Orthodox and church holidays and fasts
Today is an Orthodox church holiday: * Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (memory of the miracle by which Orthodoxy was established, 451). * Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, in holy baptism Helena (969) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Tomorrow:
* Martyrs Proclus and Hilary (c. 98-117).
* St. Michael Malein (962) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Holidays are expected: 07/26/2021
- * Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.
* St. Stephen Savvait (794) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... 07.27.2021
- * Apostle Aquila of the 70 (I) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
07.28.2021
- * Martyrs of Kirik and Julitta, his mother (c. 305). *** Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in holy baptism Vasily, Baptist of Rus' (1015) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
All Orthodox and church holidays and fasts...
Orthodox Saints of God
The holy saints of God show special love and mercy to those who honor their holy memory.
It seems to many that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who have withdrawn themselves, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The holy saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God that even after death He would honor them with the gift of helping people in various cases of life.
The saints have reached the Heavenly Kingdom and there they see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; but by the Holy Spirit they also see the suffering of people on earth. Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He deigned them to be intercessors before Him for deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.
The saints rejoice at our repentance and mourn when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They feel sorry that people live on earth, not knowing that if they loved each other, then there would be freedom from sin on earth: and where there is no sin, there is joy and gladness from the Holy Spirit, so that, wherever you look, everything sweet, and the soul wonders why it feels so good, and praises God. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The entire Christian race knows about this. We must remember: in order for a prayer to be heard, one should pray to the holy saints of God with faith in the power of their intercession before God, in words coming from the heart.
In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Helper, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God is more likely to hear us sinners, our prayers. The Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors. more>>
The Lord says: “When you light a candle, you do not put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Saints are bright stars that show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us treasure the closeness of the holy saints of God to God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the holy saints of God on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.
«Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»
Saints: life, memory, suffering...
A few words about the Apostle Mark
One of the 70 apostles of Jesus was born in Cyrene. He was the nephew of the Apostle Barnabas and a disciple of Peter, who called him his son (of course, spiritual).
According to tradition, Mark followed Jesus shortly before He was taken into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was dressed in black clothes and managed to escape when the soldiers wanted to capture him.
Thanks to Mark, a church was built in Egypt. He is the first bishop in Alexandria, where Christian teaching began. He preached the name of God in many cities and countries, including Libya, Africa, and Nektopolis.
Together with the Apostle Peter, he visited Paul in Rome. It was here that the Gospel was written, at the request of believers.
This happened 10 years after the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. At first Mark refused to describe the acts of Jesus, but then he agreed and got to work.
Mark himself, according to legend, did not follow the life of Jesus. The Gospel he wrote is a story from the words of the Apostle Peter.
After writing the book, Mark returned to Alexandria, where he preached the Name of God to the pagans with dedication, for which he was hated. When Mark saw (in a dream) his death, he hastened to leave behind followers.
They were: Ananias, the bishop whose sore hand was cured by Mark, and 3 elders.
Soon the guards came for him, beat him and dragged him half-dead through the streets of the city, and then threw him into prison. At night the Lord appeared to him.
When the guards came for him the next morning to lead him to execution, Mark said: “Into Your hands I commend my spirit.” Then he went to heaven.
After his death, the pagans wanted to burn his body, but the Savior did not allow them to do this. He caused an earthquake. The pagans had to bury Mark in accordance with Christian customs.
Orthodox prayers and icons of the Mother of God and saints
The word “icon” comes from the Greek language and means “image”, “image”. The image of the icon is consecrated with holy water and special prayers, through this consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as holy. According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, “the honor given to an icon relates to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” The Council especially emphasizes that we give veneration to icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. “The icon mysteriously contains within itself the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more grace-filled and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon.”
All Icons of the Mother of God and Saints
Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer? About prayer
Prayer is the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, asks him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing more than a person’s way of talking with God. About prayer...
The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said Saint Philaret of Moscow, “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.
Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance or form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. The prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and anywhere. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is happy or sad, when he succeeds or fails, when he is in the company of his enemies or in the circle of his friends, when he is abandoned by everyone, or when he in the midst of your beloved family. But God’s temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we should go to church to pray, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians - gather to pray together, all together. This kind of prayer is called church prayer.
Every Orthodox Christian must pray daily, morning and evening, before and after eating food, before starting and at the end of any task (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).
In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.
In the evening, before going to bed, we also thank the Lord for a successful day and ask him to keep us during the night.
Before and after meals we pray to thank God for His gifts and ask Him to bless and sanctify the food.
In order for the work to be done successfully and safely, we must also, first of all, ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God.
Unfortunately, many people forget about the necessity and importance of prayer, and resort to it only in cases of feeling hopeless. However, even in these cases, as practice shows, God does not forget about the person and gives him his love and support. But not a single prayer will bring anything good to a person if he simply reads it without thinking about what is said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when turning to the Creator in prayer, to truly feel every word.
God is the best of interlocutors; he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be embarrassed to talk to God even about the most secret things that are in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.
“True prayer does not consist in words and saying them, but true prayer consists “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and say prayer not only with your lips, but also with your mind and heart; and not only bow our heads and knees, but also our hearts before Him; and raise our intelligent eyes to Him with humility. For all prayer must come from the heart; and what the tongue says, the mind and heart must say.” Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.
And no matter what happens during the day, everything happens according to the will of God; all, without exception, are circumstances in which the Lord wished to place you, so that you could be His presence, His love, His compassion. His creative mind, His courage... And, besides, whenever you encounter this or that situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a part of the Body of Christ and the action of God. If you do this, you will easily see that sometimes you will have to turn to God and say: “Lord, enlighten my mind, strengthen and direct my will, give me a fiery heart, help me!” At other times you will be able to say, “Oh my God, thank you!”
In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov.
In the New Testament, prayer is a living connection between the children of God and their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the unity of the entire Holy Trinity with the entire spirit.” Thus, prayer life is a constant and natural presence in the presence of the Trisagion of God and in communion with Him. Such vital communion is always possible because through baptism our being has become one with Christ. Prayer is Christian because it is communion with Christ and grows in the Church, which is His Body. Its dimensions are the dimensions of Christ's love.
“Prayer is not telling God our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can contact our spirit and act in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we know ourselves.” Archimandrite Rafail (Karelin) (XX century).
Text of the book "GOSPEL OF MARK"
Holy Gospel from Mark
Chapter 1
1 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
2 As it is written in the prophets: Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And all the country of Judea and the people of Jerusalem came out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 And John wore a robe of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And he preached, saying, He who is mightier than I is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down to untie;
8 I baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
9 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
John immediately saw
the heavens opening and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
12 Immediately after this the Spirit led Him into the wilderness.
13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the beasts; and Angels served Him.
14 After John was betrayed, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God
15 And saying that the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel.
16 And as he passed near the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
18 And they immediately left their nets and followed Him.
19 And having gone on from there a little, He saw James Zebedee and John his brother also in a boat mending nets;
20 and immediately called them. And they, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the workers, followed Him.
21 And they come to Capernaum; and soon on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.
22 And they marveled at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
23 In their synagogue there was a man possessed
unclean spirit, and cried out:
Leave it at 24! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us! I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God.
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him.”
26 Then the unclean spirit shook him and cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.
27 And they were all astonished, so that they asked one another, “What is this?” What is this new teaching that He commands even the unclean spirits with authority, and they obey Him?
28 And soon the report of Him spread throughout all the surrounding region in Galilee.
29 Soon leaving the synagogue, they came to the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 Simon's mother-in-law lay in a fever; and immediately they tell Him about her.
31 He came and lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and the fever immediately left her, and she began to serve them.
32 When evening came, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all the sick and demon-possessed.
33 And the whole city gathered at the door.
34 And He healed many who were afflicted with various diseases; He cast out many demons, and did not allow the demons to say that they knew that He was the Christ.
