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.

Proverbs 10.31-11.12 (Vespers)

31Usta pravednikova iznose mudrost, a jezik opaki istrijebiæe se. 32Usne pravednikove znaju što je milo, a bezbožnièka su usta opaèina.

1Lažna su mjerila mrska Gospodu, a prava mjera ugodna mu je. 2Kad doðe oholost, doðe i sramota; a u smjernijeh je mudrost. 3Pravedne vodi bezazlenost njihova, a bezakonike satire zloæa njihova. 4Neæe pomoæi bogatstvo u dan gnjeva, a pravda izbavlja od smrti. 5Pravda bezazlenoga upravlja put njegov, a bezbožnik pada od svoje bezbožnosti. 6Pravedne izbavlja pravda njihova, a bezakonici hvataju se u svojoj zloæi. 7Kad umire bezbožnik, propada nadanje, i najjaèe uzdanje propada. 8Pravednik se izbavlja iz nevolje, a bezbožnik dolazi na njegovo mjesto. 9Licemjer kvari ustima bližnjega svojega; ali se pravednici izbavljaju znanjem. 10Dobru pravednijeh raduje se grad; a kad propadaju bezbožnici, biva pjevanje. 11Blagoslovima pravednijeh ljudi podiže se grad, a s usta bezbožnièkih raskopava se. 12Bezumnik se ruga bližnjemu svojemu, a razuman èovjek muèi.

Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15 (Vespers)

John 21.1-14 (10th Matins Gospel)

1Poslije toga opet se javi Isus uèenicima svojijem na moru Tiverijadskom. A javi se ovako: 2Bijahu zajedno Simon Petar i Toma koji se zvaše Blizanac, i Natanailo iz Kane Galilejske, i sinovi Zevedejevi, i druga dvojica od uèenika njegovijeh. 3Reèe im Simon Petar: idem da lovim ribu. Rekoše mu: idemo i mi s tobom. Onda iziðoše i odmah sjedoše u laðu, i onu noæ ne uhvatiše ništa. 4A kad bi jutro, stade Isus na brijegu; ali uèenici ne poznaše da je Isus. 5A Isus im reèe: djeco! eda što imate za jelo? Odgovoriše mu: nemamo. 6A on im reèe: bacite mrežu s desne strane laðe, i naæi æete. Onda baciše, i veæ ne mogahu izvuæi je od mnoštva ribe. 7Onda uèenik onaj koga ljubljaše Isus reèe Petru: to je Gospod. A Simon Petar kad èu da je Gospod, zapreže se košuljom, jer bješe go, i skoèi u more. 8A drugi uèenici doðoše na laði, jer ne bješe daleko od zemlje nego oko dvjesta lakata, vukuæi mrežu s ribom. 9Kad dakle izljezoše na zemlju, vidješe oganj naložen, i na njemu metnutu ribu i hljeb. 10Isus im reèe: prinesite od ribe što sad uhvatiste. 11A Simon Petar uðe i izvuèe mrežu na zemlju punu velikijeh riba sto i pedeset i tri; i od tolikoga mnoštva ne prodrije se mreža. 12Isus im reèe: hodite objedujte. A nijedan od uèenika ne smedijaše da ga pita: ko si ti? videæi da je Gospod. 13A doðe i Isus, i uze hljeb, i dade im, tako i ribu. 14Ovo se veæ treæi put javi Isus uèenicima svojijem pošto ustade iz mrtvijeh.

1 Corinthians 4.9-16 (Epistle)

9Jer mislim da Bog nas apostole najstražnje postavi, kao one koji su na smrt osuðeni; jer bismo gledanje i svijetu i anðelima i ljudima. 10Mi smo budale Hrista radi, a vi ste mudri u Hristu; mi slabi, a vi jaki; vi slavni, a mi sramotni. 11Do ovoga èasa i gladujemo, i trpimo žeðu, i golotinju, i muke, i potucamo se, 12I trudimo se radeæi svojijem rukama. Kad nas psuju, blagosiljamo; kad nas gone, trpimo; 13Kad hule na nas, molimo; postasmo kao smetlište svijeta, po kojemu svi gaze dosad. 14Ne pišem ja ovo da posramim vas, nego vas uèim kao svoju ljubaznu djecu. 15Jer ako imate i trista uèitelja u Hristu, ali nemate mnogo otaca. Jer vas ja u Hristu Isusu rodih jevanðeljem. 16Nego vas molim, ugledajte se na mene kao i ja na Hrista.

Hebrews 7.26-8.2 (Epistle, St Tikhon)

26Jer takov nama trebaše poglavar sveštenièki: svet, bezazlen, èist, odvojen od grješnika, i koji je bio više nebesa; 27Kojemu nije potrebno svaki dan, kao sveštenicima, najprije za svoje grijehe žrtve prinositi, a potom za narodne, jer on ovo uèini jednom, kad sebe prinese. 28Jer zakon postavlja ljude za sveštenike koji imaju slabost; a rijeè zakletve koja je reèena po zakonu, postavi sina vavijek savršena.

1A ovo je glava od toga što govorimo: imamo takovoga poglavara sveštenièkoga koji sjede s desne strane prijestola velièine na nebesima; 2Koji je sluga svetinjama i istinitoj skiniji, koju naèini Gospod, a ne èovjek.

