2 Corinthians 11.5-21 (Epistle)

5Jer mislim da ni u èemu nijesam manji od prevelikijeh apostola. 6Jer ako sam i prostak u rijeèi, ali u razumu nijesam. No u svemu smo poznati meðu vama. 7Ili grijeh uèinih ponižujuæi sebe da se vi povisite? Jer vam zabadava Božije jevanðelje propovjedih. 8Od drugijeh crkava oteh uzevši platu za služenje vama; i došavši k vama, i bivši u sirotinji, ne dosadih nikome. 9Jer moju sirotinju potpuniše braæa koja doðoše iz Maæedonije, i u svemu bez dosade vama sebe držah i držaæu. 10Kao što je istina Hristova u meni tako se hvala ova neæe uzeti od mene u Ahajskijem krajevima. 11Zašto? Što vas ne ljubim? Bog zna. A što èinim i èiniæu, 12Da otsijeèem uzrok onima koji traže uzrok, da bi u onome èim se hvale našli se kao i mi. 13Jer takovi lažni apostoli i prevarljivi poslenici pretvaraju se u apostole Hristove. 14I nije èudo, jer se sam sotona pretvara u anðela svijetla. 15Nije dakle ništa veliko ako se i sluge njegove pretvaraju kao sluge pravde, kojima æe svršetak biti po djelima njihovijem. 16Opet velim da niko ne pomisli da sam ja bezuman; ako li ne, a ono barem kao bezumna primite me, da se i ja što pohvalim. 17A što govorim ne govorim po Gospodu, nego kao u bezumlju, u ovoj struci hvale. 18Buduæi da se mnogi hvale po tijelu, i ja æu da se hvalim. 19Jer ljubazno primate bezumne kad ste sami mudri. 20Jer primate ako vas ko natjera da budete sluge, ako vas ko jede, ako ko uzme, ako vas ko po obrazu bije, ako se ko velièa. 21Na sramotu govorim, jer kao da mi oslabismo. Na što je ko slobodan po bezumlju govorim i ja sam slobodan.

Mark 4.1-9 (Gospel)

1I opet poèe uèiti kod mora, i skupiše se oko njega ljudi mnogi tako da mora uæi u laðu, i sjediti na moru; a narod sav bijaše na zemlji kraj mora. 2I uèaše ih u prièama mnogo, i govoraše im u nauci svojoj: 3Slušajte: evo iziðe sijaè da sije. 4I kad sijaše dogodi se da jedno pade ukraj puta, i doðoše ptice i pozobaše ga. 5A drugo pade na kamenito mjesto gdje ne bijaše mnogo zemlje; i odmah iznièe; jer ne bijaše u dubinu zemlje: 6A kad obasja sunce, uvenu, i buduæi da nemaše korijena, usahnu. 7I drugo pade u trnje; i naraste trnje i udavi ga, i ne donese roda. 8I drugo pade na zemlju dobru; i davaše rod koji napredovaše i rastijaše i donošaše po trideset i po šeset i po sto. 9I reèe: ko ima uši da èuje neka èuje.

Martyrs Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope and Love, at Rome (137)

Sophia was a widow in Rome in the time of the Emperor Hadrian, and raised her three daughters in the Faith. When the four of them were brought before the persecutors, Faith was twelve years old, Hope was ten, and Love was nine. Ordered to make sacrifice to the goddess Artemis, all of them humbly refused. All three daughters were tortured, then executed, before their mother’s eyes. Sophia buried their bodies and mourned at their grave for three days and nights, then fell asleep in peace. For her steadfastness and solidarity with her daughters’ sufferings she is counted as a martyr along with them. Sophia means “wisdom” in Greek; the three daughters’ names in Greek are Pistis, Elpis, and Agape; in Russian, Vera, Nadezhda, and Lyubov. They are represented on many icons.

Our Holy Father Lambert, Bishop of Maastricht (705)

He was born to a noble family in Maastricht (in modern-day Netherlands). When his spiritual father Bishop Theodard was killed in 671, St Lambert was elected Bishop of Maastricht despite his youth. He was loved by his flock for his holiness, ascetic labors and almsgiving, but was driven from his see in 675 after his patron King Childeric II was assasinated. He withdrew to the Monastery of Stavelot where he lived for seven years as one of the brethren, claiming no privileges despite his office. Once, getting up to pray during the night, he accidentally disturbed the monastic silence. The Abbot called out for whoever was responsible to do penance by standing barefoot in the snow before a cross outside the monastery church. In the morning the Abbot was dismayed to see the Bishop standing barefoot, covered with snow, before the cross, his face shining. The Abbot sought to apologize, but Lambert replied that he was honored to serve God like the Apostles, in cold and nakedness.

When King Pepin of Heristal took power in 681, he restored Lambert to his see, despite the Saint’s desire to remain in obscurity. The holy bishop renewed his pastoral labors with vigor, visiting the most distant parishes and preaching the Gospel to the pagans who still inhabited the area, despite danger and threats. But when King Pepin put away his wife and replaced her with his concubine Alpais, St Lambert was the only Bishop who dared to rebuke him. For this he incurred the wrath of Alpais, who ordered his death. His assassins carried out their evil commission, even though they found a cross shining above the humble dwelling where he was staying.

Saint Lambert is one of the best-loved Saints of the Netherlands and Belgium, where many parish churches are dedicated to him. His relics are now in the Belgian city of Liège.