Thursday, 25 June 2026

Virgin Martyr Febronia; Peter and Fevronia of Murom

Thursday of the 4th week after Pentecost

74 days after Pascha · Tone 2 · Red squigg (doxology typikon symbol) · Apostles Fast (Wine and Oil are Allowed)

Saints commemorated

★ Holy Virgin Martyr Febronia of Nisibis

The holy Virgin Martyr Febronia suffered during the persecution of Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century, when she was about twenty years old. She had been raised from infancy in the women's monastery at Sibapolis in Assyria under the care of her aunt, the abbess Bryaena, who set before her a stricter rule of life than the rest of the sisters in view of her exceptional gifts. Her wisdom, meekness and abstinence drew many to her, and a wealthy young widow named Hieria, a pagan, came to seek instruction; through Febronia's prayers and counsel Hieria received holy baptism and brought her parents and household to the Christian faith. When the prefect Selinus and his nephew Lysimachus, sent by Diocletian to root out Christianity in Mesopotamia, came to the convent, Febronia was dragged from her sickbed and brought before the tribunal. Selinus offered her honours, riches and marriage with Lysimachus if she would deny Christ, but she replied that she had an immortal Bridegroom and would exchange Him for no man. After a long interrogation she was beaten with rods, suspended on a tree above a fire, her teeth and breasts cut off, and finally beheaded. Lysimachus, struck with horror at her sufferings, was converted to Christ. Her life was written by the nun Thomais, an eyewitness, and her relics were translated to Constantinople in 363 where many miracles and healings were granted through her intercession.

Holy Martyrs Orentios and his brothers

The Holy Martyrs Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos and Longinos were seven brothers, soldiers in the Roman army of Thrace, who served with distinction during the reign of the Emperor Maximian at the close of the third century. When the persecution arose against the Christians, Orentios in single combat killed the giant Marmaroth, a champion of the barbarians, and so brought victory to the imperial host; yet because he openly confessed Christ before the emperor he was deprived of his dignity and exiled with his brothers to the city of Sata in Abasgia on the Black Sea. On the long march each in turn fell asleep in the Lord. Orentios himself, after being thrown into the sea bound and being preserved by an angel of God, was at last drowned and his body cast up at Pityus, where it was reverently buried. Their joint memorial is kept on this day in honour of all seven crowned warriors of Christ.

New Hieromartyr Procopius of Smyrna

The New Hieromartyr Procopius was born in the town of Varna on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria toward the close of the eighteenth century, and from his youth was drawn to the monastic life on Mount Athos, where he received the schema. Burning with zeal for Christ, he resolved to wash away by his blood an earlier moment of weakness in which he had appeared to deny the faith. Travelling to Smyrna, then under Turkish rule, he openly confessed Christ in the streets and reproached the Mohammedan religion. He was seized, imprisoned and offered honours and gifts to renounce his confession; he refused with constancy and was beheaded on 25 June 1810, sealing his witness with martyrdom. He is numbered with the company of the New Martyrs who, in the Ottoman period, gave their lives for the truth of Christ in the very sight of His enemies.

Saint Dionysios, builder of the Monastery of the Forerunner on Mount Athos

Saint Dionysios was born about 1316 in the village of Korissos near Kastoria in western Macedonia, and from his youth followed his elder brother Theodosios, later Metropolitan of Trebizond, to Mount Athos. After many years of monastic struggle at the Philotheou Monastery, he withdrew to a hesychastic cell on the southwestern slope of the Holy Mountain, where through a vision of a lampada burning at the place he was given to know the Lord's will to raise a monastery in honour of Saint John the Forerunner. Through his brother's intercession he obtained the support of the Emperor Alexios III Komnenos of Trebizond, whose chrysobull of 1374 endowed the foundation of what came to be called the Monastery of Dionysiou. Saint Dionysios served as its first abbot and gathered a great brotherhood, instructing them by word and example in the strict cenobitic life. He reposed in peace about the year 1388 in Trebizond, whither he had gone on monastic business. His relics worked many miracles, and his disciple and successor Saint Dometios, who reposed shortly after him around the year 1405, is commemorated together with him on this day.

Also commemorated: Peter and Fevronia of Murom

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Romans — Romans 11.13-24

¹³For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: ¹⁴If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. ¹⁵For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? ¹⁶For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; ¹⁸Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. ¹⁹Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. ²⁰Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ²¹For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ²²Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. ²³And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. ²⁴For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

Gospel

weekly cycle

Matthew — Matthew 11.27-30

²⁷All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.