1 John 2.18-3.10 (Epistle)

18Djeco! pošljednje je vrijeme, i kao što èuste da æe doæi antihrist, i sad mnogi antihristi postaše; po tom poznajemo da je pošljednji èas. 19Od nas iziðoše, ali ne biše od nas: kad bi bili od nas onda bi ostali s nama; ali da se jave da nijesu svi od nas. 20I vi imate pomazanje od svetoga, i znate sve. 21Ne pisah vam kao da ne znate istine, nego što je znate, i znate da nikakva laž nije od istine. 22Ko je lažljivac osim onoga koji odrièe da Isus nije Hristos? Ovo je antihrist, koji se odrièe oca i sina. 23Koji se god odrièe sina ni oca nema; a koji priznaje sina, i oca ima. 24Vi dakle što èuste ispoèetka u vama neka stoji; ako u vama ostane što èuste ispoèetka, i vi æete ostati u sinu i u ocu. 25I ovo je obeæanje koje nam on obeæa, život vjeèni. 26Ovo vam pisah za one koji vas varaju. 27I vi pomazanje što primiste od njega, u vama stoji, i ne trebujete da vas ko uèi; nego kako vas to samo pomazanje uèi u svemu, i istinito je, i nije laž, i kao što vas nauèi ostanite u njemu. 28I sad, djeèice, ostanite u njemu da imamo slobodu kad se javi, i da se ne osramotimo pred njim o njegovu dolasku. 29Ako znate da je pravednik, poznajte da je svaki koji tvori pravdu od njega roðen.

1Vidite kakvu nam je ljubav dao otac, da se djeca Božija nazovemo i budemo; zato svijet ne poznaje nas, jer njega ne pozna. 2Ljubazni! sad smo djeca Božija, i još se ne pokaza šta æemo biti; nego znamo da kad se pokaže, biæemo kao i on, jer æemo ga vidjeti kao što jest. 3I svaki koji ovaj nad ima na njega, èisti se, kao i on što je èist. 4Svaki koji èini grijeh i bezakonje èini: i grijeh je bezakonje. 5I znate da se on javi da grijehe naše uzme; i grijeha u njemu nema. 6Koji god u njemu stoji ne griješi; koji god griješi ne vidje ga niti ga pozna. 7Djeèice! niko da vas ne vara: koji pravdu tvori pravednik je, kao što je on pravedan; 8Koji tvori grijeh od ðavola je, jer ðavo griješi od poèetka. Zato se javi sin Božij da raskopa djela ðavolja. 9Koji je god roðen od Boga ne èini grijeha, jer njegovo sjeme stoji u njemu, i ne može griješiti, jer je roðen od Boga. 10Po tom se poznaju djeca Božija i djeca ðavolja: koji god ne tvori pravde, nije od Boga, i koji ne ljubi brata svojega.

Mark 11.1-11 (Gospel)

1I kad se približi k Jerusalimu, k Vitfazi i Vitaniji, kod gore Maslinske, posla dvojicu od uèenika svojijeh 2I reèe im: idite u selo što je prema vama, i odmah kako uðete u njega naæi æete magare privezano, na koje niko od ljudi nije usjedao; odriješite ga i dovedite. 3I ako vam ko reèe: šta to èinite? kažite: treba Gospodu; i odmah æe ga poslati amo. 4A oni otidoše, i naðoše magare privezano kod vrata napolju na raskršæu, i odriješiše ga. 5I neki od onijeh što stajahu ondje rekoše im: zašto driješite magare? 6A oni rekoše im kao što im zapovjedi Isus; i ostaviše ih. 7I dovedoše magare k Isusu, i metnuše na nj haljine svoje; i usjede na nj. 8A mnogi prostriješe haljine svoje po putu; a jedni rezahu granje od drveta, i prostirahu po putu. 9A koji iðahu pred njim i za njim, vikahu govoreæi: Osana! blagosloven koji ide u ime Gospodnje! 10Blagosloveno carstvo oca našega Davida koje ide u ime Gospodnje! Osana na visini! 11I uðe Isus u Jerusalim, i u crkvu; i promotrivši sve, kad bi uveèe, iziðe u Vitaniju s dvanaestoricom.

St Isidore of Pelusium, monk (440-449)

He was born to a noble family in Alexandria. For a short time he taught rhetoric in Pelusium in Egypt; but soon his love for the things of God led him to flee to the Desert as a solitary. After a year of ascetical life, he returned to Pelusium, where he was ordained to the priesthood. After a few years he retired to a monastery where he spent the rest of his life, eventually becoming Abbot. From the monastery he wrote thousands of epistles full of divine grace and wisdom; of these more than two thousand still survive.

Saint Isidore was a student and devout disciple of St John Chrysostom, as he knew him through his writings. When St Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria, he refused to commemorate St John in the diptychs during the Divine Liturgy. Saint Isidore wrote him a strong letter reminding him not to heed the rumors, prejudices or threats of men, and St Cyril was persuaded to restore commemoration of the Archbishop of Constantinople, and later became a strong advocate of the veneration of St John. Isidore, though a monk, was treated as a spiritual father by Patriarch Cyril: around 433, when St Cyril was inclined to deal harshly with some who had been swept up in the Nestorian heresy, St Isidore wrote to him: ‘As your father, since you are pleased to give me this name, or rather as your son, I adjure you to put an end to this dissension lest a permanent breach be made under the pretext of piety.’

With reputation came persecution, and St Isidore suffered much from Imperial and church authorities unhappy with his holy influence. He bore all these troubles impassibly, and in 440 (according to one source) or about 449 (according to another) he joyfully gave up his soul to God.

Venerable Cyril of New Lake (Novoezezrsk) (1532)

When he was only fifteen, St Cyril left home in secret to join the Monastery of St Cornelius of Komel (May 19). Seven years later his father visited the monastery and recognized his son. Instead of persuading Cyril to return to the world, the father was persuaded by his son to enter monastic life; his mother soon joined them, entering a convent nearby. Within the next few years, St Cyril’s mother and father both died, prompting him to exclaim ‘I too am mortal!’ He redoubled his ascetical labors and before long was granted the gift of tears in prayer. Ten years after entering the monastery, St Cyril obtained his abbot’s blessing to live the life of a hermit. He lived in complete reclusion, subsisting on wild greens and mushrooms. After seven years of solitude, he built a hermitage at New Lake and established two churches there. Soon he was ordained to the priesthood. His sanctity attracted a large company of disciples, and he founded a large monastery. There he continued to live in the strictest asceticism and shared in all the common labor of the monks. Once some thieves tried to steal the church bells, but by divine intervention became disoriented and circled the monastery in the dark until morning. When they were apprehended and brought to the Saint, he told them, ‘My children, no one has ever been enriched by stealing, but many have lost even what belonged to them.’ He then ordered that they be given food and released.

During his lifetime the Saint wrought many healings, and was especially known for restoring the sight of the blind. Once his disciple Athanasius saw an unknown deacon serving with St Cyril at the Liturgy. The mysterious deacon disappeared at the end of the service, and St Cyril forbade his disciple to speak of the incident until after his death. In 1532 the Saint reposed in peace: his last words were ‘Glory to God for all things!’