John 20.19-31 (9th Matins Gospel)

19A kad bi uveèe onaj prvi dan nedjelje, i vrata bijahu zatvorena gdje se bijahu uèenici njegovi skupili od straha Jevrejskoga, doðe Isus i stade na srijedu i reèe im: mir vam. 20I ovo rekavši pokaza im ruke i rebra svoja. Onda se uèenici obradovaše vidjevši Gospoda. 21A Isus im reèe opet: mir vam; kao što otac posla mene, i ja šaljem vas. 22I ovo rekavši dunu, i reèe im: primite Duh sveti. 23Kojima oprostite grijehe, oprostiæe im se; i kojima zadržite, zadržaæe se. 24A Toma koji se zove Blizanac, jedan od dvanaestorice, ne bješe ondje s njima kad doðe Isus. 25A drugi mu uèenici govorahu: vidjesmo Gospoda. A on im reèe: dok ne vidim na rukama njegovijem rana od klina, i ne metnem prsta svojega u rane od klina, i ne metnem ruke svoje u rebra njegova; neæu vjerovati. 26I poslije osam dana opet bijahu uèenici njegovi unutra, i Toma s njima. Doðe Isus kad bijahu vrata zatvorena, i stade meðu njima i reèe: mir vam. 27Potom reèe Tomi: pruži prst svoj amo i viði ruke moje; i pruži ruku svoju i metni u rebra moja, i ne budi nevjeran nego vjeran. 28I odgovori Toma i reèe mu: Gospod moj i Bog moj. 29Isus mu reèe: pošto me vidje vjerovao si; blago onima koji ne vidješe i vjerovaše. 30A i mnoga druga èudesa uèini Isus pred uèenicima svojijem koja nijesu pisana u knjizi ovoj. 31A ova se napisaše, da vjerujete da Isus jest Hristos sin Božij, i da vjerujuæi imate život u ime njegovo.

Ephesians 4.7-13 (Epistle, Sunday after Theophany)

7A svakome se od nas dade blagodat po mjeri dara Hristova. 8Zato govori: izišavši na visinu zaplijenio si plijen, i dade dare ljudima. 9A što iziðe, šta je, osim da i siðe u najdonja mjesta zemlje? 10Koji siðe to je onaj koji i iziðe više sviju nebesa da ispuni sve. 11I on je dao jedne apostole, a jedne proroke, a jedne jevanðeliste, a jedne pastire i uèitelje, 12Da se sveti priprave za djelo službe, na sazidanje tijela Hristova; 13Dokle dostignemo svi u jedinstvo vjere i poznanje sina Božijega, u èovjeka savršena, u mjeru rasta visine Hristove;

Matthew 4.12-17 (Gospel, Sunday after Theophany)

12A kad èu Isus da je Jovan predan, otide u Galileju. 13I ostavivši Nazaret doðe i namjesti se u Kapernaumu primorskome na meði Zavulonovoj i Neftalimovoj, 14Da se zbude što je rekao Isaija prorok govoreæi: 15Zemlja Zavulonova i zemlja Neftalimova, na putu k moru s one strane Jordana, Galileja neznabožaèka. 16Ljudi koji sjede u tami, vidješe vidjelo veliko, i onima što sjede na strani i u sjenu smrtnome, zasvijetli vidjelo. 17Od tada poèe Isus uèiti i govoriti: pokajte se, jer se približi carstvo nebesko.

Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus (315)

Hermylus was a deacon in Singidunum (modern-day Belgrade) during the reign of Licinius. When he was arrested he joyously welcomed the soldiers who came to seize him. When he confessed Christ before the magistrate, he was beaten, tormented, then thrown in jail. There he prayed to be allowed to partake in Christ’s saving Passion, and heard a voice assuring him that in three days he would receive a Martyr’s crown.

Stratonicus, his jailer, was a kind-hearted man and secretly a Christian, and wept to see the torments to which Hermylus was subjected. Seeing this, the soldiers began to question him; and, seeing that his hour had come, he in turn openly confessed Christ. For this he was seized, flogged and thrown into prison with his brother in Christ. The following day, both were bound, tied in a net and thrown into the Danube, where they received their divinely-promised crowns. Their bodies were washed up a few days later, recovered by Christians and buried with honor.

Our Holy Father Maximos Kavsokalybites (the Hut-burner) (1365)

A native of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, he became a monk at the age of seventeen. When his spiritual Father died, he went on pilgrimage to Constantinople, where he took up the ascesis of folly for Christ, pretending madness in order to conceal his virtues and struggles from the world. He then went to the Great Lavra of St Athanasius on Mount Athos, where he lived as a simple monk in complete obedience. One day, he was told in a dream to go to the summit of Athos to receive (like Moses) the tablets of the spiritual law. He prayed continuously atop the Holy Mountain for three days, after which the Mother of God appeared to him surrounded by angels. She gave him a miraculous loaf for his sustenance and told him to live in solitude on the wild slopes of Mount Athos. Henceforth he lived apart, barefoot in all weather. He would build himself crude shelters of branches and brush; after living in one for a short time he would burn it and move to a new place. Thus he received the name Kavsokalybites “the Hut Burner” from the other monks, who dismissed him as a madman.

Saint Gregory the Sinaite (April 6), one of the great Hesychasts, heard of St Maximos, and hurried to meet him. When they met, St Maximos put aside his usual silence at St Gregory’s pleading, and they discoursed together for many hours. Saint Gregory was astonished at the wonders that God had accomplished in St Maximos, at his depth of spiritual understanding and his eloquence. Returning to the nearby monks, he said “He is an angel and not a man!” He begged St Maximos to give up his nomadic life and his pretended madness, and to live among his fellow monks for their edification. This St Maximos did. He settled in one of his crude huts, living on bread miraculously provided from heaven and on sea-water, which was made sweet by his prayer. He received and counseled any monks who sought him out, and over the years was visited by two Emperors and by the Patriarch of Constantinople. In his last years he returned to a small cell in his Lavra, where he reposed in peace at the age of ninety- five. The monks of Mt Athos immediately venerated him as a Saint.

Our Holy Father Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (369)

“The holy Hierarch Hilary was born of pagan parents in Gaul, and was trained in philosophy and rhetoric. At a time when paganism was still strong in Gaul, Saint Hilary understood the falsehood of polytheism, and became a Christian, and a great defender of his new Faith. About the year 350 he was ordained Bishop of Poitiers, when Arles and Milan were in the hands of the Arians and the Arian Constantius was sole Emperor. Like his contemporary Saint Athanasius, Saint Hilary’s episcopate was one long struggle against the Arians. As Bishop of Poitiers, Saint Hilary foresaw the future greatness of Martin (see Nov. 12), and attached him to himself. In 355, when required to agree to the condemnation of Saint Athanasius by the Council of Milan, Hilary wrote an epistle to Constantius condemning the wrongs done by the Arians and requesting, among other things, the restoration of the Orthodox bishops, including Athanasius. For this, Hilary was banished to Asia Minor, where he wrote his greatest work, On the Trinity. Saint Hilary returned to his see in 360, where Saint Martin sought him out again. It was at this time that Saint Hilary blessed Martin to found a monastery near Poitiers, where Martin remained until being consecrated Bishop of Tours in 371. In his last years, Saint Hilary strove for the deposition of Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Milan, but by affecting an Orthodox confession Auxentius retained his see. Saint Hilary reposed in peace about the year 368. Auxentius died in 374 and was succeeded by Saint Ambrose, who continued Saint Hilary’s battle against Arianism.” (Great Horologion, adapted)