2025

On Monday | August 18

----------

The Readings from the Regular Cycle

The Epistle

Monday of the 11th Week

The reading is from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.

2 Cor. 2:3 – 15

Brethren, my joy is the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. But if any one has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure - not to put it too severely - to you all. For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough; so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, for he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his designs. When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord; but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. [RSV]

The Gospel

Monday of the 11th Week of Matthew

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Mt. 23:13 – 22

The Lord said to the Jews who had come to him, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.” [RSV]

__________

The Readings for the Commemoration

The Epistle

For the Martyrs.

The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

Col. 1:24 – 29, 2:1

Brethren, now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ Jesus. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me. For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you. [RSV]

__________

Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On August 18, we commemorate the holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus.

On this day the holy multitude of paupers that crushed the idols died by fire.

On this day, we commemorate the holy Martyrs Hermus, Serapion, and Polyaenus.

On this day, we commemorate the holy Martyr Juliana near Strobilus. We also commemorate the holy Martyr Leo, who contested by the sea, near Myra of Lycia.

On this day the four Ascetics in the desert died in peace.

On this day we commemorate our fathers among the saints, John and George, Patriarchs of Constantinople.

On this day we commemorate our devout and God-bearing father Arsenius the New, who was from Ioannina and lived as an ascetic on the Island of Paros.

By the intercessions of Your Saints, O God, have mercy on us. Amen.

__________

Fasting Rule

Fast Free: All foods allowed.