Isaiah 9.9-10.4 (6th Hour)

9I znaæe sav narod, Jefrem i stanovnici Samarijski, koji oholo i ponosita srca govore: 10Padoše opeke, ali æemo mi zidati od tesana kamena; dudovi su posjeèeni, ali æemo mi zamijeniti kedrima. 11Ali æe Gospod podignuti protivnike Resinove na nj, i skupiæe neprijatelje njegove, 12Sirce s istoka i Filisteje sa zapada, te æe ždrijeti Izrailja na sva usta. Kod svega toga neæe se odvratiti gnjev njegov, nego æe ruka njegova još biti podignuta. 13Jer se narod neæe obratiti k onomu ko ga bije, i neæe tražiti Gospoda nad vojskama. 14Zato æe otsjeæi Gospod Izrailju glavu i rep, granu i situ u jedan dan. 15Starješina i ugledan èovjek to je glava, a prorok koji uèi laž to je rep. 16Jer koji vode taj narod, oni ga zavode, a koje vode, oni su propali. 17Zato se Gospod neæe radovati mladiæima njegovijem, i na sirote njegove i na udovice njegove neæe se smilovati, jer su svikoliki licemjeri i zlikovci, i svaka usta govore nevaljalstvo. Kod svega toga neæe se odvratiti gnjev njegov, nego æe ruka njegova još biti podignuta. 18Jer æe se razgorjeti bezbožnost kao oganj, koji sažeže èkalj i trnje, pa upali gustu šumu, te otide u dim visoko. 19Od gnjeva Gospoda nad vojskama zamraèiæe se zemlja i narod æe biti kao hrana ognju, niko neæe požaliti brata svojega. 20I zgrabiæe s desne strane, pa æe opet biti gladan, i ješæe s lijeve strane, pa se opet neæe nasititi; svaki æe jesti meso od mišice svoje, 21Manasija Jefrema, i Jefrem Manasiju, a obojica æe se složiti na Judu. Kod svega toga neæe se odvratiti gnjev njegov, nego æe ruka njegova još biti podignuta.

1Teško onima koji postavljaju zakone nepravedne i koji pišu nepravdu, 2Da odbiju od suda uboge, i da otimaju pravicu siromasima naroda mojega, da bi im plijen bile udovice i sirote grabež. 3A što æete èiniti u dan pohoðenja i pogibli koja æe doæi izdaleka? kome æete pribjeæi za pomoæ? gdje li æete ostaviti slavu svoju? 4Da se ne bi unizila meðu roblje i meðu pobijene pala? Kod svega toga neæe se odvratiti gnjev njegov, nego æe ruka njegova još biti podignuta.

Genesis 7.1-5 (Vespers)

1I reèe Gospod Noju: uði u kovèeg ti i sav dom tvoj; jer te naðoh pravedna pred sobom ovoga vijeka. 2Uzmi sa sobom od svijeh životinja èistih po sedmoro, sve mužjaka i ženku njegovu; a od životinja neèistih po dvoje, mužjaka i ženku njegovu, 3Takoðer i od ptica nebeskih po sedam, mužjaka i ženku njegovu, da im se saèuva sjeme na zemlji. 4Jer æu do sedam dana pustiti dažd na zemlju za èetrdeset dana i èetrdeset noæi, i istrijebiæu sa zemlje svako tijelo živo, koje sam stvorio. 5I Noje uèini sve što mu zapovjedi Gospod.

Proverbs 8.32-9.11 (Vespers)

32Tako dakle, sinovi, poslušajte me, jer blago onima koji se drže putova mojih. 33Slušajte nastavu, i budite mudri, i nemojte je odbaciti. 34Blago èovjeku koji me sluša stražeæi na vratima mojim svaki dan i èuvajuæi pragove vrata mojih. 35Jer ko mene nalazi, nalazi život i dobija ljubav od Gospoda. 36A ko o mene griješi, èini krivo duši svojoj; svi koji mrze na me, ljube smrt.

1Premudrost sazida sebi kuæu, i otesa sedam stupova; 2Pokla stoku svoju, rastvori vino svoje, i postavi sto svoj. 3Posla djevojke svoje, te zove svrh visina gradskih: 4Ko je lud, neka se uvrati ovamo. I bezumnima veli: 5Hodite, jedite hljeba mojega, i pijte vina koje sam rastvorila. 6Ostavite ludost i biæete živi, i idite putem razuma. 7Ko uèi potsmjevaèa, prima sramotu; i ko kori bezbožnika, prima rug. 8Ne karaj potsmjevaèa da ne omrzne na te; karaj mudra, i ljubiæe te. 9Kaži mudrome, i biæe još mudriji; pouèi pravednoga, i znaæe više. 10Poèetak je mudrosti strah Gospodnji, i znanje je svetijeh stvari razum. 11Jer æe se mnom umnožiti dani tvoji i dodaæe ti se godine životu.

Composite 2 - Proverbs 10, 3, 8 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1The memory of a just man is praised, and the Lord’s blessing is upon his head. Blessed is one who has found wisdom; a mortal who knows understanding. To import her is better than treasures of gold and silver. She is more valuable than precious stones; nothing of value equals her worth. Justice proceeds from her mouth; she bears law and mercy on her tongue. Therefore, my children, listen to me, for I speak weighty things. And blessed is the one who keeps my ways. For my goings out are the goings out of life, and favour is prepared from the Lord. Therefore I exhort you, and utter my voice to the children of humankind. Because I, Wisdom, have prepared counsel, knowledge and understanding. I have called on them. Counsel and sureness are mine; prudence is mine, strength is mine. I love those who are my friends, while those who seek me will find grace. You innocent, then, understand cunning; you untaught, take it to heart. Listen to me, for I will speak weighty things, and I will open right things from my lips. Because my throat will meditate truth; lying lips are abominable before me. All the words of my mouth are with justice, there is nothing crooked in them nor twisted. They are all straight for those who understand, and right for those who find knowledge. For I teach you what is true, that your hope may be in the Lord and that you may be filled with spirit.

