Isaiah 4.2-5.7 (6th Hour)

2U ono vrijeme biæe klica Gospodnja na slavu i èast, i plod zemaljski na krasotu i diku ostatku Izrailjevu. 3I ko ostane u Sionu i ko još bude u Jerusalimu, zvaæe se svet, svaki ko bude zapisan za život u Jerusalimu, 4Kad Gospod opere neèistotu kæeri Sionskih i iz Jerusalima oèisti krv njegovu duhom koji sudi i sažiže. 5Gospod æe stvoriti nad svakim stanom na gori Sionskoj i nad zborovima njezinijem oblak danju s dimom i svjetlost plamena ognjenoga noæu, jer æe nad svom slavom biti zaklon. 6I biæe koliba, da sjenom zaklanja danju od vruæine i da bude utoèište i zaklon od poplave i od dažda.

1Zapjevaæu sada dragome svojemu pjesmu dragoga svojega o vinogradu njegovu. Dragi moj ima vinograd na rodnu brdašcu. 2I ogradi ga, i otrijebi iz njega kamenje, i nasadi ga plemenitom lozom, i sazida kulu usred njega, i iskopa pivnicu u njemu, i poèeka da rodi grožðem, a on rodi vinjagom. 3Pa sada, stanovnici Jerusalimski i ljudi Judejci, sudite izmeðu mene i vinograda mojega. 4Što je još trebalo èiniti vinogradu mojemu što mu ne uèinih? kad èekah da rodi grožðem, zašto rodi vinjagom? 5Sada æu vam kazati što æu uèiniti vinogradu svojemu. Oboriæu mu ogradu, neka opusti; razvaliæu mu zid, neka se pogazi; 6Uparložiæu ga, neæe se rezati ni kopati, nego æe rasti èkalj i trnje, i zapovjediæu oblacima da ne puštaju više dažda na nj. 7Da, vinograd je Gospoda nad vojskama dom Izrailjev, i ljudi su Judejci mili sad njegov; on èeka sud, a gle nasilja, èeka pravdu, a gle vike.

Genesis 3.21-4.7 (Vespers)

21I naèini Gospod Bog Adamu i ženi njegovoj haljine od kože, i obuèe ih u njih. 22I reèe Gospod Bog: eto, èovjek posta kao jedan od nas znajuæi što je dobro što li zlo; ali sada da ne pruži ruke svoje i uzbere i s drveta od života, i okusi, te dovijeka živi. 23I Gospod Bog izagna ga iz vrta Edemskoga da radi zemlju, od koje bi uzet; 24I izagnav èovjeka postavi pred vrtom Edemskim heruvima s plamenijem maèem, koji se vijaše i tamo i amo, da èuva put ka drvetu od života.

1Iza toga Adam pozna Jevu ženu svoju, a ona zatrudnje i rodi Kajina, i reèe: dobih èovjeka od Gospoda. 2I rodi opet brata njegova Avelja. I Avelj posta pastir a Kajin ratar. 3A poslije nekoga vremena dogodi se, te Kajin prinese Gospodu prinos od roda zemaljskoga; 4A i Avelj prinese od prvina stada svojega i od njihove pretiline. I Gospod pogleda na Avelja i na njegov prinos, 5A na Kajina i na njegov prinos ne pogleda. Zato se Kajin rasrdi veoma, i lice mu se promijeni. 6Tada reèe Gospod Kajinu: što se srdiš? što li ti se lice promijeni? 7Neæeš li biti mio, kad dobro èiniš? a kad ne èiniš dobro, grijeh je na vratima. A volja je njegova pod tvojom vlašæu, i ti si mu stariji.

Proverbs 3.34-4.22 (Vespers)

34Jer potsmjevaèima on se potsmijeva, a krotkima daje milost. 35Mudri æe naslijediti slavu, a bezumnike æe odnijeti sramota.

