Saturday, 23 January 2027

Saturday of the 34th week after Pentecost

286 days after Pascha · Tone 8 · Liturgy · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Hieromartyr Clement of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus

296

He was from Ancyra in Galatia, son of a pagan father and a Christian mother named Euphrosyne. His mother prophesied on her deathbed that he would suffer great torments for Christ over many years. After her death he was adopted and reared by a pious woman named Sophia. From the age of twelve, he began to fast and pray like the monks, so that he was soon ordained a deacon, and became Bishop of Ancyra at the age of twenty. His piety and zeal for the faith attracted the attention of the Imperial Governor of the region, who had him arrested. Thus began Clement’s twenty-eight years of almost continuous suffering for the Faith. When he stood firm despite many tortures, he was sent to the Emperor Diocletian in Rome. The Emperor showed him a table set with costly vessels on one side, and another decked with instruments of torture on the other, and bade Clement to make his choice. The Saint replied: “These precious vessels remind how much more glorious must be the eternal good things of Paradise; and these instruments of torture remind me of the everlasting punishments of hell that await those who deny the Lord.” The Saint was viciously tortured, then transported to Nicomedia, where a converted pagan named Agathangelus (‘good angel’) became his companion. For many years they endured unspeakable torments alternating with long imprisonments, but nothing would move them to deny the precious Faith of Christ. After twenty-eight years of suffering, Agathangelus was beheaded; but Clement was briefly paroled and allowed to celebrate the services of Theophany and to give the holy Communion to his fellow-Christians. A few days later, as he was again celebrating the Divine Liturgy, some pagan soldiers burst into the church and beheaded him at the altar.

Hieromartyr Clement, bishop of Ancyra

Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in 258 to a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father in infancy and his mother when he was twelve years old. A devout woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. From his youth, Clement was distinguished for his exceptional virtue and holy living, particularly for his ascetical practices. He ate only bread and vegetables, abstaining from anything slaughtered or containing blood. Because of his fame as a holy man, Clement was elected Bishop of Ancyra at the extraordinary young age of twenty. He had previously been made a reader, then ordained a deacon, and at eighteen was ordained to the holy priesthood. When the persecution against Christians under Emperor Diocletian broke out, Bishop Clement boldly confessed the faith despite the dangers. He was denounced as a Christian and arrested. During the reign of Diocletian, Bishop Clement was subjected to horribly torments as no one had suffered since the beginning of the world, according to historical accounts. He spent twenty-eight years in torments and in dungeons, enduring his sufferings with remarkable faith and steadfastness. On 23 January 312, soldiers from the city stormed the church where he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy as bishop. The holy hierarch was beheaded as he stood before the altar offering the Bloodless Sacrifice. His disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided execution with other confessors, desired to suffer and die with his bishop and was also martyred. Their memory is preserved in the Orthodox tradition as witnesses to Christ.

Saint Mausimas the Syrian

Saint Mausimas (also known as Maximus) was a Syrian monk and ascetic of the early Church. Little biographical detail survives regarding his birth and family, but he is venerated as one of the desert fathers of Syria and the Holy Land during the period of Christian monastic development in the fourth or fifth century. Mausimas devoted his life to rigorous asceticism, prayer, and the pursuit of spiritual perfection in the harsh conditions of the Syrian desert. He was known for his wisdom and spiritual counsel, and attracted disciples who sought his guidance in the monastic life. His life exemplifies the early monastic tradition of self-denial, contemplative prayer, and the struggle against the passions through fasting and vigil. He is commemorated on 23 January as a venerable monk and father of the desert.

Saint Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola

Paulinus of Nola (353-431) was born in Bordeaux in Aquitania into a wealthy senatorial family. He received a classical education and held the position of Roman consul in 389. In his youth he was known for his eloquence and secular learning, but underwent a profound spiritual conversion in middle age. After the death of his son and the influence of his wife Therasia, he and his family renounced their vast estates and wealth, distributing their fortune to the poor and to churches. He was ordained a priest and later became Bishop of Nola, where he laboured tirelessly for the spiritual and material welfare of his flock. Paulinus was celebrated for his generosity towards the poor and sick, earning the epithet "the Merciful". He was a prolific writer of hymns and spiritual poems, and his correspondence with Saint Augustine and other Church fathers influenced theological thought of the period. He fasted rigorously and maintained a life of ascetic discipline despite his advancing years. Paulinus reposed in peace around 431 and was venerated as a great intercessor for the poor. His feast day commemorates his pastoral charity and transformation from worldly pursuits to Christian asceticism.

Venerable Anatolius of Optina the Younger

Anatolius of Optina the Younger was a Russian Orthodox monk of the Optina Monastery in the nineteenth century. He followed in the tradition of the elders (starcy) of Optina, who were renowned for their spiritual wisdom and pastoral care of souls. Anatolius devoted himself to the monastic life with great dedication, practising rigorous asceticism, obedience to the monastic rule, and constant prayer. He became known as a compassionate spiritual father to those who sought his counsel, offering guidance rooted in deep Orthodox theology and lived experience of the ascetic struggle. The Optina Monastery, situated in the region of Kaluga, was a major centre of spiritual renewal in the Russian Church during the nineteenth century, producing several notable elder-monks and hermits. Anatolius exemplified the virtues of humility, prayer, and self-sacrificial love that characterised the Optina tradition. He reposed in the Lord at Optina and is commemorated as a venerable father of the Russian monastic tradition.

Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates

Salamanes was from the town of Kapersana in Syria, on the west bank of the Euphrates River. He followed the path of monasticism and built his cell near the Euphrates, dedicating himself entirely to prayer, silence, and study of the Word of God. He sought to be dead to the world and to obey only the will of God through his monastic struggles. When the bishop of the town learned of the virtue of the venerable ascetic, he went to see him in order to ordain him to the priesthood, desiring to elevate his spiritual gifts for the benefit of the Church. Upon arrival at the saint's cell, the bishop ordered Salamanes to dismantle part of the wall so that he might enter. During the conversation about the grace of priesthood and its responsibilities, the bishop was met with complete silence. Salamanes spoke not a single word in response, maintaining his vow of silence even before his spiritual superior. Understanding the saint's commitment to silence and contemplation, the bishop departed, ordering him to rebuild the wall. Saint Salamanes was content with his feat of silence, which he maintained as a spiritual discipline until his death around the year 400. The ascetic did not interrupt his practice, speaking only to God in prayer. He is honoured as the first saint in the Orthodox tradition to embrace complete silence as a lifelong spiritual practice, pioneering what would later develop into the hesychast tradition of mystical prayer.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Ephesians — Ephesians 2.11-13

¹¹Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;

¹¹Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; ¹²that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: ¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 13.18-29

¹⁸Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

¹⁸He said therefore, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I liken it? ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. ¹⁹It is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his own garden; and it grew, and became a tree; and the birds of the heaven lodged in the branches thereof. ²⁰And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?

²⁰And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. ²¹It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

²²And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on unto Jerusalem. ²²And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, ²³And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them, ²⁴Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

²⁴Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: ²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; ²⁶Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. ²⁶then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; ²⁷But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. ²⁷and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. ²⁸There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without. ²⁸There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. ²⁹And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. ²⁹And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.