Daily Orthodox - December 14th, 2024
Today is Saturday of the 25th Week after Pentecost.
Fasting Obligations
- OCA: Fish, wine, and oil permitted.
- GOARCH, Antioch: Wine and oil permitted.
Today, we commemorate...
- The Holy Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus (Coronatus), with others
Saints Thyrsus and Leucius were honorable citizens of Caesarea of Bithynia, the former being baptized and the latter being a Christian catechumen. Callinicus, however, was a pagan priest. When Emperor Decius' heir, Cumbricius, began to mercilessly torture and murder Christians, the fearless Leucius appeared before him and, reproaching him, said: "Why have you waged war against your own soul, O Cumbricius?" The enraged judge ordered that he be flogged, tortured and finally beheaded. The tortured Leucius went to his beheading as joyfully as if he were going to a wedding. Witnessing the death of the courageous Leucius, blessed Thyrsus, inflamed with divine zeal like that of Leucius, also appeared before the judge and reproached him for his evil crimes and for his unbelief in the One True God. He also was flogged and cast into prison. The invisible hand of God healed him of his wounds, opened the prison door and led him out. Thyrsus immediately went to Phileas, the Bishop of Caesarea, to be baptized by him. After his baptism, he was again seized and tortured, but he endured the tortures, bearing them as though in a dream and not in reality. By the power of his prayer, many idols fell down. The pagan priest Callinicus, upon seeing this, converted to the Christian Faith, and both he and Thyrsus were condemned to death. Callinicus was beheaded, and they placed Thyrsus in a wooden coffin to be sawn in half. However, the power of God would not permit this, and the saw was unable to cut into the wood. Then St. Thyrsus arose from the coffin and prayed to God, rendering Him thanks for the tortures, and he peacefully gave up his soul to his Lord. At the end of the fourth century, the Emperor Flaviian built a church to St. Thyrsus near Constantinople and placed his holy relics in it. The saint appeared in a vision to Empress Pulcheria and counseled her to bury the relics of the Forty Martyrs alongside his.
- The Holy Martyrs Apollonius, Philemon, Arianus, Theoctychus, and four guards converted by St. Arianus, at Alexandria (ca. 305)
During the reign of Diocletian, a certain judge Arianus cruelly persecuted the Christians of Egypt. He seized Apollonius and threatened him with tortures. Apollonius, afraid of the tortures, bribed a certain well-known pagan musician, Philemon, to offer sacrifices to the idols in his place, disguised in his clothes. When Philemon appeared before the idols, the light of the Christian Faith suddenly shone in his heart, and he made the sign of the Cross. After he came out of the temple, he began to shout "I am a Christian! A servant of Christ the Living God!" Hearing this, the judge laughed, thinking that Philemon was mocking the Christians. Later, Philemon endured horrible tortures. Rain fell from heaven and baptized him. Finally, Philemon and Apollonius were beheaded by Arianus the judge. Then, because his blind eye was healed in a miraculous manner at Philemon's grave, Arianus himself became a Christian. Arianus was condemned to death by Emperor Diocletian and was slain with four soldiers who likewise declared themselves Christians.
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St. Venantius Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers (ca. 605)
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St. Hygbald, abbot, in Lincolnshire (7th c.)
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St. Folciunus, bishop of Tervas (Neth.) (855)
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St. Hilarion, metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev (1707)
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New Hiero-confessor Bassian, archbishop of Tambov (1940)
For more information on today's saints or commemorations not provided, see https://www.oca.org/saints/lives (Slavic) and/or https://www.goarch.org/chapel (Greek).
Daily Scriptures
Slavic and Greek
- Epistle: Galatians 1:3-10
<3> Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, <4> who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, <5> to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. <6> I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, <7> which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. <8> But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. <9> As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. <10> For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
- Gospel: Luke 14:1-11
<1> Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. <2> And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. <3> And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" <4> But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. <5> Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" <6> And they could not answer Him regarding these things. <7> So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: <8> "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; <9> and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. <10> But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. <11> For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."