Daily Devotional

Saturday, October 10, 2026 (NS), September 27, 2026 (OS)

No Fasting.

22. The commemoration of our venerable Fathers whose incorrupt relics rest in the Near Caves of Kiev.

If the 22^nd of September should occur on a Saturday, we commemorate our venerable Fathers whose incorrupt relics rest in the Near Caves of Kiev. If the 22^nd does not occur on a Saturday, this feast shall be commemorated on the Saturday following the 22^nd of September.

Saturday of the Nineteenth Week

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Kallistratos, and our venerable father, Savvatios, the Wonder-worker of Solovki.

Jump to Prologue

Scripture Readings

Special Commemorations

22. The commemoration of our venerable Fathers whose incorrupt relics rest in the Near Caves of Kiev.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§§ 176, 177]. Brethren:

4 ⁶It is God Who said, “Let there be light [cf. Gen. 1:3]” to shine out of darkness, Who shined in our hearts, for the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the preeminence of the power may be of God, and not from us. ⁸In every way we are afflicted, but not straitened; we are at a loss, but not utterly at a loss; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; cast down, but not destroyed— ¹⁰always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we, the living, are always being delivered to death on account of Jesus, that also the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹²So that indeed death energizeth itself in us, but life in you. ¹³But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which hath been written: “I believed, wherefore I spoke [Ps. 115(116):1(10)],” we also believe, and therefore speak, ¹⁴knowing that the One Who raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also through Jesus, and shall present us with you. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, which abounded through the majority, might cause the giving of thanks to abound more to the glory of God.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 43]. The Lord said to His disciples:

11 ²⁷“All things were delivered to Me by My Father. And no one doth fully know the Son, except the Father; nor doth anyone fully know the Father, except the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son is willing to reveal Him. ²⁸“Come to Me, all ye who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹“Take up My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls. ³⁰“For My yoke is good and My burden is light.”

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Saturday of the Nineteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 164].

15 ⁵⁸Brethren, keep on becoming firm, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not empty in the Lord.

16 ¹Now concerning the collection which is for the saints, even as I ordered the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. ²Every first day of the week let each of you by himself be laying in store whatsoever he may be prospered in, that collections may not then take place whenever I should come. ³And whenever I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, these will I send with epistles to carry your gift of bounty to Jerusalem.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 15]. At that time:

4 ³¹Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath days. ³²And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. ³³And in the synagogue there was a man who had an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴saying, “Ha! What is it to us and to Thee, Jesus, O Nazarene? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.” ³⁵And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be thou muzzled, and come forth out of him.” And after the demon threw him in the midst, he came out from him, and by no means hurt him. ³⁶And amazement came upon all, and they were talking together with one another saying, “What word is this, for with authority and power He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out?”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Kallistratos, and our venerable father, Savvatios, the Wonder-worker of Solovki.

Epistle

For the holy Martyr:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 233].

6 ¹⁰Brethren, keep on being empowered in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; ¹²because for us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the cosmic rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of evil on account of the heavenly things. ¹³For this cause take up the full armor of God, in order that ye might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having counteracted all things, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having girt your loins with truth, and having put on for yourselves the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet in readiness of the Gospel of peace; ¹⁶on the whole, take up the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

For the venerable Father:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 213]. Brethren:

5 ²²The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴But they who are of the Christ crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be walking by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.

6 ¹Brethren, even if a man should be overtaken in some transgression, ye, the spiritual ones, be restoring such a one in the spirit of meekness, looking out for thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ²Keep on bearing one another’s burdens, and thus fill up the law of the Christ.

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

Special Commemorations

The commemoration of our venerable Fathers whose incorrupt relics rest in the Near Caves of Kiev.

The Synaxis of all the Saints of the Kiev Near Caves.

The blessed work of asceticism begun by Anthony, the lover of labor and man of God, grew throughout the ages as a fruitful olive tree. The numerous saints, who shone like stars in these caves of Anthony’s, are each commemorated on his special day. Today, the whole assembly of them is commemorated and invoked by the faithful for aid.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

October 10th – Civil Calendar
September 27th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyr Callistratus.

