Thursday, 18 September 2025

Thursday of the 15th week after Pentecost

151 days after Pascha · Tone 5 · Liturgy · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy Martyr Ariadne the Confessor

The holy martyr Ariadne lived in the early second century and was a slave of Tertullus, a prominent official of the city of Promissia in Phrygia, in the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Although she was only a slave, Saint Ariadne was wiser in spirit than many noble ladies of her time, who were enslaved to worldly vanities. Once, on the birthday of his son, when her master offered sacrifice to the pagan gods, his Christian slave refused to take any part in the wicked celebration. As a result she was beaten, hung up and her body was raked with sharp iron hooks. She was then cast into prison and starved for many days in an attempt to make her worship the idols. Saint Ariadne persisted in her confession of Christ, and at last, seeing that she could not be persuaded, her tormentors released her. Realising that they would soon pursue her again, she fled into the mountains. As she ran, her enemies following close behind, she prayed to the Lord, and a crevice opened in the rock; she entered into it, and the rock closed upon her, and she gave up her soul to God. Some accounts add that she fell from a high cliff and so was crowned with martyrdom.

Holy Martyr Bidzina, and Princes Shalva and Elizbar of Georgia

1661

The holy martyrs Bidzina, Shalva and Elizbar were leading princes of seventeenth-century Georgia who gave their lives for the Christian faith and the freedom of their land. Prince Bidzina Choloqashvili of Kakheti, together with Shalva of Aragvi and his uncle Elizbar of Ksani, led a struggle to free Kakheti from the rule of the Persians, who had settled tens of thousands of Turkmen tribes upon the lands of the Christian inhabitants. On the moonless night of 15 September 1659, the united army of eastern Georgia gathered and fell upon the Persians from Bakhtrioni Fortress and the church of Alaverdi, driving them out and recovering the country. Shah Abbas II demanded that King Vakhtang V of Kartli deliver up the leaders of the rising. The shah received them with apparent honour and offered them gifts, but then required them to renounce Christ and embrace Islam. When neither bribery nor flattery could shake their faith, he ordered them tortured. The shah's men hacked Shalva and Elizbar in the legs and beheaded them as they fell. Bidzina was dismembered piece by piece, fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms and legs, until only his head remained, and at last a soldier pierced his heart with a spear. This was in the year 1661. Their relics, recovered by faithful Christians, were enshrined with honour at the Ikorta Church of the Archangels in Kartli.

Saint Eumenius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Gortyna

“He gave himself to Christ with his whole heart from his youth, freeing himself from two heavy burdens: the burden of riches and the burden of the flesh. He freed himself from the first by giving away all his goods to the poor and needy, and from the latter by strict fasting. He thus healed himself and was able to heal others. Passionless and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Eumenius shone with a radiance that could not be hidden, as it is written: ‘A city set on a hill cannot be hid’ (Matt. 5:14), and so holy Eumenius could not be hidden from the world. Seeing him, the people chose him as their bishop in Gortyna. As a bishop, he governed Christ’s flock as a good shepherd. He was a father to the poor, riches to the needy, consolation to the sad, healing to the sick and a marvellous wonder-worker. He worked many miracles by his prayers: he killed a poisonous snake, drove out demons, healed many of the sick, and did this not only in his home city but in Rome and in the Thebaid. In the Thebaid, he brought rain from God in a time of drought, and there finally finished his earthly course and entered into the eternal presence of his Lord. He lived and worked in the seventh century.” (Prologue)

St Ariadne of Phrygia

2nd c.

She lived during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the town of Promisea in Phrygia. Though a Christian, she was the slave of a pagan nobleman named Tertullus. To celebrate his son’s birthday, Tertullus ordered his entire household to come to a pagan temple and make sacrifice to the idols; but Ariadne stayed home, praying to the only true God. This infuriated Tertullus, who beat her, threw her in prison, then drove her from his house. He quickly changed his mind and sent his servants to bring her back. When Ariadne saw her persecutors drawing near, she knelt by a large rock and prayed. The rock split open and hid her. At this point, the Synaxarion says that Angels bearing spears appeared around the rock and drove her pursuers away. The Prologue says that the servants, unable to find Ariadne, quarrelled among themselves, came to blows, and died at one another’s hands.

Also commemorated: St Eumenes, Bishop of Gortyna

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Galatians — Galatians 3.23-4.5

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

²³But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. ²⁴So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor. ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. ²⁶For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. ²⁶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁷For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. ²⁸There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus. ²⁸There 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. ²⁹And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ²⁹And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

¹But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all;

¹Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; ²but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. ²But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. ³So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: ³Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: ⁴But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, ⁴but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ⁵that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 6.30-45

³⁰And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

³⁰And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus; and they told him all things, whatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had taught. ³¹And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. ³¹And he saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. ³²And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. ³²And they went away in the boat to a desert place apart. ³³And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. ³³And the people saw them going, and many knew them, and they ran together there on foot from all the cities, and outwent them. ³⁴And he came forth and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. ³⁴And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, The place is desert, and the day is now far spent; ³⁵And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: ³⁶Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. ³⁶send them away, that they may go into the country and villages round about, and buy themselves somewhat to eat. ³⁷He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? ³⁷But he answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred shillings’ worth of bread, and give them to eat? ³⁸And he saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. ³⁸He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. ³⁹And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. ³⁹And he commanded them that all should sit down by companies upon the green grass. ⁴⁰And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. ⁴⁰And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. ⁴¹And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. ⁴¹And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake the loaves; and he gave to the disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. ⁴²And they did all eat, and were filled. ⁴²And they all ate, and were filled. ⁴³And they took up broken pieces, twelve basketfuls, and also of the fishes. ⁴³And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. ⁴⁴And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. ⁴⁴And they that ate the loaves were five thousand men. ⁴⁵And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

⁴⁵And straightway he constrained his disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he himself sendeth the multitude away.