Wednesday July 30 / August 12 ns 2026 • Holy Apostles Sílas, Silouan, Créscens, Epenetós, and Andrónicos of the Seventy • Fast day • Apostles: Acts 15:35-41; Day: St. Matt. 23:29-39 • • WHEREVER GOD IS ..... By SAINT ANATOLY OF OPTINA

Wednesday

July 30 / August 12 ns

2026

Holy Apostles Sílas, Silouan,

Créscens, Epenetós, and

Andrónicos of the Seventy

• Fast day • 

All were numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Silas was sent from Jerusalem to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to settle the dispute between the faithful there regarding circumcision: namely, that it was not necessary to circumcise pagans when they convert to Christianity. "Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren" (Acts of the Apostles 15:22). After that, Silas traveled with Paul throughout Asia and Macedonia and was appointed as the bishop in Corinth, where he peacefully died.

St. Silvanus assisted both of the Chief Apostles. "By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand" (1 St Peter 5:12).

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea" (2 Corinthians 1:19). As the bishop of Thessalonica, Silvanus labored much and suffered much until he finally exchanged this earthly life for the heavenly life.

St. Crescens was a companion of the Apostle Paul and after that the bishop in Galatia and a missionary in Gaul, where he died as a martyr for Christ during the reign of Trajan. "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia" (2 Timothy 4:10).

St. Epaenetus is mentioned by the Apostle Paul. He was the bishop in Carthage. "Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ" (Romans 16:5).

St. Andronicus, the bishop of Pannonia, is commemorated separately on May 17. "Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (Romans 16:7).

Acts 15:35-41
King James Version

35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.r

Saint Matthew 23:29-39
King James Version

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

WHEREVER GOD IS — 

SAINT ANATOLY OF OPTINA

“Wherever God is — there is peace. And the opposite is self-evident: where there is envy, enmity, impatience, self-love — there is the devil. Wherever the devil is — there, everything is ruinous, proud and hostile.”

“Are you fighting against your passions? Fight, fight, and be good soldiers of Christ! Do not give in to evil and do not be carried away by the weakness of the flesh. During the time of temptation, flee to the Physician, crying out with the Holy Church, our mother: “O God, number me with the thief, the harlot, and the publican (i.e., with the repentant), and save me!”

A motivated individual once asked an Orthodox priest:

"What's with all the ritual?"

His response:

"Without love of God and neighbor, its meaningless.  But is it not the nature of human beings to embellish the things we love?" 

Tuesday July 29 / August 11 ns 2026 • Holy Martyr Callínicos; Holy Martyr Theodóta and her three children; Holy Royal Martyr Olaf, King and Enlightener of Norway •• II Cor. 2:14-3:3; St. Matt. 23:23-28 ••• Only the foolish think that suffering is evil. by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

Tuesday

July 29 / August 11 ns

2026

Holy Martyr Callínicos

• Holy Martyr Theodóta

and her three children

• Holy Royal Martyr Olaf,

King and enlightener of Norway

Callínicos was born in Cilicia. From his youth he was educated in Christian piety. Abandoning all, he went to preach the Holy Gospel. In Ancyra, a heathen Prince Sarcedos arrested him. When the prince threatened him with cruel tortures if he did not worship the idols, St. Callínicos answered him:

"To me all pain for my God is most welcome as bread is to a hungry man."
After cruel tortures and beatings, the prince placed iron shoes with nails protruding inside on his feet and ordered that he be driven into the city of Gangra for the prince was afraid to torture him anymore or to kill him in Ancyra for many, observing the heroic patience of this holy man, converted to the Faith of Christ. Along the way the soldiers became thirsty but there was no water. St. Callínicos prayed to God and brought forth water from a stone. When they arrived in the city of Gangra, the torturers threw St. Callínicos into a fiery furnace. The saint prayed to God saying:

"I give thanks to you O Heavenly Father for making me worthy of this hour in which I die for Your Name."

After that, he entered the fire. When the fire died down they found his body, whole and unharmed by the fire. He honorably suffered and was crowned with the wreath of eternal glory about the year 250 A.D.

