Thursday, 6 November 2025

Thursday of the 22nd week after Pentecost

200 days after Pascha · Tone 4 · Black squigg (6-stich typikon symbol) · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Saint Demetrian, bishop of Cythera

Saint Demetrian was born around 830 in the village of Sykai on the island of Cyprus, the son of a priest. Reared in piety and learning, he was married in his youth at his parents' insistence, but his young wife died only three months after the wedding, and he took this as a sign from God to embrace the monastic life. He entered the monastery of Saint Anthony in Cyprus, where he was tonsured, ordained priest, and eventually appointed hegumen, an office he held for some forty years. When the see of Khytroi (later called Cythera) on the island fell vacant, the people unanimously chose Demetrian as their bishop. He fled and hid himself in a cave until a friend persuaded him to accept the burden, after which he ruled the diocese for twenty-five years with apostolic gentleness. In his old age, when Saracen pirates raided Cyprus and carried off many Christians as captives, the saint travelled to the lands of the invaders and pleaded for the release of his flock. Moved by his courage and selflessness, the Saracens freed the prisoners. He reposed around 911, and is venerated especially as the patron of those held in captivity.

Saint Paul the Confessor, archbishop of Constantinople

350

A native of Thessalonica, he rose from secretary to Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople (commemorated August 30), to deacon, then succeeded St Alexander as Patriarch around 337. For his virtue and his zeal for Orthodoxy he was hated by the Arians, who were still powerful in the Empire. The Arian Emperor Constantius, learning of Paul’s election, exiled him and made the Arian Eusebius Patriarch in his place. St Paul went to Rome, where he joined St Athanasius the Great in exile. Furnished with letters from Pope Julius, he was able to ascend the Patriarchal throne once again upon the death of Eusebius. But once again the Arians were able to put one of their party on the Patriarchal throne: Macedonius, who even went beyond the Arian heresy and denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Once again the legitimate, Orthodox Patriarch found himself in exile in Rome. In succeeding years St Paul stood firm for Orthodoxy while complex political and military intrigues swirled around him, with the Orthodox Constans, Emperor of the West (and Constantius’ brother) supporting him while Constantius continued to oppose him. For a time Constans was able to enforce Paul’s place on the Patriarchal throne, but when he died, Constantius banished St Paul to Cucusus on the Black Sea. There, while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the house where he was kept prisoner, the Arians strangled him with his own omophorion. His relics were brought back to Constantinople by the Emperor Theodosius the Great.

Venerable Barlaam, abbot of Khutyn, wonderworker of Novgorod

Saint Barlaam of Khutyn, in baptism Alexis, was born in the twelfth century in Novgorod the Great, the son of pious and noble parents. Educated in piety from his youth, he distributed his inheritance to the poor on the death of his parents and entered the Lisich monastery near the city, where he received the monastic tonsure with the name Barlaam. Soon, drawn by the desire for greater stillness, he withdrew to a wooded hill above the river Volkhov known as Khutyn, "the bad place," reputed to be haunted by demons. There he built a small cell and a chapel, sustaining himself by the labour of his hands, cutting timber, splitting firewood and tilling the earth, while spending his nights in vigil and prayer. By his ascetic struggles the place was sanctified, and disciples gathered around him; he then founded the monastery of the Saviour and Transfiguration at Khutyn, which became one of the great spiritual centres of Russia. He was distinguished for the gifts of clairvoyance and miracles, calming a storm, raising a dead boy, and prophesying future events. After giving final counsels to his brethren, urging them to preserve the Orthodox faith and to abide in humility, he reposed on 6 November 1192. His relics work miracles to the present day.

Venerable Luke of Sicily

Saint Luke of Sicily, also known as Leo Luke or Leoluca of Corleone, was born around 815 in the Sicilian city of Tauromenium (modern Taormina) of pious Christian parents. While still a young man he forsook his parents and his betrothed and withdrew to the mountains, where he lived for many years in fasting and prayer on the slopes of Mount Etna. After a time he travelled to Calabria in southern Italy, where the Saracen invasions had driven many ascetics to seek refuge among the Italo-Greek monastic communities. There, on Mount Mula, Saint Luke founded a monastery dedicated to Saints Elias the Prophet and Anastasia, which became one of the cradles of Italo-Greek monasticism. Acknowledged by his brethren as a great wonderworker, he received from God the gift of healing the sick, casting out demons, raising paralytics, and turning back the lost to the path of salvation. Towards the end of his long life he delegated the office of hegumen to the monk Theodore and the priestly cares to Euthymios, that he might prepare for his repose in stillness. He fell asleep in the Lord around 915 at a great old age, and his intercession is credited with saving the city of Corleone from the plague of 1575, of which he is now patron.

Saint Germanus, Archbishop of Kazan

1568

He was born in Tver to a princely family. Drawn to a life of holiness from his earliest childhood, he became a monk at the age of twenty-five, at the Monastery of St Joseph of Volokolamsk. In time he became Archimandrite of the Monastery of the Dormition at Staritsk; but after a few years he returned to Volokolamsk to live in solitude. When his teacher St Gurias (October 4), first Archbishop of Kazan, reposed, Germanus succeeded him as Archbishop, but continued to live as ascetically as when he was a hermit. He was offered the office of Metropolitan of Moscow, but refused. As a faithful shepherd of his church, he fearlessly confronted Tsar Ivan the Terrible for his many and various cruelties; for this he was killed in 1568 by the Tsar’s assassins. Note: Recently, a bizarre movement has arisen among some nationalist sectarians in Russia to canonize Ivan the Terrible. Among the many obvious reasons against such an action (which has been firmly rejected by the Patriarch of Moscow), we could list the Tsar’s murder of some of the Church’s own Saints, Germanus among them.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Colossians — Colossians 4.2-9

²Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving;

²Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; ³withal praying for us also, that God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; ³Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: ⁴that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. ⁴That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. ⁵Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. ⁵Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. ⁶Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one. ⁶Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

⁷All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord:

⁷All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: ⁸Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; ⁸whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts; ⁹together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things that are done here. ⁹With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 11.47-12.1

⁴⁷Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁷Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. ⁴⁸So ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their tombs. ⁴⁹Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: ⁴⁹Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute; ⁵⁰That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; ⁵⁰that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; ⁵¹From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. ⁵¹from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. ⁵²Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. ⁵²Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

⁵³And when he was come out from thence, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things; ⁵³And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: ⁵⁴Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. ⁵⁴laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.

¹In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

¹In the mean time, when the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.