Romans 15.7-16 (Epistle)

7Zato primajte jedan drugoga kao što i Hristos primi vas na slavu Božiju. 8Ali kažem da je Isus Hristos bio sluga obrezanja istine radi Božije, da utvrdi obeæanje ocevima, 9A neznabošci po milosti da proslave Boga, kao što stoji napisano: zato æu te hvaliti meðu neznabošcima, Gospode, i pjevaæu ime tvoje. 10I opet govori: veselite se neznabošci s narodom njegovijem. 11I opet: hvalite Gospoda svi neznabošci, i slavite ga svi narodi. 12I opet Isaija govori: biæe korijen Jesejev, i koji ustane da vlada nad neznabošcima u onoga æe se uzdati neznabošci. 13A Bog nada da ispuni vas svake radosti i mira u vjeri, da imate izobilje u nadu silom Duha svetoga. 14A ja sam i sam uvjeren za vas, braæo, da ste i vi sami puni blagodati, napunjeni svakoga razuma, da možete druge nauèiti. 15Ali vam opet, braæo, slobodno pisah nekoliko da vam napomenem radi blagodati koja mi je dana od Boga, 16Da budem sluga Isusa Hrista u neznabošcima, da služim jevanðelju Božijemu, da budu neznabošci prinos povoljan i osveæen Duhom svetijem.

Matthew 12.38-45 (Gospel)

38Tada odgovoriše neki od književnika i fariseja govoreæi: uèitelju! mi bi radi od tebe znak vidjeti. 39A on odgovarajuæi reèe im: rod zli i preljubotvorni traži znak; i neæe mu se dati znak osim znaka Jone proroka. 40Jer kao što je Jona bio u trbuhu kitovom tri dana i tri noæi: tako æe biti i sin èovjeèij u srcu zemlje tri dana i tri noæi. 41Ninevljani iziæi æe na sud s rodom ovijem, i osudiæe ga; jer se pokajaše Joninijem pouèenjem: a gle, ovdje je veæi od Jone. 42Carica južna iziæi æe na sud s rodom ovijem, i osudiæe ga; jer ona doðe s kraja zemlje da sluša premudrost Solomunovu: a gle, ovdje je veæi od Solomuna. 43A kad neèisti duh iziðe iz èovjeka, ide kroz bezvodna mjesta tražeæi pokoja, i ne naðe ga. 44Onda reèe: da se vratim u dom svoj otkuda sam izišao; i došavši naðe prazan, pometen i ukrašen. 45Tada otide i uzme sa sobom sedam drugijeh duhova gorijeh od sebe, i ušavši žive ondje; i bude potonje gore èovjeku onome od prvoga. Tako æe biti i ovome rodu zlome.

St David of Thessalonica (540)

For years he lived the ascetic life in a crude tree- house he had fashioned in the branches of an almond tree. Then he moved to Thessaly, where he continued his life of fasting, prayer and vigil, cleansing his soul and being made worthy to perform many miracles. Once, when the Emperor Justinian visited him, he took a live coal in his bare hand and censed the Emperor. The Emperor, seeing this, bowed to the ground before David. He reposed in peace.

Feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. Feast of the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God

This icon was once kept in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In 1383, it suddenly appeared in the sky over Lake Ladoga, then travelled through the air to the city of Tikhvin, where it alit by the River Tikhvina. A monastery was built there to house it. In the twentieth century it was brought to America. Innumerable miracles have been worked through this wonderworking icon, especially healings of children.

On this day is also commemorated the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God. According to many accounts, this icon and the Tikhvin Icon are one and the same, so we list them together. Hodigritia is translated “Directress” or more literally “She who shows the way.” It was painted by Luke the Evangelist himself, who knew the Mother of God in the flesh. Over the years the icon was taken from Antioch to Jerusalem, then to Constantinople where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae. When Constantinople was attacked at the same time by the Persians and the Scythians, Patriarch Sergius carried the holy icon around the ramparts, and the city was miraculously delivered from its pagan enemies. During the iconoclast period, the icon was hidden in a wall in the monastery of the Pantocrator.