Composite 3 - Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1A just man if he comes to his end will be at rest. A just man who dies will condemn the ungodly who are alive; for they will see the end of a just man and will not understand what they counselled concerning him. For the Lord will break the ungodly, render them voiceless and cast them headlong, and he will shake them from the foundations and they will be utterly worsted in sorrow, and their memory shall perish. They shall come with fear at the accounting of their sins, and their iniquities will convict them to their face. Then the just will stand with much boldness in the face of those who afflicted him and made his toils of no account. When they see this they will be troubled with great fear and will be amazed at the wonder of his salvation. For they will say as they repent and with anguish they will groan and say: Is this he whom we fools once made a laughing stock and a byword of reproach? We reckoned his life folly and his end dishonour. How has he been numbered among the children of God and his lot with the Saints? Therefore we have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousness has not shone on us and the sun has not dawned on us. We have been filled with paths of lawlessness and destruction and journeyed through trackless paths, but have not known the way of the Lord.

Composite 4 - Proverbs 10; Wisdom of Solomon 6, 7, 8, 9 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1The mouth of a just man distils wisdom; the lips of men know graces. The mouth of the wise meditates wisdom; justice delivers them from death. When a just man dies hope is not lost; for a just son is born for life, and among his good things he will pluck the fruit of justice. There is light at all times for the just, and they will find grace and glory from the Lord. The tongue of the wise knows what is good, and wisdom will take its rest in their hearts. The Lord loves holy hearts; while all who are blameless in the way are acceptable to him. The wisdom of the Lord will enlighten the face of the understanding; for she anticipates those who desire her before they know it, and is easily contemplated by those who love her. One who rises for her at dawn will not toil, and one who keeps vigil because of her will be without care. For she goes about seeking those who are worthy of her, and shows herself favourably to those on her paths. Wickedness will never prevail against wisdom. Because of this I too became a lover of her beauty and became her friend, and I sought her out from my youth, and I sought to take her as my bride, because the Master of all things loved her, for she is an initiate of the knowledge of God and one who chooses his works. Her toils are virtues; she herself teaches sobriety and prudence; justice and courage, than which things nothing is more useful in human life. If anyone longs for much experience, she knows how to compare things of old and those that are to come. She knows the twists of words and the explanations of riddles. She foresees signs and wonders and the outcomes of seasons and times. And to all she is a good counsellor. Because immortality is in her, and fame in the fellowship of her words. Therefore I appealed to the Lord and besought him and said from my whole heart, ‘God of my Fathers and Lord of mercy, who made all things by your Word, and established humanity by your Wisdom to be sovereign over the creatures that had come into being by you, and to order the world in holiness and justice, give me Wisdom who sits by your throne, and do not reject me from among your children, for I am your servant and the son of your maid servant. Send her out from your holy dwelling and from the throne of your glory, that she may be present with me and teach me what is well pleasing before you. And she will guide me with knowledge and guard me with her glory. For all the thoughts of mortals are wretched and their ideas are unstable.’

St John Klimakos (John of the Ladder) of Sinai (649)

He is best known as the author of the Ladder of Divine Ascent, a treasury of spiritual wisdom which is read in its entirety in monasteries during every Lenten season. He is also commemorated on the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.

Nothing is known of his life before he entered the monastery at Mount Sinai (now St Katherine’s Monastery) at the age of sixteen; he remained there until his death at the age of eighty. After he first arrived, he spent nineteen years in strict obedience to his spiritual father, Martyrios. When Martyrios died, John retired to a nearby cave, where he lived in the strictest asceticism for twenty years. (It was during these years that he wrote the Ladder.) He reluctantly returned to the monastery when he was made abbot by the brethren, and spent the rest of his days guiding his spiritual children in the way of salvation.

Once he heard a monk criticize him for speaking too much; rather than reproach the monk, he himself kept silence for a full year, never uttering a word until the brethren begged him to speak again. At another time a large company of pilgrims came to Mt Sinai. At supper they all saw a young man, dressed as a Jew, serving at table and giving orders to the other servants, then suddenly disappearing. When they wondered among themselves what this could mean, John said ‘Do not try to look for him; that was the prophet Moses serving you in his own home.’

When the holy abbot knew that his death was approaching, he appointed his own brother, George, as his successor. George grieved the approaching death of his beloved brother, but St John told him that, if he was found worthy to stand close to God after his death, he would pray that George be taken up to heaven in the same year. So it happened: ten months after St John’s death, George reposed in the Lord.

Commemoration of an Uncondemning Monk

“This monk died joyfully because he had never in his life condemned anyone. He was lazy, careless, disinclined to prayer, but throughout his entire life he had never judged anyone. And when he lay dying, he was full of joy. The brethren asked him how he could die so joyfully with all his sins, and he replied: ‘I have just seen the angels, and they showed me a page with all my many sins. I said to them: “The Lord said: ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ I have never judged anyone and I hope in the mercy of God, that He will not judge me.” And the angels tore up the sheet of paper.’ Hearing this, the monks wondered at it and learned from it.” (From the Prologue)