Romans 1.28-2.9 (Epistle)

28Fiindcă n-au căutat să păstreze pe Dumnezeu în cunoştinţa lor, Dumnezeu i-a lăsat în voia minţii lor blestemate, ca să facă lucruri neîngăduite. 29Astfel, au ajuns plini de orice fel de nelegiuire, de curvie, de viclenie, de lăcomie, de răutate; plini de pizmă, de ucidere, de ceartă, de înşelăciune, de porniri răutăcioase; sunt şoptitori, 30bârfitori, urâtori de Dumnezeu, obraznici, trufaşi, lăudăroşi, născocitori de rele, neascultători de părinţi, 31fără pricepere, călcători de cuvânt, fără dragoste firească, neînduplecaţi, fără milă.

32Şi, măcar că ştiu hotărârea lui Dumnezeu, că cei ce fac asemenea lucruri sunt vrednici de moarte, totuşi, ei nu numai că le fac, dar şi găsesc de buni pe cei ce le fac. 1Aşadar, omule, oricine ai fi tu, care judeci pe altul, nu te poţi dezvinovăţi; căci prin faptul că judeci pe altul, te osândeşti singur; fiindcă tu, care judeci pe altul, faci aceleaşi lucruri. 2Ştim, în adevăr, că judecata lui Dumnezeu împotriva celor ce săvârşesc astfel de lucruri este potrivită cu adevărul. 3Şi crezi tu, omule, care judeci pe cei ce săvârşesc astfel de lucruri, şi pe care le faci şi tu, că vei scăpa de judecata lui Dumnezeu? 4Sau dispreţuieşti tu bogăţiile bunătăţii, îngăduinţei şi îndelungii Lui răbdări? Nu vezi tu că bunătatea lui Dumnezeu te îndeamnă la pocăinţă? 5Dar, cu împietrirea inimii tale, care nu vrea să se pocăiască, îţi aduni o comoară de mânie pentru ziua mâniei şi a arătării dreptei judecăţi a lui Dumnezeu, 6care va răsplăti fiecăruia după faptele lui. 7Şi anume, va da viaţa veşnică celor ce, prin stăruinţa în bine, caută slava, cinstea şi nemurirea; 8şi va da mânie şi urgie celor ce, din duh de gâlceavă, se împotrivesc adevărului şi ascultă de nelegiuire. 9Necaz şi strâmtorare va veni peste orice suflet omenesc care face răul: întâi peste iudeu, apoi peste grec.

Matthew 5.27-32 (Gospel)

27Aţi auzit că s-a zis celor din vechime: „Să nu preacurveşti.” 28Dar Eu vă spun că oricine se uită la o femeie ca s-o poftească, a şi preacurvit cu ea în inima lui. 29Dacă deci ochiul tău cel drept te face să cazi în păcat, scoate-l şi leapădă-l de la tine; căci este spre folosul tău să piară unul din mădularele tale şi să nu-ţi fie aruncat tot trupul în gheenă. 30Dacă mâna ta cea dreaptă te face să cazi în păcat, taie-o şi leapăd-o de la tine; căci este spre folosul tău să piară unul din mădularele tale şi să nu-ţi fie aruncat tot trupul în gheenă. 31S-a zis iarăşi: „Oricine îşi va lăsa nevasta să-i dea o carte de despărţire.” 32Dar Eu vă spun că oricine îşi va lăsa nevasta, afară numai de pricină de curvie, îi dă prilej să preacurvească; şi cine va lua de nevastă pe cea lăsată de bărbat preacurveşte.

Our Holy Fathers Onuphrios the Great and Peter of Mount Athos

They lived in different times and places, but are commemorated together.

Saint Onuphrios the Great (400). “This holy ascetic had been living a whole sixty years in the desert when the monk Paphnutius visited him. His hair and beard reached down to the ground, and long hair, as white as snow, had grown all overy his body during his years of nakedness. His appearance was cadaverous, unearthly and awe-inspiring. Seeing Paphnutius, he called him by name and then recounted to him his life in the desert. His guardian angel had appeared to him and taken him to that place. He had for a long time only eaten earth, which was hard to find in the desert, and, after that, when he had survived an intensive struggle with diabolical temptations and when his heart had become utterly established in love for God, an angel had brought him bread to eat. And besides that, through God’s gracious providence, a palm tree grew up at one side of his cell, that gave good dates, and a spring of water began to flow there. ‘But especially,’ said Onuphrios, ‘my food and drink are the sweet words of God.’ To Paphnutius’ question about his receiving of Communion, the hermit answered that the angel of God brought him Communion every Saturday. On the next day, the old man told Paphnutius that it was the day of his departure from this world; then he knelt down, prayed to God and gave his spirit into God’s hands. Then Paphnutius saw a heavenly light that illumined the body of the departed saint, and heard a choir of angelic hosts. He buried Onuphrios’ body with honour and returned to his own monastery, there as a living witness to narrate to the brethren, for their edification, the wonderful life of the man of God and the greatness of God’s providence towards those who give themselves wholly to His service.” (Prologue)

The Great Horologion adds that Paphnutius intended to stay in the place where Onuphrios died, but soon the palm tree withered and the spring dried up, which Paphnutius took as a sign that he was meant to leave that place and return to live with the brethren.

Saint Peter of Mt Athos (734). He was born to a noble family in Constantinople and became a soldier. He was taken captive by the Saracens and thrown into prison in chains, in Samarra of Syria. He spent his long imprisonment praying to God to free him and send him to some deserted place where he could devote the rest of his life to ascesis and prayer. One day St Nicholas appeared to him along with St Simeon the God-receiver; when they touched his chains they melted like wax, and Peter instantly found himself outside Samarra. He set out for Rome, where he was tonsured as a monk by the Pope, then set out by ship to return home. During the voyage, the Mother of God appeared to him along with St Nicholas, and Peter heard her tell St Nicholas that she had set Mt Athos apart for Peter to live in solitude. Peter had never heard of Mt Athos, but disembarked there and settled in a cave. There he spent fifty-three years in complete solitude, praying and struggling with the harshness of the elements and the attacks of demonic powers. After he had withstood fierce temptations for awhile, an angel of God began to bring him bread every forty days. Like St Onuphrios, his humble life might have passed completely unrecorded; but by God’s providence, one year before the Saint’s death a deer-hunter found him and heard the tale of Peter’s life, which he recorded. Saint Peter reposed in peace; his relics were taken to Macedonia.