Wisdom of Solomon 5.15-6.3 (Vespers)

Wisdom of Solomon 3.1-9 (Vespers)

Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15 (Vespers)

Matthew 11.27-30 (Matins Gospel)

27Sve je meni predao otac moj, i niko ne zna sina do otac; niti oca ko zna do sin i ako kome sin hoæe kazati. 28Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorni i natovareni, i ja æu vas odmoriti. 29Uzmite jaram moj na sebe, i nauèite se od mene; jer sam ja krotak i smjeran u srcu, i naæi æete pokoj dušama svojijem. 30Jer je jaram moj blag, i breme je moje lako.

Hebrews 5.11-6.8 (Epistle)

11Za kojega bismo vam imali mnogo govoriti što je teško iskazati; jer ste postali slabi na slušanju. 12Jer vi koji bi valjalo da ste uèitelji po godinama, opet trebujete da uèite koje su prva slova rijeèi Božije; i postadoste da trebate mlijeka, a ne jake hrane. 13Jer koji se god hrani mlijekom, ne razumije rijeèi pravde, jer je dijete. 14A savršenijeh je tvrda hrana, koji imaju osjeæanja dugijem uèenjem obuèena za razlikovanje i dobra i zla.

1Zato da ostavimo poèetak Hristove nauke i da se damo na savršenstvo: da ne postavljamo opet temelja pokajanja od mrtvijeh djela, i vjere u Boga, 2Nauke krštenja, i metanja ruku, i vaskrsenija mrtvijeh, i suda vjeènoga. 3I ovo æemo uèiniti ako Bog dopusti. 4Jer nije moguæe one koji su jednom prosvijetljeni, i okusili dara nebeskoga, postali zajednièari Duha svetoga, 5I okusili dobre rijeèi Božije, i sile onoga svijeta, i otpali, 6Opet obnoviti na pokajanje, jer sami sebi nanovo raspinju i ruže sina Božijega. 7Jer zemlja koja pije dažd što èesto na nju pada, i koja raða povræe dobro onima koji je rade, prima blagoslov od Boga; 8A koja iznosi trnje i èièak, nepotrebna je i kletve blizu, koja se najposlije sažeže.

Hebrews 13.17-21 (Epistle, St Euthymius)

17Slušajte uèitelje svoje i pokoravajte im se, jer se oni staraju za duše vaše, kao koji æe dati odgovor, da to s radošæu èine, a ne uzdišuæi; jer vam ovo ne pomaže. 18Molite se Bogu za nas. Jer se nadamo da imamo dobru savjest, starajuæi se u svemu dobro da živimo. 19A odviše molim èinite ovo, da bih se prije vratio k vama. 20A Bog mira, koji izvede iz mrtvijeh velikoga pastira ovcama, krvlju zavjeta vjeènoga, Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, 21Da vas savrši u svakome djelu dobrom, da uèinite volju njegovu, èineæi u vama što je ugodno pred njim, kroz Isusa Hrista, kojemu slava va vijek vijeka. Amin.

Luke 21.5-7, 10-11, 20-24 (Gospel)

5I kad neki govorahu za crkvu da je ukrašena lijepijem kamenjem i zakladima, reèe: 6Doæi æe dani u koje od svega što vidite neæe ostati ni kamen na kamenu koji se neæe razmetnuti. 7Zapitaše ga pak govoreæi: uèitelju! a kad æe to biti? i kakav je znak kad æe se to dogoditi? 10Tada im reèe: ustaæe narod na narod i carstvo na carstvo; 11I zemlja æe se tresti vrlo po svijetu, i biæe gladi i pomori i strahote i veliki znaci biæe na nebu. 20A kad vidite da Jerusalim opkoli vojska onda znajte da se približilo vrijeme da opusti. 21Tada koji budu u Judeji neka bježe u gore, i koji budu u gradu neka izlaze napolje; i koji su napolju neka ne ulaze u njega: 22Jer su ovo dani osvete, da se izvrši sve što je napisano. 23Ali teško trudnima i dojilicama u te dane! Jer æe biti velika nevolja na zemlji, i gnjev na ovom narodu. 24I pašæe od oštrica maèa, i odvešæe se u ropstvo po svijem narodima; i Jerusalim æe gaziti neznabošci dok se ne izvrše vremena neznabožaca.

