Isaiah 1.19-2.3 (6th Hour)

19Ako hoæete slušati, dobra zemaljska ješæete. 20Ako li neæete, nego budete nepokorni, maè æe vas pojesti, jer usta Gospodnja rekoše. 21Kako posta kurva vjerni grad? Pun bijaše pravice, pravda nastavaše u njemu, a sada krvnici. 22Srebro tvoje posta troska, vino tvoje pomiješa se s vodom. 23Knezovi su tvoji odmetnici i drugovi lupežima; svaki miluje mito i ide za darovima; siroti ne daju pravice, i parnica udovièka ne dolazi pred njih. 24Zato govori Gospod, Gospod nad vojskama, silni Izrailjev: aha! izdovoljiæu se na protivnicima svojim, i osvetiæu se neprijateljima svojim. 25I okrenuæu ruku svoju na te, i sažeæi æu troske tvoje da te preèistim, i ukloniæu sve olovo tvoje. 26I postaviæu ti opet sudije kao prije, i savjetnike kao ispoèetka; tada æeš se zvati grad pravedni, grad vjerni. 27Sion æe se otkupiti sudom, i pravdom oni koji se u nj vrate. 28A odmetnici i grješnici svi æe se satrti, i koji ostavljaju Gospoda, izginuæe. 29Jer æete se posramiti od gajeva koje željeste, i zastidjeti se od vrtova koje izabraste. 30Jer æete biti kao hrast kojemu opada lišæe i kao vrt u kom nema vode. 31I biæe junak kao kuèine i djelo njegovo kao iskra, i oboje æe se zapaliti, i neæe biti nikoga da ugasi.

1Rijeè koja doðe u utvari Isaiji sinu Amosovu za Judu i za Jerusalim. 2Biæe u potonja vremena gora doma Gospodnjega utvrðena uvrh gora i uzvišena iznad humova, i stjecaæe se k njoj svi narodi. 3I iæi æe mnogi narodi govoreæi: hodite da idemo na goru Gospodnju, u dom Boga Jakovljeva, i uèiæe nas svojim putovima, i hodiæemo stazama njegovijem; jer æe iz Siona izaæi zakon, i rijeè Gospodnja iz Jerusalima.

Genesis 1.14-23 (Vespers)

14Potom reèe Bog: neka budu vidjela na svodu nebeskom, da dijele dan i noæ, da budu znaci vremenima i danima i godinama; 15I neka svijetle na svodu nebeskom, da obasjavaju zemlju. I bi tako. 16I stvori Bog dva vidjela velika: vidjelo veæe da upravlja danom, i vidjelo manje da upravlja noæu, i zvijezde. 17I postavi ih Bog na svodu nebeskom da obasjavaju zemlju. 18I da upravljaju danom i noæu, i da dijele svjetlost od tame. I vidje Bog da je dobro. 19I bi veèe i bi jutro, dan èetvrti. 20Potom reèe Bog: neka vrve po vodi žive duše, i ptice neka lete iznad zemlje pod svod nebeski. 21I stvori Bog kitove velike i sve žive duše što se mièu, što provrvješe po vodi po vrstama svojim, i sve ptice krilate po vrstama njihovijem. I vidje Bog da je dobro; 22I blagoslovi ih Bog govoreæi: raðajte se i množite se, i napunite vodu po morima, i ptice neka se množe na zemlji. 23I bi veèe i bi jutro, dan peti.

Proverbs 1.20-33 (Vespers)

20Premudrost vièe na polju, na ulicama pušta glas svoj; 21U najveæoj vrevi vièe, na vratima, u gradu govori svoje besjede: 22Ludi, dokle æete ljubiti ludost? i potsmjevaèima dokle æe biti mio potsmijeh? i bezumni dokle æe mrziti na znanje? 23Obratite se na karanje moje; evo, izasuæu vam duh svoj, kazaæu vam rijeèi svoje. 24Što zvah, ali ne htjeste, pružah ruku svoju, ali niko ne mari, 25Nego odbaciste svaki savjet moj, i karanja mojega ne htjeste primiti; 26Zato æu se i ja smijati vašoj nevolji, rugaæu se kad doðe èega se bojite; 27Kad kao pustoš doðe èega se bojite, i pogibao vaša kao oluja kad doðe, kad navali na vas nevolja i muka. 28Tada æe me zvati, ali se neæu odazvati; rano æe tražiti, ali me neæe naæi. 29Jer mrziše na znanje, i straha Gospodnjega ne izabraše; 30Ne pristaše na moj svjet, i preziraše sva karanja moja. 31Zato æe jesti plod od putova svojih, i nasitiæe se savjeta svojih. 32Jer æe lude ubiti mir njihov, i bezumne æe pogubiti sreæa njihova. 33Ali ko me sluša, boraviæe bezbrižno, i biæe na miru ne bojeæi se zla.

St Gerasimos of the Jordan (475)

He was from Lycia in Asia Minor. After living there as a hermit for many years, he traveled to the Egyptian Thebaid and lived among the Desert Fathers. He then went to Palestine, where he founded the great Lavra, a community of about seventy monks, that remains to this day. The monastery’s rule was simple and strict: During the five weekdays, the monks would stay in their cells, praying and weaving baskets and mats. On these days they ate only a little dry bread and some dates. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered for worship and ate boiled vegetables with a little wine. Each monk owned only one garment; if he left his cell he was required to leave it open so that anyone else could take whatever he needed from it. Saint Gerasimos himself was an example to all of them, exceeding even the rule that he laid upon them: during the Great Fast, he would eat nothing but what he received in Holy Communion.

In the desert, the Saint once saw a lion in great pain from a thorn in its paw. Moved by compassion, Gerasim approached it, made the sign of the Cross and pulled the thorn out. The lion followed the elder back to the monastery and remained there until the Saint’s death. When Gerasimos died, the lion, overcome by grief, soon died also, lying upon the Saint’s grave.

Saint Gerasimos was present at the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, where he proved a strong champion of Orthodoxy, though he had inclined toward the Monophysite heresy in his youth. He reposed in peace in 475.

St James the Faster of Phoenecia (6th c.)

“He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in godliness that he was able to heal the gravest illnesses by his prayers. But the enemy of the human race brought a heavy temptation on him. There was once sent to him a woman who had been corrupted by some mockers. She pretended to weep before him, but enticed him to sin. Seeing that he would fall into sin, James put his left hand into the fire and held it there until it was completely burned. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and horror, repented and reformed her life.

“But on a second occasion he did not resist and fell with a young girl whom her parents had brought to him to be healed of her madness. He indeed healed her, but then sinned with her and, in order to conceal the sin, killed her and threw her into a river. As always, the path from lust to murder was not very long. James spent ten years after that as a penitent, living in a grave. He learned after that that God had forgiven him, because, when he at one time prayed for rain in a time of great drought from which both men and cattle were suffering, it fell.

“Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how wicked the evil demon is; how, by the permission of God, the greatest spiritual giants can topple, and how again, by sincere repentance, God in His compassion will forgive the greatest sins and does not punish those who punish themselves.” (Prologue)