Saturday July 31 / August 1 ns 2026 • St. Macrina; St. Díos the Wonder-Worker; Opening of the relics of St. Seraphim of Saróv; St. Theodore, Bishop of Edessa ~ Rom. 14:6-9; St. Matt. 15:32-39 ~ The Demon of Despair by St. Seraphim of Sarov

 

Saturday
July 31 / August 1 ns
2026

St. Macrina

St. Díos the Wonder-Worker

Opening of the relics

of St. Seraphim of Saróv

St. Theodore, Bishop of Edessa

Macrina was the eldest sister of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa. As a young virgin, Macrina was betrothed to a nobleman. When her betrothed died, Macrina vowed never to enter into marriage saying: "It is not right for a maiden once betrothed to a young man to seek another: according to the law of nature there must be only one marriage as there is but one birth and one death." She further justified this by her faith in the resurrection considering her bridegroom, not dead but alive in God. "It is a sin and a shame," says Macrina, "for a wife not to safeguard her faithfulness when her husband travels to a distant land."

After this, together with her mother, Emilia, she received the monastic tonsure in a convent, where they lived a life of asceticism with other nuns. They lived from the labors of their hands devoting a greater part of their time to godly thoughts, prayer and the constant uplifting of their minds to God.

In time her mother died and, afterward her brother Basil. Nine months after the death of St. Basil, Gregory came to visit with his sister and found her on her death bed. Before her death, Macrina lifted up her prayers to God: "You, O Lord, Who gives rest to our bodies in the sleep of death for a time, will again awaken them [the bodies] at the last trump. Forgive me and when my soul divests itself of its bodily attire and presents itself before You, pure and without sin, grant that it may be as incense before You. "

After that she traced the sign of the cross on the forehead, eyes, face and on her heart and gave up her soul. She found rest in the Lord in the year 379 A.D.

Romans 14:6-9
King James Version

6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Saint Matthew 15:32-39 
King James Version

32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

39 And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

The Demon of Despair

Saint Seraphim of Sarov

Just as the Lord is solicitous about our salvation, so too the murder of men, the devil, strives to lead a man into despair.

A lofty and sound soul does not despair over misfortunes, of whatever sort they may be. Our life is as it were a house of temptations and trials; but we will not renounce the Lord for as long as He allows the tempter to remain with us and for as long as we must wait to be revived through patience and secure passionless!

Judas the betrayer was fainthearted and unskilled in battle, and so the enemy, seeing his despair, attacked him and forced him to hang himself, but Peter, a firm rock, when he fell into great sin, like one skilled in battle did not despair nor lose heart, but shed bitter tears from a burning heart, and the enemy, seeing these tears, his eyes scorched as by fire, fled far from him wailing in pain.
And so brothers, St. Antioch teaches, when despair attacks us let us not yield to it, but being strengthened and protected by the light of faith, with great courage let us say to the evil spirit: “What are you to us, estranged from God, a fugitive from heaven and evil servant? You dare do nothing to us. Christ, the Son of God, has authority both over us and over everything. It is against Him that we have sinned, and before Him that we will be justified. And you, destroyer, leave us. Strengthen by His venerable Cross, we trample under foot your serpent’s head”.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. St. Matthew 16:24

If we interpret this temporary life with a mind attached to temporal things, anything at all, even an opinion/thoughts/country, (and all things are temporal except Christ), we will be in error - without fail. Those who have denied themselves and follow after Him with their crosses on their shoulders, Christ makes them one with him...it's called Theosis as you well know.

Theosis cannot be had by any means whatsoever! It is a gift from God to anyone who is willing to sacrifice ones life, by breath (I.e. to die without dying) or in the case of the martyrs, by blood., So if, IF, you want it, and therein lies an issue, many do not want it because it requires giving up what they have, although who can deny the reality of death.

Be careful, expect temptations to increase. When Satan becomes aware that we listen even the slightest suggestion, he pours it on and certainly not in a way one would expect but by being even more subtle and wearing a garment like an angel of light. The harshness of reality is cloaked in our youth but once the cloak is removed, the confrontation must occur.

{Ed.}

Friday July 18 / 31 ns 2026 • Holy Martyr Emilianós, St. Pambo of Egypt ~ Fast day ~ I Cor. 14:26-40; St. Matt. 21:12-14, 17-20 ~ THE IMMINENT SEPARATION OF THE BODY Still Turning a Blind Eye? by St. Nikolai of Zica

Friday

July 19 / 31 ns

2026

~ Fast day ~

Today we honor with love

The Holy Martyr Emilianós

Saint Pambo of Egypt

fourth century disciple of Anthony the Great.

