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Sunday of the Eleventh Week
Mode Two — Eleventh Eothinon
The commemoration of the holy Martyrs Adrian, Natalia, and 33 companions of Nicomedia, and the meeting of the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the all-holy Theotokos.
No Fasting.
The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 141]. Brethren:
9 2Ye are the seal of mine apostleship in the Lord. 3My defense to those who examine me is this: 4We do not have authority to eat and to drink, do we? 5We do not have authority to lead about a wife who is a sister in the Lord, as also the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Kephas, do we? 6Or do only I and Barnabas have no authority not to be working? 7Who at any time serveth as a soldier at his own pay? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of its fruit? Or who shepherdeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 8I am not saying these things after the manner of man, am I? Or saith not the law these things also? 9For in the law of Moses it hath been written: “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth the corn [Deut. 25:4].” It is not the care of the oxen that matters with God, is it? 10Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes it was written, that the one who ploweth ought to plow in hope, and the one who thresheth in hope ought to partake of his hope. 11If we did sow to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap of your carnal things? 12If others partake of this authority over you, should not rather we? Nevertheless we did not use this authority; but we bear up against all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 77]. The Lord said this parable:
18 23“The kingdom of the heavens is likened to a man, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24“And after he began to make a reckoning for himself, there was brought to him one debtor of ten thousand talents. 25“But when he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all things whatsoever he had, and to render payment. 26“The slave therefore fell down and was making obeisance to him, saying, ‘Lord, be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ 27“And the lord of that slave was moved with compassion, and released him, and forgave him the loan. 28“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hold of him and began to throttle him, saying, ‘Pay me, if thou dost owe anything.’ 29“Then his fellow slave fell down at his feet and was beseeching him, saying, ‘Be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ 30“And he was not willing, but went away and cast him into prison, until he should pay that which was owed. 31“But after his fellow slaves saw what was done, they were exceedingly grieved; and they came to their lord and made quite clear all that was done. 32“Then his lord, having summoned him, saith to him, ‘O thou evil slave, I forgave thee all that debt, since thou besoughtest me; 33“‘was it not also necessary for thee to have pitied thy fellow slave, even as I pitied thee?’ 34“And his lord, having been provoked to anger, delivered him up to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was owed to him. 35“Thus shall My Father, the heavenly One, do to you also, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.”
For the Icon:
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 320]. Brethren:
9 1The first tabernacle also used to have both ordinances of worship and the sanctuary of this world. 2For a tabernacle was furnished: the first in which were both the lampstand and the table, and the laying forth of the loaves, which is called Holy; 3and after the second veil, a tabernacle which is called Holy of Holies, 4which hath a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant which hath been covered all around from every side with gold, in which was the golden jar having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, concerning which now is not the time to speak severally. 6Now after these things were thus furnished, the priests, on the one hand, enter into the first tabernacle, performing worship services; 7on the other hand, into the second, the high priest entereth alone once for all every year, not without blood, which he offereth on behalf of himself and the faults of ignorance of the people.
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The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians [§ 240]. Brethren:
2 5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6Who, existing in the form of God, deemed it not a prize to be seized to be equal with God; 7but He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, and came to be in the likeness of men. 8And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient even to death—indeed, the death of a cross. 9Wherefore God also exalted Him exceedingly, and freely gave to Him a name that is above every name, 10that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11and every tongue should confess for itself that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
For the Martyrs:
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 325]. Brethren:
10 32Remind yourselves of the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great contest of sufferings: 33partly, being made a show of both by reproaches and affliction; and partly, having become partners of those who conducted themselves thus. 34For ye also sympathized with those in bonds and ye yourselves accepted the seizure of your possessions with joy, knowing in yourselves that ye have in the heavens a better and abiding possession. 35Do not begin therefore to cast away your boldness which hath great recompense. 36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye do the will of God, ye might receive for yourselves the promise. 37“For yet a very little while, the One Who cometh will come, and will not delay [cf. Hab. 2:3]. 38“Now the just shall live by faith; and if one should draw himself back, My soul hath no pleasure in him [cf. Hab. 2:4].”
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 54]. At that time:
10 38 Jesus entered into a certain village. And a certain woman, by name Martha, received Him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat down beside the feet of Jesus, and was listening to His word. 40But Martha was distracted about much serving, and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, is it no concern to Thee that my sister left me to serve alone? Speak to her therefore that she should help me.” 41And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things. 42“But there is need of one thing, and Mary chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”...
