1 John 4.20-5.21 (Epistle)

20Ako ko reèe: ja ljubim Boga, a mrzi na brata svojega, laža je; jer koji ne ljubi brata svojega, koga vidi, kako može ljubiti Boga, koga ne vidi? 21I ovu zapovijest imamo od njega: koji ljubi Boga da ljubi i brata svojega.

1Koji god vjeruje da je Isus Hristos, od Boga je roðen; i koji god ljubi onoga koji je rodio, ljubi i onoga koji je roðen od njega. 2Po tom znamo da ljubimo djecu Božiju kad Boga ljubimo i njegove zapovijesti držimo. 3Jer je ovo ljubav Božija da zapovijesti njegove držimo; i zapovijesti njegove nijesu teške. 4Jer svaki koji je roðen od Boga pobjeðuje svijet; i vjera je naša ova pobjeda koja pobijedi svijet. 5Ko je koji svijet pobjeðuje osim onoga koji vjeruje da je Isus sin Božij? 6Ovo je Isus Hristos što doðe vodom i krvlju i Duhom, ne samo vodom nego vodom i krvlju; i Duh je koji svjedoèi, jer je Duh istina. 7Jer je troje što svjedoèi na nebu: Otac, Rijeè, i sveti Duh; i ovo je troje jedno. 8I troje je što svjedoèi na zemlji: duh, i voda, i krv; i troje je zajedno. 9Kad primamo svjedoèanstvo èovjeèije, svjedoèanstvo je Božije veæe; jer je ovo svjedoèanstvo Božije što svjedoèi za sina svojega. 10Koji vjeruje sina Božijega ima svjedoèanstvo u sebi; koji ne vjeruje Bogu naèinio ga je lažom, jer ne vjerova svjedoèanstvu koje svjedoèi Bog za sina svojega. 11I ovo je svjedoèanstvo da nam je Bog dao život vjeèni; i ovaj život vjeèni u sinu je njegovom. 12Ko ima sina Božijega ima život; ko nema sina Božijega nema života. 13Ovo pisah vama koji vjerujete u ime sina Božijega, da znate da imate život vjeèni i da vjerujete u ime sina Božijega. 14I ovo je sloboda koju imamo k njemu da ako što molimo po volji njegovoj posluša nas. 15I kad znamo da nas sluša što god molimo, znamo da æe nam dati što ištemo u njega. 16Ako ko vidi brata svojega gdje griješi grijeh ne k smrti, neka moli, i daæe mu život, onima koji griješe ne k smrti. Ima grijeh k smrti: za taj ne govorim da moli. 17Svaka je nepravda grijeh; i ima grijeh ne k smrti. 18Znamo da nijedan koji je roðen od Boga, ne griješi, nego koji je roðen od Boga èuva se, i neèastivi ne dohvata se do njega. 19Znamo da smo od Boga i sav svijet leži u zlu. 20A znamo da sin Božij doðe, i dao nam je razum da poznamo Boga istinoga, i da budemo u istinome sinu njegovom Isusu Hristu. Ovo je istini Bog i život vjeèni. 21Djeèice! èuvajte se od neznaboštva. Amin.

Mark 15.1-15 (Gospel)

1I odmah ujutru uèiniše vijeæu glavari sveštenièki sa starješinama i književnicima, i sav sabor, i svezavši Isusa odvedoše ga i predadoše Pilatu. 2I upita ga Pilat: jesi li ti car Judejski? A on odgovarajuæi reèe mu: ti kažeš. 3I tužahu ga glavari sveštenièki vrlo. 4A Pilat opet upita ga govoreæi: zar ništa ne odgovaraš? Gledaj šta svjedoèe na tebe. 5Ali Isus više ne odgovori ništa tako da se divljaše Pilat. 6A o svakom prazniku puštaše im po jednoga sužnja koga iskahu. 7A bijaše jedan zatvoren, po imenu Varava, sa svojijem drugarima koji su u buni uèinili krv. 8I povikavši narod stade iskati što im svagda èinjaše. 9A Pilat im odgovori govoreæi: hoæete li da vam pustim cara Judejskoga? 10Jer znadijaše da su ga iz zavisti predali glavari sveštenièki. 11Ali glavari sveštenièki podgovoriše narod bolje Varavu da ištu da im pusti. 12A Pilat opet odgovarajuæi reèe im: a šta hoæete da èinim s tijem što ga zovete carem Judejskijem? 13A oni opet povikaše: raspni ga. 14A Pilat im reèe: a kakvo je zlo uèinio? A oni iza glasa vikahu: raspni ga. 15A Pilat želeæi ugoditi narodu pusti im Varavu, a Isusa šibavši predade da ga razapnu.

St Gerasimos of the Jordan (475)

He was from Lycia in Asia Minor. After living there as a hermit for many years, he traveled to the Egyptian Thebaid and lived among the Desert Fathers. He then went to Palestine, where he founded the great Lavra, a community of about seventy monks, that remains to this day. The monastery’s rule was simple and strict: During the five weekdays, the monks would stay in their cells, praying and weaving baskets and mats. On these days they ate only a little dry bread and some dates. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered for worship and ate boiled vegetables with a little wine. Each monk owned only one garment; if he left his cell he was required to leave it open so that anyone else could take whatever he needed from it. Saint Gerasimos himself was an example to all of them, exceeding even the rule that he laid upon them: during the Great Fast, he would eat nothing but what he received in Holy Communion.

In the desert, the Saint once saw a lion in great pain from a thorn in its paw. Moved by compassion, Gerasim approached it, made the sign of the Cross and pulled the thorn out. The lion followed the elder back to the monastery and remained there until the Saint’s death. When Gerasimos died, the lion, overcome by grief, soon died also, lying upon the Saint’s grave.

Saint Gerasimos was present at the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, where he proved a strong champion of Orthodoxy, though he had inclined toward the Monophysite heresy in his youth. He reposed in peace in 475.

St James the Faster of Phoenecia (6th c.)

“He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in godliness that he was able to heal the gravest illnesses by his prayers. But the enemy of the human race brought a heavy temptation on him. There was once sent to him a woman who had been corrupted by some mockers. She pretended to weep before him, but enticed him to sin. Seeing that he would fall into sin, James put his left hand into the fire and held it there until it was completely burned. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and horror, repented and reformed her life.

“But on a second occasion he did not resist and fell with a young girl whom her parents had brought to him to be healed of her madness. He indeed healed her, but then sinned with her and, in order to conceal the sin, killed her and threw her into a river. As always, the path from lust to murder was not very long. James spent ten years after that as a penitent, living in a grave. He learned after that that God had forgiven him, because, when he at one time prayed for rain in a time of great drought from which both men and cattle were suffering, it fell.

“Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how wicked the evil demon is; how, by the permission of God, the greatest spiritual giants can topple, and how again, by sincere repentance, God in His compassion will forgive the greatest sins and does not punish those who punish themselves.” (Prologue)