Isaiah 5.16-25 (6th Hour)

16Gospod nad vojskama uzvisiæe se sudom, i Bog sveti posvetiæe se pravdom. 17I jaganjci æe pasti po svom obièaju, i došljaci æe jesti s pustijeh mjesta pretilinu. 18Teško onima koji vuku bezakonje uzicama od taštine, i grijeh kao užem kolskim, 19Koji govore: neka pohiti, neka brzo doðe djelo njegovo, da vidimo, i neka se približi i doðe što je naumio svetac Izrailjev, da poznamo. 20Teško onima koji zlo zovu dobro, a dobro zlo, koji prave od mraka svjetlost a od svjetlosti mrak, koji prave od gorkoga slatko a od slatkoga gorko. 21Teško onima koji misle da su mudri, i sami su sebi razumni. 22Teško onima koji su jaki piti vino i junaci u miješanju silovita piæa. 23Koji pravdaju bezbožnika za poklon, a pravednima uzimaju pravdu. 24Zato kao što oganj proždire strnjiku i slame nestaje u plamenu, tako æe korijen njihov biti kao trulež i cvijet njihov otiæi æe kao prah, jer odbaciše zakon Gospoda nad vojskama i prezreše rijeè sveca Izrailjeva. 25Zato se raspali gnjev Gospodnji na narod njegov, i mahnuv rukom svojom na nj udari ga da se gore zadrmaše i mrtva tjelesa njegova biše kao blato po ulicama. Kod svega toga gnjev se njegov ne odvrati, nego je ruka njegova još podignuta.

Genesis 4.16-26 (Vespers)

16I otide Kajin ispred Gospoda, i naseli se u zemlji Naidskoj na istoku prema Edemu. 17I pozna Kajin ženu svoju, a ona zatrudnje i rodi Enoha. I sazida grad i prozva ga po imenu sina svojega Enoh. 18A Enohu rodi se Gaidad; a Gaidad rodi Maleleila; a Maleleilo rodi Matusala; a Matusal rodi Lameha. 19I uze Lameh dvije žene: jednoj bješe ime Ada a drugoj Sela. 20I Ada rodi Jovila; od njega se narodiše koji žive pod šatorima i stoku pasu. 21A bratu njegovu bješe ime Juval; od njega se narodiše gudaèi i sviraèi. 22A i Sela rodi Tovela, koji bješe vješt kovati svašta od mjedi i od gvožða; a sestra Tovelu bješe Noema. 23I reèe Lameh svojima ženama, Adi i Seli: èujte glas moj, žene Lamehove, poslušajte rijeèi moje: ubiæu èovjeka za ranu svoju i mladiæa za masnicu svoju. 24Kad æe se Kajin osvetiti sedam puta, Lameh æe sedamdeset i sedam puta. 25A Adam opet pozna ženu svoju, i ona rodi sina, i nadje mu ime Sit, jer mi, reèe, Bog dade drugoga sina za Avelja, kojega ubi Kajin. 26I Situ se rodi sin, kojemu nadjede ime Enos. Tada se poèe prizivati ime Gospodnje.

Proverbs 5.15-6.3 (Vespers)

15Pij vodu iz svojega studenca i što teèe iz tvojega izvora. 16Neka se razlivaju tvoji izvori na polje, i potoci po ulicama. 17Imaj ih sam za se, a ne tuðin s tobom. 18Blagosloven da je izvor tvoj, i veseli se ženom mladosti svoje; 19Neka ti je kao košuta mila i kao srna ljupka; dojke njezine neka te opijaju u svako doba, u ljubavi njezinoj posræi jednako. 20A zašto bi, sine, posrtao za tuðinkom i golio njedra tuðoj, 21Kad su pred oèima Gospodu putovi svaèiji, i mjeri sve staze njegove? 22Bezbožnika æe uhvatiti njegova bezakonja, i u uža grijeha svojih zaplešæe se; 23Umrijeæe bez nastave, i od mnoštva ludosti svoje lutaæe.

1Sine moj, kad se podjemèiš za prijatelja svojega, i daš ruku svoju tuðincu, 2Vezao si se rijeèima usta svojih, uhvatio si se rijeèima usta svojih. 3Zato uèini tako, sine moj, i oprosti se, jer si dopao u ruke bližnjemu svojemu; idi, pripadni, i navali na bližnjega svojega.

St Gregory the Great (the Dialogist), Pope of Rome (604)

He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then, in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.

He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called ‘the Dialogist’ after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.

Saint Gregory reposed in peace in 604.

Our Holy Father Theophanes the Confessor (818)

He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor’s court. Later, with his wife’s consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working: his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with thanksgiving.

When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment, he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.

Repose of St Symeon the New Theologian (1021)

His main commemoration is on October 12.