Romans 7.1-13 (Epistle)

1Ili ne znate, braæo jer govorim onima koji znadu zakon da zakon vlada nad èovjekom dokle je živ? 2Jer je udata žena privezana zakonom za muža dokle god on živi; a ako li muž njezin umre, razdriješi se od zakona muževljega. 3Zato dakle dok joj je muž živ biva preljuboèinica ako poðe za drugog muža; a ako joj umre muž prosta je od zakona da ne bude preljuboèinica ako poðe za drugoga. 4Zato, braæo moja, i vi umrijeste zakonu tijelom Hristovijem, da budete drugoga, onoga što usta iz mrtvijeh, da plod donesemo Bogu. 5Jer kad bijasmo u tijelu, bijahu slasti grjehovne, koje zakon raðahu u udima našima da se smrti plod donosi. 6A sad umrvši izbavismo se od zakona koji nas držaše, da služimo Bogu) u obnovljenju Duha a ne u starini slova. 7Šta æemo dakle reæi? Je li zakon grijeh? Bože saèuvaj! nego ja grijeha ne poznah osim kroz zakon; jer ne znadoh za želju da zakon ne kaza: ne zaželi. 8A grijeh uze poèetak kroz zapovijest, i naèini u meni svaku želju; jer je grijeh bez zakona mrtav. 9A ja življah nekad bez zakona; a kad doðe zapovijest, onda grijeh oživlje, 10A ja umrijeh, i naðe se da mi zapovijest bi za smrt koja bješe data za život. 11Jer grijeh uzevši poèetak kroz zapovijest prevari me, i ubi me njome. 12Tako je dakle zakon svet i zapovijest sveta i pravedna i dobra. 13Dobro li dakle bi meni smrt? Bože saèuvaj! nego grijeh, da se pokaže grijeh dobrom èineæi mi smrt, da bude grijeh odviše grješan zapoviješæu.

Matthew 9.36-10.8 (Gospel)

36A gledajuæi ljude sažali mu se, jer bijahu smeteni i rasijani kao ovce bez pastira. 37Tada reèe uèenicima svojijem: žetve je mnogo, a poslenika malo. 38Molite se dakle gospodaru od žetve da izvede poslenike na žetvu svoju.

1I dozvavši svojijeh dvanaest uèenika dade im vlast nad duhovima neèistijem da ih izgone, i da iscjeljuju od svake bolesti i svake nemoæi. 2A dvanaest apostola imena su ova: prvi Simon, koji se zove Petar, i Andrija brat njegov; Jakov Zevedejev, i Jovan brat njegov; 3Filip i Vartolomije; Toma i Matej carinik; Jakov Alfejev, i Levej prozvani Tadija; 4Simon Kananit, i Juda Iskariotski, koji ga i predade. 5Ovijeh dvanaest posla Isus i zapovjedi im govoreæi: na put neznabožaca ne idite, i u grad Samarjanski ne ulazite. 6Nego idite k izgubljenijem ovcama doma Izrailjeva. 7A hodeæi propovijedajte i kazujte da se približilo carstvo nebesko. 8Bolesne iscjeljujte, gubave èistite, mrtve dižite, ðavole izgonite; zabadava ste dobili, zabadava i dajite.

Hieromartyr Timothy, bishop of Prusa (362)

“For his great spiritual purity, God gave him the gift of wonderworking, and he healed all manner of diseases and pains among the people. During the reign of the evil Emperor Julian, who had renounced Christ, holy Timothy was thrown into prison. The faithful visited him there to listen to the wise teaching of their bishop. When this came to the Emperor’s ears, he commanded that the executioner behead the Saint in the prison. This was in 362, and his soul entered into Paradise while his relics remained, full of miraculous power, to help the people and declare the power of the Lord.” (Prologue [adapted])

Holy Martyrs Alexander and Antonina (313)

In Alexandria, the virgin Antonina was brought before Festus, the Governor, tortured for her faith in Christ, then thrown into prison. A Christian soldier named Alexander, who had never before seen or heard of Antonina, was commanded by an angel of God to go to her. Finding her, he gave her his military cloak, wrapping it about her head and body; and thus, with her head lowered, she was able to walk out of the prison while Alexander remained in her place. Alexander was brought before Festus, where he too confessed his faith in Christ. Antonina, learning of this, voluntarily came before the judge, who put both of them to hideous tortures, mutilating them in many ways before having them cast into a fire and burned alive.

A slightly different account says that Festus placed Antonina under guard in a brothel rather than a prison, so that her virginity might be defiled, and that it was from there that Alexander rescued her.

Festus, the Governor, was struck mute at the time of the holy martyrs’ death, and was tormented by an evil spirit for seven days, at the end of which he died.

Hieromartyr Metrophanes, first Chinese priest, and the Chinese New Martyrs of the Boxer Uprising (1900)

“The Holy Martyrs of China were native Chinese Orthodox Christians brought up in piety at the Russian Orthodox Mission in Peking, which had been founded in 1685. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 against the foreign powers occupying China, native Chinese Christians were commanded by the Boxers to renounce Christianity or be tortured to death. Two hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest Metrophanes Tsi-Chung and his family, refused to deny Christ, and were deemed worthy of a martyric death.” ( Great Horologion)