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 3.1-9 (Vespers)

Matthew 11.27-30 (Matins Gospel)

27Sve je meni predao otac moj, i niko ne zna sina do otac; niti oca ko zna do sin i ako kome sin hoæe kazati. 28Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorni i natovareni, i ja æu vas odmoriti. 29Uzmite jaram moj na sebe, i nauèite se od mene; jer sam ja krotak i smjeran u srcu, i naæi æete pokoj dušama svojijem. 30Jer je jaram moj blag, i breme je moje lako.

Ephesians 5.25-33 (Epistle)

25Muževi! ljubite svoje žene kao što i Hristos ljubi crkvu, i sebe predade za nju, 26Da je osveti oèistivši je kupanjem vodenijem u rijeèi; 27Da je metne preda se slavnu crkvu, koja nema mane ni mrštine, ili takoga èega, nego da bude sveta i bez mane. 28Tako su dužni muževi ljubiti svoje žene kao svoja tjelesa; jer koji ljubi svoju ženu, sebe samoga ljubi. 29Jer niko ne omrznu kad na svoje tijelo, nego ga hrani i grije, kao i Gospod crkvu. 30Jer smo udi tijela njegova, od mesa njegova, i od kostiju njegovijeh. 31Toga radi ostaviæe èovjek oca svojega i mater, i prilijepiæe se k ženi svojoj, i biæe dvoje jedno tijelo. 32Tajna je ovo velika; a ja govorim za Hrista i za crkvu. 33Ali i vi svaki da ljubi onako svoju ženu kao i sebe samoga; a žena da se boji svojega muža.

Galatians 5.22-6.2 (Epistle, St Sergius)

22A rod je duhovni ljubav, radost, mir, trpljenje, dobrota, milost, vjera, 23Krotost, uzdržanje; na to nema zakona. 24A koji su Hristovi, raspeše tijelo sa slastima i željama. 25Ako u duhu živimo, po duhu i da hodimo, 26Da ne tražimo lažne slave razdražujuæi jedan drugoga, i zavideæi jedan drugome.

1Braæo! ako i upadne èovjek u kakav grijeh, vi duhovni ispravljajte takovoga duhom krotosti, èuvajuæi sebe da i ti ne budeš iskušan. 2Nosite bremena jedan drugoga, i tako æete ispuniti zakon Hristov.

Luke 5.33-39 (Gospel)

33A oni mu rekoše: zašto uèenici Jovanovi poste èesto i mole se Bogu, tako i farisejski; a tvoji jedu i piju? 34A on im reèe: možete li svatove natjerati da poste dok je ženik s njima? 35Nego æe doæi dani kad æe se oteti od njih ženik, i onda æe postiti u one dane. 36Kaza im pak i prièu: niko ne meæe zakrpe od nove haljine na staru haljinu, inaèe æe i novu razdrijeti, i staroj ne lièi što je od novoga. 37I niko ne ljeva vina novoga u mjehove stare; inaèe prodre novo vino mjehove i ono se prolije, i mjehovi propadnu; 38Nego vino novo u mjehove nove treba ljevati, i oboje æe se saèuvati. 39I niko pivši staro neæe odmah novoga; jer veli: staro je bolje.

Luke 6.17-23 (Gospel, St Sergius)

17I izišavši s njima stade na mjestu ravnom, i gomila uèenika njegovijeh; i mnoštvo naroda iz sve Judeje i iz Jerusalima, i iz primorja Tirskoga i Sidonskoga, 18Koji doðoše da ga slušaju i da se iscjeljuju od svojijeh bolesti, i koje muèahu duhovi neèisti; i iscjeljivahu se. 19I sav narod tražaše da ga se dotaknu; jer iz njega izlažaše sila i iscjeljivaše ih sve. 20I on podignuvši oèi na uèenike svoje govoraše: blago vama koji ste siromašni duhom; jer je vaše carstvo Božije. 21Blago vama koji ste gladni sad; jer æete se nasititi. Blago vama koji plaèete sad; jer æete se nasmijati. 22Blago vama kad na vas ljudi omrznu i kad vas rastave i osramote, i razglase ime vaše kao zlo sina radi èovjeèijega. 23Radujte se u onaj dan i igrajte, jer gle, vaša je velika plata na nebu. Jer su tako èinili prorocima ocevi njihovi.

