Saturday Nov 1/14ns/2026 • Holy Unmercenaries Cosmás and Damian of Asia Minor; Holy Monk-Martyr James the New and his 2 Disciples; Holy Virgin-Martyr Helen of Sinópe in Pontos; St. David, the Great Elder of Eubœa ~ Unmercenaries: I Cor. 12:27-13:8; St. Matt. 10:1, 5-8

Cosmas and Damian were unmercenaries and miracle-workers. They were brothers both in the flesh and in the spirit, born somewhere in Asia Minor of a pagan father and a Christian mother. After their father's death, their mother Theodotia devoted all her time and effort to educating her sons and raising them as true Christians. God helped her, and her sons matured as sweet fruit and luminaries of the world. They were learned in the art of medicine and ministered to the sick without payment, not so much with medicine as by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were called 'unmercenary physicians,' that is, unpaid physicians, for they healed freely and thus fulfilled the commandment of Christ: Freely ye have received, freely give (St Matthew 10:8).

So careful were they in healing men free of charge that Cosmas became very angry with his brother Damian because he accepted three eggs from a woman, Palladia, and ordered that he not be buried alongside his brother Damian after his death. In fact, St. Damian did not accept these three eggs as a reward for healing the ailing Palladia, but rather because she adjured him in the name of the Most-holy Trinity to accept these three eggs.

Nevertheless, after their death in the town of Fereman, they were buried together according to a revelation from God.

The holy brothers were great miracle-workers both during their life and after their death. A snake crawled through the mouth and into the stomach of a certain farm laborer during his sleep, and the unfortunate man would have died in the greatest pain had he not, in the last moment, invoked the help of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Thus, the Lord glorified forever the miracle-working of those who glorified Him on earth by their faith, purity and mercy.

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:8 KJV

12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Saint Matthew 10:1, 6-8 King James Version

10 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

If we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-revealed guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

Prayers at Night

by Saint Isaac the Syrian

Prayer offered up at night possesses a great power, more so than the prayer of the daytime. Therefore all the righteous prayed during the night, while combating the heaviness of the body and the sweetness of sleep and repelling corporeal nature.

There is nothing which even Satan fears so much as prayer that is offered during vigilance at night. And even if it is offered with distraction, it does not return empty, unless perhaps that which is asked for is unsuitable.

For unless those who travel on the road go forward day by day, shortening their journey -- and, on the contrary, should they stand in one place -- the road before them will never diminish and they will never arrive at their destination.
So it is with us also.

♛

CHILDREN CORRECT YOUR WAYS by St Nicholas the Wonderworker

“Children, I beseech you to correct your hearts and thoughts, so that you may be pleasing to God. Consider that although we may reckon ourselves to be righteous and frequently succeed in deceiving men, we can conceal nothing from God. Let us therefore strive to preserve the holiness of our souls and to guard the purity of our bodies with all fervor. Ye are the temple of God, says the divine Apostle Paul; If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”

 

NOTE:

When irregular sized fonts appear on the PARAGON, they are not always errors.

Texts in blue are the comments made by the creator of the PARAGON

SUGGESTION: Don't just ask of the saints, make friends. 

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. St John 15:15 KJV  

Friday Oct 31/Nov 13 ns/2026 • Holy Apostles Stáchys, Apellés, Amplías, Urban, Aristóboulos, and Nárkissos of the Seventy; Holy Martyr Epímachos • Fast day • Apostles: Rom. 16:1-16; Day: St. Luke 11:23-26

Rejoice, Joy that washes away desires

♛

Stáchys was an assistant to St. Andrew the First-called. St. Andrew appointed him Bishop of Byzantium. He established the church in Argyropoulos and governed his flock faithfully and zealously. After sixteen years as bishop, he entered peacefully into rest in the Lord. Amplías and Urban worked likewise with St. Andrew, and were ordained bishops by him, Amplías in Lydda of Odyssopolis in Judea, and Urban in Macedonia. Both died as martyrs for Christ the Lord. Nárkissos was appointed Bishop of Athens by the Apostle Philip. St. Apellés was Bishop of Heraclea in Trachis. Aristóboulos, brother of the Apostle Barnabas, preached the Christian Faith in Britain and reposed peacefully there.

♛

Romans 16:1-16 KJV

16 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.

7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

8 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.

9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household.

11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.

12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.

13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.

15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.

16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The Churches of Christ salute you.

Saint Luke 11:23-26 KJV

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Prior to prayers, if we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-revealed guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

A TREASURY OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE

P R O G R E S S I O N   W I T H I N

by Saint Peter of Damascus

If you turn from all other activity and give yourself entirely to the cultivation of the virtues of soul and body, which is what the fathers mean by religious devotion; and if you disregard any dream or private thought not confirmed by Scripture, and avoid all pointless company, not hearing or reading anything fruitless, and especially anything that involves heresy, then the tears of joy and understanding will well up copiously within you and you will drink from their plenitude. In this way you will attain another form of prayer, the form of pure prayer that is proper to the contemplative. For just as previously you had one form of reading, one form of tears and prayer, so now you have another. Since your intellect has moved into the sphere of spiritual contemplation, you should now read all pits of the Scriptures, no longer fearing the more difficult and obscure passages, as is the case with those still at the stage of ascetic practice, who are weak in their ignorance.

