Romans 2.28-3.18 (Epistle)

28Jer ono nije Jevrejin koji je spolja Jevrejin, niti je ono obrezanje koje je spolja na tijelu; 29Nego je ono Jevrejin koji je iznutra, i obrezanje srca duhom a ne slovima, to je obrezanje; kome je hvala ne od ljudi nego od Boga.

1Šta je dakle bolji Jevrejin od drugijeh ljudi? Ili šta pomaže obrezanje? 2Mnogo svakojako; prvo što su im povjerene rijeèi Božije. 3A što neki ne vjerovaše, šta je za to? Eda æe njihovo nevjerstvo vjeru Božiju ukinuti? 4Bože saèuvaj! nego Bog neka bude istinit, a èovjek svaki laža, kao što stoji napisano: da se opravdaš u svojijem rijeèima, i da pobijediš kad ti stanu suditi. 5Ako li nepravda naša Božiju pravdu podiže, šta æemo reæi? Eda li je Bog nepravedan kad se srdi? Po èovjeku govorim: 6Bože saèuvaj! Jer kako bi mogao Bog suditi svijetu? 7Jer ako istina Božija u mojoj laži veæa postane na slavu njegovu, zašto još i ja kao grješnik da budem osuðen? 8Zašto dakle kao što vièu na nas, i kao što kažu neki da mi govorimo) da ne èinimo zla da doðe dobro? Njima æe sud biti pravedan. 9Šta dakle? Jesmo li bolji od njih? Nipošto! Jer gore dokazasmo da su i Jevreji i Grci svi pod grijehom, 10Kao što stoji napisano: ni jednoga nema pravedna; 11Ni jednoga nema razumna, i ni jednoga koji traži Boga; 12Svi se ukloniše i zajedno nevaljali postaše: nema ga koji èini dobro, nema ni jednoga ciglog. 13Njihovo je grlo grob otvoren, jezicima svojima varaju, i jed je aspidin pod usnama njihovima. 14Njihova su usta puna kletve i grèine. 15Njihove su noge brze da proljevaju krv. 16Na putovima je njihovima raskopavanje i nevolja; 17I puta mirnoga ne poznaše. 18Nema straha Božijega pred oèima njihovima.

Matthew 6.31-34, 7.9-11 (Gospel)

31Ne brinite se dakle govoreæi: šta æemo jesti, ili, šta æemo piti, ili, èim æemo se odjenuti? 32Jer sve ovo neznabošci ištu; a zna i otac vaš nebeski da vama treba sve ovo. 33Nego ištite najprije carstva Božijega, i pravde njegove, i ovo æe vam se sve dodati. 34Ne brinite se dakle za sjutra; jer sjutra brinuæe se za se. Dosta je svakom danu zla svoga. 9Ili koji je meðu vama èovjek u koga ako zaište sin njegov hljeba kamen da mu da? 10Ili ako ribe zaište da mu da zmiju? 11Kad dakle vi, zli buduæi, umijete dare dobre davati djeci svojoj, koliko æe više otac vaš nebeski dati dobra onima koji ga mole?

Our Holy Fathers Onuphrios the Great and Peter of Mount Athos

They lived in different times and places, but are commemorated together.

Saint Onuphrios the Great (400). “This holy ascetic had been living a whole sixty years in the desert when the monk Paphnutius visited him. His hair and beard reached down to the ground, and long hair, as white as snow, had grown all overy his body during his years of nakedness. His appearance was cadaverous, unearthly and awe-inspiring. Seeing Paphnutius, he called him by name and then recounted to him his life in the desert. His guardian angel had appeared to him and taken him to that place. He had for a long time only eaten earth, which was hard to find in the desert, and, after that, when he had survived an intensive struggle with diabolical temptations and when his heart had become utterly established in love for God, an angel had brought him bread to eat. And besides that, through God’s gracious providence, a palm tree grew up at one side of his cell, that gave good dates, and a spring of water began to flow there. ‘But especially,’ said Onuphrios, ‘my food and drink are the sweet words of God.’ To Paphnutius’ question about his receiving of Communion, the hermit answered that the angel of God brought him Communion every Saturday. On the next day, the old man told Paphnutius that it was the day of his departure from this world; then he knelt down, prayed to God and gave his spirit into God’s hands. Then Paphnutius saw a heavenly light that illumined the body of the departed saint, and heard a choir of angelic hosts. He buried Onuphrios’ body with honour and returned to his own monastery, there as a living witness to narrate to the brethren, for their edification, the wonderful life of the man of God and the greatness of God’s providence towards those who give themselves wholly to His service.” (Prologue)

The Great Horologion adds that Paphnutius intended to stay in the place where Onuphrios died, but soon the palm tree withered and the spring dried up, which Paphnutius took as a sign that he was meant to leave that place and return to live with the brethren.

Saint Peter of Mt Athos (734). He was born to a noble family in Constantinople and became a soldier. He was taken captive by the Saracens and thrown into prison in chains, in Samarra of Syria. He spent his long imprisonment praying to God to free him and send him to some deserted place where he could devote the rest of his life to ascesis and prayer. One day St Nicholas appeared to him along with St Simeon the God-receiver; when they touched his chains they melted like wax, and Peter instantly found himself outside Samarra. He set out for Rome, where he was tonsured as a monk by the Pope, then set out by ship to return home. During the voyage, the Mother of God appeared to him along with St Nicholas, and Peter heard her tell St Nicholas that she had set Mt Athos apart for Peter to live in solitude. Peter had never heard of Mt Athos, but disembarked there and settled in a cave. There he spent fifty-three years in complete solitude, praying and struggling with the harshness of the elements and the attacks of demonic powers. After he had withstood fierce temptations for awhile, an angel of God began to bring him bread every forty days. Like St Onuphrios, his humble life might have passed completely unrecorded; but by God’s providence, one year before the Saint’s death a deer-hunter found him and heard the tale of Peter’s life, which he recorded. Saint Peter reposed in peace; his relics were taken to Macedonia.