Virgin Martyr Anysia at Thessalonica; Our Holy Father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (1563); Gideon the New Martyr of Mount Athos

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. ⁹By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

¹¹By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.

¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. ¹⁶But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. ²When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. ³They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵Again he sent another, and they killed him, and many others, beating some, and killing some. ⁶Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. ¹¹This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹²They tried to seize him, but they feared the multitude; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them. They left him and went away.