Mark 16.1-8 (2nd Matins Gospel)

1I pošto proðe subota, Marija Magdalina i Marija Jakovljeva i Solomija kupiše mirisa da doðu i da pomažu Isusa. 2I vrlo rano u prvi dan nedjelje doðoše na grob oko sunèanoga roðaja. 3I govorahu meðu sobom: ko æe nam odvaliti kamen od vrata grobnijeh? 4I pogledavši vidješe da kamen bješe odvaljen: jer bješe vrlo veliki. 5I ušavši u grob vidješe mladiæa obuèena u bijelu haljinu gdje sjedi s desne strane; i uplašiše se. 6A on im reèe: ne plašite se, Isusa tražite Nazareæanina raspetoga; usta, nije ovdje, evo mjesto gdje ga metnuše. 7Nego idite kažite uèenicima njegovijem i Petru da pred vama otide u Galileju: tamo æete ga vidjeti, kao što vam reèe. 8I izišavši pobjegoše od groba; jer ih uhvati drhat i strah; i nikom ništa ne kazaše, jer se bojahu.

1 Corinthians 6.12-20 (Epistle)

12Sve mi je slobodno, ali nije sve na korist; sve mi je slobodno, ali neæu da što oblada mnome. 13Jela su za trbuh, i trbuh je za jela; ali æe Bog i ova i onoga pokvariti. A tijelo nije za kurvarstvo, nego za Gospoda, i Gospod za tijelo. 14A Bog i Gospoda podiže, i nas æe podiæi silom svojom. 15Ne znate li da su tjelesa vaša udi Hristovi? Hoæu li dakle uzeti ude Hristove i od njih naèiniti ude kurvine? Bože saèuvaj! 16Ili ne znate da ko se s kurvom sveže jedno tijelo s njom postane? Jer, reèe, biæe dvoje jedno tijelo. 17A ko se Gospoda drži jedan je duh s Gospodom. 18Bježite od kurvarstva; jer svaki grijeh koji èovjek èini osim tijela je; a koji se kurva on griješi svome tijelu. 19Ili ne znate da su tjelesa vaša crkva svetoga Duha koji živi u vama, kojega imate od Boga, i nijeste svoji? 20Jer ste kupljeni skupo. Proslavite dakle Boga u tjelesima svojijem i u dušama svojijem, što je Božije.

Luke 15.11-32 (Gospel)

11I reèe: jedan èovjek imaše dva sina, 12I reèe mlaði od njih ocu: oèe! daj mi dio od imanja što pripada meni. I otac im podijeli imanje. 13I potom do nekoliko dana pokupi mlaði sin sve svoje, i otide u daljnu zemlju; i onamo prosu imanje svoje živeæi besputno. 14A kad potroši sve, postade velika glad u onoj zemlji, i on se naðe u nevolji. 15I otišavši pribi se kod jednoga èovjeka u onoj zemlji; i on ga posla u polje svoje da èuva svinje. 16I željaše napuniti trbuh svoj rošèiæima koje svinje jeðahu, i niko mu ih ne davaše. 17A kad doðe k sebi, reèe: koliko najamnika u oca mojega imaju hljeba i suviše, a ja umirem od gladi! 18Ustaæu i idem ocu svojemu, pa æu mu reæi: oèe! sagriješih nebu i tebi, 19I veæ nijesam dostojan nazvati se sin tvoj: primi me kao jednoga od svojijeh najamnika. 20I ustavši otide ocu svojemu. A kad je još podaleko bio, ugleda ga otac njegov, i sažali mu se, i potrèavši zagrli ga i cjeliva ga. 21A sin mu reèe: oèe, sagriješih nebu i tebi, i veæ nijesam dostojan nazvati se sin tvoj. 22A otac reèe slugama svojijem: iznesite najljepšu haljinu i obucite ga, i podajte mu prsten na ruku i obuæu na noge. 23I dovedite tele ugojeno te zakoljite, da jedemo i da se veselimo. 24Jer ovaj moj sin bješe mrtav, i oživlje; i izgubljen bješe, i naðe se. I stadoše se veseliti. 25A sin njegov stariji bijaše u polju, i dolazeæi kad se približi kuæi èu pjevanje i podvikivanje. 26I dozvavši jednoga od slugu zapita: šta je to? 27A on mu reèe: brat tvoj doðe; i otac tvoj zakla tele ugojeno, što ga je zdrava vidio. 28A on se rasrdi i ne šæadijaše da uðe. Tada iziðe otac njegov i moljaše ga. 29A on odgovarajuæi reèe ocu: eto te služim toliko godina, i nikad ne prestupih tvoje zapovijesti, pa meni nikad nijesi dao jareta da bih se proveselio sa svojijem društvom; 30A kad doðe taj tvoj sin koji ti je imanje prosuo s kurvama, zaklao si mu tele ugojeno. 31A on mu reèe: sine! ti si svagda sa mnom, i sve je moje tvoje. 32Trebalo se razveseliti i obradovati, jer ovaj brat tvoj mrtav bješe, i oživlje; i izgubljen bješe i naðe se.

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.