Romans 1.18-27 (Epistle)

18Jer se otkriva gnjev Božij s neba na svaku bezbožnost i nepravdu ljudi koji drže istinu u nepravdi. 19Jer što se može doznati za Boga poznato je njima: jer im je Bog javio; 20Jer što se na njemu ne može vidjeti, od postanja svijeta moglo se poznati i vidjeti na stvorenjima, i njegova vjeèna sila i božanstvo, da nemaju izgovora. 21Jer kad poznaše Boga, ne proslaviše ga kao Boga niti mu zahvališe, nego zaludješe u svojijem mislima, i potamnje nerazumno srce njihovo. 22Kad se graðahu mudri, poludješe, 23I pretvoriše slavu vjeènoga Boga u oblièje smrtnoga èovjeka i ptica i èetvoronožnijeh životinja i gadova. 24Zato ih predade Bog u željama njihovijeh srca u neèistotu, da se pogane tjelesa njihova meðu njima samima; 25Koji pretvoriše istinu Božiju u laž, i veæma poštovaše i poslužiše tvar nego tvorca, koji je blagosloven vavijek. Amin. 26Zato ih predade Bog u sramne slasti; jer žene njihove pretvoriše putno upotrebljavanje u besputno. 27Tako i ljudi ostavivši putno upotrebljavanje ženskoga roda, raspališe se željom svojom jedan na drugoga, i ljudi s ljudima èinjahu sram, i platu koja trebaše za prijevaru njihovu primahu na sebi.

Matthew 5.20-26 (Gospel)

20Jer vam kažem da ako ne bude veæa pravda vaša nego književnika i fariseja, neæete uæi u carstvo nebesko. 21Èuli ste kako je kazano starima: ne ubij; jer ko ubije, biæe kriv sudu. 22A ja vam kažem da æe svaki koji se gnjevi na brata svojega ni za što, biti kriv sudu; a ako li ko reèe bratu svojemu: raka! biæe kriv skupštini; a ko reèe: budalo! biæe kriv paklu ognjenom. 23Zato dakle ako prineseš dar svoj k oltaru, i ondje se opomeneš da brat tvoj ima nešto na te, 24Ostavi ondje dar svoj pred oltarom, i idi prije te se pomiri s bratom svojijem, pa onda doði i prinesi dar svoj. 25Miri se sa suparnikom svojijem brzo, dok si na putu s njim, da te suparnik ne preda sudiji, a sudija da te ne preda sluzi i u tamnicu da te ne vrgnu. 26Zaista ti kažem: neæeš iziæi odande dok ne daš do pošljednjega dinara.

Holy Martyr Lucillian and those with him (270)

Lucilian spent most of his life as a pagan priest. In advanced old age, he learned the truth of the Christian faith and was baptized. The conversion of so public a figure quickly attracted attention, and Lucilian was brought to trial in Nicomedia. After enduring many tortures he was imprisoned with four young Christians, scarcely older than children: Claudius, Hypatius, Paul and Dionysius. When they were brouht before Silvanos the governor, all five confessed their faith and were sentenced to death and cast into a fiery furnace. When they miraculously emerged unharmed, they were taken to Byzantium, where the four young men were beheaded and Lucillian was crucified. A maiden named Paula openly carried away the martyrs’ bodies and buried them. For this she in turn was tortured and, refusing to renounce her faith in Christ, beheaded. This was in the reign of the Emperor Aurelian. A church was built in their honor in Constantinople.

Hieromartyr Lucian (2nd c.)

He was a Roman nobleman, a disciple of the Apostle Peter. Pope Clement sent him, along with St Dionysius the Areopagite, to preach the Gospel in Gaul, ordaining them both as bishops before they left. The Emperor Domitian later sent soldiers to Rome to seize Christian evangelists. They killed St Dionysius in Rome, then, hearing of the work of St Lucian, tracked him until found him in what is now Belgium. There he was beheaded along with his two fellow-missionaries, Maxianus the priest and Julian the deacon. A church was built over his relics.

Holy Martyr Dimitri, Tsarevich of Russia (1591)

He was murdered at the age of eight by the evil designs of Boris Godunov, in the town of Uglich. After his death he appeared to a monk and accurately foretold Boris Godunov’s death. Countless miracles were worked at the grave of the Tsarevich. When his tomb was opened fifteen years after his death, his relics were found whole and incorrupt, and were solemnly buried in the Church of the Archangel Michael in Moscow.

The circumstances of Boris Godunov’s death are worth telling. He first tried to kill the Tsarevich using the strongest poison, but it had no effect. He then had the child publicly beheaded. Not long afterwards a ‘false Dimitri’ arose, claiming to be the Tsarevich, and rallied a great army against Godunov. Godunov was driven to such a desperate position that he took his own life by poison, the ‘remedy’ he had intended for the true Dimitri.