Monday, 3 November 2025

Monday of the 22nd week after Pentecost

197 days after Pascha · Tone 4 · Liturgy · No Fast

Saints commemorated

★ Translation of the relics of the holy great-martyr George to Lydda

On 3 November the Orthodox Church commemorates the translation of the relics of the Holy Great-Martyr George the Trophy-bearer from Nicomedia, where he was beheaded under the emperor Diocletian around the year 296, to the city of Lydda in Palestine, the homeland of his mother. After his martyrdom his servant gathered his honourable body and conveyed it to Lydda, fulfilling the saint's own request, where the Christians buried him with reverence. In the time of the emperor Constantine the Great, when the persecutions had ceased, a magnificent church was raised over his tomb. The dedication of this church and the placing of the saint's relics within it took place on this day, and from earliest times the feast has been kept throughout the Christian East. Saint George's principal feast remains 23 April, the day of his martyrdom, but on this day the Church honours the wonderworking presence of his relics in the Holy Land.

Holy hieromartyrs Acepsimas the bishop, Joseph the presbyter, and Aithalas the deacon, of Persia

The Holy Martyrs Acepsimas, Joseph and Aithalas were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson during the long persecution of King Shapur II (309-379). Acepsimas was the aged bishop of the city, beloved of his flock for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral labour, while the seventy-year-old presbyter Joseph and the deacon Aithalas served alongside him. When the king's officers came to arrest them, all three were seized and severely beaten, then thrown together into a dark prison. For three years they were held in chains, suffering hunger, thirst and repeated tortures, but they refused to renounce Christ or to worship the sun and fire. At last the bishop Acepsimas, by then about eighty years of age, was beheaded for his confession. Joseph the presbyter was led into the city to be stoned, and his execution was prolonged for several hours by his torturers. Aithalas the deacon was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was likewise stoned to death; tradition relates that a tree grew on the site of his grave, and its fruit brought healings to the faithful. Their martyrdom was witnessed by the holy widow Snandulia, who buried their relics with reverence.

Saint George of Neapolis, the new hieromartyr

1797

Saint George the New Hieromartyr lived in Neapolis of Asia Minor (Nev-Sehir in Turkish, in Cappadocia) in the eighteenth century, where he served as priest at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos. He was renowned among his flock for his righteousness, holiness, and zeal in pastoral care, ministering to the Greek Orthodox Christians who lived under Ottoman rule. In the year 1797 he was invited to the village of Malakopi, six hours' journey from Neapolis, to officiate at a great feast because the local priest was either ill or hiding from Ottoman persecution. The elder accepted gladly without weighing the danger. On his way, or while serving in the village, he was set upon by Turks who, inflamed against the Christian faith, attacked him with savage cruelty. They tortured him and beheaded him for confessing Christ. The local Christians later found his body and venerable head, mourned over them, and buried his relics with great honour. He is glorified as one of the new hieromartyrs of the Greek nation under the Turkish yoke.

Saint Snandulia of Persia

Saint Snandulia was a devout Christian widow of the Persian city of Arbela who lived in the fourth century during the great persecution of King Shapur II. Possessed of considerable wealth, she devoted herself to acts of mercy, visiting Christians who suffered in prison for the sake of Christ, bringing them food and clothing, washing their wounds, and burying the bodies of the martyrs. When she learned of the imprisonment of the bishop Acepsimas, the presbyter Joseph and the deacon Aithalas, she ministered to them in their long captivity. After the saints were executed, she gathered their relics and gave them honourable burial. According to her life she stretched out her hands "for needful things" and "to the poor," but refused to lift her hands to do evil even when soldiers tried to compel her to throw a stone at the holy martyr Joseph. She reposed around 380 in peace, having spent her life in fearless service to Christ's confessors.

Holy Virgin Martyr Winefride of Treffynnon, Wales

7th c.

“Saint Winefride (in Welsh, Gwenfrewi) was a maiden of noble birth who lived in North wales in the seventh century. The niece and spiritual daughter of Saint Beuno (21 April), she entered the Monastery of Gwytherin after his death, where she lived under the spiritual direction of Saint Eleril. The son of a neighbouring chieftan, Caradoc by name, seized by an unchaste passion, pursued her and struck off her head with a sword. The spot where her head fell became known as Treffynnon or Holywell, because of the appearing of a healing spring for those who would take its waters with faith. Holywell remains a great place of pilgrimage in Britain to this day.” (Synaxarion)

Also commemorated: Martyrs Acepsimus, Joseph, Aithalas

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Colossians — Colossians 2.13-20

¹³And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; ¹³And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; ¹⁴having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; ¹⁴Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; ¹⁵having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. ¹⁵And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: ¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ’s. ¹⁷Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. ¹⁸Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁸Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. ¹⁹and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God.

²⁰If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances,

²⁰Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 11.29-33

²⁹And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

²⁹And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, he began to say, This generation is an evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah. ³⁰For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. ³⁰For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. ³¹The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. ³¹The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. ³²The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. ³²The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. ³³No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

³³No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth it in a cellar, neither under the bushel, but on the stand, that they which enter in may see the light.