Matthew 17.14-23 (Gospel)

14I kad doðoše k narodu, pristupi k njemu èovjek klanjajuæi mu se 15I govoreæi: Gospode! pomiluj sina mojega; jer o mijeni bjesni i muèi se vrlo; jer mnogo puta pada u vatru, i mnogo puta u vodu. 16I dovedoh ga uèenicima tvojijem, i ne mogoše ga iscijeliti. 17A Isus odgovarajuæi reèe: o rode nevjerni i pokvareni! dokle æu biti s vama? dokle æu vas trpljeti? Dovedite mi ga amo. 18I zaprijeti mu Isus; i ðavo iziðe iz njega; i ozdravi momèe od onoga èasa. 19Tada pristupiše uèenici k Isusu i nasamo rekoše mu: zašto ga mi ne mogosmo izgnati? 20A Isus reèe im: za nevjerstvo vaše. Jer vam kažem zaista: ako imate vjere koliko zrno gorušièno, reæi æete gori ovoj: prijeði odavde tamo, i prijeæi æe, i ništa neæe vam biti nemoguæe. 21A ovaj se rod izgoni samo molitvom i postom. 22A kad su hodili po Galileji, reèe im Isus: predaæe se sin èovjeèij u ruke ljudske; 23I ubiæe ga, i treæi dan ustaæe. I neveseli bijahu vrlo.

Matthew 5.14-19 (Gospel, St Tikhon)

14Vi ste vidjelo svijetu; ne može se grad sakriti kad na gori stoji. 15Niti se užiže svijeæa i meæe pod sud nego na svijeænjak, te svijetli svima koji su u kuæi. 16Tako da se svijetli vaše vidjelo pred ljudima, da vide vaša dobra djela, i slave oca vašega koji je na nebesima. 17Ne mislite da sam ja došao da pokvarim zakon ili proroke: nijesam došao da pokvarim, nego da ispunim. 18Jer vam zaista kažem: dokle nebo i zemlja stoji, neæe nestati ni najmanjega slovca ili jedne title iz zakona dok se sve ne izvrši. 19Ako ko pokvari jednu od ovijeh najmanjijeh zapovijesti i nauèi tako ljude, najmanji nazvaæe se u carstvu nebeskome; a ko izvrši i nauèi, taj æe se veliki nazvati u carstvu nebeskome.

St Maximos the Confessor (662)

He was from a noble family in Constantinople, and became the private secretary of the Emperor Heraclius and his grandson Constans. But when the Monothelite heresy (that Christ possesses one divine will, rather than a divine and a human will) took hold in the Imperial court, the Saint could not bear to be surrounded by this error and left the court for the Monastery at Chrysopolis, where in time he became the abbot. From the monastery he continued to speak and write in defense of Orthodox belief. The Emperor Constans ordered him either to accept Monothelite belief or to cease speaking against it, but St Maximos would do neither. For this, his tongue was torn out, his right hand was cut off, and he was sent into exile, where he reposed in 662. He is also commemorated on January 21; see that day for a slightly fuller account.

St Tikhon of Zadonsk (1783)

He is one of the best-loved Saints of the Russian people. He was born into a very poor family in Novgorod province and received the baptismal name of Timothy. He went to seminary in Novgorod, where he excelled, later teaching Greek and other subjects. He was tonsured a monk at the age of thirty-four, receiving the monastic name of Tikhon. As his ascesis and wisdom became known, he quickly became eminent in the Church and in 1761 was made a bishop. In 1763 he was consecrated Bishop of Voronezh. After serving as bishop for about seven years, he retired to the monastery of Zadonsk, where he spent the remainder of his life. He devoted his “retirement” to prayer and the writing of books, producing a huge collection of writings that have earned him the name “the Russian Chrysostom.” He reposed in peace in 1783 at the age of fifty-nine. Many miracles were wrought by him after his death, and he was soon proclaimed a Saint by the people. When his body was exhumed in 1845 (over sixty years later) to make way for a new church in Zadonsk, his relics were found to be whole and incorrupt; even his vestments were free from decay. He was officially glorified in 1863; some three hundred thousand pilgrims attended his glorification.

Holy Martyr Hippolytus of Rome and 18 Martyrs with him (258)

He was the pagan jailkeeper who guarded St Laurence (see August 10); seeing his prisoner’s holiness and the wonders wrought by him, Hippolytus was convinced of the truth of the Faith and became a Christian. When St Laurence baptized him, he was granted a vision of heaven and said ‘I see innocent souls in great joy.’ He took Laurence into his own home, and his entire household were baptized, nineteen in all.

When St Laurence was martyred, Hippolytus retrieved his body by night and buried it. He was detected and brought before the Emperor Valerian on the third day after Laurence’s death. Despite severe beatings he would not renounce his faith. The Emperor ordered that he be stripped and flayed but, standing naked before the emperor, Hippolytus said ‘You have not stripped me, but have begun to clothe me.’ Despite all torments, neither Hippolytus nor any of his household would deny Christ. All of his household were slain, one by one, before Hippolytus. Finally Hippolytus himself was bound behind a wild horse and dragged to death.

Our Holy Mother the Empress Irene (Xenia in Monasticism) (12th c.)

She was the pious wife of the Emperor John II Comnenus (reigned 1118-1143), but retired into monastic life. She founded the Monastery of the Pantokrator in Constantinople.