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.

Great-martyr Theodore the Tyro (ca. 306)

The Greek Tyron means “conscript.” This holy Martyr of Christ came from Pontus and was a Roman legionary during Maximian’s persecution (ca. 303). Though he had been a Christian since childhood, he kept his faith secret while in the army. While his cohort was stationed near a town called Euchaita, he learned that the people there were being terrorized by a dragon which lived in the neighboring forest. He set off to face the dragon, praying to God that the outcome of the contest would be a sign to him of whether the time had come to offer himself for martyrdom. He found the fire-spitting monster and, arming himself with the sign of the Cross, drove his spear through its head and killed it.

His success convinced him that, having vanquished this fleshly dragon, he was ready to vanquish the spiritual dragon, the Devil. When the commander of his camp next ordered a sacrifice to the Gods, Theodore boldly refused, saying “I am a Christian!” Further, he encouraged the other Christians in his company to do the same. That night he went to a nearby pagan temple of Rhea, mother of the gods, and burned it down. He was seen by the caretaker of the temple and was brought unresisting to the governor Publius. Theodore was thrown into a solitary dungeon cell; there he refused bread and water, saying that Christ had promised him food from heaven. He spent his time there chanting hymns with the angels, so that the guards were convinced that other Christians had somehow joined him in his cell.

When all argument, cajolery, bribery and threat had failed to turn the soldier from Christ, the governor resorted to torture, subjecting the Saint to terrible mutilations; but when Theodore endured them calmly and resolutely, the governor began to fear that his example would encourage other Christians, and ordered that he be burned. Taken to the stake, the Martyr walked freely into the flames, where he gave back his soul to God. When his body was ransomed and taken from the ashes by a pious Christian, it was found to be untouched. A church was built in Euchaita in honor of the Martyr; many pilgrims came there for the healing of soul and body.

In 361, the Emperor Julian the Apostate ordered the Prefect of Constantinople to have all foods in the marketplaces sprinkled with blood of animals sacrificed to the pagan gods during the first week of Lent, so that Christians would be unable to escape contact with idolatry. But St Theodore appeared in a vision to Patriarch Eudoxius (360-364), warned him of the plan and told him to instruct his flock not to buy any food in the marketplace, but to eat kolyva made from boiled wheat grains. So, through the Saint’s intervention, the people were preserved from the stain of idolatry. Ever since, the Church has commemorated the miracle on the first Saturday of Great Lent. Since that time kolyva has come to be offered also in honor of the Saints and in memory of the departed. The whole grain represents the body, sown corruptible, which will be raised incorruptible (2 Cor. 15:37); it is usually sweetened with honey to signify the delights of Paradise.