35 And in the morning, getting up very early, he went out and went into a deserted place, and there he prayed.
36 Simon and those with him followed him
37 And having found Him, they say to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
38 He says to them: Let us go to the neighboring villages and cities, so that I may preach there too, for this is why I came.
39 And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee and cast out demons.
40 A leper comes to Him and, begging Him and falling on his knees before Him, says to Him: If you want, you can cleanse me.
41 Jesus, having compassion on him, stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him: I want you to be clean.
42 After this word, the leprosy immediately left him, and he became clean.
43 And looking at him sternly, he immediately sent him away
44 And he said to him, See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
45 And he went out and began to proclaim and tell what had happened, so that Jesus
He could no longer clearly enter the city, but was outside, in deserted places. And they came to Him from everywhere.
Chapter 2
1 After a few
days He came again to Capernaum; and it was heard that He was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room at the door; and He spoke the word to them.
3 And they came to Him with the paralytic, whom four men carried;
4 and not being able to approach Him due to the crowds, they opened the roof
house where He was, and, having dug through it, they lowered the bed on which the paralytic lay.
5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: child! your sins are forgiven you.
6 Some of the scribes sat there and thought in their hearts:
7 Why does He blaspheme so much? who can forgive sins except God alone?
8 Jesus, immediately knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this way in themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts?”
9 Which is easier? Should I say to the paralytic: your sins are forgiven? or should I say: get up, take your bed and walk?
10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic:
11 I say to you, get up, take up your bed and go to your house.
12 He immediately arose and, taking up the bed, went out before everyone, so that everyone was amazed and glorified God, saying: We have never seen anything like this.
13 And Jesus
again to the sea; and all the people went to Him, and He taught them.
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi Alphaeus sitting at the toll booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he,
standing up, he followed Him.
15 And as Jesus reclined in his house, his disciples reclined with him, and many publicans and sinners: for they were many, and they followed him.
16 When the scribes and Pharisees saw that He was eating with publicans and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?”
17 Having heard this,
Jesus says to them: It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
18 The disciples of John and the Pharisees fasted. They come to Him and say: Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridal chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?” As long as the groom is with them, they cannot fast,
20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.
21 No one puts patches of unbleached cloth on old clothing, otherwise the newly sewn garment will be torn away from the old one, and the hole will be even worse.
22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine will leak, and the skins will be lost; but new wine must be put into new wineskins.
23 And it happened on the Sabbath that He passed through the sown fields,
and His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn along the way.
24 And the Pharisees said to Him: Look, what are they doing on the Sabbath that ought not to be done?
25 He said to them: Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, he and those who were with him?
26 How did he enter into the house of God in the presence of Abiathar the high priest and eat the showbread, which no one was to eat except the priests, and gave it to those who were with him?
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath;
28 Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Chapter 3
1 And he came again to the synagogue; there was a man who had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him to see if he would heal him on the sabbath, that they might accuse him.
3 And he said to the man who had a withered hand, Stand in the middle.
4 And he said to them, “Should you do good on the Sabbath, or do evil?” save your soul or destroy it? But they were silent.
5 And he looked at them with anger, grieving over the hardness of their hearts, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched out, and his hand became as healthy as the other.
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately made a conference with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him.
7 But Jesus and His disciples withdrew to the sea; and a great multitude followed Him from Galilee, Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan. And living
in the vicinity of Tire and Sidon, having heard what He was doing, they came to Him in great multitudes.
9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that he would not be crowded.
10 For He healed many, so that those who had wounds ran to Him to touch Him.
11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out: You are the Son of God.
12 But He strictly forbade them, so that they would not make Him known.
13 Then he went up to the mountain and called to Him whomever He wanted; and came to Him.
14 And he appointed of
them
to be with Him and to send them to preach,
15 and that they may have power to heal diseases and cast out demons;
16 put
Simon, calling his name Peter,
17 James Zebedee and John the brother of James, calling their names Boanerges, that is, “sons of thunder,”
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
20 They come to the house; and again the people gathered, so that it was impossible for them to eat bread.
21 And when his neighbors heard, they went to take him, for they said that he had lost his temper.
22 And the scribes who came from Jerusalem said that He had in
Him
and that He cast out demons by the power of the prince of demons.
