Ven. Alypius the Stylite; Our Holy Father Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk (1731); St Nikon Metanoite ("Repent!") (ca. 1000)

But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.

¹⁶Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

¹Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you, ²and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith. ³But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ⁴We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command. ⁵May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and into the perseverance of Christ.

He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed. ³²For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on. ³³They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”

³⁴They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they didn’t understand the things that were said.