Isaiah 25.1-9 (6th Hour)

1Gospode, ti si Bog moj, uzvišivaæu te, slaviæu ime tvoje, jer si uèinio èudesa; namjere tvoje od starine vjera su i istina. 2Jer si od grada naèinio gomilu, i od tvrdoga grada zidine; od grada dvor za strance, dovijeka se neæe sagraditi. 3Zato æe te slaviti narod silan, grad strašnijeh naroda bojaæe te se. 4Jer si bio krjepost ubogome, krjepost siromahu u nevolji njegovoj, utoèište od poplave, zaklon od žege, jer je gnjev nasilnièki kao poplava koja obaljuje zid. 5Vrevu inostranaca prekinuo si kao pripeku na suhu mjestu; kao pripeka sjenom od oblaka, tako se pjevanje nasilnika prekide. 6I Gospod æe nad vojskama uèiniti svijem narodima na ovoj gori gozbu od pretila mesa, gozbu od èista vina, od pretila mesa s moždanima, od vina bez taloga. 7I pokvariæe na ovoj gori zastiraè kojim su zastrti svi narodi, i pokrivaè kojim su pokriveni svi narodi. 8Uništiæe smrt zauvijek, i utræe Gospod Gospod suze sa svakoga lica, i sramotu naroda svojega ukinuæe sa sve zemlje; jer Gospod reèe. 9I reæi æe se u ono vrijeme: gle, ovo je Bog naš, njega èekasmo, i spašæe nas; ovo je Gospod, njega èekasmo; radovaæemo se i veseliæemo se za spasenje njegovo.

Genesis 9.8-17 (Vespers)

8I reèe Bog Noju i sinovima njegovijem s njim, govoreæi: 9A ja evo postavljam zavjet svoj s vama i s vašim sjemenom nakon vas, 10I sa svijem životinjama, što su s vama od ptica, od stoke i od svega zvijerja zemaljskoga što je s vama, sa svaèim što je izašlo iz kovèega, i sa svijem zvijerjem zemaljskim. 11Postavljam zavjet svoj s vama, te otsele neæe nijedno tijelo poginuti od potopa, niti æe više biti potopa da zatre zemlju. 12I reèe Bog: evo znak zavjeta koji postavljam izmeðu sebe i vas i svake žive tvari, koja je s vama dovijeka: 13Metnuo sam dugu svoju u oblake, da bude znak zavjeta izmeðu mene i zemlje. 14Pa kad oblake navuèem na zemlju, vidjeæe se duga u oblacima, 15I opomenuæu se zavjeta svojega koji je izmeðu mene i vas i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu, i neæe više biti od vode potopa da zatre svako tijelo. 16Duga æe biti u oblacima, pa æu je pogledati, i opomenuæu se vjeènoga zavjeta izmeðu Boga i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu koje je na zemlji. 17I reèe Bog Noju: to je znak zavjeta koji sam uèinio izmeðu sebe i svakoga tijela na zemlji.

Proverbs 12.8-22 (Vespers)

8Prema razumu svom hvali se èovjek; a ko je opaka srca, prezreæe se. 9Ko se snebiva, a ima slugu, bolji je od onoga koji se velièa a hljeba nema. 10Pravednik se brine za život svojega živinèeta, a u bezbožnika je srce nemilostivo. 11Ko radi svoju zemlju, biæe sit hljeba; a ko ide za besposlicama, bezuman je. 12Bezbožnik želi obranu oda zla, ali korijen pravednijeh daje je. 13Zlome je zamka u grijehu usana njegovijeh, a pravednik izlazi iz tjeskobe. 14Od ploda usta svojih siti se èovjek dobra, i platu za djela svoja prima èovjek. 15Bezumniku se èini prav put njegov; ali ko sluša savjet, mudar je. 16Gnjev bezumnikov odmah se pozna, ali pametni pokriva sramotu. 17Ko govori istinu, javlja što je pravo, a lažni svjedok prijevaru. 18Ima ko govori kao da maè probada, a jezik je mudrijeh lijek. 19Istinita usta stoje tvrdo dovijeka, a jezik lažljivi za èas. 20Koji zlo misle, prijevara im je u srcu, a radost je onima koji svjetuju na mir. 21Nikaka nesreæa neæe zadesiti pravednika, a bezbožnici æe se napuniti zla. 22Mrske su Gospodu lažljive usne; a koji rade vjerno, mili su mu.

St Gregory the Great (the Dialogist), Pope of Rome (604)

He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then, in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.

He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called ‘the Dialogist’ after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.

Saint Gregory reposed in peace in 604.

Our Holy Father Theophanes the Confessor (818)

He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor’s court. Later, with his wife’s consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working: his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with thanksgiving.

When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment, he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.

Repose of St Symeon the New Theologian (1021)

His main commemoration is on October 12.