Our Righteous Mother Euphrosyne (ca. 445)

She was the daughter of a wealthy Christian, Paphnutius, who with his wife brought up Euphrosyne in piety. Not wishing to marry, she secretly fled her home and its wealth, dressed herself in men’s clothing and entered a monastery using the name of Smaragdus. There she lived in asceticism for thirty-eight years. She only revealed her identity on her death bed. Her father Paphnutius became a monk in the same monastery, and entered into repose ten years after his daughter.

Our Holy Father Sergius of Radonezh (1392)

‘Our righteous Father Sergius was born in Rostov, north of Moscow, about the year 1314. Named Bartholomew in baptism, he was brought up in Radonezh, and at the death of his parents he withdrew to the wilderness to become a monk. It is notable that without having been trained in a monastery, he was of such a spiritual stature as to be able to take up the perilous eremitical life from the beginning, without falling into delusion or despondency. When he had endured with courage the deprivations of the solitary life, other monks began to come to him, for whom he was made abbot against his will. On the counsel of Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, he organized his monks according to the cenobitic life, appointing duties to each. While Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev, and the other righteous Fathers before Sergius, had established their monasteries near to cities, Sergius was the leader and light of those who went far into the wilderness, and after his example the untrodden forests of northern Russia were settled by monks. When Grand Duke Demetrius Donskoy was about to go to battle against the invading Tartars, he first sought the blessing of Saint Sergius, through whose prayers he was triumphant. Saint Sergius was adorned with the highest virtues of Christ-like humility and burning love for God and neighbor, and received the gift of working wonders, of casting out demons, and of discretion for leading souls to salvation. When he served the Divine Liturgy, an Angel served him visibly; he was also vouchsafed the visitation of the most holy Theotokos with the Apostles Peter and John. He was gathered to his Fathers on September 25, 1392. At the recovery of his holy relics on July 5th, 1422, his body and garments were found fragrant and incorrupt. His life was written by the monk Epiphanius, who knew him.’ (Great Horologion)

Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople (447) and the Miracle of the Trisagion

During the reign of the Emperor Theophilus, the city of Constantinople was visited by earthquakes for almost four months. The Emperor, the Patriarch Proclus, and the people joined in a barefoot procession to make prayer to God for their safety. While they were gathered, the tremors increased dramatically, and a young boy was taken up into the sky in the sight of the people, who fearfully cried out Kyrie eleison! When the boy came down from the heavens, he said that he had been among choirs of Angels who sang Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! and that a voice had commanded him to tell the Patriarch that the people should make supplication to God in this way. The Patriarch instructed the people to chant this hymn, whereupon the ground stopped shaking and the child died.

The Empress Pulcheria (September 10) asked the Patriarch to order that this hymn be chanted henceforth in the Divine Liturgy, as it still is today.

Venerable Dosithea, recluse of the Kiev Caves (1776)

She was born to landed gentry of Riazan province in 1721. Her name in secular life is not recorded. For much of her childhood she was cared for by her grandmother the nun Porphyria, from whom she acquired a love for the ascetical struggle. When Porphyria took the Great Schema, the child returned home, but continued to live as much like a nun as she could. Her parents were eager to marry her as soon as possible, but she foiled their plans by leaving home at the age of fifteen, dressed as a peasant boy and calling herself Dositheus. In this guise she entered the Lavra of St Sergius. Three years later she fled to avoid discovery by her parents, and went to the Lavra of Kiev. There she was turned away, since she had no passport; so she took up the hermit’s life in cave near Kitayev Skete, living only on bread, water and a few wild plants. Before long her gifts of prophecy became known, and the counsel of ‘Dositheus the Hermit’ was sought out by many of the faithful. She would speak to her many visitors through a small window that did not allow them to see her face. The Empress Elizabeth visited her in 1744, and at her request ‘Dositheus’ received monastic tonsure. When the young Prochor Moshnin — one day to be known as St Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) — visited her, she foresaw his holy future, blessed him and directed him to the Monastery of Sarov, instructing him to practice the Jesus Prayer ceaselessly.

Later, the eremitic life was banned in Russia by Imperial decree, so ‘Dositheus’ moved to the Kiev Caves Lavra, then to a remote cell at the Kitaya Skete. When she discerned that the time of her death was near, she left her cell and greeted the brethren of the Skete. The next day she was found on her knees in her cell before an icon, with a piece of paper in her hand reading ‘My body is ready for burial. I beg you not to touch it and to bury it in the usual way.’ Only in preparing her for burial was it discovered that she was a woman. ‘Dositheus the Hermit’ is counted as one of the revivers of the Orthodox hesychast tradition in Russia, where it had been almost forgotten even among monastics.