1 Corinthians 10.23-28 (Epistle)

23Sve mi je slobodno, ali nije sve na korist; sve mi je slobodno, ali sve ne ide na dobro. 24Niko da ne gleda što je njegovo, nego svaki da gleda što je drugoga. 25Sve što se prodaje na mesarnici, jedite, i ništa ne ispitujte savjesti radi; 26Jer je Gospodnja zemlja i što je na njoj. 27Ako li vas ko od nevjernika pozove, i hoæete iæi, jedite sve što se pred vas donese, i ne premišljajte ništa savjesti radi. 28Ako li vam pak ko reèe: ovo je idolska žrtva, ne jedite radi onoga koji vam kaže, i radi savjesti; jer je Gospodnja zemlja i što je na njoj.

1 Thessalonians 4.13-17 (Epistle, Departed)

13Neæu vam pak zatajiti, braæo, za one koji su umrli, da ne žalite kao i ostali koji nemaju nada. 14Jer ako vjerujemo da Isus umrije i vaskrse, tako æe Bog i one koji su umrli u Isusu dovesti s njim. 15Jer vam ovo kazujemo rijeèju Gospodnjom da mi koji živimo i ostanemo za dolazak Gospodnji, neæemo preteæi onijeh koji su pomrli. 16Jer æe sam Gospod sa zapoviješæu, s glasom aranðelovijem, i s trubom Božijom siæi s neba; i mrtvi u Hristu vaskrsnuæe najprije; 17A potom mi živi koji smo ostali, zajedno s njima biæemo uzeti u oblake na susret Gospodu na nebo, i tako æemo svagda s Gospodom biti.

Luke 21.8-9, 25-27, 33-36 (Gospel)

8A on reèe: èuvajte se da vas ne prevare, jer æe mnogi doæi na ime moje govoreæi: ja sam, i vrijeme se približi. Ne idite dakle za njima. 9A kad èujete ratove i bune, ne plašite se; jer to sve treba najprije da bude; ali još nije tada pošljedak. 25I biæe znaci u suncu i u mjesecu i u zvijezdama; i ljudima na zemlji tuga od smetnje i od huke morske i valova. 26Ljudi æe umirati od straha i od èekanja onoga što ide na zemlju; jer æe se i sile nebeske pokrenuti. 27I tada æe ugledati sina èovjeèijega gdje ide na oblacima sa silom i slavom velikom. 33Nebo i zemlja proæi æe, a rijeèi moje neæe proæi. 34Ali se èuvajte da kako vaša srca ne otežaju žderanjem i pijanstvom i brigama ovoga svijeta, i da vam ovaj dan ne doðe iznenada. 35Jer æe doæi kao zamka na sve koji žive po svoj zemlji. 36Stražite dakle jednako i molite se Bogu da biste se udostojili uteæi od svega ovoga što æe se zbiti, i stati pred sinom èovjeèijim.

John 5.24-30 (Gospel, Departed)

24Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko moju rijeè sluša i vjeruje onome koji je mene poslao, ima život vjeèni, i ne dolazi na sud, nego je prešao iz smrti u život. 25Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ide èas, i veæ je nastao, kad æe mrtvi èuti glas sina Božijega, i èuvši oživljeti. 26Jer kako što otac ima život u sebi, tako dade i sinu da ima život u sebi; 27I dade mu vlast da i sud èini, jer je sin èovjeèij. 28Ne divite se ovome, jer ide èas u koji æe svi koji su u grobovima èuti glas sina Božijega, 29I iziæi æe koji su èinili dobro u vaskrsenije života, a koji su èinili zlo u vaskrsenije suda. 30Ja ne mogu ništa èiniti sam od sebe; kako èujem onako sudim, i sud je moj pravedan; jer ne tražim volje svoje nego volju oca koji me je poslao.

Our Holy Father Auxentius (470)

He was of Persian origin, born in Syria. As a young man, he distinguished himself as a member of the court of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger. Seeing the vanity of the world’s honors and pleasures, he became a monk in Constantinople; but when the people began to praise his holiness, he fled to Mount Oxeia near Chalcedon, which later became known as Auxentius’ Mountain. There he built a small hut and lived in reclusion; but in time he was discovered by some shepherds, and the faithful began to come in increasing numbers for his teaching, blessing, prayers and healing. He performed countless miracles, but such was his humility that he always sought to avoid their being attributed to him. When he was asked to pray for someone’s healing, he would try to refuse, saying “I too am a sinful man.” But, when he was prevailed on by the pleas of the people, he would call on all of them to pray together for the healing; or he would remind them that God would give according to their faith; or he would say to the sick person “The Lord Jesus Christ heals you.” When the Emperor Marcian summoned the Fourth Ecumenical Council to Chalcedon, he ordered that the hermit join the assembly of holy Fathers. Auxentius refused, saying that doctrinal teaching was the province of bishops, not monks. The Emperor’s envoys took him by force. He was greeted with honor by the Emperor, and affirmed all the decisions of the Council.

He never returned to Mount Oxeia, but settled in an even wilder and more remote spot on Mount Skopa, which later came to be called Mount St Auxentius. His disciples built him a tiny wooden hut with one small window through which he could converse with his steady stream of visitors. He reposed in peace in 470. A great crowd gathered for his funeral, and his holy relics were taken into the care of a women’s monastery whose spiritual Father he had been.

Mount St Auxentius soon became a center of hesychastic life, with seven monasteries.

Saint Cyril, Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of the Slavs (869)

See the joint commemoration of Sts Cyril and Methodius on May 11.

Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria (ca. 423)

This ascetic and wonderworker was a friend of St John Chrysostom. Read his life here.