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

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

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.’

Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15 (Vespers)

John 10.1-9 (Matins Gospel)

1Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko ne ulazi na vrata u tor ovèij nego prelazi na drugom mjestu on je lupež i hajduk; 2A koji ulazi na vrata jest pastir ovcama: 3Njemu vratar otvora, i ovce glas njegov slušaju, i svoje ovce zove po imenu, i izgoni ih; 4I kad svoje ovce istjera, ide pred njima, i ovce idu za njim, jer poznaju glas njegov. 5A za tuðinom neæe da idu, nego bježe od njega, jer ne poznaju glasa tuðega. 6Ovu prièu kaza im Isus, ali oni ne razumješe šta to bijaše što im kaza. 7Tada im reèe Isus opet: zaista, zaista vam kažem: ja sam vrata k ovcama. 8Svi koliko ih god doðe prije mene lupeži su i hajduci; ali ih ovce ne poslušaše. 9Ja sam vrata; ko uðe kroza me spašæe se, i uæi æe i iziæi æe, i pašu æe naæi.

James 3.1-10 (Epistle)

1Ne tražite, braæo moja, da budete mnogi uèitelji, znajuæi da æemo veæma biti osuðeni, 2Jer svi pogrješujemo mnogo puta. Ali ko u rijeèi ne pogrješuje, onaj je savršen èovjek, može zauzdati i sve tijelo. 3Jer gle, i konjma meæemo žvale u usta da nam se pokoravaju, i sve tijelo njihovo okreæemo. 4Gle i laðe, ako su i velike i silni ih vjetrovi gone, okreæu se malom krmicom kuda hoæe onaj koji upravlja. 5A tako je i jezik mali ud, i mnogo èini. Gle, mala vatra, i kolike velike šume sažeže. 6I jezik je vatra, svijet pun nepravde. Tako i jezik živi meðu našijem udima, poganeæi sve tijelo, i paleæi vrijeme života našega, i zapaljujuæi se od pakla. 7Jer sav rod zvjerinja i ptica, i bubina i riba, pripitomljava se i pripitomio se rodu èovjeèijemu; 8A jezika niko od ljudi ne može pripitomiti, jer je nemirno zlo, puno ijeda smrtonosnoga. 9Njim blagosiljamo Boga i oca, i njim kunemo ljude, koji su stvoreni po oblièju Božijemu. 10Iz jednijeh usta izlazi blagoslov i kletva. Ne valja, ljubazna braæo moja, da ovo tako biva.

1 Corinthians 12.7-11 (Epistle, St Gregory)

7A u svakome se pojavljuje Duh na korist; 8Jer jednome se daje Duhom rijeè premudrosti; a drugome rijeè razuma po istome Duhu; 9A drugome vjera, tijem istijem Duhom; a drugome dar iscjeljivanja, po tome istom Duhu; 10A drugome da èini èudesa, a drugome proroštvo, a drugome da razlikuje duhove, a drugome razlièni jezici, a drugome da kazuje jezike. 11A ovo sve èini jedan i taj isti Duh razdjeljujuæi po svojoj vlasti svakome kako hoæe.

Mark 11.11-23 (Gospel)

