be taken from thee". Elisha boldly asked for a double portion of the grace of God: "The Spirit, which be in thee, let it be upon me twofold". The Prophet Eliah said: "Thou dost ask the difficult; if thou seest as I be taken from thee, then so shalt it be for thee, but if thou seest not, it wilt not be" (4 [2] Kings 2: 12). And when they went along the way and conversed, there appeared a fiery chariot and horses and parted them both. Elisha cried out: "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horse!" (4 [2] Kings 2: 12). Picking up the cloak (mantle) of his teacher which fell from the sky, Elisha received the power and prophetic gift of Eliah. He spent more than 65 years in prophetic service, under six Israelite kings (from Ahab to Joash). "And in those days he trembled not before the prince, and no one could overcome him" (Sirach 48: 13 ["Sirach" in the canon of Old Testament books is found in Catholic but not Protestant English translations of the Bible, rendered as "Ecclesiasticus"]). The holy prophet worked numerous miracles. He divided the waters of the Jordan, having smitten it with the mantle of the Prophet Eliah; he made fit for drinking the waters of a Jericho spring; by an abundant bringing forth of water by his prayer he saved the armies of the kings of Israel and Judah that stood in an arid wilderness; he delivered a poor widow from death by starvation through a miraculous increase of oil in a vessel. The Shunammite woman, who had shown hospitality to the prophet, was gladdened by the birth of a son through his prayer, and when the child died, he was raised back to life by the prophet. The Syrian military commander Namaan was healed of leprosy, but the prophet's servant, Gehazi, was afflicted because he disobeyed the prophet and, on the sly, took money from Namaan. Elisha predicted victory over his enemies to the Israelite king Joash and, by the power of his prayer, worked many other miracles (4 [2] Kings 3-13). The holy Prophet Elisha died in old age at Samaria. "And in life he worked miracles, and at death astounding was his deed" (Sir. 48: 15). A year after his death, a corpse was thrown into the cave wherein lay his remains, and came alive by a mere touch to his bones. The Prophet Elisha, just like his teacher, the Prophet Elijah, left behind no books, since their prophetic preaching was purely oral. Jesus, son of Sirach, inscribed eulogistic praise to both the great prophets (Sir. 48: 1-15).

Romans 6:11-17

11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Matthew 8:14-23

14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:"He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." 18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

Romans 6:11-17

11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered

Matthew 8:14-23

14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:"He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." 18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2026

june 27_june 13

4th Week after Pentecost. Apostles' (Peter & Paul) Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

St. TRIPHYLLIUS, BISHOP OF LEUCOSIA (Nicosia) IN CYPRUS (370).

Saint Triphyllios, Bishop of Leukyssa, was born in Constantinople and received his education in Berit (Beirut, Lebanon). He was very intelligent and eloquent. In spite of this, the saint chose as his guide a man not bookish nor learned, but of profound holiness – Saint Spyridon of Trimiphunteia (+ 348, Comm. 12 December). The emperor Constantine II (337-340) fell grievously ill and, having received no help from the doctors, he turned with fervent prayer to God. In a dream he saw an Angel, directing him to a gathering of saintly hierarchs. Pointing out two of them, the Angel said that only through them could he receive healing. Constantine circulated an imperial edict throughout all the districts, commanding the bishops to gather. Saint Spyridon also received this order. Together with his disciple Saint Triphyllios, he set out to the emperor. The sick one immediately recognized them as the healers the Angel had pointed out. He bowed to them and asked them to pray for his health. Saint Spyridon, with a prayer, touched the head of the emperor, and he became well. Saint Triphyllios was charmed by the beautiful palace, the emperor’s majestic figure, and the pomp of palace life. Saint Spyridon said to this: "Why art thou astonished? Doth then this lustre make the emperor any more righteous? All of them – emperors and dignitaries – will alike die and stand together with the very poorest before the judgment-seat of God. One ought to seek after the eternal blessings and Heavenly glories".       Soon Saint Triphyllios was made bishop of the city of Leukyssa on Cyprus. He often visited with Saint Spyridon. One time they passed together through an area of vineyards and gardens of especial beauty and abundance, named Parimnos. Saint Triphyllios, attracted by the beauty of nature, began to consider how they might explore this land. Saint Spyridon discerned the thoughts of Saint Triphyllios and said: "Why dost thou incessantly think about earthly and transitory blessings? Our habitation and riches art in Heaven, to which we ought to strive". Thus did Saint Spyridon constantly lead his student towards spiritual perfection, which Saint Triphyllios attained through the prayers of his preceptor. Saint Triphyllios had a charitable soul, a heart without malice, right faith and love towards all, and many other virtues.       One time a Council of bishops assembled on Cyprus. The father of the Council requested that Saint Triphyllios, known for his erudition and eloquence, give an edifying speech to the people. Speaking about the healing of the paralytic by the Lord (Mk. 2: 11). in place of the word "cot" he used the word "bed". Impatient with the imprecise rendering of the Gospel text, Saint Spyridon roused himself and said to Saint Triphyllios: "Art thou better than He that spake "cot", that thou be ashamed of His wording?" – and abruptly he left the church. Thus did Saint Spyridon give Saint Triphyllios a lesson in humility, so that he would not get puffed up with pride over the talent of eloquence bestowed on him. Saint Triphyllios wisely shepherded his flock. From the means his mother left him, he built a monastery at Leukyssa. The saint died in old age in about the year 370.       At the beginning of the XII century, the Russian pilgrim Hegumen Daniel saw the relics of Saint Triphyllios on Cyprus.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Romans 11:25-36

