2 Peter 3.1-18 (Epistle)

1Evo vam, ljubazni, veæ pišem drugu poslanicu u kojima budim napominjanjem vaš èisti razum, 2Da se opominjete rijeèi koje su naprijed kazali sveti proroci, i zapovijesti svojijeh apostola od Gospoda i spasa. 3I ovo znajte najprije da æe u pošljednje dane doæi rugaèi koji æe življeti po svojijem željama, 4I govoriti: gdje je obeæanje dolaska njegova? Jer otkako oci pomriješe sve stoji tako od poèetka stvorenja. 5Jer navalice neæe da znadu da su nebesa bila otprije i zemlja iz vode i usred vode Božijom rijeèi. 6Zato tadašnji svijet bi vodom potopljen i pogibe. 7A sadašnja nebesa i zemlja tom istom rijeèi zadržana su te se èuvaju za dan strašnoga suda i pogibli bezakonijeh ljudi. 8Ali ovo jedno da vam ne bude nepoznato, ljubazni, da je jedan dan pred Gospodom kao hiljada godina, i hiljada godina kao jedan dan. 9Ne docni Gospod s obeæanjem, kao što neki misle da docni, nego nas trpi, jer neæe da ko pogine, nego svi da doðu u pokajanje. 10Ali æe doæi dan Gospodnji kao lupež noæu, u koji æe nebesa s hukom proæi, a stihije æe se od vatre raspasti a zemlja i djela što su na njoj izgorjeæe. 11Kad æe se dakle ovo sve raskopati, kakovijem treba vama biti u svetom življenju i pobožnosti, 12Èekajuæi i želeæi da bude skorije dolazak Božijega dana, kojega æe se radi nebesa spaliti i raskopati, i stihije od vatre rastopiti? 13Ali èekamo po obeæanju njegovu novo nebo i novu zemlju, gdje pravda živi. 14Zato, ljubazni, èekajuæi ovo starajte se da vas on naðe èiste i prave u miru. 15I trpljenje Gospoda našega držite za spasenje; kao što vam i ljubazni naš brat Pavle po danoj mu premudrosti pisa. 16Kao što govori o ovome i u svima svojijem poslanicama, u kojima imaju neke stvari teške razumjeti, koje nenauèeni i neutvrðeni izvræu, kao i ostala pisma, na svoju pogibao. 17A vi dakle, ljubazni, znajuæi naprijed, èuvajte se da prijevarom bezakonika ne budete odvedeni s njima, i ne otpadnete od svoje tvrðe; 18Nego napredujte u blagodati i u poznanju Gospoda našega i spasa Isusa Hrista. Njemu slava i sad i u vjeèna vremena. Amin.

Mark 13.24-31 (Gospel)

24Ali u te dane, poslije te nevolje, sunce æe pomrèati, i mjesec svoju svjetlost izgubiti. 25I zvijezde æe spadati s neba i sile nebeske pokrenuti se. 26I tada æe ugledati sina èovjeèijega gdje ide na oblacima sa silom i slavom velikom. 27I tada æe poslati anðele svoje i sabraæe izbrane svoje od èetiri vjetra, od kraja zemlje do kraja neba. 28A od smokve nauèite se prièi: kad se veæ njezina grana pomladi i stane listati, znate da je blizu ljeto. 29Tako i vi kad vidite ovo da se zbiva, znajte da je blizu kod vrata. 30Zaista vam kažem da ovaj naraštaj neæe proæi dok se ovo sve ne zbude. 31Nebo i zemlja proæi æe, ali rijeèi moje neæe proæi.

St Meletios, archbishop of Antioch (381)

Our holy father Meletios, an Armenian by birth, became archbishop of Antioch at the height of the Arian controversy. Though he was appointed by influential Arians who thought that he shared their views, as soon as he was raised to the throne he began to preach the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. “At this, the archdeacon, an Arian, put his hand over the bishop’s mouth; Meletios then extended three fingers towards the people, closed them, and extended one only, showing by signs the equality and unity of the Trinity. The embarrassed archdeacon then seized his hand, but released his mouth, and Meletios spoke out even more forcibly in defense of the Council of Nicea” (Great Horologion). It was St Meletios who ordained St John Chrysostom reader and deacon in Antioch. He presided at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381. At his repose, St Gregory of Nyssa gave his funeral oration, lamenting: “Our Elijah has been caught up, and no Elisha is left behind in his place.”

St Alexis, metropolitan of Moscow and wonder-worker of all Russia (1378)

He was born early in the 14th century to a family of court dignitaries in Moscow. Despite a fine education, he was not drawn to worldly success and became a monk at the age of twenty. In time Alexis was consecrated Bishop of Vladimir, then Metropolitan of Moscow, at that time the highest rank in the Russian church (which was still under the Patriarchate of Constantinople). Russia was then under the cruel domination of the Tatars. Saint Alexis traveled twice to the Golden Horde, where the Tatar Khan kept court. On his first visit (1359), he healed the Khan’s wife of a blindness which had afflicted her for three years — a miracle that did much to soften the Tatars’ treatment of their Russian vassals, and to preserve the liberty of the Church.

His ceaseless labors in the world did not deprive the Saint of his love for monasticism: he conferred with holy monks at every opportunity, and founded many new monasteries. As he neared the end of his life he tried without success to persuade his friend St Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) to succeed him. He reposed in peace in 1378. His incorrupt relics are venerated in the Cathedral of the Theophany in Moscow.