Wisdom of Solomon 5.15-6.3 (Vespers)

Wisdom of Solomon 3.1-9 (Vespers)

Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15 (Vespers)

Matthew 11.27-30 (Matins Gospel)

27Sve je meni predao otac moj, i niko ne zna sina do otac; niti oca ko zna do sin i ako kome sin hoæe kazati. 28Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorni i natovareni, i ja æu vas odmoriti. 29Uzmite jaram moj na sebe, i nauèite se od mene; jer sam ja krotak i smjeran u srcu, i naæi æete pokoj dušama svojijem. 30Jer je jaram moj blag, i breme je moje lako.

James 3.1-10 (Epistle)

1Ne tražite, braæo moja, da budete mnogi uèitelji, znajuæi da æemo veæma biti osuðeni, 2Jer svi pogrješujemo mnogo puta. Ali ko u rijeèi ne pogrješuje, onaj je savršen èovjek, može zauzdati i sve tijelo. 3Jer gle, i konjma meæemo žvale u usta da nam se pokoravaju, i sve tijelo njihovo okreæemo. 4Gle i laðe, ako su i velike i silni ih vjetrovi gone, okreæu se malom krmicom kuda hoæe onaj koji upravlja. 5A tako je i jezik mali ud, i mnogo èini. Gle, mala vatra, i kolike velike šume sažeže. 6I jezik je vatra, svijet pun nepravde. Tako i jezik živi meðu našijem udima, poganeæi sve tijelo, i paleæi vrijeme života našega, i zapaljujuæi se od pakla. 7Jer sav rod zvjerinja i ptica, i bubina i riba, pripitomljava se i pripitomio se rodu èovjeèijemu; 8A jezika niko od ljudi ne može pripitomiti, jer je nemirno zlo, puno ijeda smrtonosnoga. 9Njim blagosiljamo Boga i oca, i njim kunemo ljude, koji su stvoreni po oblièju Božijemu. 10Iz jednijeh usta izlazi blagoslov i kletva. Ne valja, ljubazna braæo moja, da ovo tako biva.

Hebrews 13.17-21 (Epistle, St Euthymius)

17Slušajte uèitelje svoje i pokoravajte im se, jer se oni staraju za duše vaše, kao koji æe dati odgovor, da to s radošæu èine, a ne uzdišuæi; jer vam ovo ne pomaže. 18Molite se Bogu za nas. Jer se nadamo da imamo dobru savjest, starajuæi se u svemu dobro da živimo. 19A odviše molim èinite ovo, da bih se prije vratio k vama. 20A Bog mira, koji izvede iz mrtvijeh velikoga pastira ovcama, krvlju zavjeta vjeènoga, Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, 21Da vas savrši u svakome djelu dobrom, da uèinite volju njegovu, èineæi u vama što je ugodno pred njim, kroz Isusa Hrista, kojemu slava va vijek vijeka. Amin.

Mark 11.11-23 (Gospel)

11I uðe Isus u Jerusalim, i u crkvu; i promotrivši sve, kad bi uveèe, iziðe u Vitaniju s dvanaestoricom. 12I sjutradan kad iziðoše iz Vitanije, ogladnje. 13I vidjevši izdaleka smokvu s lišæem doðe ne bi li što našao na njoj; i došavši k njoj ništa ne naðe osim lišæa; jer još ne bješe vrijeme smokvama. 14I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe joj: da otsad od tebe niko ne jede roda dovijeka. I slušahu uèenici njegovi. 15I doðoše opet u Jerusalim; i ušavši Isus u crkvu stade izgoniti one koji prodavahu i kupovahu po crkvi; i ispremeta trpeze onijeh što mijenjahu novce, i klupe onijeh što prodavahu golubove. 16I ne dadijaše da ko pronese suda kroz crkvu. 17I uèaše govoreæi im: nije li pisano: dom moj neka se zove dom molitve svima narodima? A vi naèiniste od njega hajduèku peæinu. 18I èuše književnici i glavari sveštenièki, i tražahu kako bi ga pogubili; jer ga se bojahu; jer se sav narod èuðaše nauci njegovoj. 19I kad bi uveèe iziðe napolje iz grada. 20I ujutru prolazeæi vidješe smokvu gdje se posušila iz korijena. 21I opomenuvši se Petar reèe mu: Ravi! gle, smokva što si je prokleo posušila se. 22I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe im: 23Imajte vjeru Božiju; jer vam zaista kažem: ako ko reèe gori ovoj: digni se i baci se u more, i ne posumnja u srcu svojemu, nego uzvjeruje da æe biti kao što govori: biæe mu što god reèe.

