1 Corinthians 5.9-6.11 (Epistle)

9Pisah vam u poslanici da se ne miješate s kurvarima; 10I to ja ne rekoh za kurvare ovoga svijeta, ili tvrdice, ili hajduke, ili idolopoklonike; jer biste morali iziæi iz svijeta. 11A sad vam pisah da se ne miješate ako koji koji se brat zove, postane kurvar, ili tvrdica, ili idolopoklonik, ili kavgadžija, ili pijanica, ili hajduk; s takovima da i ne jedete. 12Jer šta je meni stalo da sudim i one koji su napolju? Ne sudite li vi one koji su unutra? 13A one koji su napolju sudiæe Bog. Izvadite zloga izmeðu sebe.

1Smije li koji od vas, kad ima tužbu na drugoga, iæi na sud nepravednima, a ne svetima? 2Ne znate li da æe sveti suditi svijetu? Kad æete dakle vi svijetu suditi nijeste li vrijedni suditi manjijem stvarima? 3Ne znate li da æemo anðelima suditi, akamoli stvarima ovoga svijeta? 4A vi kad imate tužbe za stvari ovoga svijeta, uzmete za sudije one koje u crkvi ne broji niko ni u što! 5Na sramotu vašu govorim: zar nema meðu vama nijednoga mudra koji može rasuditi meðu braæom svojom? 6Nego se brat s bratom sudi, i to pred nevjernima! 7I to je veæ vrlo sramno za vas da imate tužbe meðu sobom. Zašto radije ne trpite nepravdu? Zašto radije ne pregorite štetu? 8Nego vi sami èinite nepravdu i štetu, pa još braæi! 9Ili ne znate da nepravednici neæe naslijediti carstva Božijega? Ne varajte se: ni kurvari, ni idolopoklonici, ni preljuboèinci, ni adžuvani, ni muželožnici, 10Ni lupeži, ni lakomci, ni pijanice, ni kavgadžije, ni hajduci, carstva Božijega neæe naslijediti. 11I ovakovi bijaste neki; nego se opraste i posvetiste i opravdaste imenom Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista i Duhom Boga našega.

Matthew 13.54-58 (Gospel)

54I došavši na postojbinu svoju, uèaše ih po zbornicama njihovijem tako da mu se divljahu, i govorahu: otkud ovome premudrost ova i moæi? 55Nije li ovo drvodjeljin sin? ne zove li se mati njegova Marija, i braæa njegova Jakov, i Josija, i Simon, i Juda? 56I sestre njegove nijesu li sve kod nas? Otkud njemu ovo sve? 57I sablažnjavahu se o njega. A Isus reèe im: nema proroka bez èasti osim na postojbini svojoj i u domu svojemu. 58I ne stvori ondje èudesa mnogijeh za nevjerstvo njihovo.

Our Righteous Fathers John and Symeon, the Fool for Christ's Sake (570)

These two brothers in Christ were from Edessa in Mesopotamia. After a pilgrimage to Jerusalem they fled the world together; they were tonsured as monks, but soon left their monastery to struggle in prayer near the Dead Sea. Thus they passed thirty years in silence and asceticism. Symeon was then commanded by God to leave the desert and serve God among the world’s people. At their parting John said to him: ‘Keep your heart from all that you see in the world. Whatever there may be that touches your hand, let it not take hold of your heart. When food passes your lips, let not your heart be sweetened by it. If your feet have to move, let there be peace within you. Whatever you do outwardly, let your mind remain tranquil. Pray for me, that God may not part us from each other in the world to come.’ Symeon went to Emesa in Syria, where he spent the rest of his life, feigning madness in order to conceal his holiness from men. But he performed miracles of healing and appeared to people of the city in dreams, calling them to repentance. He was given the gift of discernment of others’ inward condition, and while dancing and raving through the streets would approach people, whisper their sins in their ears, and call them to repentance. He reposed peacefully in 590; John, who had remained in the desert, reposed soon afterward.

Marcella, Virgin-Martyr of Chios (ca. 1500)

Her mother died when she was very young, and she was brought up by her father. As she grew older, she grew in virtue and beauty. Her father conceived an illicit desire for her and made improper advances toward her, which troubled her so greatly that she fled her village and hid in the mountains. Her father pursued her, even wounding her with arrows in his effort to possess her. Finally she took refuge in a cloven rock. When her father found that he could not drag her from her refuge, he viciously dismembered her and threw her head into the sea. From the rock that had sheltered her a stream appeared, whose water had healing virtues. The holy Marcella is especially venerated on Chios to this day.

Prophet Ezekiel (6th c. BC)

He is commemorated today on the Slavic calendar. See July 23, his commemoration on the Greek calendar.