23 And he called them and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan?”
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand;
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand;
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.
27 No one can enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28 Truly I say to you, all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of men, no matter what they blaspheme;
29 But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but he will be subject to eternal condemnation.
30 He
said this because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 And his mother and his brothers came, standing outside
home, they sent to Him to call Him.
32 The people sat around him. And they said to Him: Behold, Thy mother and Thy brothers and Thy sisters are outside
at home, they ask you.
33 And he answered them: Who are my mother and my brothers?
34 And looking around at those sitting around Him, He said, Behold My mother and My brothers;
35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother.
Chapter 4
1 And he began to teach again by the sea; and a great crowd gathered to Him, so that He entered into a boat and sat on the sea, and all the people were on the land by the sea.
2 And he taught them in many parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
3 Listen: behold, a sower went out to sow;
4 And as he sowed, it happened that some fell by the wayside, and birds came and devoured them.
5 Others fell on a rocky place,
where there was little earth, and it soon sprang up, because the earth was shallow;
6 When the sun rose, it withered and, as if it had no root, withered away.
7 Some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked the seed,
and it did not bear fruit.
8 And some fell on the good ground and produced fruit, which sprang up and grew, and brought forth some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred.
9 And he said to them: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
10 When he was left without people, those around Him, together with the twelve, asked Him about the parable.
11 And he said to them: It has been given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to those outside everything happens in parables;
12 so that they look with their own eyes and do not see; They hear with their own ears and do not understand, lest they convert, and their sins be forgiven.
13 And he said to them: Do you not understand this parable? How can you understand all the parables?
14 The sower sows the word.
15 Sown
by the way means those in whom the word is sown, but
to whom,
when they hear, Satan immediately comes and snatches away the word sown in their hearts.
16 In the same way, what was sown on rocky ground
means those who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy,
17 But they have no root in themselves and are unstable; then, when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they are immediately offended.
18 Those sown among thorns are those who hear the word,
19 but in whom the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and other desires, entering into them, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 And what was sown on good ground means those who hear the word and receive it, and bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold.
21 And he said to them, “Is a candle brought for this purpose, to put it under a bushel or under a bed?” Is it not for putting it on a candlestick?
22 There is nothing hidden that will not come to light, and nothing hidden that will not come out.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!
24 And he said to them, Take note of what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you, and more will be added to you who hear.
25 For whoever has, to him will be given, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
26 And he said, The kingdom of God is as if a man sows seed in the ground,
27 He sleeps and rises night and day; and how the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know,
28 For the earth itself produces first a green plant, then an ear, then a full grain in the ear.
29 When the fruit is ripe, he immediately uses the sickle, because the harvest has come.
30 And he said: What shall we compare the kingdom of God to? or by what parable shall we depict it?
31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
32 And when it is sown, it comes up and becomes larger than all the grains, and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can take refuge under its shade.
33 And he preached the word to them in many parables, as far as they could hear.
34 But he did not speak to them without a parable, but explained everything to his disciples in private.
35 In the evening of that day he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 And they sent the people away, and took Him with them, as He was in the boat; There were other boats with Him.
37 And a great storm arose; the waves beat on the boat, so that it was already filling with water.
38 And He slept on the stern at the head. They wake him up and say to him: Teacher! Do You really not need that we perish?
39 And standing up, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea: Be still, cease. And the wind died down, and there was great silence.
40 And he said to them: Why are you so fearful? How do you have no faith?
41 And they feared with great fear, and said among themselves, Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Chapter 5
1 And they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
who was possessed came out of the tombs and met Him.
unclean spirit
3 he had a dwelling in tombs, and no one could bind him even with chains,
4 Because he was often bound with shackles and chains, but he broke the chains and broke the fetters, and no one was able to tame him;
5 always, night and day, in the mountains and in the tombs, he screamed and beat himself against the stones;
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him,
7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” I conjure You by God, do not torment me!
