4. јул 2025.
Friday of the 4th week after Pentecost

Apostles Fast

Commemorations

Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia (305)
Our Holy Fathers Julius and Julian (5th c.)

Scripture Readings

Romans 11.25-36 (Epistle)

25Jer vam, braæo, neæu zatajiti tajne ove da ne budete ponositi da šljepota Izrailju pade u dijel dokle ne uðe neznabožaca koliko treba. 26I tako æe se spasti sav Izrailj, kao što je napisano: doæi æe od Siona izbavitelj i odvratiæe bezbožnost od Jakova. 27I ovo im je moj zavjet kad otmem njihove grijehe. 28Po jevanðelju dakle neprijatelji su vas radi; a po izboru ljubazni su otaca radi. 29Jer se Bog neæe raskajati za svoje darove i zvanje. 30Jer kao i vi što se nekad suproæaste Bogu a sad biste pomilovani njihovoga radi suproæenja, 31Tako i oni sad ne htješe da vjeruju vašega radi pomilovanja da bi i oni bili pomilovani. 32Jer Bog zatvori sve u nevjerstvo, da sve pomiluje. 33O dubino bogatstva i premudrosti i razuma Božijega! kako su neispitljivi njegovi sudovi i neistražljivi njegovi putovi! 34Jer ko pozna misao Gospodnju? 35Ili ko mu bi savjetnik? Ili ko mu naprijed dade što, da mu se vrati? 36Jer je od njega i kroz njega i u njemu sve. Njemu slava vavijek. Amin.

Matthew 12.1-8 (Gospel)

1U to vrijeme iðaše Isus u subotu kroz usjeve: a uèenici njegovi ogladnješe, i poèeše trgati klasje, i jesti. 2A fariseji vidjevši to rekoše mu: gle, uèenici tvoji èine što ne valja èiniti u subotu. 3A on reèe im: nijeste li èitali što uèini David kad ogladnje, on i koji bijahu s njim? 4Kako uðe u kuæu Božiju, i hljebove postavljene pojede, kojijeh nije valjalo jesti njemu ni onima što su bili s njim, nego samijem sveštenicima. 5Ili nijeste èitali u zakonu kako u subotu sveštenici u crkvi subotu pogane, pa nijesu krivi? 6A ja vam kažem da je ovdje onaj koji je veæi od crkve. 7Kad biste pak znali šta je to: milosti hoæu a ne priloga, nikad ne biste osuðivali pravijeh; 8Jer je gospodar i od subote sin èovjeèij.

Commemorations

Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia (305)

“Of a noble senatorial family, he lived in Tarsus in Cilicia and suffered in the reign of Diocletian. Although only eighteen years old when he was taken for trial for the Faith, St Julian was already both educated and resolute in Christian faith and devotion. The imperial governor took him from city to city for a whole year, torturing him all the while and attempting to persuade him to renounce Christ. Julian’s mother followed her son at a distance. When the governor seized her and sent her to urge her son to renounce Christ, she spent three days in the prison with him, giving him precisely the opposite advice, teaching him and giving him the strength not to lose heart but to go to his death with courage and gratitude to God. His torturers then sewed Julian into a sack of sand with scorpions and snakes and threw him into the sea, and his mother also died under torture. The waves carried his body onto the shore, and the faithful took it to Alexandria, where they buried it in 290. His relics were later taken to Antioch. St John Chrysostom himself gave an eulogy for the holy martyr Julian: ‘A holy voice comes forth from the lips of the martyr, and with this voice is poured out a light brighter than the rays of the sun.’ He said further: ‘Take whomsoever you will, be he a madman or one possessed, and lead him to the grave of this saint, to the martyr’s relics, and you will see the demon immediately jump out and flee as from blazing fire.’ It is evident from this speech that many wonders must have been wrought at St Julian’s grave.” (Prologue)

Our Holy Fathers Julius and Julian (5th c.)

They were brothers from Greece, Christians from childhood; Julius was a priest, Julian a deacon. At the command of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger, they set out as missionaries to destroy idols and bring the people to faith in Christ throughout the Empire. During their lifetime they built a hundred churches and brought thousands to Christ. They reposed in peace near Milan: that city’s people once invoked St Julius for help against wolves.