Isaiah 14.24-32 (6th Hour)

24Zakle se Gospod nad vojskama govoreæi: doista, biæe kako sam smislio, i kako sam naumio izvršiæe se. 25Potræu Asirca u zemlji svojoj, na gorama svojim izgaziæu ga; tada æe se skinuti s njih jaram njegov, i breme njegovo s pleæa njihovijeh skinuæe se. 26To je namišljeno svoj zemlji, i to je ruka podignuta na sve narode. 27Jer je Gospod nad vojskama naumio, ko æe razbiti? i njegovu ruku podignutu ko æe odvratiti? 28Godine koje umrije car Ahaz bi objavljeno ovo breme: 29Nemoj se radovati, zemljo Filistejska svakolika, što se slomi prut onoga koji te je bio; jer æe iz korijena zmijinjega niknuti zmija vasilinska, i plod æe mu biti zmaj ognjeni krilati. 30I prvenci siromaški nahraniæe se, i ubogi æe poèivati bez straha; a tvoj æu korijen umoriti glaðu, i ostatak tvoj on æe pobiti. 31Ridajte, vrata; vièi, grade; rastopila si se, sva zemljo Filistejska, jer sa sjevera ide dim i niko se neæe osamiti u zborovima njegovijem. 32I šta æe se odgovoriti poslanicima narodnijem? Da je Gospod osnovao Sion i da æe u nj utjecati nevoljnici naroda njegova.

Genesis 8.21-9.7 (Vespers)

21I Gospod omirisa miris ugodni, i reèe u srcu svojem: neæu više kleti zemlje s ljudi, što je misao srca èovjeèijega zla od malena; niti æu više ubijati svega što živi, kao što uèinih. 22Otsele dokle bude zemlje, neæe nestajati sjetve ni žetve, studeni ni vruæine, ljeta ni zime, dana ni noæi.

1I Bog blagoslovi Noja i sinove njegove, i reèe im: raðajte se i množite se, i napunite zemlju; 2I sve zvijeri zemaljske i sve ptice nebeske i sve što ide po zemlji i sve ribe morske neka vas se boje i straše; sve je predano u vaše ruke. 3Što se god mièe i živi, neka vam bude za jelo, sve vam to dadoh kao zelenu travu. 4Ali ne jedite mesa s dušom njegovom, a to mu je krv. 5Jer æu i vašu krv, duše vaše, iskati; od svake æu je zvijeri iskati; iz ruke samoga èovjeka, iz ruke svakoga brata njegova iskaæu dušu èovjeèiju. 6Ko prolije krv èovjeèiju, njegovu æe krv proliti èovjek; jer je Bog po svojemu oblièju stvorio èovjeka. 7Raðajte se dakle i množite se; narodite se veoma na zemlji i namnožite se na njoj.

Proverbs 11.19-12.6 (Vespers)

19Ko se drži pravde, na život mu je; a ko ide za zlom, na smrt mu je. 20Mrski su Gospodu koji su opaka srca; a mili su mu koji su bezazleni na svom putu. 21Zao èovjek neæe ostati bez kara ako i druge uzme u pomoæ; a sjeme pravednijeh izbaviæe se. 22Žena lijepa a bez razuma zlatna je brnjica u gubici svinji. 23Želja je pravednijeh samo dobro, a oèekivanje bezbožnijeh gnjev. 24Jedan prosipa, i sve više ima; a drugi tvrduje suviše, i sve je siromašniji. 25Podašna ruka biva bogatija, i ko napaja, sam æe biti napojen. 26Ko ne da žita, proklinje ga narod, a ko prodaje, blagoslov mu je nad glavom. 27Ko traži dobro, dobija ljubav; a ko traži zlo, zadesiæe ga. 28Ko se uzda u bogatstvo svoje, propašæe; a pravednici æe se kao grana zelenjeti. 29Ko zatire kuæu svoju, naslijediæe vjetar; i bezumnik æe služiti mudromu. 30Plod je pravednikov drvo životno, i mudri obuèava duše. 31Gle, pravedniku se na zemlji plaæa, akamoli bezbožniku i grješniku?

1Ko ljubi nastavu, ljubi znanje; a ko mrzi na ukor, ostaje lud. 2Dobar èovjek dobija ljubav od Gospoda, a èovjeka zlikovca osuðuje. 3Neæe se èovjek utvrditi bezbožnošæu, a korijen pravednijeh neæe se pomaæi. 4Vrijedna je žena vijenac mužu svojemu; a koja ga sramoti, ona mu je kao trulež u kostima. 5Misli su pravednijeh prave, a savjeti bezbožnijeh prijevara. 6Rijeèi bezbožnijeh vrebaju krv, a pravedne izbavljaju usta njihova.

Our righteous Fathers martyred at the Monastery of St Sabbas the Sanctified (633? 796?)

The holy Monastery of St Sabbas is still in existence today, by the providence of God, though several times in its history it has been plundered and left empty. At one time it was attacked by Arab raiders. The monks considered fleeing, but their abbot, Thomas, said, ‘We have fled from the world into this wilderness for the love of Christ; it would be shameful for us now to flee from the wilderness for fear of men. If we are killed here, we shall be killed through love for Christ, for whose sake we have come here to live.’ So the monks agreed with one mind to wait their attackers unarmed. The Arabs killed some with arrows, and shut some in the cave of St Sabbas, lighting a fire at the entrance to suffocate them with smoke. The whole company of monks were thus privileged to give their lives for Christ’s sake.

Accounts of the date differ substantially: the Great Horologion says that they died during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius, when St Modestus was Patriarch of Jerusalem (632-634); the Prologue that they died in 796 during the reign of Constantine and Irene, when Elias was Patriarch of Jerusalem.

St Photine the Samaritan Woman (66)

See her commemoration on February 26.

St Cuthbert the Wonderworker, Bishop of Lindisfarne (687)

‘Saint Cuthbert was born in Britain about the year 635, and became a monk in his youth at the monastery of Melrose by the River Tweed. After many years of struggle as a true priest of Christ, in the service both of his own brethren and of the neglected Christians of isolated country villages, he became a solitary on Farne Island in 676. After eight years as a hermit, he was constrained to leave his quiet to become Bishop of Lindisfarne, in which office he served for almost two years. He returned to his hermitage two months before he reposed in peace in 687.

‘Because of the miracles he wrought both during his life and at his tomb after death, he is called the “Wonderworker of Britain.” The whole English people honoured him, and kings were both benefactors to his shrine and suppliants of his prayers. Eleven years after his death, his holy relics were revealed to be incorrupt; when his body was translated from Lindisfarne to Durham Cathedral in August of 1104, his body was still found to be untouched by decay, giving off “an odour of the sweetest fragrancy,” and “from the flexibility of its joints representing a person asleep rather than dead.” Finally, when the most impious Henry VIII desecrated his shrine, opening it to despoil it of its valuables, his body was again found incorrupt, and was buried in 1542. It is believed that after this the holy relics of Saint Cuthbert were hidden to preserve them from further desecration.’ (Great Horologion)