8 For Jesus
He said to him, “Come out, O unclean spirit, from this man.”
9 And he asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered and said, My name is Legion, for we are many.
10 And they asked Him many things, that He would not send them out of that country.
11 And there was a large herd of swine grazing there by the mountain.
12 And all the demons besought Him, saying, Send us among the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 Jesus immediately allowed them. And the unclean spirits came out and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and there were about two thousand of them; and drowned in the sea.
14 And those who were tending the swine ran and told it in the city and in the villages. And the residents
went out to see what happened.
15 They came to Jesus and saw that the demoniac, in whom the legion was, was sitting and clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
16 Those who saw it told them how it happened to the demon-possessed man, and about the pigs.
17 And they began to ask Him to depart from their borders.
18 And when He entered the boat, the demoniac asked Him to be with Him.
19 But Jesus did not allow him, but said, “Go home to your people and tell them what the Lord has done to you and how
had mercy on you.
20 And he went and began to preach in the Decapolis what Jesus had done to him; and everyone marveled.
21 When Jesus again crossed over in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered to Him. He was by the sea.
22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, seeing Him, fell at His feet
23 And he earnestly begs Him, saying, My daughter is about to die; come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.
24 Jesus
went with him. Many people followed Him and pressed Him.
25 There was a woman who had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 she suffered a lot from many doctors, exhausted everything that she had, and did not receive any benefit, but she came to an even worse state, -
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up from behind among the people and touched His garment,
28 For she said, If I touch His garment, I will be healed.
29 And immediately her source of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
30 At the same time Jesus, perceiving within Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned among the people and said, Who touched My garment?
31 The disciples said to Him: You see that the people are crowding You, and you say: Who touched Me?
32 But He looked around to see the one who did this.
33 The woman, in fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
34 He said to her: daughter! your faith has saved you; Go in peace and be well from your illness.
35 While He was still speaking these things, they came from the ruler of the synagogue and said, “Your daughter is dead; Why else are you bothering the Teacher?
36 But when Jesus heard these words, he immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”
37 And he suffered no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
38 He comes to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and sees confusion and people weeping and crying out loudly.
39 And he entered and said to them, “Why are you troubled and crying? the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.
40 And they laughed at Him. But He, having sent everyone out, takes with Him the father and mother of the girl and those who were with Him and enters where the girl lay.
41 And, taking the girl by the hand, he says to her: “talifa kumi,” which means: girl, I tell you, stand up.
42 And the girl immediately stood up and began to walk, for she was about twelve years old. Those who saw
came to great amazement.
43 And He strictly ordered them that no one should know about it, and said that they should give her something to eat.
Chapter 6
1 He left from there and came to His own country; His disciples followed Him.
2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard said in amazement: Where did He get this from? What kind of wisdom was given to Him, and how are such miracles performed by His hands?
3 Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Josiah, Judah and Simon? Are not His sisters here, between us? And they were offended because of Him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his relatives, and in his own house.”
5 And he could not perform any miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
6 And he marveled at their unbelief; then he walked around the surrounding villages and taught.
7 And he called twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
8 And he commanded them not to take anything for the journey, except one staff: no bag, no bread, no copper in their belts,
9 But put on simple shoes and not wear two layers of clothing.
10 And he said to them, “If you enter a house anywhere, stay in it until you leave that place.”
11 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to you, then when you go out from there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.
12 They went and preached repentance;
13 They cast out many demons and anointed and healed many sick people.
14 When King Herod heard about
Jesus
[for His name had become known], he said: It is John the Baptist who has risen from the dead, and therefore miracles are done by him.
15 Others said: This is Elijah, and others said: This is a prophet, or like one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard it, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he rose from the dead.
17 For this Herod sent and took John and put him in prison for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.
18 For John said to Herod, “You must not have your brother’s wife.”
19 Herodias, being angry with him, wanted to kill him; but she couldn't.
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and took care of him; I did a lot by obeying him, and listened to him with pleasure.
