Martyr Paramon and Companions; Our Holy Father Pitirim of Egypt (4th c.); Our Righteous Father Nicholas, Archbishop of Thessolonica

Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. ²For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, ⁴that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, ⁵not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, ⁶that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. ⁸Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; ¹¹and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you, ¹²that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

On one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, the priests and scribes came to him with the elders. ²They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

³He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: ⁴the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

⁵They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.

⁸Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”