The Holy Venerable-Martyr Nikon and His Disciples, Martyred with Him (270-75)
Great Fast Day 37
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 49:6-10; Vespers – Genesis 31:3-16; Proverbs 21:3-21
According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Read Isaiah 49:6-10
Living a Christian life in the world is hard. The Judeo-Christian foundations of our society are crumbling under the pressures of the ever-changing relativism of the age. Truth is no longer seen as an objective fact; it has become subjective, based on an individual’s personal preference, and it can change on a daily basis. Those who seek to live a Gospel-centred Christian life are pushed to the fringes and rejected when upholding the sacredness of life or supporting a proper ordering of human sexuality.
The people of Israel were also rejected and persecuted for their faith in God and for adhering to the promise made to them by God. But God’s promise is stronger and more enduring than worldly rejection and persecution. God’s promise endures forever, and nothing in the world can negate the promise He makes to His chosen ones.
We, brothers and sisters, have been chosen by God to carry His light in the world. We have been called by Him to endure until the end, through bright times and dark, through joy and rejection, remaining faithful until the end. Our faithfulness is the light this world requires to encounter the Kingdom of God here and now.