During the reign of Julian the Apostate, in the Thracian town of Dorostolon, lived a young man, Emilianós, a servant of the mayor of the town. When the apostate emperor began to destroy Christianity throughout the realm of the Roman Empire by fire and sword and, when the emperor's representative came to Dorostolon to kill the Christians, he did not find a single one. Rejoicing at this, he sponsored a great banquet for the citizens of Dorostolon and ordered sacrifices to be offered to the idols and rejoicing ensued throughout the entire town, day and night. That night, St. Emilianós entered the pagan temples, markets and the streets of the town and smashed all of the idols with a sledgehammer. The next day there was terror in the city. Everyone sought the destroyer of their gods. A peasant was passing by the temple that morning and was seized. Emilianós, seeing that an innocent man would suffer, said to himself: "If I conceal my works, what benefit would I receive from that which I did? Before God, will I not be found as the murderer of this innocent man?" Therefore, he appeared before the emperor's legate and admitted all. The enraged legate asked Emilianós, who had prompted you to do this? The martyr of Christ replied: "God and my soul ordered me to destroy those lifeless pillars which you call gods." The judge then ordered that Emilianós be flogged and, after flogging and other tortures, ordered him to be buried alive. Thus ended the earthly life of St. Emilianós and he was received into the heavenly life on July 18, 362 A.D.

1 Corinthians 14:26-40
King James Version

26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.

31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Saint Matthew 21:12-14, 17-20
King James Version

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

THE IMMINENT SEPARATION

OF THE BODY

Still Turning a Blind Eye?

by St. Nikolai of Zica

"Yes, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle (body) to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ had showed me" (2 St Peter 1: 13-14).

Here is a good reminder to lovers of the body who, because of the body, forgot their souls. The body must be put off.
No matter how costly we hold it to be, no matter how much worth we attach to it, no matter how much we caress and pamper it, we must put it off one day. O how powerful and truthful are these words "to put it off!" 

When the soul is separated from the body, the soul puts off the body as no longer necessary.

Those who suffer shipwreck reach the shore on a plank. They come to the shore and discard the plank. When spring blossoms, the serpent sheds its skin and puts it off. When a butterfly wings its way out of the cocoon, the cocoon is put off.

In the same manner the body is put off when the soul departs from it. No longer of use and without benefit, even harmful to other men, it is put off from the house, put off from the city, put off from the sun and is buried deep into the ground.

Think about this, you who live in luxury and are adorned, you who are haughty and gluttonous! As long as the soul is in the body, it should utilize the body for its salvation submitting to the law of God and performing the works of God.

Do you see how the apostolic soul is a lover of labor! "As long as I am in this tabernacle (body) to stir you up." That task was given to him by God. He wants to conscientiously complete it to the end because he must put off his body. 

Brethren, let us labor first to embrace the apostolic warning and secondly, to remind others, all others, for whom we wish good.

In haste we are approaching the shore of the other old world, as the hour hastily approaches when we must put off the bodies and, with a naked soul, appear before the judgment of God. What will we say at the Dread Judgment Seat of God? To what goals have we, in this earthly life, used the device from the earth, which is called the body? O Lord Jesus, Righteous Judge, direct our mind to think of death and judgment.

To Thee be glory and thanks always. Amen.

Saint August of Hippo is commemorated in the Church but he isn't as prominent as in the west because the Orthodox Church sees some writings as somewhat controversial.  {Ed.}

 ON TODAYS' GOSPEL

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Now in order to convey this truth the Lord acted prophetically. By this I mean that in reference to the fig tree, it was not his will merely to exhibit a miracle but rather through this sign to convey an intimation of that which was to come. He often taught and persuaded us by such means. So even when our wills resist, he persuades us and brings us to faith. We first ask how was it the tree’s fault that it had no fruit? Even if it had no fruit in its proper season, its season of mature fruit, still the tree would bear no fault. For the tree is without sense and reason, so it could not be blamed. But to this perplexity is added another, which we read in the narrative of the other Evangelist who expressly mentions this: “It was not the time for that fruit.” For this was the time when the fig tree was just shooting forth its tender leaves, which come, as we know, long before the fruit. This sequence has a spiritual meaning. 

The time for fruit was soon coming with the day of the Lord’s Passion, which was at hand. And so to make this clear, the Evangelist, to his credit, notes that “the time of figs was not yet.” So then, if it was only a miracle that was being demonstrated and not something to be prophetically prefigured, it would have been much more worthy of the clemency and mercy of the Lord if he had found a withered tree and restored it to life. This would seem more in accord with his healing of the sick, cleansing lepers and raising the dead. But to the contrary, as though against the ordinary rule of his charity, he found a green tree, not yet bearing fruit, even before its fruitbearing season but still awaiting the hope of fruit, and what does he do? He withers it straight away! This is a prophetic anticipation of things soon to come, by which he in effect says to us: “I have no delight in the withering away of this tree. By doing so I want to convey to you that I am not acting absurdly but for a lesson you might take more seriously. It is not this literal tree that I have cursed. It is not on an insensible tree that I have inflicted punishment. Rather, I have made you fear, whoever you are who considers this matter, that you should not fail Christ when he is hungry and that you might hope to be in the coming season of fruit than to be in the preparatory season of leaves.” 

