Acts 12.1-11 (Epistle)

1U ono pak vrijeme podiže Irod car ruke da muèi neke od crkve. 2I pogubi Jakova brata Jovanova maèem. 3I vidjevši da je to po volji Jevrejima nastavi da uhvati i Petra a bijahu dani prijesnijeh hljebova 4Kojega i uhvati i baci u tamnicu, i predade ga èetvorici èetvrtnika vojnièkijeh da ga èuvaju, i mišljaše ga po pashi izvesti pred narod. 5I tako Petra èuvahu u tamnici; a crkva moljaše se za njega Bogu bez prestanka. 6A kad šæaše Irod da ga izvede, onu noæ spavaše Petar meðu dvojicom vojnika, okovan u dvoje verige, a stražari pred vratima èuvahu tamnicu. 7I gle, anðeo Gospodnji pristupi, i svjetlost obasja po sobi, i kucnuvši Petra u rebra probudi ga govoreæi: ustani brže. I spadoše mu verige s ruku. 8A anðeo mu reèe: opaši se, i obuj opanke svoje. I uèini tako. I reèe mu anðeo: obuci haljinu svoju, pa hajde za mnom. 9I izišavši iðaše za njim, i ne znadijaše da je to istina što anðeo èinjaše, nego mišljaše da vidi utvaru. 10A kad proðoše prvu stražu i drugu i doðoše k vratima gvozdenijem koja voðahu u grad, ona im se sama otvoriše; i izišavši proðoše jednu ulicu, i anðeo odmah otstupi od njega. 11I kad doðe Petar k sebi reèe: sad zaista vidim da Bog posla anðela svojega te me izbavi iz ruku Irodovijeh i od svega èekanja naroda Jevrejskoga.

John 8.31-42 (Gospel)

31Tada Isus govoraše onijem Jevrejima koji mu vjerovaše: ako vi ostanete na mojoj besjedi, zaista æete biti uèenici moji, 32I poznaæete istinu, i istina æe vas izbaviti. 33Odgovoriše i rekoše mu: mi smo sjeme Avraamovo, i nikome nijesmo robovali nikad; kako ti govoriš da æemo se izbaviti? 34Isus im odgovori: zaista, zaista vam kažem da je svaki koji èini grijeh rob grijehu. 35A rob ne ostaje u kuæi vavijek, sin ostaje vavijek. 36Ako vas dakle sin izbavi, zaista æete biti izbavljeni. 37Znam da ste sjeme Avraamovo; ali gledate da me ubijete, jer moja besjeda ne može u vas da stane. 38Ja govorim što vidjeh od oca svojega; i vi tako èinite što vidjeste od oca svojega. 39Odgovoriše i rekoše mu: otac je naš Avraam. Isus im reèe: kad biste vi bili djeca Avraamova, èinili biste djela Avraamova. 40A sad gledate mene da ubijete, èovjeka koji vam istinu kazah koju èuh od Boga: tako Avraam nije èinio. 41Vi èinite djela oca svojega. Tada mu rekoše: mi nijesmo roðeni od kurvarstva: jednoga oca imamo Boga. 42A Isus im reèe: kad bi Bog bio vaš otac, ljubili biste mene; jer ja od Boga iziðoh i doðoh; jer ne doðoh sam od sebe, nego me on posla.

Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Tyre (308)

During the persecutions of the Emperor Maximian, the virgin Theodosia came to comfort a group of Christians who were standing before the governor of Caesarea in Palestine. When she encouraged them not to shun martyrdom, she too was brought before the judge, who ordered that a stone be tied around her neck and that she be thrown into the sea; but angels carried her to shore unharmed. The judge then ordered that she be beheaded. The night that the sentence was carried out, Theodosia appeared to her parents, surrounded by heavenly light and accompanied by other virgin martyrs, and said, ‘Do you see how great is the glory and grace of my Christ, of which you wished to deprive me?’ (Her parents, wishing to preserve her from martyrdom, had tried to prevent her from confessing Christ).

Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council (325)

The council was called by the Emperor Constantine the Great and held in Nicea in 325. The teaching of the Alexandrian priest Arius — that Christ is not co-eternal with the Father, but is His divine creation — was attracting many followers throughout the empire, and the Emperor wished for a statement of correct doctrine from the Church. Present at the council were 318 holy hierarchs, including St Nicholas of Myra, St Athanasius the great, and St Spyridon. The council clearly condemned the Arian heresy, formulated the first version of the Symbol of Faith (often called the Nicene Creed), and propounded twenty canons. The Fathers of the Council are commemorated on the Sunday after Ascension.

The Fall of Constantinople (1453); "Blessed Constantine XII, last of the Byzantine emperors, martyred by the Turks (1453)"

On this date in 1453, Constantinople, the capital city of the Christian world, was sacked by the forces of Sultan Mehmet (Mohammed) II, bringing it under Turkish rule, where it remains to this day.

Constantine XII, the last Byzantine Emperor, died defending the city. Sources are sharply divided as to whether he is to be counted as a Christian Martyr. The designation “Blessed Constantine”, above, is from the St Herman Calendar, whose compilers cite Russian martyrologies which list him as a saint. However, the Prologue cites the fall of Constantinople while pointedly omitting any praise of Constantine. He accepted (and never publicly renounced) the false “union” of Florence, and so is counted by some as a heretic. Many Orthodox Christians, including many of the people of Constantinople, saw the city’s fall as divine retribution for the Empire’s acceptance of the union.

Before his death the Emperor donned soldier’s armor and helped to man the ramparts of the City; his body was never found. Though various legends abound, the most likely explanation is that he died with many other defenders and was cast with them into a common grave.