John 20.1-10 (7th Matins Gospel)

1A u prvi dan nedjelje doðe Marija Magdalina na grob rano, još dok se ne bješe rasvanulo, i vidje da je kamen odvaljen od groba. 2Onda otrèa, i doðe k Simonu Petru i k drugom uèeniku koga ljubljaše Isus, i reèe im: uzeše Gospoda iz groba; i ne znamo gdje ga metnuše. 3A Petar iziðe i drugi uèenik, i poðoše ka grobu. 4Trèahu pak oba zajedno, i drugi uèenik trèaše brže od Petra, i doðe prije ka grobu. 5I nadvirivši se vidje haljine gdje leže; ali ne uðe. 6Doðe pak Simon Petar za njim, i uðe u grob, i vidje haljine same gdje leže, 7I ubrus koji bješe na glavi njegovoj ne s haljinama da leži nego osobito savit na jednom mjestu. 8Tada dakle uðe i drugi uèenik koji najprije doðe ka grobu, i vidje i vjerova. 9Jer još ne znadijahu pisma da njemu valja ustati iz mrtvijeh. 10Onda otidoše opet uèenici doma.

Hebrews 6.13-20 (Epistle)

13Jer kad Bog Avraamu obeæa, ne imajuæi nièim veæijem da se zakune, zakle se sobom, 14Govoreæi: zaista blagosiljajuæi blagosloviæu te, i umnožavajuæi umnožiæu te. 15I tako trpeæi dugo, dobi obeæanje. 16Jer se ljudi veæijem kunu, i svakoj njihovoj svaði svršetak je zakletva za potvrðenje. 17Zato i Bog kad šæaše našljednicima obeæanja obilnije da pokaže tvrðu savjeta svojega, uèini posrednika kletvu; 18Da bi u dvjema nepokolebljivijem stvarima, u kojima Bogu nije moguæe slagati, imali jaku utjehu mi koji smo pribjegli da se uhvatimo za nad koji nam je dan, 19Koji imamo kao tvrd i pouzdan lenger duše, koji ulazi i za najdalje zavjese, 20Gdje Isus uðe naprijed za nas, postavši poglavar sveštenièki dovijeka po redu Melhisedekovu.

Ephesians 5.8-19 (Epistle, St John)

8Jer bijaste negda tama, a sad ste vidjelo u Gospodu: kao djeca vidjela živite; 9Jer je rod duhovni u svakoj dobroti i pravdi i istini. 10Istražujte što je Bogu ugodno. 11I ne pristajte na bezrodna djela tame, nego još karajte. 12Jer je sramno i govoriti šta oni tajno èine. 13A sve za što se kara, vidjelo objavljuje; jer sve što se objavljuje, vidjelo je; 14Zato govori: ustani ti koji spavaš i vaskrsni iz mrtvijeh, i obasjaæe te Hristos. 15Gledajte dakle da uredno živite, ne kao nemudri, nego kao mudri; 16Pazite na vrijeme, jer su dani zli. 17Toga radi ne budite nerazumni, nego poznajte što je volja Božija. 18I ne opijajte se vinom, u kome je kurvarstvo, nego se još ispunjavajte duhom, 19Govoreæi meðu sobom u psalmima i pojanju i pjesmama duhovnijem, pjevajuæi i pripijevajuæi u srcima svojijem Gospodu;

Mark 9.17-31 (Gospel)

17I odgovarajuæi jedan od naroda reèe: uèitelju! dovedoh k tebi sina svojega u kome je duh nijem. 18I svaki put kad ga uhvati lomi ga, i pjenu baca i škrguæe zubima; i suši se. I rekoh uèenicima tvojijem da ga istjeraju; i ne mogoše. 19A on odgovarajuæi mu reèe: o rode nevjerni! dokle æu s vama biti? dokle æu vas trpljeti? Dovedite ga k meni. 20I dovedoše ga k njemu; i kad ga vidje odmah ga duh stade lomiti; i panuvši na zemlju valjaše se bacajuæi pjenu. 21I upita oca njegova: koliko ima vremena kako mu se to dogodilo? A on reèe: iz djetinjstva. 22I mnogo puta baca ga u vatru i u vodu da ga pogubi; nego ako što možeš pomozi nam, smiluj se na nas. 23A Isus reèe mu: ako možeš vjerovati: sve je moguæe onome koji vjeruje. 24I odmah povikavši otac djetinji sa suzama govoraše: vjerujem, Gospode! pomozi mojemu nevjerju. 25A Isus videæi da se stjeèe narod zaprijeti duhu neèistome govoreæi mu: duše nijemi i gluhi! ja ti zapovijedam, iziði iz njega i više ne ulazi u njega. 26I povikavši i izlomivši ga vrlo iziðe; i uèini se kao mrtav tako da mnogi govorahu: umrije. 27A Isus uzevši ga za ruku podiže ga; i usta. 28I kad uðe u kuæu pitahu ga uèenici njegovi nasamo: zašto ga mi ne mogosmo istjerati? 29I reèe im: ovaj se rod nièim ne može istjerati do molitvom i postom. 30I izišavši odande iðahu kroz Galileju; i ne šæadijaše da ko dozna. 31Jer uèaše uèenike svoje, i govoraše im da æe se sin èovjeèij predati u ruke ljudske, i ubiæe ga, i pošto ga ubiju ustaæe treæi dan.

Matthew 4.25-5.12 (Gospel, St John)

25I za njim iðaše naroda mnogo iz Galileje, i iz Deset Gradova, i iz Jerusalima, i Judeje, i ispreko Jordana.

1A kad on vidje narod, pope se na goru, i sjede, i pristupiše mu uèenici njegovi. 2I otvorivši usta svoja uèaše ih govoreæi: 3Blago siromašnima duhom, jer je njihovo carstvo nebesko; 4Blago onima koji plaèu, jer æe se utješiti; 5Blago krotkima, jer æe naslijediti zemlju; 6Blago gladnima i žednima pravde, jer æe se nasititi; 7Blago milostivima, jer æe biti pomilovani; 8Blago onima koji su èistoga srca, jer æe Boga vidjeti; 9Blago onima koji mir grade, jer æe se sinovi Božiji nazvati; 10Blago prognanima pravde radi, jer je njihovo carstvo nebesko. 11Blago vama ako vas uzasramote i usprogone i reku na vas svakojake rðave rijeèi lažuæi, mene radi. 12Radujte se i veselite se, jer je velika plata vaša na nebesima, jer su tako progonili proroke prije vas.

St Alexis, the Man of God (411)

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.