Acts 12.25-13.12 (Epistle)

25A Varnava i Savle predavši pomoæ vratiše se iz Jerusalima u Antiohiju, uzevši sa sobom i Jovana koji se zvaše Marko.

1A u crkvi koja bješe u Antiohiji bijahu neki proroci i uèitelji, to jest: Varnava i Simeun koji se zvaše Nigar, i Lukije Kirinac, i Manail odgajeni s Irodom èetverovlasnikom, i Savle. 2A kad oni služahu Gospodu i pošæahu, reèe Duh sveti: odvojte mi Varnavu i Savla na djelo na koje ih pozvah. 3Tada postivši i pomolivši se Bogu metnuše ruke na njih, i otpustiše ih. 4Ovi dakle poslani od Duha svetoga siðoše u Seleukiju, i odande otploviše u Kipar. 5I došavši u Salamin javiše rijeè Božiju u zbornicama Jevrejskima; a imahu i Jovana slugu. 6A kad proðoše ostrvo tja do Pafa, naðoše nekakvoga èovjeka vraèara i lažna proroka, Jevrejina, kome bješe ime Varisus, 7Koji bješe s namjesnikom Srðem Pavlom, èovjekom razumnijem. Ovaj dozvavši Varnavu i Savla zaiska da èuje rijeè Božiju. 8A Elima vraèar jer to znaèi ime njegovo) stade im se suprotiti, gledajuæi da odvrati namjesnika od vjere. 9A Savle koji se zvaše i Pavle, pun Duha svetoga pogledavši na nj 10Reèe: o napunjeni svakoga lukavstva i svake pakosti, sine ðavolji! neprijatelju svake pravde! zar ne prestaješ kvariti pravijeh putova Gospodnjijeh? 11I sad eto ruke Gospodnje na te, i da budeš slijep da ne vidiš sunca za neko vrijeme. I ujedanput napade na nj mrak i tama, i pipajuæi tražaše voða. 12Tada namjesnik, kad vidje šta bi, vjerova, diveæi se nauci Gospodnjoj.

John 8.51-59 (Gospel)

51Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko održi rijeè moju neæe vidjeti smrti dovijeka. 52Tada mu rekoše Jevreji: sad vidjesmo da je ðavo u tebi: Avraam umrije i proroci, a ti govoriš: ko održi rijeè moju neæe okusiti smrti dovijeka. 53Eda li si ti veæi od oca našega Avraama, koji umrije? I proroci pomriješe: ko se ti sam gradiš? 54Isus odgovori: ako se ja sam slavim, slava je moja ništa: otac je moj koji me slavi, za kojega vi govorite da je vaš Bog. 55I ne poznajete ga, a ja ga znam; i ako reèem da ga ne znam biæu laža kao vi. Nego ga znam, i rijeè njegovu držim. 56Avraam, otac vaš, bio je rad da vidi dan moj; i vidje, i obradova se. 57Tada mu rekoše Jevreji: još ti nema pedeset godina, i Avraama li si vidio? 58A Isus im reèe: zaista, zaista vam kažem: ja sam prije nego se Avraam rodio. 59Tada uzeše kamenje da bace na nj; a Isus se sakri, i iziðe iz crkve prošavši izmeðu njih i otide tako.

Our Fathers among the Saints Epiphanios, bishop of Cyprus (403) and Germanos, Archbishop of Constantinople (740)

Saint Epiphanios was born a Jew in Palestine, but he and his sister came to faith in Christ and were baptized together. Epiphanios gave all his possessions to the poor and became a monk. He knew St Hilarion the great (October 31), and traveled among the monks of Egypt to learn their ways and wisdom. The fame of his virtue spread so widely that several attempts were made to make him bishop, first in Egypt, then in Cyprus. Whenever Epiphanios heard of these plans, he fled the area. He was finally made bishop by means of a storm: told to go to Cyprus, he took ship instead for Gaza, but a contrary wind blew his ship directly to Cyprus, where “Epiphanios fell into the hands of bishops who had come together to elect a successor to the newly-departed Bishop of Constantia, and the venerable Epiphanios was at last constrained to be consecrated, about the year 367.” (Great Horologion). He guarded his flock faithfully for the remainder of his life, working many miracles, defending the Church against the Arian heresy, and composing several books, of which the best-loved is the Panarion (from the Latin for ‘bread-box’), an exposition of the Faith and an examination of eighty heresies. He was sometimes called the ‘Five-tongued’ because he was fluent in Hebrew, Egyptian, Syriac, Greek, and Latin.

Saint Germanos was the son of a prominent family, in Constantinople. He became Metropolitan of Cyzicus, then was elevated to the throne at Constantinople in 715. It was he who baptized the infant Constantine, who for his whole life was nicknamed “Copronymos” because he defecated in the baptismal font (though he was neither the first nor the last infant to do so). At this incident, Patriarch Germanos is said to have prophesied that the child would one day bring some foul heresy upon the Church, which he did, becoming a notorious iconoclast as emperor. Germanos openly opposed the decree of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian which began the persecution of the holy icons. For this he was deposed and driven into exile in 730. He lived the rest of his life in peace. Saint Germanos is the composer of many of the Church’s hymns, notably those for the Feast of the Meeting in the Temple.

These two Saints are always commemorated together.