2 Corinthians 9.12-10.7 (Epistle)

12Jer služba ove poreze ne ispunjuje samo nedostatak svetijeh, nego èini te se i mnoge hvale daju Bogu, 13Ogledom poreze ove hvaleæi Boga za vaše pokorno priznanje jevanðelja Hristova, i za prostotu podjele k njima i k svima, 14I da se mole Bogu za vas i da èeznu za vama za premnogu blagodat Božiju na vama. 15A hvala Bogu na njegovu neiskazanome daru.

1A sam ja Pavle molim vas krotosti radi i tišine Hristove, koji sam pred vama ponižen prema vama, a kad nijesam kod vas, slobodan sam prema vama. 2Molim pak da mi ne bude trijebe kad budem kod vas, onako slobodan biti kao što mislim da smijem protiv nekijeh koji misle za nas da po tijelu živimo; 3Jer ako i živimo u tijelu, ne borimo se po tijelu. 4Jer oružje našega vojevanja nije tjelesno, nego silno od Boga na raskopavanje gradova, da kvarimo pomisli 5I svaku visinu koja se podiže na poznanje Božije, i robimo svaki razum za pokornost Hristu, 6I u pripravnosti imamo osvetu za svaku nepokornost, kad se izvrši vaša pokornost. 7Gledate li na ono što vam je pred oèima? Ako se ko uzda da je Hristov neka misli opet u sebi da kako je on Hristov tako smo i mi Hristovi.

Mark 3.19-27 (Gospel)

19I Judu Iskariotskoga, koji ga i izdade. 20I doðoše u kuæu, i sabra se opet narod da ne mogahu ni hljeba jesti. 21I èuvši to rod njegov iziðoše da ga uhvate; jer govorahu da je izvan sebe. 22A književnici koji bijahu sišli iz Jerusalima govorahu: u njemu je Veelzevul; i: on pomoæu kneza ðavolskoga izgoni ðavole. 23I dozvavši ih govoraše im u prièama: kako može sotona sotonu izgoniti? 24I ako se carstvo samo po sebi razdijeli, ne može ostati carstvo ono; 25I ako se dom sam po sebi razdijeli, ne može ostati dom onaj; 26I ako sotona ustane sam na se i razdijeli se, ne može ostati, nego æe propasti. 27Niko ne može pokuæstvo jakoga, ušavši u kuæu njegovu, oteti ako najprije jakoga ne sveže: i onda æe kuæu njegovu oplijeniti.

Synaxis of Serbian Hierarchs

On this day are commemorated seventeen holy Serbian hierarchs, beginning with St Sava (Sabbas), first Archbishop of Serbia and Equal to the Apostles. They are:

• St Sava, first Archbishop of Serbia, Equal to the Apostles
• Arsenius, his successor
• Sava II, son of King Stephen the First-Crowned
• Nicodemus, who lived on the Holy Mountain, was abbot of Hilandar Monastery there and Archbishop of Serbia
• Joannicius, patriarch from 1346-1349
• Ephraim, chosen as patriarch against his will in 1376. He crowned Prince Lazar, then renounced the patriarchal throne and retired into solitude
• Spiridon, his successor (+1388)
• Macarius, a great restorer of old churches and monasteries; printed many Church books (+1574)
• Gabriel, a nobleman by birth. The Prologue says that he ‘took part in the Moscow Council under Patriarch Nikhon, because of which he was tortured by the Turks for treason and hanged in 1656.’
• In addition, Eustace, Jacob, Danilo, Sava III, Gregory, John, Maxim and Nikhon.

Sts Alexander (340), John (595), and Paul the New (784), patriarchs of Constantinople

St Alexander took part in the First Ecumenical Council as delegate of Patriarch Metrophanes, who was too frail to attend; and succeeded Metrophanes on the Patriarchal throne. By his prayer to God that the Church might be spared the schemings of Arius, Arius was struck dead.

St John is, by one account, St John the Faster (Sept. 2), who reposed in 595; by another, St John Scholasticus (Feb. 21), who reposed in 577.

St Paul was Patriarch for five years, then renounced the Patriarchal throne to take the Great Schema.