11I uðe Isus u Jerusalim, i u crkvu; i promotrivši sve, kad bi uveèe, iziðe u Vitaniju s dvanaestoricom. 12I sjutradan kad iziðoše iz Vitanije, ogladnje. 13I vidjevši izdaleka smokvu s lišæem doðe ne bi li što našao na njoj; i došavši k njoj ništa ne naðe osim lišæa; jer još ne bješe vrijeme smokvama. 14I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe joj: da otsad od tebe niko ne jede roda dovijeka. I slušahu uèenici njegovi. 15I doðoše opet u Jerusalim; i ušavši Isus u crkvu stade izgoniti one koji prodavahu i kupovahu po crkvi; i ispremeta trpeze onijeh što mijenjahu novce, i klupe onijeh što prodavahu golubove. 16I ne dadijaše da ko pronese suda kroz crkvu. 17I uèaše govoreæi im: nije li pisano: dom moj neka se zove dom molitve svima narodima? A vi naèiniste od njega hajduèku peæinu. 18I èuše književnici i glavari sveštenièki, i tražahu kako bi ga pogubili; jer ga se bojahu; jer se sav narod èuðaše nauci njegovoj. 19I kad bi uveèe iziðe napolje iz grada. 20I ujutru prolazeæi vidješe smokvu gdje se posušila iz korijena. 21I opomenuvši se Petar reèe mu: Ravi! gle, smokva što si je prokleo posušila se. 22I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe im: 23Imajte vjeru Božiju; jer vam zaista kažem: ako ko reèe gori ovoj: digni se i baci se u more, i ne posumnja u srcu svojemu, nego uzvjeruje da æe biti kao što govori: biæe mu što god reèe.

John 10.9-16 (Gospel, St Gregory)

9Ja sam vrata; ko uðe kroza me spašæe se, i uæi æe i iziæi æe, i pašu æe naæi. 10Lupež ne dolazi ni za što drugo nego da ukrade i ubije i pogubi; ja doðoh da imaju život i izobilje. 11Ja sam pastir dobri; pastir dobri dušu svoju polaže za ovce, 12A najamnik, koji nije pastir, kome nijesu ovce svoje, vidi vuka gdje ide, i ostavlja ovce, i bježi: i vuk razgrabi ovce i raspudi ih; 13A najamnik bježi, jer je najamnik i ne mari za ovce. 14Ja sam pastir dobri i znam svoje, i moje mene znaju. 15Kao što mene zna otac i ja znam oca; i dušu svoju polažem za ovce. 16I druge ovce imam koje nijesu iz ovoga tora, i one mi valja dovesti; i èuæe glas moj, i biæe jedno stado i jedan pastir.

Our Father among the Saints Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople (389)

This light of the Church is one of only three holy Fathers whom the Church has honored with the name “the Theologian” (the others are St John the Evangelist and Theologian, and St Symeon the New Theologian).

He was born in 329 in Arianzus in Cappadocia to a pious and holy family: his father Gregory, mother Nonna, brother Caesarius and sister Gorgonia are all counted among the Saints of the Church. His father later became Bishop of Nazianzus. He studied in Palestine, then in Alexandria, then in Athens. On the way to Athens, his ship was almost sunk in a violent storm; Gregory, who had not yet been baptized, prayed to the Lord to preserve him, and promised that henceforth he would dedicate his entire life to God. Immediately the storm ceased.

In Athens, Gregory’s fellow students included St Basil the Great and the future Emperor Julian the Apostate. The friendship between Gregory and Basil blossomed into a true spiritual friendship; they were loving brothers in Christ for the rest of their lives. After completing their studies, Sts Gregory and Basil lived together as monks in hermitage at Pontus. Much against St Gregory’s will, his father ordained him a priest, and St Basil consecrated him Bishop of Sasima (in the Archdiocese of Caesarea, over which St Basil was Archbishop).

In 381 the Second Ecumenical Council condemned Macedonius, Archbishop of Constantinople, and appointed St Gregory in his place. When he arrived in the City, he found that the Arians controlled all the churches, and he was forced to “rule” from a small house chapel. From there he preached his five great sermons on the Trinity, the Triadika; these were so powerfully influential that when he left Constantinople two years later, every church in the City had been restored to the Orthodox.

St Gregory was always a theologian and a contemplative, not an administrator, and the duties of Archbishop were agonizing to him. In 382 he received permission from a council of his fellow-bishops and the Emperor to retire from the see of Constantinople. He returned to Nazianzus (for which reason he is sometimes called St Gregory of Nazianzus). There he reposed in peace in 391 at the age of sixty-two.

His writings show a theological depth and a sublimity of expression perhaps unsurpassed in the Church. His teaching on the Holy Trinity is a great bastion of Orthodox Faith; in almost every one of his published homilies he preaches the Trinity undivided and of one essence.