Luke 6.17-23 (Gospel, St Euthymius)

17I izišavši s njima stade na mjestu ravnom, i gomila uèenika njegovijeh; i mnoštvo naroda iz sve Judeje i iz Jerusalima, i iz primorja Tirskoga i Sidonskoga, 18Koji doðoše da ga slušaju i da se iscjeljuju od svojijeh bolesti, i koje muèahu duhovi neèisti; i iscjeljivahu se. 19I sav narod tražaše da ga se dotaknu; jer iz njega izlažaše sila i iscjeljivaše ih sve. 20I on podignuvši oèi na uèenike svoje govoraše: blago vama koji ste siromašni duhom; jer je vaše carstvo Božije. 21Blago vama koji ste gladni sad; jer æete se nasititi. Blago vama koji plaèete sad; jer æete se nasmijati. 22Blago vama kad na vas ljudi omrznu i kad vas rastave i osramote, i razglase ime vaše kao zlo sina radi èovjeèijega. 23Radujte se u onaj dan i igrajte, jer gle, vaša je velika plata na nebu. Jer su tako èinili prorocima ocevi njihovi.

Our Venerable Father Euthymius the Great (473)

‘This Saint, who was from Melitine in Armenia, was the son of pious parents named Paul and Dionysia. He was born about 377. Since his mother had been barren, he was named Euthymius which means “good cheer” or “joy” for this is what his parents experienced at his birth. He studied under Eutroius, the Bishop of Melitene, by whom he was ordained and entrusted with the care of the monasteries of Melitene. Then, after he had come to Palestine about the year 406, he became the leader of a multitude of monks. Through him, a great tribe of Arabs was turned to piety, when he healed the ailing son of their leader Aspebetos. Aspebetos was baptized with all his people; he took the Christian name of Peter, and was later consecrated Bishop for his tribe, being called the “Bishop of the Tents.” Saint Euthymius also fought against the Nestorians, Eutychians, and Manichaeans. When Eudocia, the widow of Saint Theodosius the Younger, had made her dwelling in Palestine, and had fallen into the heresy of the Monophysites which was championed in Palestine by a certain Theodosius, she sent envoys to Saint Symeon the Stylite in Syria (see Sept.1), asking him his opinion of Eutyches and the Council of Chalcedon which had condemned him; Saint Symeon, praising the holiness and Orthodoxy of Saint Euthymius near whom she dwelt, sent her to him to be delivered from her error (the holy Empress Eudocia is commemorated Aug. 13). He became the divine oracle of the Church, or rather, “the vessel of divine utterance,” as a certain historian writes. He was the instructor and elder of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified. Having lived for ninety-six years, he reposed in 473, on January 20.’ (Great Horologion)

Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma (Nirra) (1st – 2nd c.)

They were disciples of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the first missionary to the lands north of the Black Sea. They witnessed to Christ around the Danube River and converted many to the Faith. They were arrested and condemned, and died immersed to their necks in icy water.

In the Prologue, St Nikolai Velimirovich describes them as the “first Slavic martyrs mentioned in history.” In ancient martyrologies they are referred to as Scythians, a term applied to the peoples living around the Black Sea in the early Christian era. It is doubtful that they were members of the Slavic people as we understand them today, though it seems that they were the first martyrs in the lands that are now inhabited by the Slavic people.

Saint Peter the Tax Collector (6th c.)

“”Saint Peter, being of patrician rank, was appointed by the Emperor Justinian (527-65) to administer the Roman province of Africa. Harsh and without an ounce of compassion, he became universally known as ‘the Miser’. One day a beggar was importuning him insistently for alms, so he picked up one of the warm loaves which his servant had just brought in and threw it like a stone at his head. The beggar seized it with delight and made off. Two days later Peter suddenly fell ill with the fever and saw himself appear at the Last Judgment to give an account of all his deeds. A pair of scales was brought before him and swarthy creatures placed all his evil actions on to the left-hand dish, while bright angels stood to the right, in dismay at having nothing by way of a good deed to put on to the right-hand side except the loaf which he had thrown in anger at the beggar. Peter then woke up with a start and, forgetful of his illness, hastened to give away all his goods to the needy, even his clothing. Afterwards in a dream, he saw Christ wearing the clothes he had given away, and so he decided not to stop at that but to sell himself as slave to a goldsmith in order to give alms of the price paid for him. Some time later, fearing lest his identity be discovered, he fled to Jerusalem and thence to Constantinople, where he gave back his soul in peace to God in his old house.” (Synaxarion)

The source of this story is the longer Life of St John the Merciful (November 12).