Sunday August 31, 2025 / August 18, 2025
12th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone three.
Icon of the Mother of God “Enlightener of Minds” (movable holiday on the Sunday after August 15th).
1Martyrs Florus and Laurus of Illyria (2nd c.).
New Martyrs Archimandrite Augustine of Orans Monastery, Proto-priest Nicholas of Nizhni-Novgorod, and 15 people with them (1918).
New Hieromartyr Gregory priest and Martyr Eugene and Michael (1937).
Martyrs Hermes, Serapion, and Polyaenus of Rome (2nd c.).
Martyrs Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus, Hieromartyr Emilian, and others (about 1,000) of Italy (4th c.).
Sts. John (674) and George (683), patriarchs of Constantinople.
Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete (830).
Repose of Venerable John, abbot of Rila (946) (Bulgaria).
The Hodigitria Icon of the Mother of God.
Venerable Barnabus and his nephew Venerable Sophronius, monks of Mt. Mela near Trebizond (412) (Greek).
Venerable Christopher, abbot of Mt. Mela Monastery (1694) (Greek).
Venerable Sophronius of St. Anne’s Skete on Mt. Athos (Greek).
Venerable Arsenius the New of Paros (1877) (Greek).
Martyr Juliana near Strobilus (Greek).
Martyr Leo, drowned near Myra in Lycia (Greek).
St. Christodoulos the Philosopher, called the Ossetian, of Georgia (12th c.) (Georgia).
The Scripture Readings
Matthew 28:16-20 (1st Matins Gospel)
16
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
1
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.
3
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6
After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7
After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8
Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11
Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
16
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17
So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18
He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’
19
‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
20
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24
And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
25
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”