Holy Royal Martyr Olaf

2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3
King James Version

14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Saint Matthew 23:23-28
King James Version

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Only the foolish think that suffering is evil. 

by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

A sensible man knows that suffering is not evil but only the manifestation of evil and healing from evil. Only sin in a man is a real evil, and there is no evil outside sin. Everything else that men generally call evil is not, but is a bitter medicine to heal from evil. The sicker the man, the more bitter the medicine that the doctor prescribes for him. At times, even, it seems to a sick man that the medicine is worse and more bitter than the sickness itself! And so it seems at times to the sinner: the suffering is harder and more bitter than the sin committed. But this is only an illusion – a very strong self-delusion. There is no suffering in the world that could be anywhere near as hard and destructive as sin is. All the suffering borne by men and nations is none other than the abundant healing that eternal Mercy offers to men and nations to save them from eternal death. Every sin, however small, would inevitably bring death if Mercy were not to allow suffering in order to sober men up from the inebriation of sin; for the healing that comes through suffering is brought about by the grace filled power of the Holy and Life-giving Spirit.

Monday July 28 / August 10 ns 2026 • Holy Apostles Próchoros, Nicánor, Tímon, and Parmenás, of the Seventy; St. Irene Chrysovalántou • • II Cor. 2:3-15; St. Matt. 23:13-22 • • • LOVE OF ATTACHMENTS by Saint Maximos the Confessor

Monday

July 28 / August 10 ns

2026

Holy Apostles Próchoros, Nicánor, Tímon,

and Parmenás, of the Seventy

 • St. Irene Chrysovalántou

{Icon of St. John the Evangelist blessing Saint Próchoros}

Próchoros, Nicánor, Tímon, and Parmenás were numbered among the Seven Deacons and the Seventy Apostles. The remaining deacons were Stephen, Philip and Nicholas. Stephen, the first martyr, is commemorated separately on December 27 and Philip on October 11. Because of his heresy, Nicholas did not enter into the ranks of the saints. The first four do not have a separate day of celebration but are commemorated on this one day, July 28.
Saint Próchoros was ordained by the Apostle Peter to be the bishop of Nicomedia. For a time he was in the service of St. John the Evangelist and, on the Island of Patmos, copied the Book of Revelation which he heard from the mouth of St. John. After that he returned to Nicomedia where he exerted much effort and labor to convert the people to the Faith. He died a martyr's death in Antioch where he was slain by unbelievers. Saint Nicanor suffered in Jerusalem the same day as St. Stephen the Arch-deacon and, soon after him, two thousand other Christians were slain by the wicked Jews. Saint Timon was a bishop in Arabia and suffered on the cross for Christ. Saint Parmenás died before the eyes of the apostles and was mourned and buried by them.

 THE LOVE

To the Philippians

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

When I was a young boy, my mother told me that in her mountain village in the Middle East, the Holy Apostle Paul

was referred to as the small Christ.

His epistle to the Corinthians below says it all.{Ed.}

2 Corinthians 2:3-15
King James Version

3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.

Saint Matthew 23:13-22
King James Version

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

LOVE OF ATTACHMENTS

by Saint Maximos the Confessor

Whenever a man loves something, he is absolutely attached to it and despises all impediments to his enjoyment thereof, lest he be deprived of it.

He who loves God is diligent to cultivate pure prayer and casts out from his soul every passion that impedes him in the attainment thereof.

He who truly loves God unfailingly prays to Him without distraction; and he who prays without distraction truly loves God. No one who has his mind fixed on any earthly thing can pray without distraction.

When a man allows his mind to daily for a long time with something perceptible, he certainly has a passionate attachment to it: either he desires it, or it causes him distress, or stirs him to anger, or becomes an occasion for rancor. In such a case, unless he scorns that very thing, he cannot be freed from the corresponding passion.

Everything, yes everything, is ephemeral much like sunsets, rainbows, a firefly's glow, soap bubbles, shooting stars, morning dew, and the blooming period of cherry blossoms, even ice cream. Christ however is eternal so let go of everything else NOW because time itself is also ephemeral.(Ed.)