SATURDAY
October 12
October 25 ns
2025
Rejoice,
thou who yokest together
Virginity and Childbirth
Holy Martyrs Próbus, Tárachos, and Andrónicos;
Saint Symeon the New Theologian
Tárachos was born in Syrian Claudiopolis, Próbus was from Perga of Pamphylia, and Andrónicos was the son of an eminent citizen of Ephesus. All three were martyred together by the Proconsul Numerian Maximus, in Emperor Diocletian's time. Tárachos was sixty-five years old when he was tortured. The proconsul asked him for his name, and he answered: ''I am a Christian.'' The proconsul asked thrice, and received the same answer each time.
These martyrs were beaten with rods, then were cast into prison bloodied and wounded. After this, they were brought out again for torture. When the proconsul advised Próbus to deny Christ, promising him imperial honors and his own friendship, holy Próbus replied: ''Neither the emperor's honors do I desire, nor your friendship do I wish.'' When Andrónicos was threatened with even greater bodily tortures, the young martyr of Christ replied: ''My body is before you, do with it what you will.''
After prolonged tortures in various locales, the three holy martyrs were thrown into an arena with wild beasts. Other prisoners in the same arena were torn apart by the beasts, but they would not harm the saints; a bear and a ferocious lioness fawned around them. Seeing this, many believed in Christ the Lord and cried out against the proconsul. Crazed with anger, and more furious than the beasts, the proconsul ordered his soldiers to enter the arena and chop the soldiers of Christ into pieces with their swords. Their bodies were mingled with the dead bodies of other prisoners. Three Christians, Macarius, Felix and Berius, who were present at the slaying of the holy martyrs, came that night to remove their bodies. But as the bodies were heaped in confusion, and the night was very dark, they prayed to God to help them find the saints; and suddenly three candles were manifested over the bodies of the martyrs. Thus, they were able to remove the saints' bodies and honorably bury them.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
King James Version
8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
Saint Luke 6:1-10
King James Version
6 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;
4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
QUOTES FROM THE BELOVED, FOUNTAIN OF FAITH,
SAINT SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN
O grandeur of ineffable glory!
O excess of love!
He Who embraces all things makes His home within a mortal corruptible man, He by Whose indwelling might all things are governed, and the man becomes as a woman heavy with child.
O astonishing miracle and incomprehensible deeds and mysteries of the incomprehensible God!
A man carries God consciously within himself as light, carries Him Who has brought all things into being and created them, including the one who carries Him now.
He carries Him within as a treasure inexpressible, unspeakable, without quality, quantity, or form, immaterial, shapeless, yet with form in beauty inexplicable, altogether simple, like light, Him Who transcends all light.
And, clenching his hands at his sides, this man walks in our midst and is ignored by everyone who surrounds him.
Who can then adequately explain the joy of such a man? Will he not be more blessed and more glorious than any emperor? Than whom, or than how many visible worlds, will he not be more wealthy? And in what shall such a man ever be lacking? Truly, in no way shall he lack any of God's good things.
Thou Thyself becamest visible… {Thou} didst grant me to see the outline of Thy form beyond shape. At that time Thou took me out of the world -- I might even say, out of the body, but Thou didst not grant me to know this exactly. Thou didst shine yet more brightly and it seemed that I saw Thee clearly in Thy entirety. When I said, "O Master, who art Thou?" then, for the first time Thou didst grant me, the prodigal, to hear Thy voice. How gently didst Thou speak to me, who was beside myself, in awe and trembling… Thou saidest, "I am God who have become man for your sake. Because you have sought me with all your soul, behold, from now on you will be My brother, My fellow heir, and My friend.
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| RELIC OF SAINT SYMEON |
Although uncommunicable with words from one individual to another, except by the gift of God, the reward of unwavering commitment to the Will of God and the body of His Church, Saint Symeon nevertheless offers us a taste or a fragrance from his own experience of theosis with the Holy Trinity.
As we ascend to that which is more perfect, He who is without form or shape comes no longer without form or without shape. Nor does He cause His light to come to us and be present with us in silence. But how? He comes in a definite form indeed, though it is a divine one. Yet God does not show Himself in a particular pattern or likeness, but in simplicity, and takes the form of an incomprehensible, inaccessible, and formless light. We cannot possibly say or express more than this; still He appears clearly and is consciously known and clearly seen, though He is invisible. He sees and hears invisibly and, just as friend speaks to friend face to face (cf. Ex. 33:11), so He who by nature is God speaks to those whom by grace He has begotten as gods. He loves like a father, and in turn He is fervently loved by His sons.
ON JUDGING
Saint Gabriel the New of Georgia
I am a great sinner and greatly infirm. If you see a person sinning even at the hour of his death, do not judge him. Judging and mockery are great wounds on the soul. The Lord says, “Man, who art thou that thou shouldst judge for Me?” For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (St Matt. 7:2).
Judging is a manifestation of human stupidity; it shows that he who judges does not yet know God or himself as he should.
Judging is a great sin, when we exalt ourselves above others. All who exalt themselves are abominable before the Lord. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (St Matt. 23:12).
When you judge others you judge God. Whether you’ve seen a thief, a loose woman, or a drunkard sprawled on the street, do not judge, because the Lord allowed their passions. Through these they should find the path to God — they should be humbled, see their own powerlessness, come to know the Lord, and repent.
And are you pleasing to God? That means that the Lord in His grace and mercy is restraining your passions. Know that if He lets them go you will fall into worse sins, and perhaps you won’t manage to climb out of those sins and you’ll perish. Therefore be humble and cautious. You saw that a person sinned, but did you see how he later repented? Then don’t judge! Like a thread passing through the eye of a needle, so man experiences the same sin that he judged in another.
Be humble and loving before all people, and if you cannot love everyone, at least treat everyone with good will.
Kindness ill open to you the gates of Paradise,
Humility will lead you there, and
Love will reveal God to you.
God is seen only in truth and divine love, for “God is Love.”
Remember and understand me well: without Christ, all is nothing!
Man is created in the image of Christ, and if we who are His likeness do not come to Him, we will perish!
If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins
(St John 8:24).
"Just as health comes from bitter medicine, so too does the salvation of souls come from bitter experiences"
Saint Paisios the Athonite
"If you knew how quickly people would forget about you after your death, you will not seek in your life to please anyone but God."
St. John Chrysostomos
"Other people's sins are not your business,
sit and cry for your own sins".
St. Gabriel Urgebadze
"A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him".
St. Anthony the Great
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