Isaiah 25.1-9 (6th Hour)

1Gospode, ti si Bog moj, uzvišivaæu te, slaviæu ime tvoje, jer si uèinio èudesa; namjere tvoje od starine vjera su i istina. 2Jer si od grada naèinio gomilu, i od tvrdoga grada zidine; od grada dvor za strance, dovijeka se neæe sagraditi. 3Zato æe te slaviti narod silan, grad strašnijeh naroda bojaæe te se. 4Jer si bio krjepost ubogome, krjepost siromahu u nevolji njegovoj, utoèište od poplave, zaklon od žege, jer je gnjev nasilnièki kao poplava koja obaljuje zid. 5Vrevu inostranaca prekinuo si kao pripeku na suhu mjestu; kao pripeka sjenom od oblaka, tako se pjevanje nasilnika prekide. 6I Gospod æe nad vojskama uèiniti svijem narodima na ovoj gori gozbu od pretila mesa, gozbu od èista vina, od pretila mesa s moždanima, od vina bez taloga. 7I pokvariæe na ovoj gori zastiraè kojim su zastrti svi narodi, i pokrivaè kojim su pokriveni svi narodi. 8Uništiæe smrt zauvijek, i utræe Gospod Gospod suze sa svakoga lica, i sramotu naroda svojega ukinuæe sa sve zemlje; jer Gospod reèe. 9I reæi æe se u ono vrijeme: gle, ovo je Bog naš, njega èekasmo, i spašæe nas; ovo je Gospod, njega èekasmo; radovaæemo se i veseliæemo se za spasenje njegovo.

Genesis 9.8-17 (Vespers)

8I reèe Bog Noju i sinovima njegovijem s njim, govoreæi: 9A ja evo postavljam zavjet svoj s vama i s vašim sjemenom nakon vas, 10I sa svijem životinjama, što su s vama od ptica, od stoke i od svega zvijerja zemaljskoga što je s vama, sa svaèim što je izašlo iz kovèega, i sa svijem zvijerjem zemaljskim. 11Postavljam zavjet svoj s vama, te otsele neæe nijedno tijelo poginuti od potopa, niti æe više biti potopa da zatre zemlju. 12I reèe Bog: evo znak zavjeta koji postavljam izmeðu sebe i vas i svake žive tvari, koja je s vama dovijeka: 13Metnuo sam dugu svoju u oblake, da bude znak zavjeta izmeðu mene i zemlje. 14Pa kad oblake navuèem na zemlju, vidjeæe se duga u oblacima, 15I opomenuæu se zavjeta svojega koji je izmeðu mene i vas i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu, i neæe više biti od vode potopa da zatre svako tijelo. 16Duga æe biti u oblacima, pa æu je pogledati, i opomenuæu se vjeènoga zavjeta izmeðu Boga i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu koje je na zemlji. 17I reèe Bog Noju: to je znak zavjeta koji sam uèinio izmeðu sebe i svakoga tijela na zemlji.

Proverbs 12.8-22 (Vespers)

8Prema razumu svom hvali se èovjek; a ko je opaka srca, prezreæe se. 9Ko se snebiva, a ima slugu, bolji je od onoga koji se velièa a hljeba nema. 10Pravednik se brine za život svojega živinèeta, a u bezbožnika je srce nemilostivo. 11Ko radi svoju zemlju, biæe sit hljeba; a ko ide za besposlicama, bezuman je. 12Bezbožnik želi obranu oda zla, ali korijen pravednijeh daje je. 13Zlome je zamka u grijehu usana njegovijeh, a pravednik izlazi iz tjeskobe. 14Od ploda usta svojih siti se èovjek dobra, i platu za djela svoja prima èovjek. 15Bezumniku se èini prav put njegov; ali ko sluša savjet, mudar je. 16Gnjev bezumnikov odmah se pozna, ali pametni pokriva sramotu. 17Ko govori istinu, javlja što je pravo, a lažni svjedok prijevaru. 18Ima ko govori kao da maè probada, a jezik je mudrijeh lijek. 19Istinita usta stoje tvrdo dovijeka, a jezik lažljivi za èas. 20Koji zlo misle, prijevara im je u srcu, a radost je onima koji svjetuju na mir. 21Nikaka nesreæa neæe zadesiti pravednika, a bezbožnici æe se napuniti zla. 22Mrske su Gospodu lažljive usne; a koji rade vjerno, mili su mu.

St Alexis, the Man of God (411)

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.