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The Holy Prophet Ezekiel The son of a priest from the city of Sarir, he was taken into captivity in Babylon with King Jehoiachin and many other Israelites. Living in captivity, Ezekiel prophesied for twenty-seven years. He was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah. As Jeremiah taught and prophesied in Jerusalem, so Ezekiel taught and prophesied in Babylon. Jeremiah"s prophecies were known in Babylon, as were Ezekiel"s in Jerusalem. Both these holy men were in agreement in their prophecy, and they were both ill-treated and tormented by the faithless Jewish people. Ezekiel had vivid and indescribable visions. By the river Chebar, he saw the heavens open, and a cloud like fire and lightning, and four living creatures like molten copper. One of the living creatures had the face of a man, the second that of a lion, the third that of a calf and the fourth that of an eagle. The human face signified God incarnate as man, the lion"s face His divinity, the calf s His sacrifice and the eagle"s His Resurrection and Ascension. In another image, he was shown the resurrection of the dead. The prophet saw a valley filled with the dry bones of the dead, and when the Spirit of God came upon them, they came to life and stood on their feet. He also saw the terrible destruction of Jerusalem, when the wrath of God cut down all except those who had earlier been marked with the mark, that of the Greek Tav, our letter "T", which is also the sign of the Cross. The malice of the Jews did not spare this holy man. Embittered against him for having denounced them, the Jews bound him to the tails of horses and he was torn asunder. He was buried in the self-same place in which Shem the son of Noah was buried.Our Holy Fathers Simeon and John These two young men left their homes and kinsfolk: Simeon his old mother and John his wife, and were made monks in the community of St Gerasim, at the hands of Abbot Nikon. They went off into the desert, where they spent many years in the strictest asceticism. They mortified their bodies with this ascesis until they were like two pieces of dry wood. One day, Simeon said to John that, at God"s command, he must leave the desert and return to the company of men, there to serve God. John gave him this advice: "Keep your heart from all that you see in the world. Whatever there may be that touches your hand, let it not take hold of your heart. When food passes your lips, let not your heart be sweetened by it. If your feet have to move, let there be peace within you. Whatever you do outwardly, let your mind remain tranquil. Pray for me, that God may not part us from each other in the world to come." Holy Simeon accepted his friend"s advice, embraced him and then left the desert and went among men, to teach them through folly and turn them to the Christian faith. He made himself appear mad to men, but his heart was a temple of the Holy Spirit, a temple of unceasing prayer. He had abundant gifts from God, having discernment into all men"s secrets, both close at hand and afar off, and healed men of evil spirits and other infirmities. Dancing through the streets like a madman, he drew near to people and whispered their sins in their ears, calling them to repentance. He appeared to sinners in dreams, reprimanding them for their sins and calling them also to repentance. Thus St Simeon appeared in a dream to a pagan actor, Bali, who publicly mocked the holy things of the Christians. He rebuked him and threatened him, and Bali repented and became a good Christian. A dissolute youth went out of his mind with lust. Seeing him, St Simeon, feigning madness, struck him a blow on the face, and said: "Do not commit adultery!" At that moment, the unclean spirit left the young man and he was healed.Martyrs Trophimus and Theophilus (305) and others with himSt. Parthenius of Radovizlios, bishop Martyrs Justus and MatthewMartyr EugeneVenerable Onuphrius the Silent of the Kiev Caves (12th c.) The Monk Onuphrii the Silent, of Pechersk, pursued asceticism in the nearer Antoniev Caves in the XII Century. A second commemoration is done 28 September in the Sobor (Assemblage) of the Monastic Fathers of the Kievo-Pechersk Nearer Caves.Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia The Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatias, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491)...New Hieromartyrs Simo Banjac and Milan Stojisavljevic and his son Martyr Milan of Glamoc, Serbia (1941-1945)Protopresbyter Simo Baniac was born in 1871 in Gorny Rybnik. He finished seminary in Relievo in 1893 and was ordained priest in 1897. He was butchered by the Ustashi in 1941.
Protopresbyter Mirko Stoisavlevich was born in Otishiche in 1885. He finished seminary in Zadar in 1908 and was ordained deacon and priest in 1909. He was captured by the Ustashi on 30 June 1941, tortured and murdered.
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