From the calendar 2028

Wednesday, September 27

Martyr Callistratus and Companions

Appointed readings

2 passages

Epistle

Ephesians 3:8–21

8To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

10to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

13Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel

Luke 5:33–39

Open Reader ↗

33Then they said to Him, 'Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?'

34And He said to them, 'Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

35But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.'

36Then He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.

37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.

38But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

39And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.' '

The rhythm of the day

Fasting: Strict fast
Weekly tone: Tone 7

In remembrance

The saints commemorated this day

Martyr Callistratus and CompanionsRead the life

Callistratus was born in Carthage to Christian parents. In time, he joined the army, where he was the only Christian in his regiment. One of his fellow-soldiers saw Callistratus rise during the night to pray, and reported him to their commander. Callistratus was interrogated, then, when he refused to deny his faith or make sacrifice to the idols, was harshly beaten, then tied in a sack and thrown in the sea. But the sack burst open and Callistratus emerged from the sea unharmed. Seeing this, forty-nine of his fellow-soldiers confessed Christ, and were beaten and thrown into prison with Callistratus. In prison, Callistratus instructed the newly-enlightened Christians in the faith. Finally, all of them were beheaded, according to some sources in 288, according to others in 304.

Ven. Sabbatius of SolovetskRead the life

He lived for many years as a monk at the Monastery of St Cyril of White Lake, where his ascetic struggles won him the respect of his brethren. To flee from the admiration of men he moved further north to Valaam Monastery. But he still attracted the good opinion of his community, so he secretly headed still further north, planning to reach the uninhabited Solovki Island in the White Sea (a large bay of the Arctic Ocean). When he reached the coast, everyone who might take him tried to dissuade him from living in such a harsh place. He answered ‘My children, I have a Master who has the power to renew the strength of the old and to enfeeble the young if He so wills. He makes the poor rich, clothes the naked, provides for the destitute and satisfies the starving with a measure of food as he fed five thousand men in the desert.’

Read the full life

Holy Apostles Mark, Aristarchus and Zenas of the SeventyRead the life

St Mark was also called John; according to Acts 12:12, the apostles gathered for prayer in Jerusalem at his mother Mary’s house, and was later bishop in Byblos. St Aristarchus accompanied St Paul in his travels (Acts 16:29) and was later bishop in Syrian Apamea. St Zenas is mentioned as a lawyer in Titus 3:13, and was bishop in Lydda in Palestine.

Holy New Martyr Aquilina (1764)Read the life

She lived in the village of Zangliverion near Thessalonika. When she was still an infant, her father killed a Turkish neighbor in an argument and, to save his life, denied his Christian faith. To compound his apostasy he promised that when his daughter came of age she too would convert. Aquilina’s mother, however, held fast to her faith in Christ, and brought up her daughter to love her Savior fervently. When Aquilina reached the age of eighteen, her father told her that the time had come to formally embrace Islam; he was dismayed when she replied that she would rather suffer any torment than deny Christ. Fearing for his own life, her father handed her over to the Turkish authorities. When the usual threats and promises had no effect, she was viciously beaten three times.

Read the full life

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