Romans 11.25-36 (Epistle)

25Jer vam, braæo, neæu zatajiti tajne ove da ne budete ponositi da šljepota Izrailju pade u dijel dokle ne uðe neznabožaca koliko treba. 26I tako æe se spasti sav Izrailj, kao što je napisano: doæi æe od Siona izbavitelj i odvratiæe bezbožnost od Jakova. 27I ovo im je moj zavjet kad otmem njihove grijehe. 28Po jevanðelju dakle neprijatelji su vas radi; a po izboru ljubazni su otaca radi. 29Jer se Bog neæe raskajati za svoje darove i zvanje. 30Jer kao i vi što se nekad suproæaste Bogu a sad biste pomilovani njihovoga radi suproæenja, 31Tako i oni sad ne htješe da vjeruju vašega radi pomilovanja da bi i oni bili pomilovani. 32Jer Bog zatvori sve u nevjerstvo, da sve pomiluje. 33O dubino bogatstva i premudrosti i razuma Božijega! kako su neispitljivi njegovi sudovi i neistražljivi njegovi putovi! 34Jer ko pozna misao Gospodnju? 35Ili ko mu bi savjetnik? Ili ko mu naprijed dade što, da mu se vrati? 36Jer je od njega i kroz njega i u njemu sve. Njemu slava vavijek. Amin.

Matthew 12.1-8 (Gospel)

1U to vrijeme iðaše Isus u subotu kroz usjeve: a uèenici njegovi ogladnješe, i poèeše trgati klasje, i jesti. 2A fariseji vidjevši to rekoše mu: gle, uèenici tvoji èine što ne valja èiniti u subotu. 3A on reèe im: nijeste li èitali što uèini David kad ogladnje, on i koji bijahu s njim? 4Kako uðe u kuæu Božiju, i hljebove postavljene pojede, kojijeh nije valjalo jesti njemu ni onima što su bili s njim, nego samijem sveštenicima. 5Ili nijeste èitali u zakonu kako u subotu sveštenici u crkvi subotu pogane, pa nijesu krivi? 6A ja vam kažem da je ovdje onaj koji je veæi od crkve. 7Kad biste pak znali šta je to: milosti hoæu a ne priloga, nikad ne biste osuðivali pravijeh; 8Jer je gospodar i od subote sin èovjeèij.

St David of Thessalonica (540)

For years he lived the ascetic life in a crude tree- house he had fashioned in the branches of an almond tree. Then he moved to Thessaly, where he continued his life of fasting, prayer and vigil, cleansing his soul and being made worthy to perform many miracles. Once, when the Emperor Justinian visited him, he took a live coal in his bare hand and censed the Emperor. The Emperor, seeing this, bowed to the ground before David. He reposed in peace.

Feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. Feast of the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God

This icon was once kept in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In 1383, it suddenly appeared in the sky over Lake Ladoga, then travelled through the air to the city of Tikhvin, where it alit by the River Tikhvina. A monastery was built there to house it. In the twentieth century it was brought to America. Innumerable miracles have been worked through this wonderworking icon, especially healings of children.

On this day is also commemorated the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God. According to many accounts, this icon and the Tikhvin Icon are one and the same, so we list them together. Hodigritia is translated “Directress” or more literally “She who shows the way.” It was painted by Luke the Evangelist himself, who knew the Mother of God in the flesh. Over the years the icon was taken from Antioch to Jerusalem, then to Constantinople where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae. When Constantinople was attacked at the same time by the Persians and the Scythians, Patriarch Sergius carried the holy icon around the ramparts, and the city was miraculously delivered from its pagan enemies. During the iconoclast period, the icon was hidden in a wall in the monastery of the Pantocrator.