Isaiah 5.16-25 (6th Hour)

16Gospod nad vojskama uzvisiæe se sudom, i Bog sveti posvetiæe se pravdom. 17I jaganjci æe pasti po svom obièaju, i došljaci æe jesti s pustijeh mjesta pretilinu. 18Teško onima koji vuku bezakonje uzicama od taštine, i grijeh kao užem kolskim, 19Koji govore: neka pohiti, neka brzo doðe djelo njegovo, da vidimo, i neka se približi i doðe što je naumio svetac Izrailjev, da poznamo. 20Teško onima koji zlo zovu dobro, a dobro zlo, koji prave od mraka svjetlost a od svjetlosti mrak, koji prave od gorkoga slatko a od slatkoga gorko. 21Teško onima koji misle da su mudri, i sami su sebi razumni. 22Teško onima koji su jaki piti vino i junaci u miješanju silovita piæa. 23Koji pravdaju bezbožnika za poklon, a pravednima uzimaju pravdu. 24Zato kao što oganj proždire strnjiku i slame nestaje u plamenu, tako æe korijen njihov biti kao trulež i cvijet njihov otiæi æe kao prah, jer odbaciše zakon Gospoda nad vojskama i prezreše rijeè sveca Izrailjeva. 25Zato se raspali gnjev Gospodnji na narod njegov, i mahnuv rukom svojom na nj udari ga da se gore zadrmaše i mrtva tjelesa njegova biše kao blato po ulicama. Kod svega toga gnjev se njegov ne odvrati, nego je ruka njegova još podignuta.

Genesis 4.16-26 (Vespers)

16I otide Kajin ispred Gospoda, i naseli se u zemlji Naidskoj na istoku prema Edemu. 17I pozna Kajin ženu svoju, a ona zatrudnje i rodi Enoha. I sazida grad i prozva ga po imenu sina svojega Enoh. 18A Enohu rodi se Gaidad; a Gaidad rodi Maleleila; a Maleleilo rodi Matusala; a Matusal rodi Lameha. 19I uze Lameh dvije žene: jednoj bješe ime Ada a drugoj Sela. 20I Ada rodi Jovila; od njega se narodiše koji žive pod šatorima i stoku pasu. 21A bratu njegovu bješe ime Juval; od njega se narodiše gudaèi i sviraèi. 22A i Sela rodi Tovela, koji bješe vješt kovati svašta od mjedi i od gvožða; a sestra Tovelu bješe Noema. 23I reèe Lameh svojima ženama, Adi i Seli: èujte glas moj, žene Lamehove, poslušajte rijeèi moje: ubiæu èovjeka za ranu svoju i mladiæa za masnicu svoju. 24Kad æe se Kajin osvetiti sedam puta, Lameh æe sedamdeset i sedam puta. 25A Adam opet pozna ženu svoju, i ona rodi sina, i nadje mu ime Sit, jer mi, reèe, Bog dade drugoga sina za Avelja, kojega ubi Kajin. 26I Situ se rodi sin, kojemu nadjede ime Enos. Tada se poèe prizivati ime Gospodnje.

Proverbs 5.15-6.3 (Vespers)

15Pij vodu iz svojega studenca i što teèe iz tvojega izvora. 16Neka se razlivaju tvoji izvori na polje, i potoci po ulicama. 17Imaj ih sam za se, a ne tuðin s tobom. 18Blagosloven da je izvor tvoj, i veseli se ženom mladosti svoje; 19Neka ti je kao košuta mila i kao srna ljupka; dojke njezine neka te opijaju u svako doba, u ljubavi njezinoj posræi jednako. 20A zašto bi, sine, posrtao za tuðinkom i golio njedra tuðoj, 21Kad su pred oèima Gospodu putovi svaèiji, i mjeri sve staze njegove? 22Bezbožnika æe uhvatiti njegova bezakonja, i u uža grijeha svojih zaplešæe se; 23Umrijeæe bez nastave, i od mnoštva ludosti svoje lutaæe.

1Sine moj, kad se podjemèiš za prijatelja svojega, i daš ruku svoju tuðincu, 2Vezao si se rijeèima usta svojih, uhvatio si se rijeèima usta svojih. 3Zato uèini tako, sine moj, i oprosti se, jer si dopao u ruke bližnjemu svojemu; idi, pripadni, i navali na bližnjega svojega.

St Gerasimos of the Jordan (475)

He was from Lycia in Asia Minor. After living there as a hermit for many years, he traveled to the Egyptian Thebaid and lived among the Desert Fathers. He then went to Palestine, where he founded the great Lavra, a community of about seventy monks, that remains to this day. The monastery’s rule was simple and strict: During the five weekdays, the monks would stay in their cells, praying and weaving baskets and mats. On these days they ate only a little dry bread and some dates. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered for worship and ate boiled vegetables with a little wine. Each monk owned only one garment; if he left his cell he was required to leave it open so that anyone else could take whatever he needed from it. Saint Gerasimos himself was an example to all of them, exceeding even the rule that he laid upon them: during the Great Fast, he would eat nothing but what he received in Holy Communion.

In the desert, the Saint once saw a lion in great pain from a thorn in its paw. Moved by compassion, Gerasim approached it, made the sign of the Cross and pulled the thorn out. The lion followed the elder back to the monastery and remained there until the Saint’s death. When Gerasimos died, the lion, overcome by grief, soon died also, lying upon the Saint’s grave.

Saint Gerasimos was present at the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, where he proved a strong champion of Orthodoxy, though he had inclined toward the Monophysite heresy in his youth. He reposed in peace in 475.

St James the Faster of Phoenecia (6th c.)

“He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in godliness that he was able to heal the gravest illnesses by his prayers. But the enemy of the human race brought a heavy temptation on him. There was once sent to him a woman who had been corrupted by some mockers. She pretended to weep before him, but enticed him to sin. Seeing that he would fall into sin, James put his left hand into the fire and held it there until it was completely burned. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and horror, repented and reformed her life.

“But on a second occasion he did not resist and fell with a young girl whom her parents had brought to him to be healed of her madness. He indeed healed her, but then sinned with her and, in order to conceal the sin, killed her and threw her into a river. As always, the path from lust to murder was not very long. James spent ten years after that as a penitent, living in a grave. He learned after that that God had forgiven him, because, when he at one time prayed for rain in a time of great drought from which both men and cattle were suffering, it fell.

“Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how wicked the evil demon is; how, by the permission of God, the greatest spiritual giants can topple, and how again, by sincere repentance, God in His compassion will forgive the greatest sins and does not punish those who punish themselves.” (Prologue)