Romans 4.13-25 (Epistle)

13Jer obeæanje Avraamu ili sjemenu njegovu da bude našljednik svijetu ne bi zakonom nego pravdom vjere. 14Jer ako su našljednici oni koji su od zakona, propade vjera, i pokvari se obeæanje. 15Jer zakon gradi gnjev; jer gdje nema zakona nema ni prijestupa. 16Zato od vjere da bude po milosti da obeæanje tvrdo ostane svemu sjemenu, ne samo koje je od zakona nego i koje je od vjere Avraama, koji je otac svima nama, 17Kao što stoji napisano: postavih te oca mnogijem narodima) pred Bogom kome vjerova, koji oživljuje mrtve, i zove ono što nije kao ono što jest: 18On vjerova na nad kad se nije bilo nièemu nadati da æe on biti otac mnogijem narodima, kao što mu bješe reèeno: tako æe biti sjeme tvoje. 19I ne oslabivši vjerom ne pogleda ni na svoje veæ umoreno tijelo, jer mu bješe negdje oko sto godina, ni na mrtvost Sarine materice. 20I za obeæanje Božije ne posumnja se nevjerovanjem, nego ojaèa u vjeri, i dade slavu Bogu. 21I znadijaše jamaèno da što obeæa kadar je i uèiniti. 22Zato se i primi njemu u pravdu. 23Ali nije pisano za njega jednoga samo da mu se primi, 24Nego i za nas, kojima æe se primiti ako vjerujemo onoga koji vaskrse Isusa Hrista Gospoda našega iz mrtvijeh, 25Koji se predade za grijehe naše, i ustade za opravdanje naše.

Matthew 7.21-23 (Gospel)

21Neæe svaki koji mi govori: Gospode! Gospode! uæi u carstvo nebesko; no koji èini po volji oca mojega koji je na nebesima. 22Mnogi æe reæi meni u onaj dan: Gospode! Gospode! nijesmo li u ime tvoje prorokovali, i tvojijem imenom ðavole izgonili, i tvojijem imenom èudesa mnoga tvorili? 23I tada æu im ja kazati: nikad vas nijesam znao; idite od mene koji èinite bezakonje.

Hieromartyr Timothy, bishop of Prusa (362)

“For his great spiritual purity, God gave him the gift of wonderworking, and he healed all manner of diseases and pains among the people. During the reign of the evil Emperor Julian, who had renounced Christ, holy Timothy was thrown into prison. The faithful visited him there to listen to the wise teaching of their bishop. When this came to the Emperor’s ears, he commanded that the executioner behead the Saint in the prison. This was in 362, and his soul entered into Paradise while his relics remained, full of miraculous power, to help the people and declare the power of the Lord.” (Prologue [adapted])

Holy Martyrs Alexander and Antonina (313)

In Alexandria, the virgin Antonina was brought before Festus, the Governor, tortured for her faith in Christ, then thrown into prison. A Christian soldier named Alexander, who had never before seen or heard of Antonina, was commanded by an angel of God to go to her. Finding her, he gave her his military cloak, wrapping it about her head and body; and thus, with her head lowered, she was able to walk out of the prison while Alexander remained in her place. Alexander was brought before Festus, where he too confessed his faith in Christ. Antonina, learning of this, voluntarily came before the judge, who put both of them to hideous tortures, mutilating them in many ways before having them cast into a fire and burned alive.

A slightly different account says that Festus placed Antonina under guard in a brothel rather than a prison, so that her virginity might be defiled, and that it was from there that Alexander rescued her.

Festus, the Governor, was struck mute at the time of the holy martyrs’ death, and was tormented by an evil spirit for seven days, at the end of which he died.

Hieromartyr Metrophanes, first Chinese priest, and the Chinese New Martyrs of the Boxer Uprising (1900)

“The Holy Martyrs of China were native Chinese Orthodox Christians brought up in piety at the Russian Orthodox Mission in Peking, which had been founded in 1685. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 against the foreign powers occupying China, native Chinese Christians were commanded by the Boxers to renounce Christianity or be tortured to death. Two hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest Metrophanes Tsi-Chung and his family, refused to deny Christ, and were deemed worthy of a martyric death.” ( Great Horologion)