11 27And it came to pass, as He was speaking these things, a certain woman out of the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts which Thou didst suck.” 28But He said, “Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”
September 8th — Civil Calendar August 26th — Church Calendar
1. The Holy Martyr Adrian and his wife Natalia.
Husband and wife, they were both of noble and wealthy families in Nicomedia. Adrian was the governor of the Praetorium and a pagan, and Natalia was a secret Christian. They were both young, and had lived in wedlock for thirteen months in all before their martyrdom. When the wicked Emperor Maximian visited Nicomedia, he ordered that the Christians be seized and put to torture. There were twenty-three Christians hidden in a cave near the city. Someone handed them over to the authorities and they were cruelly flogged with leather whips and staves, and thrown into prison. They were then taken from prison and brought before the Praetor for their names to be noted. Adrian looked at these people, tortured but unbowed, peaceful and meek, and he put them under oath to say what they hoped for from their God, that they should undergo such tortures. They spoke to him of the blessedness of the righteous in the Kingdom of God. Hearing this, and again looking at these people, Adrian suddenly turned to the scribe and said: ‘Write my name along with those of these saints; I also am a Christian.’ When the Emperor heard this, he asked him: ‘Have you lost your mind?’ Adrian replied: ‘I haven’t lost it, but found it!’ Hearing this, Natalia rejoiced greatly, and when Adrian sat chained with the others in prison, came and ministered to them all. When they flogged her husband and put him to various tortures, she encouraged him to endure to the end. After long torture and imprisonment, the Emperor ordered that they be taken to the prison anvil, for their arms and legs to be broken by hammers. This was done, and Adrian, along with the twenty-three others, breathed his last under the vicious tortures. Natalia took their relics to Constantinople and there buried them. After several days Adrian appeared to her, bathed in light and beauty and calling her to come to God, and she peacefully gave her soul into her Lord’s hands.
2. Our Holy Father Tithoes.
A disciple of St Pachomius and great among the Egyptian ascetics, he was abbot of Tabennisi. He spent his whole life in absolute purity. One of the brethren once asked him: ‘What path leads to humility?’ To this Tithoes replied: ‘The path to humility is abstinence, prayer and the considering of oneself as the least of all creatures.’ He reached a very high peak of perfection, and whenever he raised his hands in prayer, his spirit entered into ecstasy. He entered into rest in the fourth or fifth century. Our Holy Father Ibistion is commemorated together with him.
3. St Zer-Jacob.
A great Christian missionary in Abyssinia.
4. The Miracle of the Most Holy Mother of God in Moscow in 1395.
This is recorded in the passage for consideration below.
Under today’s date in the Greek Synaxarion is also found the life of St Josaphat, the heir of the King of India. In the Slav Prologues, though, as in this one, he is to be found under November 19th.
FOR CONSIDERATION
Sometimes the godless word is heard among Christians: ‘God cannot help here!’ There is no danger in which God cannot help, and no enemy who could, in his own strength and without God’s permission, gain the victory. Do not ask how God will crush the power of the armies of our enemies—that is easier to God than the act of breathing is to us. Read how God once, by a hallucination, terrified the Syrian army, so that it was scattered and Israel was saved (II Kings 7:6). Read how Jerusalem was saved from the might of the armies of Babylon without the slightest effort on the part of king Hezekiah other than his weeping before God and his prayers (II Kings 19:35). God did not work such wonders only in former times, but does in every age when the faithful pray to Him. So, in 1395, the Tartar king, Tamberlaine, besieged Moscow with a force too vast to number. The Russians took the miraculous icon from the city of Vladimir to Moscow, and the whole people began with tears to pray to the holy Mother of God. Suddenly the Tartar army, for no visible reason, began to withdraw in disorder. What had happened? Tamberlaine had had a vision in a dream: a cloud of saints had carried him to the heavens, where in their midst, stood the Mother of God as Queen, surrounded by a host of angels. The Mother of God had severely reprimanded Tamberlaine and commanded that he immediately leave the land of Russia, and the saints threatened him with their sceptres. Amazed at this dream, Tamberlaine, as soon as day broke, ordered the army to decamp.
Daily Scripture Readings taken from The Orthodox New Testament, translated and published by Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, copyright © 2000, used with permission, all rights reserved.
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.