Born in Carthage, he was a Christian from his birth, as his father and grandfather were. One of his forbearers, Neochorus, served as a soldier in Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate at the time of the Passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Seeing the many miracles that were wrought at the time of Christ’s death, Neochorus came to believe in Him, and was taught the Faith and baptized by the apostles. Returning home, Neochorus took his Christian Faith to his own people, like a precious pearl. So, in time, St. Callistratus was born, baptized and brought up a Christian. When he went into the army, there was no other Christian in his regiment. One of his companions, seeing holy Callistratus get up at night and pray to God, reported him to the commander, Persentinus, as a Christian—and Persentinus was a harsh torturer of Christians. When he was convinced that Callistratus was indeed a Christian, the commander ordered him to offer sacrifice to idols, which Callistratus immediately refused to do. Then Callistratus was harshly beaten and thrown into the sea, but God’s power preserved him, and he emerged from the sea unharmed. Seeing Callistratus’ endurance and his miracles, forty-nine soldiers came to believe in Christ the Lord, and they were beaten and thrown into prison along with him. In prison, St. Callistratus instructed his companions in the Faith and encouraged them. They showed great courage in suffering, and the Lord showed great power through them. The wicked torturer sent soldiers to the prison at night, and they slew Callistratus and the other forty-nine. They suffered for the truth in 304, and a church was later built over their relics.

2. The Holy Apostles Mark, Aristarchus and Zenas.

They were of the Seventy. St. Mark was also called John. The apostles gathered together for prayer at the house of his mother, Mary, in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). He preached the Gospel with the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, and was after that bishop in Byblos. St. Aristarchus, a companion of the Apostle Paul on his travels (Acts 16:29), was bishop in Syrian Apameia. St. Zenas, spoken of as a lawyer by the Apostle Paul (Titus 3:13), was bishop in Palestinian Lydda. They shone like stars in the darkness of paganism and brought many to the Christian Faith, and now they shine like stars in the kingdom of Christ their Beloved.

3. The Holy New-Martyr Aquilina.

From the village of Zaklivera in the diocese of Jedrene, she was a girl of eighteen. Her father embraced Islam and put pressure on his daughter to do the same, but her mother inclined her to the Christian Faith. After much torture, all wounded and bloodied, she breathed her last in her mother’s arms and received the wreath of martyrdom on September 27th, 1764.

4. Our Holy Father Sabbatius of Solovki.

The founder of the Solovki (Solovetsky) Monastery in Russia, he entered into rest in the Lord on September 27th, 1435.

FOR CONSIDERATION

All our riches and glory and honor are like a meal ended by death. From this meal, no one takes a single crumb into the other world. Blessed is he who has grasped that the soul is the only one of his possessions that can be stolen by no one and nothing, even death. Such men think only of three realities: death, the soul and God the Judge. ‘Hold constantly in your mind the remembrance of the end and of the Judgment, and keep yourself from sin,’ teaches Evagrius. All our bodily cares in this life are like a meal that will very soon be ended. ‘Have death before your eyes every day,’ says St. Isaias the Solitary. Rehearse to yourself unceasingly the way that you will part from the body, and the way you will stand before God. Prepare yourself beforehand for the dreadful day of answering at the Judgment of God as though you already behold it. A rich merchant called John came one day to St. Sabbatius of Solovki and brought him a large donation. Sabbatius would accept nothing, and told the donor to give it away to the poor. John was very sad and the saint, to comfort him and make clear to him why he had told him to do this, said: ‘John, my son, stay here and rest until tomorrow, and you will then see the grace of God.’ On the following day, John went into Sabbatius’ cell and saw that the elder had died, and smelled the wonderful fragrance that permeated the cell. He who foresees the end of his life does not think of earthly goods.

Daily Prologue Readings taken from The Prologue of Ochrid, by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, translated by Mother Maria, published by Lazarica Press, Birmingham, England, copyright © 1985, all rights reserved. Edited by Dormition Skete.