Saturday June 28 / July 11 ns 2026 • Translation of the Relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyros and John • Wine and olive oil are permitted • Rom. 9:1-5; St. Matt. 9:18-26 • QUOTE: Love for Christ

Essential to a spiritual life, preparation should always be made before initiating daily prayer with reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture, the lives and the writings of the saints and thereby creating a proper climate for the full enrichment of mind, heart and soul.

To provide and facilitate access,

the PARAGON was created.

Saturday

June 28 /July 11 ns

2026

H O L Y

A P O S T L E S'

F A S T

W & O

permitted today

Feast of the Holy Apostles

Sunday June 29 / July 12 ns

Today we honor 

The Translation of the Relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyros and John

These holy martyrs are celebrated on January 31. On that date, their lives and sufferings are chronicled. June 28 commemorates the translation of their relics from Canopus to Menuthis and the numerous miracles which occurred over their relics. 

St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, prayed fervently to God to destroy the idolatrous impurity in the town of Menuthis where a pagan temple was located and where the power of the demons ruled. An angel of God appeared to the patriarch and told him that Menuthis would be cleansed of its impurity if he translated the relics of Saints Cyrus and John to that town. The patriarch did this immediately. He translated the relics of the martyrs to Menuthis and built a church there in honor of Saints Cyrus and John.  

Ammonius, the son of Julian the mayor of Alexandria, was healed of scorfula; a Theodore healed of blindness; Isidore of Menuthis was cured of a decaying disease of the liver; the wife of Theodore from poisoning, a Eugenia of dropsy as well as many other people were healed of various diseases and torments by the relics of these saints. This all occurred in the year 412 A.D.

Romans 9:1-5 KJV

9 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Saint Matthew 9:18-26 KJV

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

Love for Christ

St. Justin Popovich

Love for Christ overflows into love for one's neighbor, love for truth, love for holiness, for the world, for purity, for everything divine, for everything deathless and eternal ... All these forms of love are natural manifestations of love for Christ. Christ is the God-man, and love for Him always means love for God and for man. When we love Christ God, we also love all that is divine, immortal and Christ-like in people. We can't truly love people if we do not love them for the sake of these causes. Any other love is pseudo-love, which is easily changed into lovelessness and hatred toward people. True love for man comes from love for God, and love for God grows in accordance with the keeping of His commandments.

Friday June 27 / July 10 ns 2026 • St. Sampson the Hospitable • Holy Apostles' Fast • I Cor. 4:5-8; St. Matt. 13:44-54 • QUOTE: The Treasury of Divine Knowledge; BLOG: The Trade

Essential to a spiritual life, preparation should always be made before initiating daily prayer with reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture, the lives and the writings of the saints and thereby creating a proper climate for the full enrichment of mind, heart and soul.

To provide and facilitate access,

the PARAGON was created.

Friday

June 27 /July 10 ns

2026

H O L Y

A P O S T L E S'

F A S T

Feast

Sunday June 29 / July 12 ns

Today we honor 

St. Sampson the Hospitable

Sampson was born of wealthy and eminent parents in old Rome where he studied all the secular sciences of that time and dedicated himself particularly to the science of medicine. Sampson was compassionate and an unmercenary and administered cures to the sick, both body and soul, counseling everyone to fulfill the requirements of the Christian Faith.

Afterward he moved to Constantinople where he lived in a small house from which he dispensed alms, comfort, counsel, hope and medicine to all just as the sun disperses its rays of light and, in general, gave help to the helpless, both spiritually and physically. The patriarch heard of the great virtues of this man and ordained him a priest. At that time, Emperor Justinian the Great became ill and his illness, according to the conviction of all physicians, was incurable. The emperor prayed to God with great fervency and God revealed in a dream to him that Sampson would heal him. And indeed, when the emperor learned of Sampson, he invited him to his court and just as the elder placed his hand on the ailing place, the emperor recovered.

When the emperor offered him enormous wealth for this, Sampson thanked him and did not want to accept anything saying to him: "O Emperor, even I had gold and silver and other goods, but I left all for the sake of Christ in order to gain eternal heavenly goods." But when the emperor insisted on doing something for him, Holy Sampson implored the emperor to build him a hospice for the poor where Sampson served the poor as a parent serves his children.

Mercy toward the poor and the helpless was natural to him. Finally, this saintly man, completely filled with heavenly power and goodness, reposed peacefully on June 27, 530 A.D. and was interred in the Church of his relative, the Holy Martyr Mókios. After his death, Sampson appeared many times to those who called upon him for assistance.

1 Corinthians 4:5-8 KJV

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.R


Saint Matthew 13:44-54 KJV

K44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly 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 unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

The Treasury of Divine Knowledge

by St. Peter of Damaskos

Let him who wants to act rightly entreat God in prayer, and at once knowledge and power will be given him. In this way it will be evident that the grace bestowed by God was justly given; for it was given after prayer, although it could have been given without prayer. No praise, however, is due to the man who accepts the air by means of which he lives, knowing that without it life is impossible; rather he himself owes thanks to his Creator, who has given him a nose and the health to breathe and live. Similarly, we also should rather thank God because in His grace He has created our prayer, our knowledge, our strength, our virtue, all our circumstances and our very selves. And not only has He done all this, but He ceaselessly does whatever He can to overcome our wickedness and that of our enemies, the demons.

