Isaiah 2.3-11 (6th Hour)

3I iæi æe mnogi narodi govoreæi: hodite da idemo na goru Gospodnju, u dom Boga Jakovljeva, i uèiæe nas svojim putovima, i hodiæemo stazama njegovijem; jer æe iz Siona izaæi zakon, i rijeè Gospodnja iz Jerusalima. 4I sudiæe meðu narodima, i karaæe mnoge narode, te æe raskovati maèeve svoje na raonike, i koplja svoja na srpove, neæe dizati maèa narod na narod, niti æe se više uèiti boju. 5Dome Jakovljev, hodi da idemo po svjetlosti Gospodnjoj. 6Ali si ostavio svoj narod, dom Jakovljev, jer su puni zala istoènijeh i gataju kao Filisteji, i mili su im sinovi tuðinski. 7I zemlja je njihova puna srebra i zlata, i blagu njihovu nema kraja; zemlja je njihova puna konja, i kolima njihovijem nema kraja. 8Puna je zemlja njihova i idola; djelu ruku svojih klanjaju se, što naèiniše prsti njihovi. 9I klanjaju se prosti ljudi, i savijaju se glavni ljudi; nemoj im oprostiti. 10Uði u stijenu, i sakrij se u prah od straha Gospodnjega i od slave velièanstva njegova. 11Ponosite oèi èovjeèije poniziæe se, i visina ljudska ugnuæe se, a Gospod æe sam biti uzvišen u onaj dan.

Genesis 1.24-2.3 (Vespers)

24Potom reèe Bog: neka zemlja pusti iz sebe duše žive po vrstama njihovijem, stoku i sitne životinje i zvijeri zemaljske po vrstama njihovijem. I bi tako. 25I stvori Bog zvijeri zemaljske po vrstama njihovijem, i stoku po vrstama njezinijem, i sve sitne životinje na zemlji po vrstama njihovijem. I vidje Bog da je dobro. 26Potom reèe Bog: da naèinimo èovjeka po svojemu oblièju, kao što smo mi, koji æe biti gospodar od riba morskih i od ptica nebeskih i od stoke i od cijele zemlje i od svijeh životinja što se mièu po zemlji. 27I stvori Bog èovjeka po oblièju svojemu, po oblièju Božijemu stvori ga; muško i žensko stvori ih. 28I blagoslovi ih Bog, i reèe im Bog: raðajte se i množite se, i napunite zemlju, i vladajte njom, i budite gospodari od riba morskih i od ptica nebeskih i od svega zvjerinja što se mièe po zemlji. 29I još reèe Bog: evo, dao sam vam sve bilje što nosi sjeme po svoj zemlji, i sva drveta rodna koja nose sjeme; to æe vam biti za hranu. 30A svjemu zvjerinju zemaljskom i svjema pticama nebeskim i svjemu što se mièe na zemlji i u èem ima duša živa, dao sam svu travu da jedu. I bi tako. 31Tada pogleda Bog sve što je stvorio, i gle, dobro bješe veoma. I bi veèe i bi jutro, dan šesti.

1Tako se dovrši nebo i zemlja i sva vojska njihova. 2I svrši Bog do sedmoga dana djela svoja, koja uèini; i poèinu u sedmi dan od svijeh djela svojih, koja uèini; 3I blagoslovi Bog sedmi dan, i posveti ga, jer u taj dan poèinu od svijeh djela svojih, koja uèini;

Proverbs 2.1-22 (Vespers)

1Sine moj, ako primiš rijeèi moje, i zapovijesti moje sahraniš kod sebe, 2Da pazi uho tvoje na mudrost, i prigneš srce svoje k razumu, 3Ako prizoveš mudrost, i k razumu podigneš glas svoj, 4Ako ga ustražiš kao srebro, i kao sakriveno blago ako dobro ustražiš; 5Tada æeš razumjeti strah Gospodnji, i poznanje Božije naæi æeš. 6Jer Gospod daje mudrost, iz njegovijeh usta dolazi znanje i razum. 7Èuva pravima što doista jest, štit je onima koji hode u bezazlenosti, 8Da bi se držali staza pravijeh, a on èuva put svetaca svojih. 9Tada æeš razumjeti pravdu i sud i što je pravo, i svaki dobri put. 10Kad doðe mudrost u srce tvoje, i znanje omili duši tvojoj, 11Pomnjivost æe paziti na te, razum æe te èuvati, 12Izbavljajuæi te od zla puta, od ljudi koji govore opake stvari, 13Koji ostavljaju prave pute da idu putovima mraènijem, 14Koji se raduju zlo èineæi, i igraju u zlijem opaèinama; 15Kojih su putovi krivi, i sami su opaki na stazama svojim; 16Izbavljajuæi te od žene tuðe, od tuðinke, koja laska svojim rijeèima, 17Koja ostavlja voða mladosti svoje, i zaboravlja zavjet Boga svojega. 18Jer k smrti vodi dom njezin, i k mrtvima staze njezine. 19Ko god uðe k njoj ne vraæa se, niti izlazi na put životni. 20Zato hodi putem dobrijeh, i drži se staza pravednièkih. 21Jer æe pravednici nastavati na zemlji, i bezazleni æe ostati na njoj. 22A bezbožni æe se istrijebiti sa zemlje, i bezakonici æe se išèupati iz nje.

St Alexis, the Man of God (411)

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.