2 Corinthians 3.12-18 (Epistle)

12Imajuæi dakle takovi nad s velikom slobodom radimo; 13I ne kao što Mojsije metaše pokrivalo na lice svoje, da ne bi mogli sinovi Izrailjevi gledati svršetka onome što prestaje. 14No zaslijepiše pomisli njihove; jer do samoga ovog dana stoji ono pokrivalo neotkriveno u èitanju starog zavjeta, jer u Hristu prestaje. 15Nego do danas kad se èita Mojsije, pokrivalo na srcu njihovom stoji. 16A kad se obrate ka Gospodu, uzeæe se pokrivalo. 17A Gospod je Duh: a gdje je Duh ondje je sloboda. 18Mi pak svi koji otkrivenijem licem gledamo slavu Gospodnju, preobražavamo se u to isto oblièje iz slave u slavu, kao od Gospodnjega Duha.

1 Thessalonians 4.13-17 (Epistle, Departed)

13Neæu vam pak zatajiti, braæo, za one koji su umrli, da ne žalite kao i ostali koji nemaju nada. 14Jer ako vjerujemo da Isus umrije i vaskrse, tako æe Bog i one koji su umrli u Isusu dovesti s njim. 15Jer vam ovo kazujemo rijeèju Gospodnjom da mi koji živimo i ostanemo za dolazak Gospodnji, neæemo preteæi onijeh koji su pomrli. 16Jer æe sam Gospod sa zapoviješæu, s glasom aranðelovijem, i s trubom Božijom siæi s neba; i mrtvi u Hristu vaskrsnuæe najprije; 17A potom mi živi koji smo ostali, zajedno s njima biæemo uzeti u oblake na susret Gospodu na nebo, i tako æemo svagda s Gospodom biti.

Luke 7.1-10 (Gospel)

1A kad svrši sve rijeèi svoje pred narodom, doðe u Kapernaum. 2U kapetana pak jednoga bijaše sluga bolestan na umoru koji mu bješe mio. 3A kad èu za Isusa, posla k njemu starješine Judejske moleæi ga da bi došao da mu iscijeli slugu. 4A oni došavši k Isusu moljahu ga lijepo govoreæi: dostojan je da mu to uèiniš; 5Jer ljubi narod naš, i naèini nam zbornicu. 6A Isus iðaše s njima. I kad veæ bijahu blizu kuæe, posla kapetan k njemu prijatelje govoreæi mu: Gospode! ne trudi se, jer nijesam dostojan da uðeš pod moju strehu; 7Zato i ne držah sebe dostojna da ti doðem, nego samo reci rijeè, i ozdraviæe sluga moj. 8Jer i ja sam èovjek pod vlasti, i imam pod sobom vojnike, pa reèem jednome: idi, i ide; i drugome: doði, i doðe; i sluzi svojemu: uèini to, i uèini. 9A kad to èu Isus, zaèudi mu se, i okrenuvši se narodu koji iðaše za njim reèe: kažem vam: ni u Izrailju tolike vjere ne naðoh. 10I vrativši se poslani naðoše bolesnoga slugu zdrava.

John 5.24-30 (Gospel, Departed)

24Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko moju rijeè sluša i vjeruje onome koji je mene poslao, ima život vjeèni, i ne dolazi na sud, nego je prešao iz smrti u život. 25Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ide èas, i veæ je nastao, kad æe mrtvi èuti glas sina Božijega, i èuvši oživljeti. 26Jer kako što otac ima život u sebi, tako dade i sinu da ima život u sebi; 27I dade mu vlast da i sud èini, jer je sin èovjeèij. 28Ne divite se ovome, jer ide èas u koji æe svi koji su u grobovima èuti glas sina Božijega, 29I iziæi æe koji su èinili dobro u vaskrsenije života, a koji su èinili zlo u vaskrsenije suda. 30Ja ne mogu ništa èiniti sam od sebe; kako èujem onako sudim, i sud je moj pravedan; jer ne tražim volje svoje nego volju oca koji me je poslao.

Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt (1908).

“Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest, who lived with his wife in virginity. Through his untiring labours in his priestly duties and love for the poor and sinners, he was granted by our Lord great gifts of clairvoyance and miracle-working, to such a degree that in the last years of his life miracles of healings — both of body and of soul — were performed countless times each day through his prayers, often for people who had only written to him asking his help. During his lifetime he was known throughout Russia, as well as in the Western world. He has left us his diary My Life in Christ as a spiritual treasure for Christians of every age; simple in language, it expounds the deepest mysteries of our Faith with that wisdom which is given only to a heart purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Foreseeing as a true prophet the Revolution of 1917, he unsparingly rebuked the growing apostasy among the people; he foretold that the very name of Russia would be changed. As the darkness of unbelief grew thicker, he shone forth as a beacon of unquenchable piety, comforting the faithful through the many miracles that he worked and the fatherly love and simplicity with which he received all. Saint John reposed in peace in 1908.” (Great Horologion)

Holy Prophet Joel (8th c. BC)

His name means “The Lord is God.” He is counted second among the “minor Prophets.” The Old Testament book of his prophecies, which bears his name, includes his prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Joel 2:28), which was quoted by the Apostle Peter (Acts 2:17).

Holy Martyr Varus and those with him (304)

“He was a Roman officer in Egypt and a secret Christian. When seven Christian teachers were thrown into prison, Varus kept visiting them there, supplying their needs and serving them with great devotion. He marvelled at the martyrs, and grieved that fear would not let him stand up as a martyr for Christ. These men of God gave him courage, and Varus made up his mind to go and be tortured with them. One of these godly men died in prison, and, when the wicked governor had the martyrs brought before him and saw that there were only six of them, he asked where the seventh was. ‘I am the seventh!’, cried Varus. The furious governor had him tortured first. He ordered that he be flogged with dry thongs, then that he be tied to a tree and hacked to pieces bit by bit with knives until he gave his holy soul to God. His body was then thrown onto a dung-heap. A woman of Palestinian birth, Cleopatra, the widow of an officer, was there with her son John. She secretly took the relics of the holy martyr off the dung-heap and buried them in her house. She then asked the governor’s permission to take the body of her dead husband back from Egypt to Palestine. As she was an officer’s widow, the governor at once gave her permission. This blessed Christian woman, Cleopatra, however, took the body, not of her husband but of the holy martyr Varus, taking it to her village of Edra, near Tabor, and burying it there. She then built a church dedicated to St Varus, and he appeared to her often from the other world, resplendent as an angel of God.” (Prologue)

Holy Hieromartyr Sadoth (Shahdost) and his 128 companions (342)

During the fierce persecution of Christians by the Persian King Shapur II, Saint Sadoth succeeded the Martyr Symeon (April 17) as Bishop of Seleucia. His name in Persian, Shah-dost, means ‘Friend of the King’; but the earthly Shah saw him as no friend, and the holy bishop knew that his days on earth were numbered. One night in a dream, Sadoth saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. At the top stood Bishop Symeon, who called joyfully to him: ‘Climb up, Sadoth, and do not be afraid! I climbed up yesterday; you will climb up today.’ Waking, Sadoth knew that he would soon be called to martyrdom. He immediately set out to encourage his flock and to exhort them to stand firm for Christ in the coming day of persecution.

A few days later the persecutors came in the King’s name to arrest the holy Bishop; with him they seized 128 priests, deacons, monks and simple believers. All were held in prison for five months, being brought forth repeatedly and tortured in ways too cruel to describe; but not a single one could be brought to worship the sun. Finally, all were condemned to die by the sword. The 128 martyrs, chained together, sang joyous hymns as they went to the place of execution. They did not cease to sing until the death of the last Martyr. Sadoth himself, however, was taken in chains to the city of Beit Lapat, where he was beheaded a few days later.