By your persistent struggle in practicing the virtues of body and soul, you have been crucified with Christ and buried with Him through the knowledge of created things, both of their nature and of the changes they undergo; and you have been raised with Him through dispassion and through the knowledge of the Mysteries of God inherent in the visible world. As a result of this knowledge you have ascended with Christ into the transcendent world through the knowledge of intelligible realities and of the Mysteries hidden in the Divine Scriptures. You move from fear to religious devotion, from which springs spiritual knowledge; from this knowledge comes judgment, that is, discrimination; from discrimination comes the strength -that leads to understanding; from thence you come to wisdom.

By passing through all these levels of practice and contemplation you are granted pure and perfect prayer, established within you through the peace and love of God and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant by saying, ‘Gain possession of God within yourself; and, as Saint John Chrysostomos has said, this manifestation and indwelling of God is realized when your body and soul become so far as is possible sinless, like those of Christ; and when you possess, by virtue of Christ, an intellect that apprehends, through the grace and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, the knowledge of things both human and divine.

F A S T I N G

St John Chrysostomos

St. John Chrysostomos said fasting is about more than food. You fast from anger, from gossip, from lust, from the passions that eat away at your soul.

FAMOUS QUOTE

NOTE:

When irregular sized fonts appear on the PARAGON, they are not always errors.

Texts in blue are the comments made by the creator of the PARAGON

SUGGESTION: Don't just ask of the saints, make friends. 

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. St John 15:15 KJV 

Thursday Oct 30/Nov 12ns/2026 • Holy Martyrs Zenóbios and Zenobía; Holy Apostle Cleopas; St. Joseph, Patriarch of Constantinople I Thess. 4:18-5:10; St. Luke 11:14-23

Zenόbios and Zenobίa were from the town of Aegea in Cilicia. They inherited the true Faith and great material wealth from their parents. Working zealously for the Faith and with great love, they distributed all their wealth to the poor.

Because their hands were so generous, the hand of God shielded them from every evil intent of men and demons. The generous hands of Zenόbios, which gave to the poor, were endowed by God with the gift of miracle-working, and Zenόbios healed the sick of every kind of infirmity merely by touching them. Zenόbios was appointed Bishop of Aegea.

During a persecution, the Prefect Lysias arrested him and said: "I offer you two choices: life or death; life if you worship the gods, or death if you do not.'' St. Zenόbios replied: "Life without Christ is not life but death, whereas death for the sake of Christ is not death but life.''

When Zenόbios was subjected to cruel tortures, Zenobίa came to the judge and said: "I also want to drink from this cup of suffering, and be crowned with that wreath.''

After being tortured in fire and in boiling pitch, both were beheaded with the sword in about the year 285. Thus this brother and sister took up their habitation in the Kingdom of the Immortal Christ the King.

1 Thessalonians 4:18-5:10 KJV

4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

5 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Saint Luke 11:14-23 KJV

11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

THE HEART IS LIKE A SPONGE

Saint Theophan the Recluse

We are the creation of the God of all. Has He forgotten us or have we forgotten Him?

The Lord is on the Cross. Stand in front of Him in your thoughts and ponder, how would the Lord meet you once He comes down from the Cross? Keep thinking about this for some time, and your conscience will clearly tell you the truth.

Adam and Eve made a choice and reaped the result. The saint tells us how we can reverse it

The heart is like a sponge that has absorbed various liquids. Squeeze it and the liquid will come out. The pressures upon the heart are the life experiences and circumstances of this world, which can produce either good or evil depending on which part of the heart pressure is placed upon. Pay attention. Such thoughts can lead to a good level of self realization.

Faith is a requirement but the promise given

Learn about the teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church and hold onto them in your heart - and you will see the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Again, the choice is ours. Shall we refuse the Gift and be justified?

Knowing what is contained in the Holy Mysteries of the church, be a communicant of the Mysteries as often as possible, with faith and with the Holy Tradition of the church. Then the Divine power of God, will direct you to the Kingdom of Heaven.

ARISE MY SOUL

WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING?

Some days go well and some days don't, but how often do we take advantage of the help of the saints so that things go according to God's will since the saints and the Mother of God lived and breathed His Will. If you don't believe they can help, you won't call on them. Nevertheless we should know that many times Christ sends His spiritual centurions to help us regardless of our slothfulness or disbelief.

YES ETERNAL BUT ...

Yes, we're eternal. It is our nature given to us by our Creator - The Holy Trinity, Who is beginningless and without end, yet so many people believe that we are product of anonymity or Mother Nature, driven mostly by superego (Freud), experience and instinct. If we affiliate ourselves more with corruptible attachments and passions than with Christ, we end up alienated from Him.  Did He not say we must love Him with ALL our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Q:  Does God speak to all those He created, people, animals, the wind?   

 

Please note: 

ABOUT HOMILIES
If, especially prior to prayers, we read, contemplate and reflect on the God-given guidance found in the testimony of the saints in homilies, we will find not only crucial clarity in scripture but also clarity of our spiritual status in our journey from transient darkness to the Eternal Light of the Holy Trinity.

• The Ascetical  Homilies and Vignette portions of the PARAGON will no longer be linked/archived to PARADISE NOW since one need only scroll down for past posts which include homilies and vignettes.

• When irregular sized fonts appear on the PARAGON, they are not always errors but often glitches created by Google.

• Texts in blue are the comments made by the creator of the PARAGON.