Isaiah 8.13-9.7 (6th Hour)

13Gospoda nad vojskama svetite; i on neka vam je strah i bojazan. 14I biæe vam svetinja, a kamen za spoticanje i stijena za sablazan objema domovima Izrailjevijem, zamka i mreža stanovnicima Jerusalimskim. 15I spotaknuæe se mnogi i pašæe i satræe se, zaplešæe se i uhvatiæe se. 16Sveži svjedoèanstvo, zapeèati zakon mojim uèenicima. 17Èekaæu dakle Gospoda, koji je sakrio lice svoje od doma Jakovljeva, i uzdaæu se u nj. 18Evo ja i djeca koju mi je dao Gospod jesmo znak i èudo Izrailju od Gospoda nad vojskama, koji nastava na gori Sionu. 19I ako vam reku: pitajte vraèe i gatare, koji šapæu i mrmljaju; recite: ne treba li narod da pita Boga svojega? ili æe pitati mrtve mjesto živijeh? 20Zakon i svjedoèanstvo tražite. Ako li ko ne govori tako, njemu nema zore. 21I hodiæe po zemlji potucajuæi se i gladujuæi; i kad bude gladan, ljutiæe se i psovati cara svojega i Boga svojega gore. 22A kad pogleda na zemlju, a to nevolja i mrak i teška muka, i on zagnan u tamu.

1Ali neæe se onako zamraèiti pritiješnjena zemlja kao prije kad se dotaèe zemlje Zavulonove i zemlje Neftalimove, ili kao poslije kad dosaðivaše na putu k moru s one strane Jordana Galileji neznabožaèkoj. 2Narod koji hodi u tami vidjeæe vidjelo veliko, i onima koji sjede u zemlji gdje je smrtni sjen zasvijetliæe vidjelo. 3Umnožio si narod, a nijesi mu uvelièao radosti; ali æe se radovati pred tobom kao što se raduju o žetvi, kao što se vesele kad dijele plijen. 4Jer si slomio jaram u kom vucijaše, i štap kojim ga bijahu po pleæima i palicu nasilnika njegova kao u dan Madijanski. 5Jer æe obuæa svakoga ratnika koji se bije u graji i odijelo u krv uvaljano izgorjeti i biti hrana ognju. 6Jer nam se rodi dijete, sin nam se dade, kojemu je vlast na ramenu, i ime æe mu biti: divni, savjetnik, Bog silni, otac vjeèni, knez mirni. 7Bez kraja æe rasti vlast i mir na prijestolu Davidovu i u carstvu njegovu da se uredi i utvrdi sudom i pravdom otsada dovijeka. To æe uèiniti revnost Gospoda nad vojskama.

Genesis 6.9-22 (Vespers)

9Ovo su dogaðaji Nojevi: Noje bješe èovjek pravedan i bezazlen svojega vijeka; po volji Božjoj svagda življaše Noje. 10I rodi Noje tri sina: Sima, Hama i Jafeta. 11A zemlja se pokvari pred Bogom, i napuni se zemlja bezakonja. 12I pogleda Bog na zemlju, a ona bješe pokvarena; jer svako tijelo pokvari put svoj na zemlji. 13I reèe Bog Noju: kraj svakome tijelu doðe preda me, jer napuniše zemlju bezakonja; i evo hoæu da ih zatrem sa zemljom. 14Naèini sebi kovèeg od drveta gofera, i naèini pregratke u kovèegu; i zatopi ga smolom iznutra i spolja. 15I naèini ga ovako: u dužinu neka bude trista lakata, u širinu pedeset lakata, i u visinu trideset lakata; 16Pusti dosta svjetlosti u kovèeg; i krov mu svedi ozgo od lakta; i udari vrata kovèegu sa strane; i naèini ga na tri boja: donji, drugi i treæi. 17Jer evo pustiæu potop na zemlju, da istrijebim svako tijelo, u kojem ima živa duša pod nebom; što je god na zemlji sve æe izginuti. 18Ali æu s tobom uèiniti zavjet svoj: i uæi æeš u kovèeg ti i sinovi tvoji i žena tvoja i žene sinova tvojih s tobom. 19I od svega živa, od svakoga tijela, uzeæeš u kovèeg po dvoje, da saèuvaš u životu sa sobom, a muško i žensko neka bude. 20Od ptica po vrstama njihovijem, od stoke po vrstama njezinijem, i od svega što se mièe na zemlji po vrstama njegovijem, od svega po dvoje neka uðe s tobom, da ih saèuvaš u životu. 21I uzmi sa sobom svega što se jede, i èuvaj kod sebe, da bude hrane tebi i njima. 22I Noje uèini, kako mu zapovjedi Bog, sve onako uèini.

Proverbs 8.1-21 (Vespers)

1Ne vièe li mudrost? i razum ne pušta li glas svoj? 2Navrh visina, na putu, na rasputicama stoji, 3Kod vrata, na ulasku u grad, gdje se otvoraju vrata, vièe: 4Vas vièem, o ljudi, i glas svoj obraæam k sinovima ljudskim. 5Nauèite se ludi mudrosti, i bezumni orazumite se. 6Slušajte, jer æu govoriti velike stvari, i usne moje otvorajuæi se kazivaæe što je pravo. 7Jer usta moja govore istinu, i mrska je usnama mojim bezbožnost. 8Prave su sve rijeèi usta mojih, ništa nema u njima krivo ni izopaèeno. 9Sve su obiène razumnomu i prave su onima koji nalaze znanje. 10Primite nastavu moju a ne srebro, i znanje radije nego najbolje zlato. 11Jer je bolja mudrost od dragoga kamenja, i što je god najmilijih stvari ne mogu se izjednaèiti s njom. 12Ja mudrost boravim s razboritošæu, i razumno znanje nalazim. 13Strah je Gospodnji mržnja na zlo; ja mrzim na ponositost i na oholost i na zli put i na usta opaka. 14Moj je savjet i što god jest; ja sam razum i moja je sila. 15Mnom carevi caruju, i vladaoci postavljaju pravdu. 16Mnom vladaju knezovi i poglavari i sve sudije zemaljske. 17Ja ljubim one koji mene ljube, i koji me dobro traže nalaze me. 18U mene je bogatstvo i slava, postojano dobro i pravda. 19Plod je moj bolji od zlata i od najboljega zlata, i dobitak je moj bolji od najboljega srebra. 20Putem pravednijem hodim, posred staza pravice, 21Da onima koji me ljube dam ono što jest, i riznice njihove da napunim.

St Alexis, the Man of God (411)

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.