2 Timothy 2.11-19 (Epistle)

11Istinita je rijeè: ako s njim umrijesmo, to æemo s njim i oživljeti. 12Ako trpimo, s njim æemo i carovati. Ako se odreèemo, i on æe se nas odreæi. 13Ako ne vjerujemo, on ostaje vjeran; jer se sam sebe ne može odreæi. 14Ovo napominji, i posvjedoèi pred Gospodom da se ne prepiru, koje ništa ne pomaže, nego smeta one koji slušaju. 15Postaraj se da se pokažeš pošten pred Bogom, kao radin koji se nema šta stidjeti, i pravo upravlja rijeèju istine. 16A poganijeh praznijeh razgovora kloni se; jer najviše pomažu u bezbožnosti, 17I rijeè njihova kao živina toèi: meðu kojima je Imenej i Filit, 18Koji u istini pogriješiše govoreæi da je vaskrsenije veæ bilo; i smetaju vjeru nekijeh. 19Tvrdo dakle stoji temelj Božij imajuæi ovaj peèat: pozna Gospod svoje; i: da otstupi od nepravde svaki koji spominje ime Gospodnje.

Luke 18.2-8 (Gospel)

2Govoreæi: u jednome gradu bijaše jedan sudija koji se Boga ne bojaše i ljudi ne stiðaše. 3A u onome gradu bijaše jedna udovica i dolažaše k njemu govoreæi: ne daj me mojemu suparniku. 4I ne šæadijaše zadugo. A najposlije reèe u sebi: ako se i ne bojim Boga i ljudi ne sramim, 5No buduæi da mi dosaðuje ova udovica, odbraniæu je, da mi jednako ne dolazi i ne dosaðuje. 6Tada reèe Gospod: èujte šta govori nepravedni sudija. 7Akamoli Bog neæe odbraniti izbranijeh svojijeh koji ga mole dan i noæ? 8Kažem vam da æe ih odbraniti brzo. Ali sin èovjeèij kad doðe hoæe li naæi vjeru na zemlji?

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.