Isaiah 26.21-27.9 (6th Hour)

21Căci iată, Domnul iese din locuinţa Lui să pedepsească nelegiuirile locuitorilor pământului; şi pământul va da sângele pe faţă, şi nu va mai acoperi uciderile. 1În ziua aceea, Domnul va lovi cu sabia Lui cea aspră, mare şi tare leviatanul, Babilonul, şarpele fugar (Asur) şi leviatanul, şarpele inelat (Babel), şi va ucide balaurul de lângă mare (Egiptul). 2În ziua aceea, cântaţi o cântare asupra viei celei mai alese: 3„Eu, Domnul, sunt Păzitorul ei, Eu o ud în fiecare clipă; Eu o păzesc zi şi noapte ca să n-o vatăme nimeni. 4N-am nicio mânie. Dar, dacă voi găsi mărăcini şi spini, voi merge la luptă împotriva lor şi-i vor arde pe toţi, 5afară numai dacă vor căuta ocrotirea Mea, vor face pace cu Mine, da, vor face pace cu Mine.” 6În vremurile viitoare, Iacov va prinde rădăcină, Israel va înflori şi va odrăsli, şi va umple lumea cu roadele lui. 7L-a lovit oare Domnul cum a lovit pe cei ce-l loveau? L-a ucis El cum a ucis pe cei ce-l ucideau? 8Cu măsură l-ai pedepsit în robie, luându-l cu suflarea năprasnică a vântului de răsărit. 9Astfel, nelegiuirea lui Iacov a fost ispăşită; şi iată rodul iertării păcatului lui: Domnul a făcut toate pietrele altarelor ca nişte pietre de var prefăcute în ţărână; idolii Astarteii şi stâlpii soarelui nu se vor mai ridica.

Genesis 9.18-10.1 (Vespers)

18Fiii lui Noe, care au ieşit din corabie, erau: Sem, Ham şi Iafet; Ham este tatăl lui Canaan. 19Aceştia au fost cei trei fii ai lui Noe, şi din ei s-au răspândit oameni peste tot pământul. 20Noe a început să fie lucrător de pământ şi a sădit o vie. 21A băut vin, s-a îmbătat şi s-a dezgolit în mijlocul cortului său. 22Ham, tatăl lui Canaan, a văzut goliciunea tatălui său şi a spus celor doi fraţi ai lui afară. 23Atunci Sem şi Iafet au luat mantaua, au pus-o pe umeri, au mers de-a-ndărătelea şi au acoperit goliciunea tatălui lor; fiindcă feţele le erau întoarse înapoi, n-au văzut goliciunea tatălui lor. 24Noe s-a trezit din ameţeala vinului şi a aflat ce-i făcuse fiul său cel mai tânăr. 25Şi a zis: „Blestemat să fie Canaan! Să fie robul robilor fraţilor lui!” 26El a mai zis: „Binecuvântat să fie Domnul, Dumnezeul lui Sem, şi Canaan să fie robul lui! 27Dumnezeu să lărgească locurile stăpânite de Iafet, Iafet să locuiască în corturile lui Sem, şi Canaan să fie robul lor!” 28Noe a trăit, după potop, trei sute cincizeci de ani.

29Toate zilele lui Noe au fost de nouă sute cincizeci de ani; apoi a murit. 1Iată spiţa neamului fiilor lui Noe: Sem, Ham şi Iafet. După potop li s-au născut fii.

Proverbs 12.23-13.9 (LXX) (Vespers)

23Omul înţelept îşi ascunde ştiinţa, dar inima nebunilor vesteşte nebunia. – 24Mâna celor harnici va stăpâni, dar mâna leneşă va plăti bir. – 25Neliniştea din inima omului îl doboară, dar o vorbă bună îl înveseleşte. – 26Cel neprihănit arată prietenului său calea cea bună, dar calea celor răi îi duce în rătăcire. – 27Leneşul nu-şi frige vânatul, dar comoara de preţ a unui om este munca. –

