Sunday, 21 September 2025

Sunday after Elevation

15th Sunday after Pentecost

154 days after Pascha · Tone 6 · Red cross (polyeleos typikon symbol) · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Apodosis of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

326

The Apodosis, or Leave-taking, of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross is kept on 21 September, as the Church bids farewell for another year to the great feast celebrated on 14 September. On this day the hymns and propers of the Exaltation are sung once more at the divine services, recalling the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena in Jerusalem in the year 326, the building of the Church of the Resurrection by Saint Constantine, the first solemn elevation of the Cross by Saint Macarius of Jerusalem, and the recovery of the Cross from the Persians by the emperor Heraclius in 628. The faithful are reminded that the Cross is no longer a sign of shame but a weapon of peace, an unconquerable trophy and the source of resurrection life. With the Apodosis the eight days of celebration come to a close; the Cross which had been displayed in the centre of the church for veneration is returned to its place, and the festal cycle returns to the ordinary commemorations of the saints.

Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Ephesus, and Andrew the Presbyter

730

The hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Ephesus, and the priest Andrew suffered for the holy icons in the eighth century, under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, who reigned from 717 to 741. Both were born in Lycia and had been friends from childhood. As they grew, each gave himself wholly to the service of God: Hypatius as a strict monk and ascetic, and Andrew as a priest, an eloquent preacher of the word and a labourer among the people. For his great virtues, learning and holiness of life, Hypatius was raised to the episcopal throne of Ephesus, and Andrew was appointed presbyter in the same city. When the emperor Leo began his persecution of the holy icons, casting them out of the churches to be trampled and burned, Hypatius and Andrew rose up boldly in defence of icon veneration, urging their flock to keep faith with Orthodoxy and instructing them in its meaning. They were seized, brought to Constantinople, and after horrible tortures borne for the truth they were beheaded in the year 730 and so passed from this transitory life to life eternal. Their bodies, thrown out to be devoured by dogs, were preserved by the providence of God and reverently buried by the faithful.

Holy Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy at Magnesia

130

Saint Quadratus, Apostle of the Seventy, preached the Word of God at Athens and at Magnesia, on the eastern peninsula of Thessaly, in the early second century, and was made Bishop of Athens after the martyrdom of Saint Publius. His biographer called him "a morning star among the clouds of paganism." He converted many pagans to faith in Christ the Saviour, and his bold preaching aroused such hatred that an angry mob fell upon him and tried to stone him to death. Preserved by God from this attack, he was thrown into prison, where he died of starvation and was crowned with martyrdom. His holy body was buried in Magnesia. About the year 126 Saint Quadratus had composed an Apologia in defence of Christianity, which he presented to the emperor Hadrian during the emperor's visit to Athens. This Apologia, the earliest known Christian apology, so impressed Hadrian that he issued an edict forbidding the punishment of Christians without due cause. Only a small fragment of the work survives, preserved by the historian Eusebius. Saint Quadratus is commemorated on 21 September and again on 4 January with the synaxis of the Seventy.

Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

Saint Demetrius of Rostov, in the world Daniel Tuptalo, was born in 1651 in the town of Makarov near Kiev, the son of a pious Cossack officer. From childhood he was trained in piety and learning, and at seventeen he was tonsured a monk at the Saint Cyril Monastery in Kiev under the name Demetrius. Ordained deacon, then priest, he laboured as a preacher of remarkable power in monasteries throughout Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. From 1684 he undertook, at the request of his fellow monks at the Caves Monastery in Kiev, the immense task of compiling the Lives of the Saints in four volumes for the whole Church year, drawing upon Greek, Latin and Slavonic sources. This labour, accomplished amid many duties and infirmities, occupied more than twenty years of his life and remains one of the great hagiographical works of the Orthodox Church. In 1701 he was summoned by Tsar Peter the Great and consecrated for the see of Rostov, where he ruled for the rest of his life as a tireless pastor, founding schools, opposing the Old Ritualist schism by careful instruction rather than force, and continuing his writing. He fell asleep on his knees at prayer on 28 October 1709. The uncovering of his incorrupt relics during repairs to the cathedral church of Rostov on 21 September 1752, and the many miracles which followed, led to his glorification, and this date is also kept in his honour.