21 An opportune day came when Herod, on the occasion of the day
his birth, he made a feast for his nobles, the captains of thousands and the elders of Galilee, -
22 The daughter of Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those who were reclining with him; the king said to the girl: ask me what you want, and I will give it to you;
23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, even up to half of my kingdom.”
24 She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask?” She answered: the heads of John the Baptist.
25 And she immediately went with haste to the king and asked, saying: I want you to give me now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
26 The king was saddened, but for the sake of the oath and those who were reclining with him, he did not want to refuse her.
27 And immediately the king sent his armor-bearer and ordered his head to be brought.
28 He went and cut off his head in prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the maiden, and the maiden gave it to her mother.
29 When his disciples heard it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
30 And the apostles gathered together to Jesus and told him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught.
31 He said to them, “Go alone to a deserted place and rest a little,” for there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat.
32 And they went to a deserted place in a boat alone.
33 The people saw how
they set off, and many recognized them; and they fled there on foot from all the cities, and warned them, and gathered to Him.
34 Jesus went out and saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and began to teach them a lot.
35 And when much time had passed, His disciples came to Him and said, “The place is here
deserted, and there’s already a lot of time, -
36 Let them go so that they can go to the surrounding villages and villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.
37 He answered and said to them, “Give them something to eat.” And they said to Him: Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?
38 But He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” go and have a look. When they found out, they said: five loaves and two fish.
39 Then he commanded them to seat everyone in sections on the green grass.
40 And they sat down in rows, by hundreds and by fifties.
41 He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to give to them; and he divided the two fish among everyone.
42 And they all ate and were filled.
43 And they gathered up pieces of bread and leftovers
twelve full boxes of fish.
44 Now there were about five thousand men who ate the loaves.
45 And immediately he compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go forward to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sent the people away.
46 And having sent them away, he went up to the mountain to pray.
47 In the evening the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.
48 And I saw them in distress on the voyage, because the wind was against them; About the fourth watch of the night he approached them, walking on the sea, and wanted to pass them.
49 When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
50 For everyone saw Him and were afraid. And immediately he spoke to them and said to them, “Be of good cheer; It's me, don't be afraid.
51 And he went into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were exceedingly amazed at themselves and marveled,
52 for they did not come to their senses through a miracle
over the loaves, because their hearts were hardened.
53 And having crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and landed on
the shore.
54 When they got out of the boat, immediately the inhabitants
having recognized Him,
55 They ran around the entire area and began to bring the sick on their beds to where He was heard to be.
56 And wherever He came, whether in villages, in cities, or in villages, they laid the sick in open places and asked Him to touch at least the hem of His garment; and those who touched Him were healed.
Holy Fathers on Prayer
“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.
“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.
“Prayer is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.
“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both by the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.
“You must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.
“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.
“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.
Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.
Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.
Writing Mastery
The author of the second book of the New Testament was the companion of the Apostle Paul, Mark. It was from Paul that Mark learned about the life of Jesus and his teaching. Having put it all together, he put it in writing.
Evangelist Mark
It is a generally accepted fact that Mark is the John Mark of the New Testament (Acts 12:12 ). His mother was wealthy and a prominent Christian in the Jerusalem church and the church probably met in her home. Mark joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but not on their second, due to strong differences between the two men ( Acts 15:37–38 ). However, near the end of his life, Paul called Mark to be with him ( 2 Timothy 4:11 ).
What a Christian Should Remember
There are words of Holy Scripture and prayers that it is advisable to know by heart.
1. The Lord's Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). 2. The main commandments of the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). 3. The main gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3-12; Matt. 5, 21-48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14-21; Matt. 6, 24-25; Matthew 7, 1-5; Matthew 23, 8-12; John 13, 34). 4.Symbol of Faith. 5. Morning prayers and evening prayers according to a short prayer book. 6. The number and meaning of the sacraments.
The sacraments must not be mixed with rituals. A ritual is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith. A sacrament is a sacred act during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the believers. There are seven such sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Blessing of Anointing (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination) ...
