Galatians 4.8-21 (Epistle)

8Ali tada ne znajuæi Boga služiste onima koji po sebi nijesu bogovi. 9A sad poznavši Boga, i još poznati bivši od Boga, kako se vraæate opet na slabe i rðave stihije, kojima opet iznova hoæete da služite? 10Gledate na dane i mjesece, i vremena i godine. 11Bojim se za vas da se ne budem uzalud trudio oko vas. 12Budite kao ja što sam; jer sam ja kao vi što ste. Braæo! molim vas, ništa mi ne uèiniste nažao. 13A znate da vam u slabosti tijela najprije propovjedih jevanðelje; 14I napasti moje, koja bijaše tijelu mome, ne prezreste, ni popljuvaste, nego me primiste kao anðela Božijega, kao Hrista Isusa. 15Kakovo bijaše onda vaše blaženstvo? Jer vam svjedoèim da biste, kad bi moguæe bilo, izvadili oèi svoje i dali meni. 16Tijem li vam postadoh neprijatelj istinu vam govoreæi? 17Oni ne revnuju dobro za vas, nego hoæe da vas odvoje, da im revnujete. 18A dobro je revnovati svagda u dobru, i ne samo kad sam ja kod vas. 19Djeèice moja, koju opet s mukom raðam, dokle Hristovo oblièje ne postane u vama; 20Ali bih htio sad da sam kod vas, i da izmijenim glas svoj, jer ne mogu da se naèudim za vas. 21Kažite mi, vi koji hoæete pod zakonom da budete, ne slušate li zakona?

Mark 6.45-53 (Gospel)

45I odmah natjera uèenike svoje da uðu u laðu i da idu naprijed na onu stranu u Vitsaidu dok on otpusti narod. 46I otpustivši ih otide na goru da se pomoli Bogu. 47I uveèe bijaše laða nasred mora, a on sam na zemlji. 48I vidje ih gdje se muèahu veslajuæi: jer im bijaše protivan vjetar. I oko èetvrte straže noæne doðe k njima iduæi po moru; i šæadijaše da ih mimoiðe. 49A oni vidjevši ga gdje ide po moru mišljahu da je utvara, i povikaše; 50Jer ga svi vidješe i poplašiše se. I odmah progovori s njima, i reèe im: ne bojte se, ja sam, ne plašite se. 51I uðe k njima u laðu, i utoli vjetar; i vrlo se uplašiše, i divljahu se. 52Jer ih ne nauèiše hljebovi; jer se bijaše srce njihovo okamenilo. 53I prešavši doðoše u zemlju Genisaretsku; i stadoše u kraj.

Great Martyr Nicetas the Goth (372)

He was a Goth of noble birth among his people, a disciple of Bishop Theophilus of the Goths, who took part in the First Ecumenical Council. When he confronted Athanaric, the pagan ruler of the Goths, for his persecution of Christians and for his unbelief, Nicetas was cruelly tortured and finally burned to death. Though he died in the flames, his body was brought forth unharmed. His relics were taken by his friend Marianus to Mopsuestia in Cilicia, where a church dedicated to the Saint was built.

Holy Martyr Porphyrius (361).

“An actor, he first mocked at Christians before Julian the Apostate. On one occasion, when he was mimicking the Christian mystery of Baptism, he was dipped into the water, pronouncing the words: ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ When he emerged from the water, he cried out: ‘Now I am a Christian!’ Everyone thought that this was in jest, as always, but he held firm to it, stopped mocking Christians and finally suffered for Christ. He was beheaded in 361, and entered into the Kingdom of Christ.” (Prologue)

We rightly condemn worship that is purely external; but the life of St Porphyrius reminds us in a striking way that the ‘externals’ of the Faith have a power that can work to convert the heart of man. St Porphyrius used the words of Holy Baptism not only carelessly but mockingly, yet by God’s grace he emerged from the waters truly renewed into Christ.