… Therefore, beloved, I must tell you and teach you according to my poor abilities that which the Lord has given me for your benefit. I must convey to you what you may hold as a rule in the interpretation of all Scripture. Everything that is said or done is to be understood either in its literal signification, or else it signifies something figuratively; or it may contain both of these at once, both its own literal interpretation and a figurative signification also ….Thus Christ, wishing to convey this lesson to us, wanted us to produce fruit and in this way set forth for us a figurative fiction which is not a deceiving fiction but a fiction worthy of praise.

Thursday July 17 / 30 ns • Holy Great Martyr Marina ~ Gal. 3:23-4:5; St. Mark 5:24-34 Before Retiring To Rest Paraenesis Saint Ephraem of Nisibis

Thursday

July 17 / 20 ns

2026

Marina was born in Pisidian, Antioch of pagan parents. At the age of twelve Marina learned about the Lord Jesus Christ; how He became incarnate of the All-Pure Virgin, how He worked many miracles, how He suffered death on the Cross and gloriously resurrected. Her young heart became inflamed with love for the Lord and she vowed that she would never marry and further desired in her soul to suffer for Christ and to be baptized in the blood of martyrdom. Her father hated her because of her faith and did not consider her as his daughter.

The imperial deputy Olymbrius, learning from Marina that she was a Christian, first wished that she would become his wife. When Marina rejected that he ordered her to bow down before the idols and to that St. Marina replied: "I will not bow down nor offer sacrifice to the breathless and dead idols who do not recognize themselves nor do they know that we honor or dishonor them. I will not give them that honor which belongs only to my Creator." Then Olymbrius subjected Marina to harsh torture and threw her into prison completely covered with wounds and blood. While in prison Marina prayed to God and, after prayer, the devil appeared to her under the guise of a horrible serpent which entwined itself around her head. When she made the sign of the cross the serpent burst and vanished.

Then she was engulfed with a heavenly light and it seemed to her that the walls of the prison vanished together with the roof and a radiant and towering cross appeared and atop the cross a white dove, from which a voice came saying: "Rejoice Marina, rational [discerning] dove of Christ, daughter of Zion in the highest, for your day of rejoicing has arrived." Marina was healed from all her wounds and pains by the power of God. The demented judge tortured her the following day, both in fire and in water, but Marina endured all as though she were in another body. Finally he condemned her to be beheaded. Before her death the Lord Jesus appeared to her with angels. She was beheaded during the reign of Diocletian but in soul and power she remained alive in the heavens and on earth. A hand of St. Marina reposes in the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mt. Athos.

The Hand of the Holy GM Marina

However, atop Mt. Langa in Albania overlooking Lake Ohrid, there is a monastery dedicated to St. Marina with a portion of her miraculous relics.

Countless miracles have occurred and still occur in this monastery, whose witnesses are not only Christians but many Muslims as well. So much did the Turks have respect for this holy place that they never dared disturb either this holy place or the property of this monastery. At one time a Turk was the guardian of the monastery.

A wonderful prayer before bed

by Saint Ephraem of Nisibis

Galatians 3:23-4:5
King James Version

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Saint Mark 5:24-34
King James Version

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Before Retiring To Rest

Saint Ephraem of Nisibis

If you feel the slightest distance from our precious Christ, expose your soul to an extra dose of love and affection for Him, by reading, in stillness, the poetry of Beloved Ephraem always so tenderly expressed. {Ed.}

Grant Lord, that if I keep my vigils, I may stand in purity before Thee; And if, oh my Savior, I slumber, let my sleep be free from sin. If in my watching I commit iniquity, oh Lord by Thy grace forgive me; If I sin when sleeping, let Thy kindness be my atonement. And through the cross of Thy humiliation, afford me refreshing slumber; and deliver me from disturbing dreams. And from profane imaginations; and in sleep - full of peace. All the night conduct me; Let not evil beings have dominion over me. Nor thoughts full of iniquity. And from hateful concupiscence deliver me through Thy living body which I have eaten; And I will lie down and sleep in peace. And let Thy blood be a protector to me: — And to the soul which is Thy creation, grant the freedom of Thy likeness. And let Thy right hand watch over the body which Thy hands have formed. Let the wall of Thy mercy encompass me like a buckler of defense; And when my body is still, and slumbers, let Thy kindness be its guard. Let not the Evil One approach my couch. By the supplication of the mother who bare Thee; and by Thy sacrifice on behalf of all men, put Satan to flight that he persecute me not. And, Lord, perform Thy promise to me. And protect my life by Thy cross; And when I awake I will praise Thee because Thou hast displayed Thy love to my lowliness.

From the sleepers, satisfied with rest, and the watchers who have put on their arms, be glory to Thee, Thou guardian Spirit! Who hast made me a watcher for Thy praise! 

❦