Saturday September 21 / October 4 ns ~ Apodosis of the Elevation of the Cross • Holy Apostle Codrátos of Magnesía, Holy Prophet Jonah ~ I Cor. 14:20-25; St. Luke 4:31-36

Saturday September 21

October 4 ns 2025

Today we honor with love

The Apodosis of the
Elevation of the Precious Cross

• The Holy Apostle Codrátos

of Magnesía,

The Holy Prophet Jonah

During the time of the persecution of Christians, many of the faithful fled to the mountains and into the caves. So did the mother of Codrátos. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to Codrátos in the forest and died shortly thereafter. Codrátos was cared for by, fed by and guided by Divine Providence and by his Guardian Angel. Codrátos grew up in nature and in solitude. He, who gave manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness, dropped from the clouds a sweet dew on the mouth of the child Codrátos.

When he was twelve years old, he entered into town and there some benevolent men took a liking to him and provided him with an education. He studied medicine and healed the sick, as much with natural cures and even more by the power of the spirit and prayer, which he was accustomed to since his childhood.

When a new persecution arose again under Decius, Codrátos was brought to trial and cast into prison. Five companions joined him and confessed the name of Christ. They were Cyprian, Dionysius, Anectus, Paul and Crescens. They were all dragged through the streets by the pagans, especially by their children. They were beaten with rods and stoned until they were eventually dragged to the scaffold. There, the martyrs prayed to God and were beheaded. On this spot a source of water gushed out of the ground which is still called Codrátos even today and is a reminder of the heroic deaths of these six holy innocents for Christ.
They honorably suffered for the Truth in the year 250 A.D. in Corinth during the reign of Emperor Decius and his governor, Jason.

1 Corinthians 14:20-25 KJV

20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Saint Luke 4:31-36 KJV

31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

SAIINT CHARÁLAMBOS

AND THE DEMON

When St. Charálambos was being tortured, the persecuting emperor found out about his miracle-working power and ordered an insane man to be brought to Charálambos so that the emperor could be convinced that Charálambos could heal him. The devil tormented this man for thirty-five years driving him into the wilderness and hills and hurling him into mud or into gorges. When this deranged person approached Charálambos, the demon sensed a sweet-smelling fragrance emanating from this holy man and shouted: "I beg you, O servant of God, do not torment me before my time, rather command me and I will depart and, if you wish, I will tell you how it came about that I entered into this man." The saint commanded the demon to relate the story. The demon said: "This man wanted to steal from his neighbor and thought to himself: `If I don't kill the man first, I will not be able to seize his goods.' He proceeded and killed his neighbor. Having caught him in the act, I entered him and behold for thirty-four years I dwelt in him." Upon hearing this, the saint of God commanded the demon to depart from the man immediately and to leave him in peace. The demon departed and the demented man was restored to health and became tranquil.

Extended Inclusions

INTELLIGENCE

~ Saint Anthony the Great ~

“Men are often called intelligent wrongly. Intelligent men are not those who are erudite in the sayings and books of the wise men of old, but those who have an intelligent soul and can discriminate between good and evil. They avoid what is sinful and harms the soul; and with deep gratitude to God they resolutely adhere by dint of practice to what is good and benefits the soul. These men alone should truly be called intelligent.”

“The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and to conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.”

NO NEED TO PROSELYTIZE

~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica ~ 

He who has the Kingdom of God within himself

will imperceptibly pass it on to others.

The atmosphere of Heaven will radiate from us

even when we keep silence or talk about

ordinary things.

GOD IS EVERYWHERE

~ St. John Chrysostomos ~

God is everywhere

you decide whether you

are close to Him or not.

OVERCOME PRIDE

~ St. Seraphim of Sarov ~

It seems to me that pride is

unobscured and only clearly

seen within one's self as it is

overcome by humility.

And once true humility is

acqured, we come to

KNOW the Father

as REVEALED by Christ.

WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST

FLESH AND BLOOD

~ St. Paisios of Athos ~

Don't believe your thoughts; neither

when they tell you that you are terrible, 

nor when they tell you that you are a saint.

EVERYONE HAS A CONSCIENCE

~ St. John of Kronstadt ~

Do not be irritated with those who sin or those

who offend; do not have a passion for noticing

every sin in your neighbor and judging him, which

we are in the habit of doing.  Everyone will give an

answer to God for himself.  Everyone has a conscience;

everyone hears God's Word and knows God's Will, either

from books or from conversations with other people. 

Especially do not look with evil intention upon the sins

of your elders, which do not regard you.  

"To his own master he standeth or falleth."

Correct your own sins, amend your own life

MADE OF THE SAME STUFF

~ St. Nikolai Velimirovich ~

Be humble, for the worst thing in

the world is of the same stuff as

you;  be confident, for the stars are

of the same stuff as you.

WHY AFFLICTIONS

~ St. Silouan of Athos

The Lord loves mankind but He

sends affliction that we may perceive

our weakness and humble ourselves

and for this humility, we receive the

Holy Spirit.  With the Holy Spirit all

things are good, all things are joyful,

all things are well.

HOW THE TRUE FAITH HAS
COME DOWN TO US

~ St. Silouan of Athos ~ 

The soul of all peoples always felt
that God exists, even though they
didn't know enough to worship the
true God. The Holy Spirit, however,
taught the Prophets first, then the
Apostles, after them the Holy Fathers
and our bishops and so the true faith
has come down to us. We knew the Lord
through the Holy Spirit. And once
we knew him, our soul became fixed in him.

Know, you peoples, that we were made
in order to glorify God in heaven, and
don't attach yourselves to the earth.
Because God is our Father and He loves
us, His greatly desired children. People
who don't know grace, don't seek it.

People have become attached to the earth
and this is why most of them don't know
that there's nothing earthly which can
compare with the sweetness of the
Holy Spirit.

TO KNOW THE FATHER
~ St. Silouan of Athos ~ 

To believe that God exists is one thing;
To know God is another.
The soul that comes to know God fully,
no longer desires anything else.
Nor does it attach itself
to anything on the earth;
and if you put before it a Kingdom,
it would not desire it. For the love
of God gives such sweetness and joy
to the soul that even the life of a king
can no longer give it any sweetness.

CONNECTION

Anecdote

When prayer comes from love in the heart, a connection is made.
And when you pray to Christ, you pray to and for ALL MANKIND, in heaven and on earth. Don't wonder at these words but instead ask yourself, is He not the new Adam?  Is He not the Son of Man? 

Did He not say that if we receive the least among us, 

we receive Him? 

 

And when a connection is made in prayer, you will love it more than all things due to the presence of Divinity.  And when occupied at times with worldly things, you will yearn to leave what you are doing and go to Him in prayer because you know He is there with Treasure for you.