Acts 8.40-9.19 (Epistle)

40A Filip se obrete u Azotu; i prolazeæi propovijedaše jevanðelje svima gradovima, dok ne doðe u Æesariju.

1A Savle još dišuæi prijetnjom i smræu na uèenike Gospodnje pristupi k poglavaru sveštenièkome, 2I izmoli u njega poslanice u Damask na zbornice, ako koga naðe od ovoga puta, i ljude i žene svezane da dovede u Jerusalim. 3A kad bješe na putu i doðe blizu Damaska, ujedanput obasja ga svjetlost s neba, 4I padnuvši na zemlju èu glas gdje mu govori: Savle! Savle! zašto me goniš? 5A on reèe: ko si ti, Gospode? A Gospod reèe: ja sam Isus, kojega ti goniš: teško ti je protivu bodila praæati se. 6A on drkæuæi od straha reèe: Gospode! šta hoæeš da èinim? I Gospod mu reèe: ustani i uði u grad, pa æe ti se kazati šta ti treba èiniti. 7A ljudi koji iðahu s njim stajahu i èuðahu se, jer èujahu glas a ne viðahu nikoga. 8A Savle usta od zemlje, i otvorenijem oèima svojijem nikoga ne viðaše. A oni ga uzeše za ruku i uvedoše u Damask. 9I bješe tri dana slijep, i ne jede, niti pi. 10A u Damasku bješe jedan uèenik, po imenu Ananija, i reèe mu Gospod u utvari: Ananija! A on reèe: evo me, Gospode! 11A Gospod mu reèe: ustani i idi u ulicu koja se zove Prava, i traži u domu Judinom po imenu Savla Taršanina; jer gle, on se moli Bogu, 12I vidje u utvari èovjeka, po imenu Ananiju, gdje uðe i metnu ruku na nj da progleda. 13A Ananija odgovori: Gospode! ja èuh od mnogijeh za toga èovjeka kolika zla poèini svetima tvojima u Jerusalimu; 14I ovdje ima vlast od glavara sveštenièkijeh da veže sve koji prizivaju ime tvoje. 15A Gospod mu reèe: idi, jer mi je on sud izbrani da iznese ime moje pred neznabošce i careve i sinove Izrailjeve. 16A ja æu mu pokazati koliko mu valja postradati za ime moje. 17I poðe Ananija, i uðe u kuæu, i metnuvši ruke na nj reèe: Savle, brate! Gospod Isus, koji ti se javi na putu kojijem si išao, posla me da progledaš i da se napuniš Duha svetoga. 18I odmah otpade od oèiju njegovijeh kao krljušt, i odmah progleda, i ustavši krsti se. 19I pošto pojede okrijepi se; i bi Savle nekoliko dana s uèenicima koji bijahu u Damasku.

John 6.48-54 (Gospel)

48Ja sam hljeb života. 49Ocevi vaši jedoše manu u pustinji, i pomriješe. 50Ovo je hljeb koji silazi s neba: da koji od njega jede ne umre. 51Ja sam hljeb živi koji siðe s neba; koji jede od ovoga hljeba življeæe vavijek; i hljeb koji æu ja dati tijelo je moje, koje æu dati za život svijeta. 52A Jevreji se prepirahu meðu sobom govoreæi: kako može ovaj dati nama tijelo svoje da jedemo? 53A Isus im reèe: zaista, zaista vam kažem: ako ne jedete tijela sina èovjeèijega i ne pijete krvi njegove, neæete imati života u sebi. 54Koji jede moje tijelo i pije moju krv ima život vjeèni, i ja æu ga vaskrsnuti u pošljednji dan:

Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari (1087)

In 1087 the Saint’s relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint’s relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

Holy Prophet Isaiah (7th c. BC)

He is counted as the greatest of the Old Testament Prophets. His incomparably beautiful verses foretell Christ in many places. He chastised, comforted, and counseled the pious king Hezekiah; but when he denounced the impiety and lawlessness of Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, he was sawn in two outside Jerusalem, receiving a martyr’s crown. His name means “The Lord is helper.”

The Fifth Biblical Ode, “Out of the night my spirit waketh at dawn unto Thee, O God…” is taken from Isaiah.

Holy Martyr Christopher (3rd c.)

He was originally named Reprobus. In the time of the persecutions under the Emperor Decius, Reprobus, seeing the sufferings of the Christians, rebuked the rulers for their cruelty. The governor sent soldiers to arrest him, but he converted them and was baptised along with them, receiving the name Christopher. After he was brought before the governor, he was imprisoned with two harlots sent to seduce him, but he converted them also. He, the soldiers, and the former harlots were subjected to torture and finally beheaded.

It is this Saint Christopher who is portrayed on the medals often worn for protection in the Latin West. The image of him carrying the child Jesus comes from his name, which means ‘Christ-bearer,’ not from any incident in his life.