Monday, 26 May 2025

Monday of the 6th Sunday of Pascha

36 days after Pascha · Tone 5 · Liturgy · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy

The Holy Apostle Alphaeus was one of the Seventy Apostles chosen by the Lord and sent out to preach His Gospel. He came from the Galilean city of Capernaum and was the father of two of the Twelve Apostles, James the son of Alphaeus and, according to tradition, also Matthew the Evangelist and tax collector. Having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Alphaeus laboured in the preaching of the Gospel and converted many to the faith of Christ. The synaxaria record that he reposed in peace after his evangelical labours, although some traditions number him among the martyrs. He is commemorated on 26 May together with the Apostle Carpus, and his children, the Holy Martyrs Avercius and Helen, are also remembered upon this day, as are James the son of Alphaeus on 9 October and Saint Matthew on 16 November. The Orthodox Church honours Alphaeus among the first who carried the message of salvation through the cities of Israel, the father of saints, and one of the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ.

Holy Apostle Carpus of the Seventy

He was one of the Seventy and a companion of St Paul, who mentions him in 2 Timothy 4:13. He became a Bishop in Thrace (the Great Horologion says in Berea, the Prologue in Varna), where he suffered martyrdom. St Dionysius the Areopagite met and wrote about him, stating that Carpus never began the Liturgy without first receiving a heavenly vision.

From the Prologue: “We must not desire the death of a sinner, but his repentance. Nothing so saddens the Lord who suffered on the Cross for sinners as when we pray to Him for the death of a sinner and his removal from our path. It once happened that the Apostle Carpus lost patience and began to pray God to send death upon two sinful men, the one pagan and the other an apostate from the Faith. The Lord appeared to him and said: ‘Behold, here I am; ready to be crucified again for the salvation of men.’ St Carpus related this event to St Dionysius the Areopagite, who wrote it down as a lesson for all in the Church that we must pray for the salvation of sinners and not for their destruction. For the Lord ‘is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (II Peter 3:9).”

Holy Martyrs Avercius and Helen

The Holy Martyrs Avercius and Helen were the children of the holy Apostle Alphaeus, one of the Seventy, and they suffered for Christ in the early years of the preaching of the Gospel. Avercius, having confessed his faith openly, was stripped naked and bound to a beehive, where the bees stung him until he gave up his soul to the Lord. His sister Helen, refusing in like manner to deny Christ, was put to death by stoning at the hands of the unbelievers. By their deaths the holy children sealed the apostolic preaching of their father with their blood, joining the chorus of those first witnesses who suffered for the new-planted faith. The synaxaria of the Greek and Slavonic Churches preserve their names together with that of their father on this day, and they are honoured among the holy martyrs of the apostolic age, whose courage and innocence have been a pattern for many. Their commemoration is kept on 26 May along with the Apostles Carpus and Alphaeus.

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Apostle of the English

Saint Augustine, the apostle of the English, was an Italian Benedictine monk and prior of the monastery of Saint Andrew on the Coelian Hill in Rome. About the year 596, Saint Gregory the Great, Pope of Rome, sent him at the head of a band of forty monks to preach the Gospel to the still pagan Anglo-Saxons of Britain. Landing in 597 on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, Augustine and his companions were received by King Ethelbert, whose Frankish queen Bertha was already a Christian. The king gave them leave to preach freely, and through their holy lives, their wonders, and their preaching, Augustine converted Ethelbert and many thousands of his subjects, baptising the king and a great multitude in the river Swale. Consecrated bishop and afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, he established his see at the church of Saint Martin, founded the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul east of the city, and built the cathedral of Christ Church which he consecrated on 9 June 603. He laboured to bring the British clergy of the older Celtic mission into communion with Rome on the matters of Pascha and other usages. Saint Augustine reposed in the Lord on 26 May 605, leaving behind a flourishing English Church.

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, evangelizer of England

c. 605

He is the founder of the Church in southern England, which at that time was almost entirely pagan, though Christianity thrived in the Celtic lands of Ireland, Wales and parts of Scotland. Augustine, a monk at the monastery of St Andrew in Rome, was chosen by Pope Gregory I to lead a mission to England. He and a party of about forty monks landed in England in 597; they were received warmly by King Aethelbert, who was baptised by Augustine and thus became the first Christian king of the Anglo-Saxon people. In 601 Pope Gregory made Augustine Archbishop of Britain, and he established his cathedral at Canterbury, where he also established a monastery. Saint Augustine worked unsuccessfully to unite his churches with those of the Irish monks and hierarchs, who followed different liturgical practices, kept a different date of Pascha, and disapproved of the less severe Roman monastic practices introduced by the Archbishop. He reposed in peace.

Holy New Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica

1794

He was born in Thessalonica and, though baptised a Christian, he accepted Islam as a young man, eventually becoming a Sufi (one of a mystical sect among the Muslims). But in time he began to repent, and concluded that martyrdom was the only way for him to cleanse himself from the stain of his denial of Christ. Having repented, he presented himself to the Turks dressed as a Christian. He was thrown into prison and tortured, but in response to every enticement, threat or torment, he would only say ‘I was born a Christian, and as a Christian I shall die.’ Finally he was sentenced to death, which Alexander joyfully accepted as a sign of God’s forgiveness. He was slain by the sword in Smyrna in 1794.

Also commemorated: Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Acts — Acts 17.1-15

¹Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

¹Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: ²and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures, ²And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, ³opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. ³Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. ⁴And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. ⁴And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

⁵But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁵But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people. ⁶And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; ⁶And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; ⁷whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. ⁷Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. ⁸And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. ⁸And they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. ⁹And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. ⁹And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

¹⁰And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

¹⁰And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who when they were come thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. ¹¹Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so. ¹²Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. ¹²Many of them therefore believed; also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of men, not a few. ¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and troubling the multitudes. ¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. ¹⁴And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. ¹⁴And then immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still. ¹⁵But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed. ¹⁵And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Gospel

weekly cycle

John — John 11.47-57

⁴⁷Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

⁴⁷The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many signs. ⁴⁸If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. ⁴⁸If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. ⁴⁹And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, ⁴⁹But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, ⁵⁰Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. ⁵⁰nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. ⁵¹And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; ⁵¹Now this he said not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; ⁵²and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad. ⁵²And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. ⁵³So from that day forth they took counsel that they might put him to death. ⁵³Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. ⁵⁴Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

⁵⁴Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there he tarried with the disciples.

⁵⁵And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. ⁵⁵Now the passover of the Jews was at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the passover, to purify themselves. ⁵⁶Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? ⁵⁶They sought therefore for Jesus, and spake one with another, as they stood in the temple, What think ye? That he will not come to the feast? ⁵⁷Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him. ⁵⁷Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commandment, that, if any man knew where he was, he should show it, that they might take him.