The Cross Explained
“What does it mean to take up your cross? It means the willing acceptance, at the hand of Providence, of every means of healing, bitter though it may be, that is offered. Do great catastrophes fall on you? Be obedient to God’s will, as Noah was. Is sacrifice demanded of you? Give yourself into God’s hands with the same faith as Abram had when he went to sacrifice his son. Is your property ruined? Do your children die suddenly? Suffer it all with patience, cleaving to God in your heart, as Job did. Do your friends forsake you, and you find yourself surrounded by enemies? Bear it all without grumbling, and with faith that God’s help is at hand, as the apostles did.”
Saint Nikolai Velimirovich
Wednesday May 21, 2025 / May 8, 2025
Apodosis of Prepolovenie. Tone four.
Fast. Fish Allowed
Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (98-117).
Venerable Arsenius the Great of Scetis (448).
Venerables Arsenius the Lover of Labor (14th c.) and Pimen the Ascetic (12th c.), of the Kiev Caves.
Martyrs Nicephorus (1942).
Translation of the relics (1785) of Venerable Arsenius of Novgorod, fool-for-Christ (1570).
Venerable Hierax of Egypt (5th c.).
The Monks Zosima and Adrian of Volokolamsk (15-16th c.).
St. Emilia (375), mother of Sts. Macrina, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa.
Venerable Cassian, recluse and faster of the Kiev Caves (13-14th c.).
St. Macarius of Ghent, archbishop (1012) (Neth.).
St. Iduberga, foundress of Nijvel (652) (Neth.).
Commemoration of the healing of blinded Stephen by the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Cassiopia.
Hiermartyrs Indract and Comp, at Shapwick.
St. Wiro, bishop of Utrecht.
St. Odger, hierodeacon, of Odilienberg.
St. Milles the Melode, monk(Greek)
The Scripture Readings
John 21:15-25 Matins Gospel
15
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
18
Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.
19
This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
20
Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
21
Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
22
Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
23
Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
24
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
13
Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
14
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
15
And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”
16
Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:
17
The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
18
Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.
19
And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
20
After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21
And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22
And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
23
From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior-Jesus-
24
after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
5
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
6
But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8
One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9
There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?
10
Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11
And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12
So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”
13
Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
1 John 1:1-7 Apostle
1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-
2
the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-
3
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
John 19:25-27; 21:24-25 Apostle
25
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”
27
Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
24
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.