Joel 2.12-26 (Sixth Hour)

12Zato još govori Gospod: obratite se k meni svijem srcem svojim i posteæi i plaèuæi i tužeæi. 13I razderite srca svoja a ne haljine svoje, i obratite se ka Gospodu Bogu svojemu, jer je milostiv i žalostiv, spor na gnjev i obilan milosrðem i kaje se oda zla. 14Ko zna, neæe li se povratiti i raskajati se, i ostaviti iza toga blagoslov, dar i naljev za Gospoda Boga vašega. 15Trubite u trubu na Sionu, naredite post, proglasite svetkovinu. 16Saberite narod, osveštajte sabor, skupite starce, saberite djecu i koja sisaju; ženik neka izide iz svoje klijeti i nevjesta iz ložnice svoje. 17Izmeðu trijema i oltara neka plaèu sveštenici, sluge Gospodnje, i neka reku: prosti, Gospode, narodu svojemu, i ne daj našljedstva svojega pod sramotu, da njim obladaju narodi; zašto da reku u narodima: gdje im je Bog? 18I Gospod æe revnovati za zemlju svoju i požaliæe narod svoj. 19I Gospod æe odgovoriti i reæi æe svome narodu: evo, ja æu vam poslati žita i vina i ulja, i biæete ga siti, i neæu vas više dati pod sramotu meðu narodima. 20Jer æu udaljiti od vas sjeverca, i odagnati ga u zemlju suhu i pustu, prednju èetu njegovu u istoèno more a zadnju u more zapadno, i podignuæe se smrad njegov, i trulež æe se njegov podignuti, pošto uèini velike stvari. 21Ne boj se, zemljo, raduj se i veseli se, jer æe Gospod uèiniti velike stvari. 22Ne bojte se, zvijeri poljske; jer æe se zelenjeti pasišta u pustinji i drveta æe nositi rod svoj, smokva æe i loza vinova davati silu svoju. 23I vi, sinovi Sionski, radujte se i veselite se u Gospodu Bogu svojem, jer æe vam dati dažd na vrijeme, i spustiæe vam dažd rani i pozni na vrijeme. 24I gumna æe se napuniti žita, a kace æe se preljevati vinom i uljem. 25I naknadiæu vam godine koje izjede skakavac, hrušt i crv i gusjenica, velika vojska moja, koju slah na vas. 26I ješæete izobila, i biæete siti i hvaliæete ime Gospoda Boga svojega, koji uèini s vama èudesa, i narod moj neæe se posramiti dovijeka.

Joel 3.12-21 (Vespers)

12Neka se podignu i doðu narodi u dolinu Josafatovu; jer æu ondje sjesti da sudim svijem narodima unaokolo. 13Zamahnite srpom, jer je žetva uzrela; hodite, siðite, jer je tijesak pun, kace se preljevaju; jer je zloæa njihova velika. 14Gomile, gomile u dolini sudskoj; jer je dan Gospodnji blizu u dolini sudskoj. 15Sunce æe i mjesec pomrknuti, i zvijezde æe ustegnuti svoju svjetlost. 16I Gospod æe riknuti sa Siona, i iz Jerusalima æe pustiti glas svoj, i zatrešæe se nebo i zemlja; ali æe Gospod biti utoèište svome narodu i krjepost sinovima Izrailjevijem. 17I poznaæete da sam ja Gospod Bog vaš, koji nastavam u Sionu, u svetoj gori svojoj; i Jerusalim æe biti svet, i tuðinci neæe više iæi po njemu. 18I tada æe gore kapati slatkim vinom, i humovi æe se topiti od mlijeka, i svijem potocima Judinijem teæi æe voda, i izaæi æe izvor iz doma Gospodnjega i natopiæe dolinu Sitim. 19Misir æe opustjeti, i Edomska æe biti pusta pustinja za nasilje uèinjeno sinovima Judinijem, jer proliše krv pravu u zemlji njihovoj. 20A Juda æe stajati dovijeka i Jerusalim od koljena do koljena. 21I oèistiæu krv njihovu, koje ne oèistih; i Gospod æe nastavati u Sionu.

St Martinian, monk, of Caesarea in Palestine (422)

“The life of this saint is wonderful beyond measure and is worth reading in full. What did he not endure to fulfil the Law of God? At the age of eighteen, he went off into a mountain in Cappadocia called the Ark and spent 25 years in fasting, vigils and prayer, and struggling with manifold temptations. When a woman came to tempt him and he saw that he would fall into sin with her, he leapt barefoot into the fire and stood in it until the pain brought forth tears from his eyes and he had killed all lust within himself. When other temptations arose, he fled to a lonely rock in the sea and lived there. When, though, in a shipwreck, a woman swam to the rock, he leapt into the sea intending to drown himself. But a dolphin took him upon its back and brought him, by God’s providence, to the shore. He then decided to make nowhere his permanent home but to travel incessantly. Thus he passed through 164 towns in two years, exhorting and advising the people. He finally arrived in Athens, where he died in 422.” (Prologue)

Holy Apostles and Martyrs Priscilla and Aquila

Aquila and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca) were Jews from Pontus who settled in Rome, where they worked as tent-makers. When the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49-50, they moved to Corinth. (They may already have been Christians; at that time the Empire made no distinction between Christians and Jews.) In Corinth they hosted the Apostle Paul, who lived and worked with them for awhile (Acts 18:1-3). They worked diligently with the Apostle, traveled with him, and were considered worthy to bring Apollos (December 8) to a full knowledge of the Faith (Acts 18:26)

Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome around 58, and later went to Ephesus; they were living there when St Paul asked his disciple Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, to greet them (2 Tim. 4:19). It was probably in Ephesus that they were martyred by the pagans.

St Symeon the Myrrh-streamer, founder of the Chilandar Monastery (1200)

He was born in 1114. In the world, he ruled the kingdom of Serbia as Stephen Nemanja; after ruling wisely and mercifully for many years, he renounced all worldly wealth and glory in 1196 to become a monk. Traveling to the Holy Mountain, he took for his spiritual father his own son Sava, who had preceded him in renouncing royal honor for a life of prayer. Together Symeon (as he was named in monastic life) and his son founded Hilandar monastery. His wife Anna became a nun, taking the name Anastasia; she is also commemorated as a saint of the Church. After his repose, St Symeon’s relics exuded a fragrant and healing myrrh. Saint Sava brought his father’s holy relics back to Serbia. The Synaxarion says “From Saint Symeon’s empty tomb at Chilandar, a vine miraculously sprang up whose dried grape seeds are to this day sent all over the world as a blessing for childless married couples.”