Hebrews 8.7-13 (Epistle)

7Jer da je onaj prvi bez mane bio, ne bi se drugome tražilo mjesta. 8Jer kudeæi ih govori: evo dani idu, govori Gospod, i naèiniæu s domom Izrailjevijem i s domom Judinijem nov zavjet; 9Ne po zavjetu koji naèinih s ocevima njihovima u onaj dan kad ih uzeh za ruku da ih izvedem iz zemlje Misirske; jer oni ne ostaše u zavjetu mome, i ja ne marih za njih, govori Gospod. 10Jer je ovo zavjet koji æu naèiniti s domom Izrailjevijem poslije onijeh dana, govori Gospod: daæu zakone svoje u misli njihove, i na srcima njihovima napisaæu ih, i biæu im Bog, i oni æe biti meni narod. 11I nijedan neæe uèiti svojega bližnjega, i nijedan brata svojega, govoreæi: poznaj Gospoda; jer æe me svi poznati od maloga do velikoga meðu njima. 12Jer æu biti milostiv nepravdama njihovima, i grijeha njihovijeh i bezakonja njihovijeh neæu više spominjati. 13A kad veli: nov zavjet, prvi naèini vethijem; a što je vetho i ostarjelo, blizu je kraja.

Mark 8.11-21 (Gospel)

11I iziðoše fariseji, i poèeše se prepirati s njim, i kušajuæi ga iskahu od njega znak s neba. 12I uzdahnuvši duhom svojijem reèe: zašto rod ovaj znak traži? Zaista vam kažem: neæe se dati rodu ovome znak. 13I ostavivši ih uljeze opet u laðu, i otide na onu stranu. 14I zaboraviše uèenici njegovi uzeti hljeba, i nemahu sa sobom u laði do jedan hljeb. 15I zapovijedaše im govoreæi: gledajte, èuvajte se kvasca farisejskoga i kvasca Irodova. 16I mišljahu jedan drugome govoreæi: to je što hljeba nemamo. 17I razumjevši Isus reèe im: šta mislite što hljeba nemate? Zar još ne osjeæate, niti razumijete? Zar je još okamenjeno srce vaše? 18Oèi imate i ne vidite? uši imate i ne èujete? I ne pamtite li 19Kad ja pet hljebova prelomih na pet hiljada, koliko kotarica punijeh komada nakupiste? Rekoše mu: dvanaest. 20A kad sedam na èetiri hiljade, koliko punijeh kotarica nakupiste komada? A oni rekoše: sedam. 21I reèe im: kako ne razumijete?

Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus (315)

Hermylus was a deacon in Singidunum (modern-day Belgrade) during the reign of Licinius. When he was arrested he joyously welcomed the soldiers who came to seize him. When he confessed Christ before the magistrate, he was beaten, tormented, then thrown in jail. There he prayed to be allowed to partake in Christ’s saving Passion, and heard a voice assuring him that in three days he would receive a Martyr’s crown.

Stratonicus, his jailer, was a kind-hearted man and secretly a Christian, and wept to see the torments to which Hermylus was subjected. Seeing this, the soldiers began to question him; and, seeing that his hour had come, he in turn openly confessed Christ. For this he was seized, flogged and thrown into prison with his brother in Christ. The following day, both were bound, tied in a net and thrown into the Danube, where they received their divinely-promised crowns. Their bodies were washed up a few days later, recovered by Christians and buried with honor.

Our Holy Father Maximos Kavsokalybites (the Hut-burner) (1365)

A native of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, he became a monk at the age of seventeen. When his spiritual Father died, he went on pilgrimage to Constantinople, where he took up the ascesis of folly for Christ, pretending madness in order to conceal his virtues and struggles from the world. He then went to the Great Lavra of St Athanasius on Mount Athos, where he lived as a simple monk in complete obedience. One day, he was told in a dream to go to the summit of Athos to receive (like Moses) the tablets of the spiritual law. He prayed continuously atop the Holy Mountain for three days, after which the Mother of God appeared to him surrounded by angels. She gave him a miraculous loaf for his sustenance and told him to live in solitude on the wild slopes of Mount Athos. Henceforth he lived apart, barefoot in all weather. He would build himself crude shelters of branches and brush; after living in one for a short time he would burn it and move to a new place. Thus he received the name Kavsokalybites “the Hut Burner” from the other monks, who dismissed him as a madman.

Saint Gregory the Sinaite (April 6), one of the great Hesychasts, heard of St Maximos, and hurried to meet him. When they met, St Maximos put aside his usual silence at St Gregory’s pleading, and they discoursed together for many hours. Saint Gregory was astonished at the wonders that God had accomplished in St Maximos, at his depth of spiritual understanding and his eloquence. Returning to the nearby monks, he said “He is an angel and not a man!” He begged St Maximos to give up his nomadic life and his pretended madness, and to live among his fellow monks for their edification. This St Maximos did. He settled in one of his crude huts, living on bread miraculously provided from heaven and on sea-water, which was made sweet by his prayer. He received and counseled any monks who sought him out, and over the years was visited by two Emperors and by the Patriarch of Constantinople. In his last years he returned to a small cell in his Lavra, where he reposed in peace at the age of ninety- five. The monks of Mt Athos immediately venerated him as a Saint.

Our Holy Father Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (369)

“The holy Hierarch Hilary was born of pagan parents in Gaul, and was trained in philosophy and rhetoric. At a time when paganism was still strong in Gaul, Saint Hilary understood the falsehood of polytheism, and became a Christian, and a great defender of his new Faith. About the year 350 he was ordained Bishop of Poitiers, when Arles and Milan were in the hands of the Arians and the Arian Constantius was sole Emperor. Like his contemporary Saint Athanasius, Saint Hilary’s episcopate was one long struggle against the Arians. As Bishop of Poitiers, Saint Hilary foresaw the future greatness of Martin (see Nov. 12), and attached him to himself. In 355, when required to agree to the condemnation of Saint Athanasius by the Council of Milan, Hilary wrote an epistle to Constantius condemning the wrongs done by the Arians and requesting, among other things, the restoration of the Orthodox bishops, including Athanasius. For this, Hilary was banished to Asia Minor, where he wrote his greatest work, On the Trinity. Saint Hilary returned to his see in 360, where Saint Martin sought him out again. It was at this time that Saint Hilary blessed Martin to found a monastery near Poitiers, where Martin remained until being consecrated Bishop of Tours in 371. In his last years, Saint Hilary strove for the deposition of Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Milan, but by affecting an Orthodox confession Auxentius retained his see. Saint Hilary reposed in peace about the year 368. Auxentius died in 374 and was succeeded by Saint Ambrose, who continued Saint Hilary’s battle against Arianism.” (Great Horologion, adapted)