Holy Prophet Jonas

9th c. BC

His story is told in the Old Testament book that bears his name. He is counted as one of the twelve ‘minor prophets.’ According to one tradition recorded in the Synaxaria, he was the son of the widow of Zarephath, resurrected by the holy Elias (July 20). The song of Jonah, I called to the Lord out of my distress (Jonah 2:2-9) is the Sixth Biblical Ode of the Matins canon, and forms the basis of countless troparia, many of which meditate upon the Jonah’s time in the belly of the sea-monster as a type of Christ’s sojourn in the tomb. The Book of Jonah is read in its entirety on Holy Saturday. The Prophet Jonah is commemorated tomorrow, September 22, on the Slavic calendar.

Our Venerable Father Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery

1612

He was a peasant named Hilarion in the district of Vologda, and lived a simple, laboring life until he began to lose his sight. Not despairing, Hilarion went to all the churches nearby and asked that services of intercession be offered for him. One day, during the Divine Liturgy, Hilarion beheld a man in white clothing who told him that his name was Cosmas, blessed him, and told him that he would soon be healed. The next day Hilarion was going to church again and the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian appeared to him along with an icon of the Mother of God. A voice from the icon said that the people must cleanse the place where he stood and erect a cross there. Upon venerating the icon, Hilarion was instantly and completely healed. Returning to his village, he joyfully told what had happened. The villagers cleansed the place, as commanded in Hilarion’s vision, set up a cross, and built a chapel to house the icon, which began to work many miracles. When the bishop learned of these events, he determined to found a monastery on that spot, and made Hilarion the first monk, giving him the name of Joseph. Saint Joseph spent the next thirty years there in prayer and great asceticism: he would spend the winter nights without sleep, standing in prayer before the miraculous icon of the Theotokos. He reposed in peace and was buried in the chapel that he and his fellow-villagers had built years before.

Finding of the Relics of St Dimitri of Rostov

1752

St Dimitri is commemorated October 28.

Also commemorated: Unc. Rel. St Dimitry, Metr. Rostov

Daily readings

4th Matins Gospel

Luke — Luke 24.1-12

¹Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. ²And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. ²And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. ³And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: ⁴And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel: ⁵and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? ⁵And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, ⁶He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, ⁷saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. ⁷Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. ⁸And they remembered his words, ⁸And they remembered his words, ⁹And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. ⁹and returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. ¹⁰Now they were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James: and the other women with them told these things unto the apostles. ¹¹And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk; and they disbelieved them. ¹¹And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. ¹²But Peter arose, and ran unto the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths by themselves; and he departed to his home, wondering at that which was come to pass. ¹²Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Epistle

— Sunday after Elevation weekly cycle

Galatians — Galatians 2.16-20

¹⁶yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ¹⁶Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ¹⁷But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a minister of sin? God forbid. ¹⁷But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. ¹⁸For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor. ¹⁸For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ¹⁹For I through the law died unto the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. ²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Epistle

2 Corinthians — 2 Corinthians 4.6-15

⁶Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ⁸we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹⁰always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. ¹¹For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹¹For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you. ¹³But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; ¹³We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; ¹⁴knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you. ¹⁴Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Gospel

— Sunday after Elevation weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 8.34-9.1

³⁴And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ³⁴And he called unto him the multitude with his disciples, and said unto them, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ³⁵For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. ³⁵For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s shall save it. ³⁶For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? ³⁶For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? ³⁷Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁷For what should a man give in exchange for his life? ³⁸Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. ³⁸For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

¹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

¹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power.

Gospel

Matthew — Matthew 22.35-46

³⁵Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, ³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: ³⁶Master, which is the great commandment in the law? ³⁶Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? ³⁷Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁷And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ⁴⁰On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,

⁴¹While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴²Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. ⁴²saying, What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. ⁴³He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴³He saith unto them, How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? ⁴⁴The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet?

⁴⁵If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son? ⁴⁵If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? ⁴⁶And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. ⁴⁶And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.