Luke 6.17-23 (Gospel, St Euthymius)

17I izišavši s njima stade na mjestu ravnom, i gomila uèenika njegovijeh; i mnoštvo naroda iz sve Judeje i iz Jerusalima, i iz primorja Tirskoga i Sidonskoga, 18Koji doðoše da ga slušaju i da se iscjeljuju od svojijeh bolesti, i koje muèahu duhovi neèisti; i iscjeljivahu se. 19I sav narod tražaše da ga se dotaknu; jer iz njega izlažaše sila i iscjeljivaše ih sve. 20I on podignuvši oèi na uèenike svoje govoraše: blago vama koji ste siromašni duhom; jer je vaše carstvo Božije. 21Blago vama koji ste gladni sad; jer æete se nasititi. Blago vama koji plaèete sad; jer æete se nasmijati. 22Blago vama kad na vas ljudi omrznu i kad vas rastave i osramote, i razglase ime vaše kao zlo sina radi èovjeèijega. 23Radujte se u onaj dan i igrajte, jer gle, vaša je velika plata na nebu. Jer su tako èinili prorocima ocevi njihovi.

Our Venerable Father Euthymius the Great (473)

‘This Saint, who was from Melitine in Armenia, was the son of pious parents named Paul and Dionysia. He was born about 377. Since his mother had been barren, he was named Euthymius which means “good cheer” or “joy” for this is what his parents experienced at his birth. He studied under Eutroius, the Bishop of Melitene, by whom he was ordained and entrusted with the care of the monasteries of Melitene. Then, after he had come to Palestine about the year 406, he became the leader of a multitude of monks. Through him, a great tribe of Arabs was turned to piety, when he healed the ailing son of their leader Aspebetos. Aspebetos was baptized with all his people; he took the Christian name of Peter, and was later consecrated Bishop for his tribe, being called the “Bishop of the Tents.” Saint Euthymius also fought against the Nestorians, Eutychians, and Manichaeans. When Eudocia, the widow of Saint Theodosius the Younger, had made her dwelling in Palestine, and had fallen into the heresy of the Monophysites which was championed in Palestine by a certain Theodosius, she sent envoys to Saint Symeon the Stylite in Syria (see Sept.1), asking him his opinion of Eutyches and the Council of Chalcedon which had condemned him; Saint Symeon, praising the holiness and Orthodoxy of Saint Euthymius near whom she dwelt, sent her to him to be delivered from her error (the holy Empress Eudocia is commemorated Aug. 13). He became the divine oracle of the Church, or rather, “the vessel of divine utterance,” as a certain historian writes. He was the instructor and elder of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified. Having lived for ninety-six years, he reposed in 473, on January 20.’ (Great Horologion)

Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma (Nirra) (1st – 2nd c.)

They were disciples of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the first missionary to the lands north of the Black Sea. They witnessed to Christ around the Danube River and converted many to the Faith. They were arrested and condemned, and died immersed to their necks in icy water.

In the Prologue, St Nikolai Velimirovich describes them as the “first Slavic martyrs mentioned in history.” In ancient martyrologies they are referred to as Scythians, a term applied to the peoples living around the Black Sea in the early Christian era. It is doubtful that they were members of the Slavic people as we understand them today, though it seems that they were the first martyrs in the lands that are now inhabited by the Slavic people.

Saint Peter the Tax Collector (6th c.)

“”Saint Peter, being of patrician rank, was appointed by the Emperor Justinian (527-65) to administer the Roman province of Africa. Harsh and without an ounce of compassion, he became universally known as ‘the Miser’. One day a beggar was importuning him insistently for alms, so he picked up one of the warm loaves which his servant had just brought in and threw it like a stone at his head. The beggar seized it with delight and made off. Two days later Peter suddenly fell ill with the fever and saw himself appear at the Last Judgment to give an account of all his deeds. A pair of scales was brought before him and swarthy creatures placed all his evil actions on to the left-hand dish, while bright angels stood to the right, in dismay at having nothing by way of a good deed to put on to the right-hand side except the loaf which he had thrown in anger at the beggar. Peter then woke up with a start and, forgetful of his illness, hastened to give away all his goods to the needy, even his clothing. Afterwards in a dream, he saw Christ wearing the clothes he had given away, and so he decided not to stop at that but to sell himself as slave to a goldsmith in order to give alms of the price paid for him. Some time later, fearing lest his identity be discovered, he fled to Jerusalem and thence to Constantinople, where he gave back his soul in peace to God in his old house.” (Synaxarion)

The source of this story is the longer Life of St John the Merciful (November 12).