Ephesians 1.7-17 (Epistle)

7U kome imamo izbavljenje krvlju njegovom, i oproštenje grijeha, po bogatstvu blagodati njegove, 8Koju je preumnožio u nama u svakoj premudrosti i razumu, 9Pokazavši nam tajnu volje svoje, po ugodnosti svojoj koju naprijed pokaza u njemu, 10Za uredbu izvršetka vremena, da se sve sastavi u Hristu što je na nebesima i na zemlji; u njemu, 11Kroz kojega i našljednici postasmo, naprijed odreðeni bivši po naredbi Boga koji sve èini po savjetu volje svoje, 12Da bismo bili na hvalu slave njegove, mi koji smo se naprijed uzdali u Hrista, 13Kroz kojega i vi, èuvši rijeè istine, jevanðelje spasenija svojega, u kojemu i vjerovavši zapeèatiste se svetijem duhom obeæanja, 14Koji je zalog našljedstva našega za izbavljenje teèevine na hvalu slave njegove. 15Zato i ja èuvši vašu vjeru u Hrista Isusa, i ljubav k svima svetima, 16Ne prestajem zahvaljivati za vas, i spominjati vas u svojijem molitvama, 17Da Bog Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, otac slave, dade vam Duha premudrosti i otkrivenja da ga poznate,

Luke 4.22-30 (Gospel)

22I svi mu svjedoèahu, i divljahu se rijeèima blagodati koje izlažahu iz usta njegovijeh, i govorahu: nije li ovo sin Josifov? 23I reèe im: vi æete meni bez sumnje kazati ovu prièu: ljekaru! izlijeèi se sam; što smo èuli da si èinio u Kapernaumu uèini i ovdje na svojoj postojbini. 24Reèe pak: zaista vam kažem: nikakav prorok nije mio na svojoj postojbini. 25A zaista vam kažem: mnoge udovice bijahu u Izrailju u vrijeme Ilijno kad se nebo zatvori tri godine i šest mjeseci i bi velika glad po svoj zemlji; 26I ni k jednoj od njih ne bi poslan Ilija do u Sareptu Sidonsku k ženi udovici. 27I mnogi bijahu gubavi u Izrailju za proroka Jelisija; i nijedan se od njih ne oèisti do Neemana Sirijanina. 28I svi se u zbornici napuniše gnjeva kad èuše ovo. 29I ustavši istjeraše ga napolje iz grada, i odvedoše ga navrh gore gdje bijaše njihov grad sazidan da bi ga bacili odozgo. 30Ali on proðe izmeðu njih, i otide.

Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope (102)

He was a zealous, wise and wonder-working bishop in his birthplace, Sinope, which lies on the southern shore of the Black Sea. For bringing many idolators to faith in Christ, he was hated by the pagans. He was arrested by the governor Africanus, subjected to various tortures,and finally scalded to death in a bath-house. He contested for the Faith during the reign of the Emperor Trajan.

Venerable Cosmas, desert-dweller of Zographou, Mt Athos (1323)

“Saint Cosmas came from Bulgaria where his devout parents provided him with a good education in Slavonic and Greek. They wanted him to marry but he was drawn by the love of Christ and, unknown to them, made his way to the Holy Mountain of Athos to become a monk at the Bulgarian monastery of Zographou. On the feast of the Annunciation at the Monastery of Vatopedi, he saw a woman among those serving in the Church and in the refectory, and he was grieved at first to observe this breach of the monastic rule, but overjoyed when he realized that it was the Mother of God who had appeared to him in this way.

“He was clothed in the holy angelic Habit and, after some time, was ordained priest. One day, as he was praying before the icon of the Mother of God, asking her with tears how to achieve his salvation, he heard a voice saying, ‘Let my servant withdraw to the desert outside the monastery.’ He was obedient to the will of God and, with the blessing of his Abbot, lived in silence from then on. Some years later, he was found worthy of the grace of discernment of thoughts and of beholding things happening elsewhere, as well as of other spiritual gifts. In the course of many years, he was the spiritual helper of a great number of monks. At the end of his life, Christ appeared to him saying that he would shortly have a great trial to endure from the Devil. Indeed, the prince of demons made his appearance next day with a host of his servants bewailing and bemoaning their inability to annihilate their great enemy Cosmas, who had held them in check for so long and gained possession, by his virtue, of the throne in Heaven that had once been Lucifer’s. Taking a heavy stick, the demon beat the Saint so violently that he left him half-dead. As God allowed, Saint Cosmas died in peace two days later, on 22 September 1323. When the fathers came from the monastery to bury him, the wild animals gathered round. They kept silent until the end of the service, but howled unusually loud as his body was covered with earth. Then having paid their respects, they made off into the wilderness. Forty days later, the monks came to take up the body of Saint Cosmas and translate it to the monastery, but it was no longer in the grave. Where it now is God alone knows.” (Synaxarion)