19th Sunday After Pentecost - 10/19/25
Sunday, October 19th is the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, and on this day the Church remembers:
Prophet Joel (ca. 800 B.C.)
Martyr Varus, and with him seven Monastic Martyrs (ca. 307)
Translation of the Relics of Ven. John, Abbot of Rila, Bulgaria (1238)
Blessed Cleopatra and her son John, in Egypt (327)
Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth), Bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him (342).
The Prophet Joel predicted the desolation of Jerusalem and prophesied that the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all people, through the Savior of the world (Joel 2:28-32).
The hymnographer Anatolius links Joel’s prophecy to the Nativity of the Lord. In the Praises at Matins on the Sunday following the Nativity, he refers to Joel 2:30 (“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke”) saying that the blood refers to the Incarnation, the fire to the Divinity, and the pillars of smoke to the Holy Spirit.
Read more about the lives of these saints here.
Readings for Sunday, October 19th:
-
31
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
32
In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me;
33
but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.
1
It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:
2
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
3
And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows –
4
how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
5
Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.
6
For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.
7
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
-
5
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.
6
Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
7
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
8
But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
9
Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10
And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’
11
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12
Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13
But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
14
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
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.