28Pe cărarea neprihănirii este viaţa, şi pe drumul însemnat de ea nu este moarte. – 1Un fiu înţelept ascultă învăţătura tatălui său, dar batjocoritorul n-ascultă mustrarea. – 2Prin rodul gurii ai parte de bine, dar cei stricaţi au parte de silnicie. – 3Cine-şi păzeşte gura, îşi păzeşte sufletul; cine-şi deschide buzele mari aleargă spre pieirea lui. – 4Leneşul doreşte mult, şi totuşi, n-are nimic, dar cei harnici se satură. – 5Cel neprihănit urăşte cuvintele mincinoase, dar cel rău se face urât şi se acoperă de ruşine. – 6Neprihănirea păzeşte pe cel nevinovat, dar răutatea aduce pierzarea păcătosului. – 7Unul face pe bogatul, şi n-are nimic, altul face pe săracul, şi are totuşi mari avuţii. – 8Omul cu bogăţia lui îşi răscumpără viaţa, dar săracul n-ascultă mustrarea. – 9Lumina celor neprihăniţi arde voioasă, dar candela celor răi se stinge. –

St Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem (386)

He was born in Jerusalem in 315, ordained to the priesthood in 346, and succeeded Maximus as Archbishop of Jerusalem in 350. He was exiled three times by the Arian Emperors Constantius and Valens for his unwavering defense of the Faith. Restored by the Emperor Theodosius, he did not return to the throne, but lived for eight years in peace before reposing in 386.

He was known to all his people as a tireless defender of the poor, and as a great ascetic. He was gentle and humble in his bearing, pale and gaunt from fasting. He struggled throughout his time against the Arian heresy, which had become very strong, claiming the allegiance even of the Emperors. In addition, he lived through the reign of Julian the Apostate, who tried by many means to weaken and undermine the Church and the Christian Faith.

Of St Cyril’s many writings, the best-known are his Catecheses, considered the oldest systematic summary of Christian teaching.

St Ananias (Aninus) the Wonderworker (?)

“Born in Chalcedon, he was little of stature, like Zaccheus, but great in spirit and faith. He denied himself to the world at the age of fifteen and settled near the River Euphrates in a little hut, where he atoned for his sins, and prayed to God, at first with his teacher Mayum and then, after Mayum’s death, alone. By the power of his prayers he filled an empty well with water, healed the sick of various pains and tamed wild beasts. There was a tamed lion with him as his servant. He had insight into distant happenings. When robbers attacked a stylite, Pionius, at some distance from him, and beat him up to such an extent that he decided to come down from his pillar and go to complain to the judges, St Aninus saw his intention in his soul and sent him a letter by means of his lion, telling him to set aside his intention, to forgive his assaulters and to continue in his asceticism. He was inexpressibly generous. The bishop of Neo-Caesarea made a gift to him of a donkey, to ease his carrying of water from the river, but he gave this donkey to some poor man who had complained to him of his poverty. The bishop gave him a second donkey, but he gave that away. Then the bishop gave him a third donkey, not for his own but only to serve as a water-carrier, to be kept and returned. At the time of his death, he saw Moses, Aaron and Or coming to him and calling: ‘Aninus, the Lord is calling you. Get up and come with us.’ This he revealed to his disciples, and gave his spirit to the Lord whom he had served so faithfully. He was 110 years old when he finished his earthly course.” (Prologue)

Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic), Bishop of Ochrid and Zica, Serbia (1956)(March 5 OC)

He has been called ‘The New Chrysostom’ for his many grace-filled sermons and writings.

He was born in 1880 in the Serbian village of Lelich. After attending the Seminary of St Sava in Belgrade, he obtained doctoral degrees from both the University of Berne and Oxford University. In 1919, Archimandrite Nikolai was made Bishop of Zica.

In 1941 Bishop Nikolai was arrested by the Nazis and, after three years’ imprisonment in Ljubostir Vojlovici Monastery, was sent to the infamous Dachau concentration camp along with the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo. He both witnessed and personally underwent many tortures there until the camp was liberated by the US army in 1945.

After the war he fled Communist-controlled Yugoslavia and emigrated to the United States, where he taught at St Sava’s Seminary, St Vladimir Seminary and St Tikhon seminary. It was at St Tikhon Seminary that he reposed in 1956. His relics rested for awhile at St Sava’s Seminary in Libertyville IL, then were returned to Serbia, where they now reside.

Throughout his adult life, the holy monk and bishop poured forth a steady stream of beautiful homilies and theological and spiritual writings. He is the author of the Prologue from Ochrid, a Slavic Synaxarion. The luminous homilies included therein, one for each day of the year, give a good sample of his inspired writing.

His feast is kept on this day (March 5 OC, March 18 NC) by Orthodox Christians on both the Old and New Calendars.

Note: With the blessing of Bishop Jovan of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Mitrophan Chin is engaged in a project to translate St Nikolai’s Prologue into Chinese. To learn more about this worthy project, see his web site: http://chineseorthodox.n3.net