2 Timothy 4.9-22 (Epistle)

9Postaraj se da doðeš brzo k meni; 10Jer me Dimas ostavi, omiljevši mu sadašnji svijet, i otide u Solun; Kriskent u Galatiju, Tit u Dalmaciju; Luka je sam kod mene. 11Marka uzmi i dovedi ga sa sobom; jer mi je dobar za službu. 12A Tihika poslao sam u Efes. 13Kad doðeš donesi mi kabanicu što sam ostavio u Troadi kod Karpa, i knjige, a osobito kožne. 14Aleksandar kovaè mnogo mi zla uèini. Da mu Gospod plati po djelu njegovu. 15Èuvaj se i ti od njega; jer se vrlo protivi našijem rijeèima. 16U prvi moj odgovor niko ne osta sa mnom, nego me svi ostaviše. Da im se ne primi! 17Ali Gospod bi sa mnom i dade mi pomoæ da se kroza me svrši propovijedanje, i da èuju svi neznabošci; i izbavih se od usta lavovijeh. 18I Gospod æe me izbaviti od svakoga zla djela, i saèuvaæe me za carstvo svoje nebesko; kojemu slava va vijek vijeka. Amin. 19Pozdravi Priskilu i Akilu, i Onisiforov dom. 20Erast osta u Korintu. A Trofima ostavih u Miletu bolesna. 21Postaraj se da doðeš prije zime. Pozdravlja te Euvul, i Pud, i Lin, i Klaudija, i braæa sva. 22Gospod Isus Hristos sa duhom tvojijem. Blagodat s vama. Amin.

Luke 20.1-8 (Gospel)

1I kad on u jedan od onijeh dana uèaše narod u crkvi i propovijedaše jevanðelje, doðoše glavari sveštenièki i književnici sa starješinama, 2I rekoše mu govoreæi: kaži nam kakvom vlasti to èiniš? Ili ko ti je dao vlast tu? 3A on odgovarajuæi reèe im: i ja æu vas upitati jednu rijeè, i kažite mi: 4Krštenje Jovanovo ili bi s neba ili od ljudi? 5A oni pomišljahu u sebi govoreæi: ako reèemo s neba, reæi æe: zašto mu dakle ne vjerovaste? 6Ako li reèemo: od ljudi, sav æe nas narod pobiti kamenjem; jer svi vjerovahu da Jovan bješe prorok. 7I odgovoriše: ne znamo otkuda. 8A Isus im reèe: ni ja vama neæu kazati kakvom vlasti ovo èinim.

Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus (315)

Hermylus was a deacon in Singidunum (modern-day Belgrade) during the reign of Licinius. When he was arrested he joyously welcomed the soldiers who came to seize him. When he confessed Christ before the magistrate, he was beaten, tormented, then thrown in jail. There he prayed to be allowed to partake in Christ’s saving Passion, and heard a voice assuring him that in three days he would receive a Martyr’s crown.

Stratonicus, his jailer, was a kind-hearted man and secretly a Christian, and wept to see the torments to which Hermylus was subjected. Seeing this, the soldiers began to question him; and, seeing that his hour had come, he in turn openly confessed Christ. For this he was seized, flogged and thrown into prison with his brother in Christ. The following day, both were bound, tied in a net and thrown into the Danube, where they received their divinely-promised crowns. Their bodies were washed up a few days later, recovered by Christians and buried with honor.

Our Holy Father Maximos Kavsokalybites (the Hut-burner) (1365)

A native of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, he became a monk at the age of seventeen. When his spiritual Father died, he went on pilgrimage to Constantinople, where he took up the ascesis of folly for Christ, pretending madness in order to conceal his virtues and struggles from the world. He then went to the Great Lavra of St Athanasius on Mount Athos, where he lived as a simple monk in complete obedience. One day, he was told in a dream to go to the summit of Athos to receive (like Moses) the tablets of the spiritual law. He prayed continuously atop the Holy Mountain for three days, after which the Mother of God appeared to him surrounded by angels. She gave him a miraculous loaf for his sustenance and told him to live in solitude on the wild slopes of Mount Athos. Henceforth he lived apart, barefoot in all weather. He would build himself crude shelters of branches and brush; after living in one for a short time he would burn it and move to a new place. Thus he received the name Kavsokalybites “the Hut Burner” from the other monks, who dismissed him as a madman.

Saint Gregory the Sinaite (April 6), one of the great Hesychasts, heard of St Maximos, and hurried to meet him. When they met, St Maximos put aside his usual silence at St Gregory’s pleading, and they discoursed together for many hours. Saint Gregory was astonished at the wonders that God had accomplished in St Maximos, at his depth of spiritual understanding and his eloquence. Returning to the nearby monks, he said “He is an angel and not a man!” He begged St Maximos to give up his nomadic life and his pretended madness, and to live among his fellow monks for their edification. This St Maximos did. He settled in one of his crude huts, living on bread miraculously provided from heaven and on sea-water, which was made sweet by his prayer. He received and counseled any monks who sought him out, and over the years was visited by two Emperors and by the Patriarch of Constantinople. In his last years he returned to a small cell in his Lavra, where he reposed in peace at the age of ninety- five. The monks of Mt Athos immediately venerated him as a Saint.

Our Holy Father Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (369)

“The holy Hierarch Hilary was born of pagan parents in Gaul, and was trained in philosophy and rhetoric. At a time when paganism was still strong in Gaul, Saint Hilary understood the falsehood of polytheism, and became a Christian, and a great defender of his new Faith. About the year 350 he was ordained Bishop of Poitiers, when Arles and Milan were in the hands of the Arians and the Arian Constantius was sole Emperor. Like his contemporary Saint Athanasius, Saint Hilary’s episcopate was one long struggle against the Arians. As Bishop of Poitiers, Saint Hilary foresaw the future greatness of Martin (see Nov. 12), and attached him to himself. In 355, when required to agree to the condemnation of Saint Athanasius by the Council of Milan, Hilary wrote an epistle to Constantius condemning the wrongs done by the Arians and requesting, among other things, the restoration of the Orthodox bishops, including Athanasius. For this, Hilary was banished to Asia Minor, where he wrote his greatest work, On the Trinity. Saint Hilary returned to his see in 360, where Saint Martin sought him out again. It was at this time that Saint Hilary blessed Martin to found a monastery near Poitiers, where Martin remained until being consecrated Bishop of Tours in 371. In his last years, Saint Hilary strove for the deposition of Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Milan, but by affecting an Orthodox confession Auxentius retained his see. Saint Hilary reposed in peace about the year 368. Auxentius died in 374 and was succeeded by Saint Ambrose, who continued Saint Hilary’s battle against Arianism.” (Great Horologion, adapted)