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" 35 Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 12:1-8

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" 3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2026

june 26_june 12

VENERABLE STEPHEN OF KOMEL, ABBOT OF OZERSK MONASTERY (Vologda 1542).

The Monk Stephen of Ozersk and Komel'sk was born in the latter half of the XV Century in the Vologda lands. His father served at the prince's court, but the mundane life was not for the youth's soul. He went off to the Glushitsk monastery of the Monk Dionysii, where he soon accepted monastic tonsure. With the blessing of the Glushitsk hegumen, the Monk Stephen made the rounds of the northern monasteries, in order to discover the spiritual customs. Having returned to the Vologda lands, he settled near the source of the River Komela. The Monk Stephen led a strict life. Once, during a time of tearful prayer, the monk was granted permission to see the Most Holy Virgin and Saint Nicholas, who besought the Mother of God to bless Saint Stephen in establishing a monastery. In the year 1534, the Monk Stephen built a church in the name of Saint Nicholas. The monk reposed peacefully in the year 1542.

VENERABLE JOHN (Tornike) OF Mt. ATHOS (Georgia 998)

 Tornike Eristavi (a Georgian title, meaning literally “head of the army.” An eristavi was the ruler or governor of his province and a pillar of the Georgian monarchy. During certain periods of Georgian history, the title was hereditary. The title is equivalent to a European duke.) (Later, John of Mt. Athos) was a Georgian army commander famed for his military victories and a favorite of King David Kuropalates. Eventually he abandoned his worldly glory and set off in search of his spiritual father, St. John, on Mt. Olympus. There he learned that St. John had moved to Mt. Athos, so he journeyed there and settled with him in a monastery headed by St. Athanasius the Athonite. He was tonsured a monk and given the new name John.       Soon many Georgians became thirsty for the ascetic life and arrived to labor on the Holy Mountain. To serve the young community, St. John built a church in honor of St. John the Theologian and constructed cells nearby. In such a way, the first Georgian community on Mt. Athos was established.       At that time, Bardas Sclerus, commander of the army of Asia Minor, led a revolt against Basil and Constantine, the young Byzantine emperors. The dowager empress Theophania, hoping to receive assistance from Georgia, requested that John-Tornike travel to his homeland, inform the king about the difficult situation in Byzantium, and rally the Georgian armies for support. At first John-Tornike refused, doubting his preparedness to return to life in the world. But after the other brothers pleaded with him and he received St. Athanasius’ blessing, he returned to Georgia and delivered Theophania’s letter to King David Kuropalates. The king was overjoyed at the sight of his favorite military leader, and he consented to the empress’ request, provided John-Tornike would command the army. The king was resolute, and John-Tornike was compelled to honor his will. With God’s help and under the wise leadership of John-Tornike, twelve thousand Georgian soldiers defeated the army of the godless Bardas Sclerus, banishing the conspirator from Byzantium (ca. 979).

   After this great victory, John-Tornike returned immediately to Mt. Athos. The brothers met him with great joy and gave thanks to God for his safe return to the monastery.       St. John-Tornike was a perfect example of humility. He renounced his own will completely and would do nothing without a blessing from his spiritual father. “I entrust myself and my will to you. Save me according to your will!” he would tell St. John.       The brothers of the monastery often asked John-Tornike to recount his military glories, and he was obliged to recall his past. Once St. John requested that he share his memories with a certain Elder Gabriel, a man who spoke not a single vain word. John-Tornike agreed, and after he had narrated his glorious past to the elder, he ceased speaking entirely. He spent the rest of his life in silence, hoping in God, and reposed peacefully.

© 2006 St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.

Romans 11:13-24

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Matthew 11:27-30

27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.