2024

On Monday | July 8

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The Readings from the Regular Cycle

The Epistle

Monday of the 3rd Week

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

Rom. 7:1 – 14

Brethren, I am speaking to those who know the law. Do you not know that the law is binding on a person only during his life? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin. I should not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, wrought in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and by it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. [RSV]

The Gospel

Monday of the 3rd Week of Matthew

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Mt. 9:36 – 38; 10:1 – 8

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.” [RSV]

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The Readings for the Commemoration

The Epistle

For the Martyr.

The reading is from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.

1 Tim. 4:9 – 15

Timothy, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and suffer reproach, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Till I come, attend to reading, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. [RSV]

The Gospel

For the Martyr.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Lk. 6:17 – 19, 9:1 – 2, 10:16 – 22

At that time, there came to Jesus a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all. And he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you: but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before you. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” [RSV]

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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On July 8 we commemorate the holy Great-martyr Procopius.

Saint Theodosia, the mother of Saint Procopius, died by the sword.

The Twelve Women of senatorial rank died by the sword.

The holy Martyrs Antiochus, Nicostratus, Abdas and Sabbas died by the sword.

The devout Theophilus, who lived in asceticism on the Holy Mountain of Athos, reposed in peace.

The holy New Hieromartyr Anastasius, who was from Hagios Vlasios, Hegoumenitsa, witnessed in Constantinople and died by the sword in the year 1743.

By their holy intercessions, O God, have mercy on us. Amen.

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Fasting Rule

Fast Free: All foods allowed.