Fifth Sunday After Pentecost - 7/5/26

Sunday, July 5th, is the fifth Sunday after Pentecost.

On this day, we remember:

• Ven. Athanasius, Founder of the Great Lavra and Cœnobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, and his six disciples (1000)

• Uncovering of the Relics of Ven. Sergius (Sérgii) of Rádonezh (1422)

• Martyr Anna at Rome (304) and Martyr Cyrilla, of Cyrene in Libya, a widow (304)

• Ven. Lampados of Irenopolis (10th c.)

• Hieromartyr Cyprian of Mt. Athos (1679).

Read more about the lives of these and other saints here.

Readings for Sunday, July 5th:

• Galatians 5:22-6:2 (Epistle, either Saint)

  22

  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

  23

  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

  24

  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

  25

  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

  26

  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

  1

  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

  2

  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

• Luke 6:17-23 (Gospel, either Saint)

  17

  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,

  18

  as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.

  19

  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

  20

  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

  21

  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

  22

  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.

  23

  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

• Romans 10:1-10

  1

  Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

  2

  For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

  3

  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

  4

  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

  5

  For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”

  6

  But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above)

  7

  or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

  8

  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

  9

  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

  10

  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

• Matthew 8:28-9:1

  28

  When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.

  29

  And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

  30

  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.

  31

  So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”

  32

  And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

  33

  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

  34

  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

  1

  So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city

The Holy Scriptures are part of the Church’s Holy Tradition. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of blessed memory wrote:

In the words of Father Alexander Schmemann, “A Christian is the one who, wherever he looks, finds everywhere Christ, and rejoices in Him.” This is true in particular of the biblical Christian. Wherever he looks, on every page, he finds everywhere Christ.

See Metropolitan Ware’s article How to Read the Bible for more on an Orthodox approach to scripture.