Monday, 28 September 2026

Ven. Chariton the Confessor

Monday of the 18th week after Pentecost

169 days after Pascha · Tone 8 · Red cross (polyeleos typikon symbol) · No Fast (Wine and Oil are Allowed)

Saints commemorated

★ Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine

Saint Chariton was born at Iconium in the province of Lycaonia in the third century, and from his youth he was nurtured in the Christian faith, being especially devoted to the holy Protomartyr Thecla, his fellow citizen, whose example fired him to confess Christ. During the persecution under the emperor Aurelian he was seized, fiercely tortured and cast into prison, but by God's providence he survived; on the death of Aurelian in 275 he was set free with the other confessors. Resolving to consecrate the rest of his days entirely to God, he set out for the Holy Land. As he made his way through the wilderness near Jericho he was taken captive by robbers and brought to their cave; there a viper providentially poisoned the wine the robbers had prepared, all of them perished, and the saint, set free, made the cave his hermitage. From this beginning grew the first of his three monastic houses, the Pharan Lavra, and afterwards he founded the Lavra of Jericho and the Souka, called the Old Lavra. He gave to his monks a written rule, taught them strict obedience and unceasing prayer, and is said by the Prologue to have begun the practice of the monastic tonsure. Reposing in great old age on 28 September about the year 350, he was buried in his first monastery, where his relics rest to this day. He is honoured as a father and lawgiver of Palestinian monasticism.

Holy Prophet Baruch

The Holy Prophet Baruch, whose name in Hebrew means blessed, was the son of Neriah of the tribe of Judah, and lived in the seventh century before the birth of Christ. He was the faithful disciple, secretary and companion of the great Prophet Jeremiah, and shared in his sufferings for the truth. When Jeremiah was imprisoned, Baruch wrote down the prophecies which the prophet dictated and read them in the hearing of all the people in the Temple at Jerusalem and afterwards before the princes of the king. For this faithful service he too was hated, persecuted and bound, and after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians he was carried with Jeremiah into Egypt, where, according to tradition, he ended his days. To Baruch is attributed the deuterocanonical book that bears his name, in which he foretells the return of the Jews from their captivity and clearly announces the Incarnation of the Son of God: this is our God, no other can be likened unto him; afterward he appeared upon earth and dwelt among men. For this prophecy his book is read among the Old Testament lessons on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. He is commemorated on this day together with Saint Chariton.

Holy Right-Believing Prince Wenceslaus of Bohemia

Saint Wenceslaus, called in Czech Vaclav, was born in 907, son of the Christian Duke Vratislav and grandson of Saint Ludmila, by whom he was raised in the Orthodox faith and instructed in the Slavonic letters at her court. After his father's early death his mother Drahomira, an unbeliever, opposed the Christian education of her sons; she had Saint Ludmila strangled, but the holy youth Wenceslaus on coming of age took the government into his own hands, sent his mother into exile and laboured for the upbuilding of the Church among his people. He built churches, the chief of these being the future cathedral of Saint Vitus on the Hradcany hill in Prague, brought clergy from Greek and Slavonic lands and ransomed many Christian captives. The pagan nobles, hating his piety and his close ties with the Christian east and west, conspired with his younger brother Boleslav, who at his own court at Stara Boleslav waylaid the saint as he went to Matins on the morning of 28 September 935 and slew him at the door of the church. He was at once acknowledged a martyr by his people, and his blood was reverenced as holy; his relics were translated to Prague and many wonders were wrought through them. His memory has been kept from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church, and his name is honoured throughout the Christian world.

Holy Martyr Vatslav, King of the Czechs

929

“The grandson of St Ludmilla, he lived as king in spiritual striving in the Faith like the great ascetics, and strengthened the Orthodox faith among his people. He took care when sitting in judgement that no innocent man should suffer. In his zeal for the Christian faith and his love for his neighbour, holy Vatslav bought pagan children who had been sold as slaves and immediately baptised them, bringing them up as Christians. He translated St John’s Gospel into Czech and brought the relics of St Vitus and his grandmother, Ludmilla, to Prague. His brother Boleslav invited him to stay and killed him at his court. Immediately after this, Boleslav began to make German priests and to have the Liturgy celebrated in Latin. Holy Vatslav suffered in 929. His relics are preserved in Prague.” (Prologue) This is the “Good King Wenceslaus” of the popular Christmas carol.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Ephesians — Ephesians 4.25-32

²⁵Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. ²⁶Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: ²⁷Neither give place to the devil. ²⁸Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. ²⁹Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. ³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 4.37-44

³⁷And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

³⁸And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. ³⁹And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

⁴⁰Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. ⁴¹And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. ⁴²And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. ⁴³And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. ⁴⁴And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Vespers

Wisdom of Solomon — Wisdom of Solomon 5.15-6.3

¹⁵But the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High.

¹⁶Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them.

¹⁷He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armour, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies.

¹⁸He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet.

¹⁹He shall take holiness for an invincible shield.

²⁰His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise.

²¹Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark.

²²And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them.

²³Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.

¹Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth.

²Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations.

³For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.

Vespers

Wisdom of Solomon — Wisdom of Solomon 3.1-9

¹But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.

²In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery,

³And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace.

⁴For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality.

⁵And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for himself.

⁶As gold in the furnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering.

⁷And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.

⁸They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.

⁹They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with him: for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect.

Vespers

Wisdom of Solomon — Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15

⁷But though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest.

⁸For honourable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years.

⁹But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age.

¹⁰He pleased God, and was beloved of him: so that living among sinners he was translated.

¹¹Yea speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.

¹²For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind.

¹³He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time:

¹⁴For his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted he to take him away from among the wicked.

¹⁵This the people saw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, That his grace and mercy is with his saints, and that he hath respect unto his chosen.

Matins Gospel

Matthew — Matthew 4.25-5.12

²⁵And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

¹And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: ²And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, ³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. ⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. ⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. ¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Epistle

— St Chariton

2 Corinthians — 2 Corinthians 4.6-15

⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you. ¹³We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; ¹⁴Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Gospel

— St Chariton

Luke — Luke 6.17-23

¹⁷And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judæa and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; ¹⁸And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. ¹⁹And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

²⁰And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. ²²Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. ²³Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.