"If we love God very much, prayer will say itself."  St. Porphyrios

THE TRADE?

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. St. Matt 16:25 KJV

How many are willing to devote an entire life, everything in it and about it, to God?  And how many ask: if that is what God wants, why give us this life to begin with?

To put it in childish terms, imagine your father or mother giving you a toy and telling you that when the time comes, he or she will ask for it back and sometime thereafter will replace it with a sports car or its equivalent? And, in order to strengthen you against doubt about the promise, he or she shows you a sports car.  

But wait, all of us are familiar with the scenario above, so set it aside and consider that which is easy for a child to miss. 

In the childish mind, the toy is here and now, (not simply words of promise). Besides the difference is incomprehensible to a childish mind.  But you are no longer a child to think in a childish way.  So consider the following aspect, aware, at least to some degree, the inexpressible, incomparable promise of Paradise Forever by its Creator.  And now contrast that with what God is asking for in trade.   First off, the life He is asking for, this life, has a termination date! But in addition, it is and always has been abundant with arrogance, hatred, jealousy, greed, war, murder, thievery, frailty, ignorance, and with dependencies on air, food, shelter, income, etc., etc., etc., etc., yet so many of us are glued to it.  Worse yet, we are so, so, so, disfigured that we don’t give a moments notice to the fact that our attachment to the crumb (in comparison) of beauty, love, joy, in Paradise Forever, would lead us to not only believe in the Truth but to come to KNOW Who speaks it and that in doing as He asks, He is trading infinite gold for our wooden nickel.

If you find the promise to hard to believe, consider the number who witnessed the dead brought back to life, the mentally and physically sick healed, the ocean and wind under His obedience, and greatest of all, the following: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." St. Luke 23:34 KJV

Thursday June 16 / July 9 ns 2026 • St. David of Thessalonica • Holy Apostles' Fast • I Cor. 3:18-23; St. Matt. 13:36-43 ~ QUOTES: “AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN....”; "If we love God very much"; "To Know God"

Essential to a spiritual life, preparation should always be made before initiating daily prayer with reading and reflecting on Holy Scripture, the lives and the writings of the saints and thereby creating a proper climate for the full enrichment of mind, heart and soul.

To provide and facilitate access,

the PARAGON was created.

Thursday

June 26 /July 9 ns

2026

H O L Y

A P O S T L E S'

F A S T

Feast Day

Sunday June 29 / July 12 ns

Today we honor 

St. David of Thessalonica

Saint David of Thessalonica pursued asceticism at the monastery of the Holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercurius. Inspired by the example of the holy stylites, he lived in an almond tree in constant prayer, keeping strict fast, and enduring heat and cold. He remained there for three years until an angel told him to come down. St. David received from God the gift of wonderworking, and he healed many from sickness. The holy ascetic gave spiritual counsel to all who came to him. Having attained to passionlessness, he was like an angel in the flesh, and he was able to take hot coals into his hands without harm. He died the year 540.

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 KJV

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;

22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;

23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Saint Matthew 13:36-43 KJV

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

“AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN....”
V. Rev. George Florovsky, D.D.

“I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God, and Your God” (St. John 20:17). In these words the Risen Christ described to Mary Magdalene the mystery of His Resurrection. She had to carry this mysterious message to His disciples, “as they mourned and wept” (Mark 16:10). The disciples listened to these glad tidings with fear and amazement, with doubt and mistrust. It was not Thomas alone who doubted among the Eleven. On the contrary, it appears that only one of the Eleven did not doubt—Saint John, the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” He alone grasped the mystery of the empty tomb at once: “and he saw, and believed” (St. John 20:8). Even Peter left the sepulcher in amazement, “wondering at that which was to come to pass” (St. Luke 24:12).

The disciples did not expect the Resurrection. The women did not, either. They were quite certain that Jesus was dead and rested in the grave, and they went to the place “where He was laid,” with the spices they had prepared, “that they might come and anoint Him.” They had but one thought: “Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher for us?” (St. Mark 16:1-3; St. Luke 24:1). And therefore, on not finding the body, Mary Magdalene was sorrowful and complained: “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him” (St. John 20:13). On hearing the good news from the angel, the women fled from the sepulcher in fear and trembling: “Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid” (St. Mark 16:8). And when they spoke no one believed them, in the same way as no one had believed Mary, who saw the Lord, or the disciples as they walked on their way into the country, (St. Mark 16:13), and who recognized Him in the breaking of bread. “And afterward He appeared unto the Eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen Him after He was risen” (St. Mark 16:10-14).

FREE WILL IS NOT LOST

Free will is a gift from God.   It allows one to make choices.  But far beyond the choices we make and have made, it allows us the freedom to exchange it for God’s Will.  In doing so entirely and completely, to God and God alone, our will is miraculously, by our Father's love for us, not lost but retained.  Once this occurs, the Father is revealed (Theosis) through His Son.