James 1.1-18 (Epistle)

1Od Jakova, Boga i Gospoda Isusa Hrista sluge, svima dvanaest koljena rasijanijem po svijetu pozdravlje. 2Svaku radost imajte, braæo moja, kad padate u razliène napasti, 3Znajuæi da kušanje vaše vjere gradi trpljenje; 4A trpljenje neka djelo dovršuje, da budete savršeni i cijeli bez ikake mane. 5Ako li kome od vas nedostaje premudrosti, neka ište u Boga koji daje svakome bez razlike i ne kori nikoga, i daæe mu se; 6Ali neka ište s vjerom, ne sumnjajuæi ništa; jer koji se sumnja on je kao morski valovi, koje vjetrovi podižu i razmeæu. 7Jer takovi èovjek neka ne misli da æe primiti što od Boga. 8Koji dvoumi nepostojan je u svima putovima svojijem. 9A poniženi brat neka se hvali visinom svojom; 10A bogati svojom poniznošæu; jer æe proæi kao cvijet travni. 11Jer sunce ogrija s vruæinom, i osuši travu, i cvijet njezin otpade, i krasota lica njezina pogibe; tako æe i bogati u hoðenju svojemu uvenuti. 12Blago èovjeku koji pretrpi napast; jer kad bude kušan primiæe vijenac života, koji Bog obreèe onima koji ga ljube. 13Nijedan kad se kuša da ne govori: Bog me kuša; jer se Bog ne može zlom iskušati, i on ne kuša nikoga; 14Nego svakoga kuša njegova slast, koja ga vuèe i mami. 15Tada zatrudnjevši slast raða grijeh; a grijeh uèinjen raða smrt. 16Ne varajte se, ljubazna braæo moja! 17Svaki dobri dar i svaki poklon savršeni odozgo je, dolazi od oca svjetlosti, u kojega nema promjenjivanja ni mijenjanja vidjela i mraka; 18Jer nas dragovoljno porodi rijeèju istine, da budemo novina od njegova stvorenja.

Mark 10.11-16 (Gospel)

11I reèe im: koji pusti ženu i oženi se drugom, èini preljubu na njoj. 12I ako žena ostavi muža svojega i poðe za drugoga, èini preljubu. 13I donošahu k njemu djecu da ih se dotakne; a uèenici branjahu onima što ih donošahu. 14A Isus vidjevši rasrdi se i reèe im: pustite djecu neka dolaze k meni, i ne branite im; jer je takovijeh carstvo Božije. 15Zaista vam kažem: koji ne primi carstva Božijega kao dijete, neæe uæi u njega. 16I zagrlivši ih metnu na njih ruke te ih blagoslovi.

Holy Apostle Timothy

This is the Apostle to whom two of St Paul’s Epistles are addressed. He was from Lystra in Lycaonia, born to a pagan Greek father and a Jewish mother. His mother, whose name was Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, brought him up in piety and love of the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul converted the two women during his first missionary visit to Lystra; returning seven years later, he found Timothy full of zeal for Christ, and baptized him. Timothy became his closest disciple: in his epistles, St Paul calls calls him “my dearly beloved son.” So that Timothy would be able to preach the Gospel in the synagogues, St Paul personally circumcised him.

The Apostle Paul consecrated Timothy as the first bishop of Ephesus. As such, he became a disciple and exarch of St John the Evangelist, who supervised all the churches in Asia. In AD 97, he attempted to oppose the celebration of a festival to Artemis; the pagans, enraged, mobbed him and beat him to death. He was buried near the tomb of St John. In 356 his precious relics were translated (along with those of Sts Andrew and Luke) to Constantinople and enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles. In 1204 they were stolen by the Latin Crusaders when they pillaged the city.

Holy Martyr Anastasius of Persia (628)

He was a Persian, the son of a Magus, a soldier in the Persian army under Chosroes II, who at that time was making inroads into the Christian Empire. His Persian name was Magundat. Chosroes captured Jerusalem in 614, and carried away the Precious Cross as a trophy. Magundat heard of this, and of all the miracles worked by the Cross; and he wondered why the ruins of an instrument of torture were so revered by the Christians. Seeking out Christian elders to answer his questions, he learned of the Incarnation, life, Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Christ, and with joy embraced the Christian Faith as Truth. He was baptized by St Modestus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and given the name of Anastasius. At the same time, he took monastic vows. For a time he lived in a monastery in Jerusalem, but then went forth, found some Persian Magi at Caesarea, and chastised them for embracing delusions. Since he was in Persian territory (as he well knew), he was taken to the Persian governor, interrogated, imprisoned, and finally taken with other captives to Persia. There, despite many severe tortures, he refused to return to his former error, and was hanged by one hand, strangled, then beheaded.