Tuesday, 23 December 2025

Tuesday of the 29th week after Pentecost

247 days after Pascha · Tone 3 · Liturgy · Nativity Fast (Wine and Oil are Allowed)

Saints commemorated

Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete

The Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete suffered for Christ during the third century in the persecution unleashed by the emperor Decius (249 to 251). Their names are Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompius, Agathopus, Basilides and Evaristus. They were drawn from various towns of Crete, but all bore witness with one heart and one confession.

Brought before the governor of the island, who likewise bore the name Decius, they boldly refused to offer sacrifice to the gods of Rome or to the deified emperor. Subjected to many torments over thirty days of imprisonment, they were finally led outside the city of Gortyna and beheaded. Their bodies were taken up by Christians and buried, and a church was raised over their tomb. The relics of these martyrs have ever since been honoured as the chief patrons of the Church of Crete.

Saint Naum of Ohrid the Wonderworker

Saint Naum was one of the chief disciples of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Equals-to-the-Apostles and Enlighteners of the Slavs. Together with Saints Clement, Angelarius, Sava and Gorazd he laboured in the mission to the Slavic peoples, helping to translate the Scriptures and liturgical books into the Slavonic tongue. After the death of Methodius and the persecution of his disciples in Moravia, Naum found refuge in Bulgaria. Welcomed by Prince Boris and later by Tsar Symeon, he taught and preached at Pliska and Preslav, training a great number of clergy and translators. Around the year 893 he withdrew to the region of Lake Ohrid, where in 905 he founded the monastery on the southern shore that still bears his name, dedicated to the Holy Archangels. There he ended his earthly course in great holiness around 910 and was buried in the church of his monastery, which became one of the most beloved centres of pilgrimage in the Balkans. Many miracles of healing, especially from mental afflictions, have been wrought at his tomb. His original feast on 23 December is still observed in many places, while a second commemoration on 20 June was added in 1727 by the Archbishop of Ohrid.

Saint Niphon, Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus

Saint Niphon was born in Paphlagonia in the fourth century and was sent in his youth to be educated in Constantinople. As a child he was gentle and devout, but in his youth he fell into a wild and dissolute life. By the prayers of a holy elder named Nicodemus, who saw the dark face of Niphon's soul, he came to deep repentance, weeping bitterly for his sins and crying out to the Most Holy Theotokos until an icon of the Mother of God smiled upon him as a sign of his forgiveness. After many years of struggle and great spiritual gifts, including unceasing prayer, vision of demons and the sight of angels assisting souls at the hour of death, the now elderly Niphon journeyed to Alexandria. A delegation from Constantia in Cyprus had come there to ask Patriarch Alexander to consecrate a new bishop for them. The Apostle Paul appeared in a vision to the patriarch and instructed him to consecrate one who resembled Paul, save that he was bald. Niphon was thus ordained deacon, then priest, and finally bishop of Constantia. He governed his flock for only a short time, foreseeing his repose three days in advance. On his deathbed he was granted to behold martyrs, prophets, monastics and the Most Holy Theotokos herself before giving up his soul to God in the mid fourth century.

Saint Paul, Bishop of Neocaesarea

This holy bishop was so revered that he was summoned by the Emperor Licinius himself, who attempted to turn him from the Faith. When this failed, the Emperor ordered that molten metal be poured on the bishop’s hands, which left them paralyzed and horribly disfigured. Years went by, Christianity was legalized by Constantine the Great and, when the Council of Nicaea was summoned, St Paul was among those bishops who were called to attend. Many of the bishops who attended bore in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus (Gal. 6:17): noses, ears or eyes lost, scars and burns from their trials for Christ. At the Council, the Emperor Constantine knelt before St Paul and kissed his hands as holy relics, saying ‘I will never tire of kissing these hands which have lost their life for the sake of my Christ.’ After the Council, the holy bishop served in Neocaesarea for several more years, then reposed in peace.

Our Holy Father Nahum of Ochrid, Wonderworker and Enlightener of the Slavs

c. 900

He was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), and traveled with them on their missionary journey to the Slavs. With them and their other companions, he endured many trials, including several imprisonments at the hands of the Latin Franks, who were seeking to seize control of the region of Moravia in order to impose the Latin language and to spread the heresy of the filioque. For a time their troubles were relieved by Pope Hadrian II, who supported the mission and made St Methodius Archbishop of Pannonia, with jurisdiction over the Eastern European Slav lands. But when St Methodius died, St Nahum and his companions were imprisoned once more, then sent into exile, where they finally found shelter in the Orthodox Kingdom of Bulgaria. There they were able to continue their work of evangelization in the Slavonic language. Saint Nahum founded the Monastery that bears his name on the shore of Lake Ochrid. After his repose his relics were brought there for burial, and are venerated there today.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Hebrews — Hebrews 4.1-13

¹Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

¹Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. ²For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. ²For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. ³For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

³For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. ⁴For he hath said somewhere of the seventh day on this wise, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; ⁴For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. ⁵and in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest. ⁵And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. ⁶Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

⁶Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, ⁷he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts. ⁷Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. ⁸For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. ⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ⁹There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. ¹¹Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. ¹¹Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. ¹²For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹²For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. ¹³And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 10.2-12

²And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

²And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? trying him. ³And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? ³And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? ⁴And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. ⁴And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. ⁵And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. ⁵But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. ⁶But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female made he them. ⁷For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; ⁷For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; ⁸and the two shall become one flesh: so that they are no more two, but one flesh. ⁸And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. ⁹What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ⁹What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ¹⁰And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. ¹⁰And in the house the disciples asked him again of this matter. ¹¹And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. ¹¹And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her: ¹²And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. ¹²and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery.