Hebrews 10.1-18 (Epistle)

1Jer zakon imajuæi sjen dobara koja æe doæi, a ne samo oblièje stvari, ne može nikada savršiti one koji pristupaju svake godine i prinose one iste žrtve. 2Inaèe bi prestale prinositi se, kad oni koji služe ne bi više imali nikake savjesti za grijehe, kad se jednom oèiste; 3Nego se njima svake godine èini spomen za grijehe. 4Jer krv junèija i jarèija ne može uzeti grijeha. 5Zato ulazeæi u svijet govori: žrtava i darova nijesi htio, ali si mi tijelo pripravio. 6Žrtve i prilozi za grijeh nijesu ti bili ugodni. 7Tada rekoh: evo doðoh, u poèetku knjige pisano je za mene, da uèinim volju tvoju, Bože. 8I više kazavši: priloga i prinosa i žrtava, i žrtava za grijehe nijesi htio, niti su ti bili ugodni, što se po zakonu prinose; 9Tada reèe: evo doðoh da uèinim volju tvoju, Bože. Ukida prvo da postavi drugo. 10Po kojoj smo volji mi osveæeni prinosom tijela Isusa Hrista jednom. 11I svaki sveštenik stoji svaki dan služeæi i jedne žrtve mnogo puta prinoseæi koje nikad ne mogu uzeti grijeha. 12A on prinesavši jedinu žrtvu za grijehe sjedi svagda s desne strane Bogu, 13Èekajuæi dalje dok se polože neprijatelji njegovi podnožje nogama njegovima. 14Jer jednijem prinosom savršio je vavijek one koji bivaju osveæeni. 15A svjedoèi nam i Duh sveti; jer kao što je naprijed kazano: 16Ovo je zavjet koji æu naèiniti s njima poslije onijeh dana, govori Gospod: daæu zakone svoje u srca njihova, i u mislima njihovijem napisaæu ih; 17I grijeha njihovijeh i bezakonja njihovijeh neæu više spominjati. 18A gdje je oproštenje ovijeh ondje više nema priloga za grijehe.

Mark 10.11-16 (Gospel)

11I reèe im: koji pusti ženu i oženi se drugom, èini preljubu na njoj. 12I ako žena ostavi muža svojega i poðe za drugoga, èini preljubu. 13I donošahu k njemu djecu da ih se dotakne; a uèenici branjahu onima što ih donošahu. 14A Isus vidjevši rasrdi se i reèe im: pustite djecu neka dolaze k meni, i ne branite im; jer je takovijeh carstvo Božije. 15Zaista vam kažem: koji ne primi carstva Božijega kao dijete, neæe uæi u njega. 16I zagrlivši ih metnu na njih ruke te ih blagoslovi.

Holy Martyr Sebastian and those with him (287)

He grew up in Milan and became an army officer, where he distinguished himself so well that the Emperor Diocletian made him captain of the Praetorian Guard not suspecting that Sebastian was a Christian. In Rome, while fulfilling the duties of a courtier, he used his position to comfort and encourage his imprisoned fellow-Christians. By his labors and example he brought many to faith in Christ, including Chromatius, the Prefect in charge of persecuting the Roman Christians.

Sebastian had upheld two brothers, Mark and Marcellinus, who were awaiting execution for their faith. When the day of execution came, their father Tranquillinus, who had been a pagan but through Sebastian’s example had converted, presented himself to Chromatius and announced that he too was a Christian. His testimony was so powerful that the hard heart of the Prefect was melted, and he himself resolved to become a Christian.

Caius, Bishop of Rome, gathered the new brethren (both men and women — not all of Sebastian’s converts have been mentioned here) to embrace them and baptize them, but also to warn them of their coming Martyrdom. He instructed some to flee the city and others, headed by Sebastian, to remain in Rome, devoting their days to fasting, prayer and thanksgiving as they awaited their death. As the “company of Martyrs” did this, many came to them and were healed of ailments, and many joined them in confessing Christ.

When the time of martyrdom came, each member of the company was subjected to imaginatively cruel tortures before his execution. Sebastian himself was made to witness the deaths of all his companions, then to endure his own trial. He serenely confessed his unshaken faith before Diocletian himself before being taken to the place of execution. There he was tied to a post and made the target of a band of archers until his body bristled with arrows like the quills of a porcupine. He was left for dead, but when Irene, widow of St Castulus, came to bury him, she found him alive and tended his wounds. Amazingly, he recovered, and presented himself once again to the Emperor. Astonished and outraged, the tyrant ordered that Sebastian be beaten to death with clubs and thrown into the city’s sewer. That evening, a pious Christian woman was told in a vision to retrieve his body and bury it in the catacombs. After St Constantine brought peace to the Church, Pope Damasus built a church over the site in the Saint’s honor. For hundreds of years, many miracles were worked there through St Sebastian’s intercessions.

Holy Hieromartyr Modestus I, Archbishop of Jerusalem (634)

His parents were pious Christians from Sebaste in Asia Minor, who died in prison while Modestus was still an infant. The child was raised by pagans, but when he learned that his parents had died for Christ, he secretly became a Christian also. When his adoptive parents died, he traveled to Athens, where he was taken in by a Christian goldsmith and his wife, and became a Christian at the age of thirteen. Modestus’ almsgiving and love for the poor soon earned him renown, but aroused the envy of the goldsmith’s sons, who sold Modestus into slavery during a trip to Egypt. But Modestus was able to bring his new master to faith in Christ and regain his freedom.

Some time later he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre opened at his prayers, and the people, taking this as a sign from God, chose Modestus as Archbishop of Jerusalem. (Accounts of his life do not mention his having been anything but a layman before this.) He served his flock tenderly and zealously, encouraging all to abound in spiritual gifts, and working many miracles. His prayers were effective not only in healing the faithful, but even in curing the ailments of their cattle and other animals. For this reason, it is still customary on this day to sprinkle animals pens and stables, and even houses in which pets dwell, with holy water, asking the Saint’s protection.

Saint Modestus served his flock faithfully into old age. According to some accounts he reposed in peace. According to others, in his old age he was delivered up to the pagans by his enemies, and beheaded by them after many torments.