Saturday, 18 April 2026

Bright Saturday

6 days after Pascha · Tone 8 · Liturgy · No Fast (Fast Free)

Saints commemorated

Holy new martyr John of Ioannina

1526

He moved as a young man to Constantinople to work as a craftsman. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, many Christians had denied Christ and embraced Islam. John spoke with many of these about the Faith and challenged them for their betrayal of Christ. Shamed and angered, some of them had him arrested, falsely stating that he had earlier accepted Islam and then returned to Christianity, which is punishable by death in Islamic law. He was tortured and cast into prison. When he was brought out for more torture on the day of Pascha, John came forward full of joy and singing ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ To his torturers he cried, ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him.’ He has bound in chains and taken to be burned, but when he ran joyfully into the fire, his tormentors pulled him from the flames and beheaded him instead, then threw his head and body into the fire. Christians were able to gather a few of his wonderworking relics and bury them in the Great Church in Constantinople.

Saint Cosmas, bishop of Chalcedon, and Saint Auxentius

Saint Cosmas, bishop of Chalcedon, and his fellow ascetic Saint Auxentius lived during the ninth century at the time when the iconoclast emperors were oppressing the Orthodox Church for its veneration of the holy icons. While still in his youth Cosmas had entered a monastery and received monastic tonsure, devoting himself to the ascetic life. There he was joined in spiritual brotherhood by Saint Auxentius, who became his close companion in labour and prayer. In due course Cosmas was consecrated bishop of Chalcedon, where he zealously defended the Orthodox faith against the iconoclast heretics. When the emperor Leo the Armenian (813 to 820) issued his decree ordering the holy icons to be removed from the churches, Cosmas refused to obey, declaring that to dishonour the image of Christ and his saints was to dishonour Christ himself. For this confession he was driven from his see, beaten and exiled to a harsh prison, where he endured many sufferings. His friend Auxentius shared in his exile and torments, encouraging the bishop in patience and remaining at his side until the end. Cosmas reposed in confession of the truth, and Auxentius soon followed him. The Orthodox have ever since honoured them together as confessors who suffered for the holy icons.

Venerable Athanasia, abbess of Aegina

Saint Athanasia was born on the island of Aegina in the early ninth century to a pious Christian family, her parents being named Nicetas and Marina. At the age of seven she had already learned the Psalter, which she read constantly and with feeling. While working at the loom one day she beheld a shining star descending from above which touched her bosom and lit up all her being before disappearing; from that moment her soul was illumined and she resolved to enter the monastic life. When she reached the age of sixteen, her parents prevailed upon her to marry, but only sixteen days after the wedding her husband was killed by Saracen raiders who descended on Aegina. Then the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820 to 829) issued an edict commanding all young widows and unmarried women to take husbands; in obedience she married a second time, but after some years her husband, persuaded by her holy life, embraced the monastic state and gave her his blessing to do the same. She gathered a community of women on Aegina and was chosen as their abbess. She wore a hair shirt under coarse sheep's wool, slept little, prayed through the night, and ate only bread and water. God granted her the gifts of healing and prophecy, and from the offerings brought by the faithful she built three churches, dedicated to the Theotokos, the Forerunner and Saint Nicholas. Fleeing fame, she went to Constantinople and lived as a simple nun for seven years before being persuaded to return. She reposed about the year 860 on this day in the Greek usage; the Slavonic churches commemorate her on 12 April.

Venerable John, disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis

Saint John, the disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis, became a monk while still young, having been drawn to the life of prayer and silence by the holiness of his master. He received the monastic tonsure from Gregory at a monastery in Thessalonica and placed himself wholly under his guidance, attaining great spiritual perfection through obedience, fasting and ceaseless prayer. When the emperor Leo the Armenian (813 to 820) renewed the persecution against the Orthodox for their veneration of the holy icons, Saint Gregory of Decapolis, his disciple John, and Saint Joseph the Hymnographer travelled together from Thessalonica to Constantinople to oppose the iconoclast heresy and to strengthen the faithful in the imperial city. There they endured many hardships and dangers for the sake of the holy images. After the repose of Saint Gregory, John remained in Constantinople with Saint Joseph and was made abbot of the monastery of Saints Antipas and Mokios, also called the monastery of Decapolis, where Gregory had laboured. Under his guidance the brethren grew in virtue and zeal for Orthodoxy. He reposed peacefully about the year 820, before the final triumph of the holy icons, and was buried beside his beloved teacher Gregory.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Acts — Acts 3.11-16

¹¹And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

¹²And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. ¹⁴But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; ¹⁵And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. ¹⁶And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Gospel

weekly cycle

John — John 3.22-33

²²After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. ²⁴For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. ²⁶And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. ²⁷John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. ²⁸Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. ²⁹He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. ³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease. ³¹He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. ³²And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. ³³He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.