Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 11:27-33. 
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him 
and said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?" 
Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 
Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me." 
They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say, '(Then) why did you not believe him?' 
But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"--they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. 
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." Then Jesus said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Commentary of the day 
Saint Peter Chrysologus (c.406-450), Bishop of Ravenna, Doctor of the Church 
Sermon 167 ; CCL 248, 1025 ; PL 52, 636

"John the Baptist came to you..., but you did not believe him" (Mt 21:32)

"John the Baptist proclaimed: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Mt 3:2)... O blessed John, who desired that conversion precede judgment, that sinners should not be condemned but rewarded, that the unrighteous should enter the Kingdom and not undergo punishment... When did John preach this nearness of the Kingdom of heaven? The world was still in its infancy...; but for us who are announcing this nearness today, the world is extremely antiquated and worn out. It has lost its strength, lost its faculties, suffering weighs it down..., it cries out its exhaustion, it bears all the symptoms of its end... 

We are being towed along by a world that passes away, forgetting the world to come. We are greedy for present things but do not take into account the coming judgment. We will not run to meet the Lord as he comes... 

Let us turn back, brethren, let us turn back... By the very fact of his delay, of his still waiting, our Lord proves his desire to see us come back to him, his desire that we should not perish. In his great goodness he continues addressing these words to us: "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather that they change their ways and live" (Ez 33:11). So let us turn back to him, brethren, not fearing that time is running short. The time that belongs to time's Author cannot be shortened. The proof of it lies in the criminal in the Gospel who, at the moment of dying on the cross, got away with his pardon, grabbed hold of life and, breaking into paradise like a burglar, managed to make his way into the Kingdom (cf. Lk 23:43) !

SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER 
Martyrs 
(+ c. 304)

        Pope Damasus received the information about the martyrdom of Saints Marcellinus and Peter during the Diocletian persecution from the executioner himself. They were beheaded.

The saints are happy in heaven because they followed Christ.
They rejoice with him for ever because they shed their blood for love of him.