2 Peter 2.9-22 (Epistle)

9Zna Gospod pobožne izbavljati od napasti, a nepravednike muèeæi èuvati za dan sudni; 10A osobito one koji idu za tjelesnijem željama neèistote, i ne mare za poglavarstvo, i koji su bezobrazni i samovoljni, i ne drkæu huleæi na slavu. 11Kad anðeli, koji veæu snagu i silu imaju, ne izgovaraju na njih pred Gospodom hulnoga suda; 12A oni, kao nerazumna životinja, koja je od prirode na to stvorena da se hvata i kolje, hule na ono što ne razumiju, i u pogibli svojoj propašæe 13Primajuæi platu nepravde. Oni misle da je slast èastiti se svaki dan; oni su sramota i grijeh, koji se hrane svojijem prijevarama, jeduæi s vama; 14Imaju oèi pune preljuboèinstva i neprestanoga grijeha; prelašæuju neutvrðene duše; imaju srce nauèeno lakomstvu, djeca kletve; 15Ostavivši pravi put, zaðoše, i idu putem Valaama Vosorova, kome omilje plata nepravedna; 16Ali bi pokaran za svoje bezakonje: skot nijemi progovorivši glasom èovjeèijim zabrani bezumlje prorokovo. 17Ovo su bezvodni izvori, i oblaci i magle koje progone vjetrovi, za koje se èuva mrak tamni vavijek. 18Jer govoreæi ponosite i lažljive rijeèi prelašæuju na neèistote tjelesnijeh želja one koji otskora bježe od onijeh što žive u prijevari. 19I obeæavaju im slobodu a sami su robovi pogibli; jer koga ko nadvlada onaj mu i robuje. 20Jer ako odbjegnu od neèistote svijeta poznanjem Gospoda i spasa našega Isusa Hrista, pa se opet zapletu u njih i budu nadvladani, bude im pošljednje gore od prvoga; 21Jer im bješe bolje da ne poznaše puta pravde, negoli kad poznaše da se vrate natrag od svete zapovijesti koja im je predana. 22Jer im se dogodi istinita pripovijest: pas se povraæa na svoju bljuvotinu, i: svinja okupavši se, u kaljužu.

Mark 13.14-23 (Gospel)

14A kad vidite mrzost opušæenja, za koju govori prorok Danilo, da stoji gdje ne treba koji èita da razumije): tada koji budu u Judeji neka bježe u gore; 15I koji bude na krovu da ne silazi u kuæu, niti da ulazi da uzme što iz kuæe svoje; 16I koji bude u polju da se ne vraæa natrag da uzme haljinu svoju. 17Ali teško trudnima i dojilicama u te dane! 18Nego se molite Bogu da ne bude bježan vaša u zimu. 19Jer æe u dane te biti nevolja kakova nije bila od poèetka stvorenja koje je Bog stvorio dosad, i neæe ni biti. 20I da Gospod ne skrati dane niko ne bi ostao; ali izbranijeh radi, koje izbra, skratio je dane. 21Tada ako vam ko reèe: evo ovdje je Hristos; ili: eno ondje; ne vjerujte. 22Jer æe iziæi lažni hristosi i lažni proroci, i pokazaæe znake i èudesa da bi prevarili, ako bude moguæe, i izbrane. 23Ali vi se èuvajte: eto vam sve kazah naprijed.

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.