1Slušajte, djeco, nastavu oèinu, i pazite da biste poznali mudrost. 2Jer vam dobru nauku dajem, ne ostavljajte zakona mojega. 3Kad bijah sin u oca svojega mlad, i jedinac u matere svoje, 4On me uèaše i govoraše mi: neka primi srce tvoje rijeèi moje, drži zapovijesti moje i biæeš živ. 5Pribavi mudrost, pribavi razum; ne zaboravljaj i ne otstupaj od rijeèi usta mojih. 6Nemoj je ostaviti, i èuvaæe te, ljubi je, i hraniæe te. 7Mudrost je glavno; pribavi mudrost, i za sve imanje svoje pribavi razum. 8Podiži je i ona æe te uzvisiti, proslaviæe te kad je zagrliš. 9Metnuæe ti na glavu vijenac od milina, krasnu krunu daæe ti. 10Slušaj, sine moj, i primi rijeèi moje, i umnožiæe ti se godine životu. 11Uèim te putu mudrosti, vodim te stazama pravijem. 12Kad ushodiš, neæe se stezati koraci tvoji, i ako potrèiš neæeš se spotaknuti. 13Drži se nastave i ne puštaj, èuvaj je, jer ti je život. 14Ne idi na stazu bezbožnièku i putem nevaljalijeh ljudi ne stupaj. 15Ostavi ga, ne hodi po njemu, ukloni se od njega i mini ga. 16Jer ne spavaju ako ne uèine zla, i ne dolazi im san ako koga ne obore. 17Jer jedu hljeb bezbožnosti i piju vino nasilja. 18A put je pravednièki kao svijetlo vidjelo, koje sve veæma svijetli dok ne bude pravi dan. 19A put je bezbožnièki kao mrak, ne znaju na što æe se spotaknuti. 20Sine moj, slušaj rijeèi moje, prigni uho svoje besjedi mojoj. 21Da ti ne odlaze iz oèiju; èuvaj ih usred srca svojega. 22Jer su život onima koji ih nalaze i zdravlje svemu tijelu njihovu.

St Tarasios, archbishop of Constantinople (806)

He was a nobleman born in Constantinople, and distinguished himself in a secular career, rising in the year 780 to the rank of protasecretis, Principal Secretary of State to the Emperor Constantine VI and his mother the Empress Irene, who was serving as regent.

His life took a sudden turn when, in 784, Patriarch Paul IV resigned, recommending Tarasios as the only man capable of restoring the Patriarchate, ravaged by the iconoclast heresy, to true Faith and full communion with the other Patriarchates. Tarasios, though unwilling, was virtually forced to accept the Patriarchate by the rulers and the Senate: he agreed at last on condition that an Ecumenical Council be summoned immediately to put an end to the iconoclast heresy. In a few days he was raised from a layman through all the degrees of the clergy and on December 25 784, was consecrated Archbishop of Constantinople.

At Saint Tarasios’ insistence, the Imperial rulers summoned a Church Council, which met at Constantinople in 786. Before its sessions had even begun, iconoclasts burst into the church and drove out the Fathers, who were forced to reconvene in Nicaea, where the first session opened. Patriarch Tarasios presided, and the Council concluded with a condemnation of the iconoclast heresy and the restoration of veneration of the holy images.

As Archbishop, the Saint was a model of humility, compassion, and firmness in the Faith. He refused to have any servants and dressed simply, a living rebuke to the luxury that had corrupted the clergy at that time. His works of charity were so great that he became known to the people as ‘the new Joseph’: he founded hospices and shelters, distributed the Church’s wealth freely to the poor, and often invited the poor to his own table to share his simple fare. He insisted on exercising all gentleness and mercy in restoring repentant heretics to the Church, a policy that met with opposition from the more severe leaders of the Studion monastery. At the same time he was unbending in the defense of the Faith: when the Emperor Constantine came of age he repudiated his wife Mary in order to marry Theodota, one of her servants. The Patriarch refused to bless the adulterous union and threatened the Emperor with excommunication if he persisted in sin. The Emperor had Tarasios imprisoned, forced his licit wife to enter a monastery, and found a priest, Joseph, to bless his second marriage. The following year Constantine was blinded and dethroned, and Tarasios regained his freedom.

The holy Patriarch continued to serve his Church faithfully, occupying the episcopal throne for a total of twenty-six years. In his last years, despite a long and painful illness, he continued to serve the Divine Liturgy daily, supporting himself with his staff. In the year 806, serving at the altar, he began to chant from Psalm 85, Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me, and gave up his soul to God.

“In 820, the Emperor Leo the Armenian, who for seven years had supported the iconoclasts and had fiercely persecuted the Orthodox, had a disturbing dream. He saw a stern-looking Saint Tarasius ordering a man by the name of Michael to run Leo himself through with a sword. Six days later, Leo was in fact assasinated by Michael the Stammerer, who seized power… In physical appearance, Saint Tarasius is said to have closely resembled Saint Gregory the Theologian.” (Synaxarion)