Monday, 15 December 2025

Monday of the 28th week after Pentecost

239 days after Pascha · Tone 2 · Black squigg (6-stich typikon symbol) · Nativity Fast

Saints commemorated

★ Hieromartyr Eleutherius, bishop of Illyricum, and his mother Anthia

126

Saint Eleutherius was the son of an illustrious Roman citizen and was raised in Christian piety by his mother Anthia, who had been a disciple of the Apostle Paul. At the age of fifteen he was made a deacon by Bishop Anicetus of Rome, was ordained a priest at eighteen, and at twenty was elevated to the episcopate of Illyricum. By his bold preaching and miracles he converted many to Christ. In the reign of the emperor Hadrian he was arrested and tortured. The eparch Caribus, who had supervised his torments, was so moved by the saint's endurance that he himself confessed Christ and was beheaded. Saint Eleutherius was thrown to wild beasts which would not touch him, then beheaded at Rome. His mother Anthia embraced his body in grief and was killed by the soldiers, sharing in his crown of martyrdom around the year 126.

Saint Stephen the Confessor, archbishop of Sourozh

Saint Stephen was a native of Cappadocia and was educated at Constantinople. Having taken monastic vows, he withdrew into the wilderness, where he passed thirty years in ascetic struggle. Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople, instructed by an angel in a vision, consecrated Stephen bishop of the town of Sourozh in the Crimea (now Sudak). Within five years his ministry was so fruitful that no heretics or unbaptised pagans remained in Sourozh or its environs. He stood firmly against the iconoclasm of the emperor Leo III the Isaurian, refusing to remove the holy icons from the churches at the order of the emperor and the iconoclast patriarch Anastasius. He was brought to Constantinople, imprisoned and tortured. Released after the death of Leo, he returned to his flock in Sourozh and reposed there in peace in the eighth century.

Venerable Pardus the hermit, of Palestine

Saint Pardus, a Roman by birth, was involved in his youth with the teamster's craft. Once, when he was travelling to Jericho, a boy accidentally fell beneath the legs of his camels and was trampled to death. Shaken by this, Pardus became a monk and withdrew to Mount Arion. Considering himself a murderer who deserved death, he entered the den of a lion and prodded the beast with a spear so that it would tear him apart, but the lion would not touch him. He then took off his clothes and lay down upon the path that the lion took to drink, but the lion merely leaped over him. The elder understood that he had been forgiven by the Lord and lived out the rest of his days in repentance and ascetic labour. He reposed in the sixth century.

Venerable Paul of Latros

955

Saint Paul was born at Aelen in Pergamum and was educated at the monastery of Saint Stephen in Phrygia. After the death of his mother, he devoted himself completely to monastic struggle at a monastery on Mount Latros, near Miletus. Seeking even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. For his ascetic deeds he was granted the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. The emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. Saint Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries that had been ravaged by Arab raiders. Foretelling his end, he reposed in the year 955.

Holy Martyr Eleutherius the Cubicularius

4th c.

He was from a noble family in Constantinople, and rose to the rank of Cubicularius (Chamberlain). He was not only a counselor to, but a close friend of, the Emperor (probably Julian the Apostate). But Eleutherius was increasingly moved by a desire to become a Christian; so, obtaining a leave from the Imperial court, he moved to the countryside in Bithynia, where he was baptized. There he built a house that concealed an underground chapel. When Eleutherius returned to court, some jealous courtiers denounced him to the Emperor, who visited Eleutherius’ country house and was furious to discover the underground church. When the Saint would not renounce his faith in Christ, the Emperor, ignoring all previous bonds of friendship, had him beheaded.

Holy Martyr Bacchus the New

787

During the reign of Constantine VI and Irene, restorers of the holy icons, the Holy Land was under the control of the Muslim Arabs. Many Christians there apostatized, putting honors and security in this world above their eternal joy. One of these was the father of this Saint, who brought up seven children as Muslims. His wife however, never renounced her Faith and prayed constantly for the conversion of her husband and children. Upon the death of the father, her third son Dachak declared that he wished to become a Christian. He was baptized in the Monastery of St Sabas near Jerusalem, receiving the name Bacchus, and determined to be a monk. But the abbot, fearing reprisals against the Monastery, sent him back to his home in Jerusalem. His brothers, seeing his joy and boldness in confessing the Faith, decided to receive holy Baptism, except for one, who denounced Bacchus to the authorities. He was arrested and brought before the judge and, when he proved steadfast in his confession of Christ, was beheaded.

Our Venerable Father Tryphon of Kola, apostle of Laponia, and his disciple the Holy Martyr Jonah

1590

Saint Tryphon was the son of a priest from Novgorod. The Synaxarion records that, at the moment of his birth, the verse Blessed is the life of those who dwell in the desert was being sung in the Matins service. In 1525 he was moved by a divine revelation to flee to the far north of Russia and live as a hermit. He settled near the River Kola, where he devoted his nights to prayer, his days to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the native peoples there. The pagans were hostile at first, but his patience and humility won them over, and he baptized many. He built them a church with his own hands on the shores of Lake Ladoga, and later founded a monastery there. Saint Tryphon reposed in 1583. He predicted his own death and the coming destruction of the Monastery by the Swedes, which came to pass in 1590. All the monks were massacred. The first victim, Starets Jonah, worked many miracles at the Monastery after its restoration.

Also commemorated: Hieromartyr Eleutherius of Illyria · St Stephen of Surozh

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

2 Timothy — 2 Timothy 2.20-26

²⁰Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor. ²⁰But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. ²¹If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the master’s use, prepared unto every good work. ²¹If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. ²²But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²²Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes. ²³But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, ²⁴And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, ²⁵in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, ²⁵In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; ²⁶and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will. ²⁶And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 8.11-21

¹¹And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

¹¹And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, trying him. ¹²And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. ¹²And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. ¹³And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. ¹³And he left them, and again entering into the boat departed to the other side.

¹⁴Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

¹⁴And they forgot to take bread; and they had not in the boat with them more than one loaf. ¹⁵And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. ¹⁵And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. ¹⁶And they reasoned one with another, saying, We have no bread. ¹⁶And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. ¹⁷And Jesus perceiving it saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? do ye not yet perceive, neither understand? have ye your heart hardened? ¹⁷And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? ¹⁸Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? ¹⁸Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? ¹⁹When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. ¹⁹When I brake the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. ²⁰And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. ²⁰And when the seven among the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces took ye up? And they say unto him, Seven. ²¹And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? ²¹And he said unto them, Do ye not yet understand?