John 20.19-31 (9th Matins Gospel)

19A kad bi uveèe onaj prvi dan nedjelje, i vrata bijahu zatvorena gdje se bijahu uèenici njegovi skupili od straha Jevrejskoga, doðe Isus i stade na srijedu i reèe im: mir vam. 20I ovo rekavši pokaza im ruke i rebra svoja. Onda se uèenici obradovaše vidjevši Gospoda. 21A Isus im reèe opet: mir vam; kao što otac posla mene, i ja šaljem vas. 22I ovo rekavši dunu, i reèe im: primite Duh sveti. 23Kojima oprostite grijehe, oprostiæe im se; i kojima zadržite, zadržaæe se. 24A Toma koji se zove Blizanac, jedan od dvanaestorice, ne bješe ondje s njima kad doðe Isus. 25A drugi mu uèenici govorahu: vidjesmo Gospoda. A on im reèe: dok ne vidim na rukama njegovijem rana od klina, i ne metnem prsta svojega u rane od klina, i ne metnem ruke svoje u rebra njegova; neæu vjerovati. 26I poslije osam dana opet bijahu uèenici njegovi unutra, i Toma s njima. Doðe Isus kad bijahu vrata zatvorena, i stade meðu njima i reèe: mir vam. 27Potom reèe Tomi: pruži prst svoj amo i viði ruke moje; i pruži ruku svoju i metni u rebra moja, i ne budi nevjeran nego vjeran. 28I odgovori Toma i reèe mu: Gospod moj i Bog moj. 29Isus mu reèe: pošto me vidje vjerovao si; blago onima koji ne vidješe i vjerovaše. 30A i mnoga druga èudesa uèini Isus pred uèenicima svojijem koja nijesu pisana u knjizi ovoj. 31A ova se napisaše, da vjerujete da Isus jest Hristos sin Božij, i da vjerujuæi imate život u ime njegovo.

Galatians 1.11-19 (Epistle, Sunday after Nativity)

11Ali vam dajem na znanje, braæo, da ono jevanðelje koje sam ja javio, nije po èovjeku. 12Jer ga ja ne primih od èovjeka, niti nauèih, nego otkrivenjem Isusa Hrista. 13Jer ste èuli moje življenje nekad u Jevrejstvu, da sam odviše gonio crkvu Božiju i raskopavao je. 14I napredovah u Jevrejstvu veæma od mnogijeh vrsnika svojijeh u rodu svome, i odviše revnovah za otaèke svoje obièaje. 15A kad bi ugodno Bogu, koji me izabra od utrobe matere moje i prizva blagodaæu svojom, 16Da javi sina svojega u meni, da ga jevanðeljem objavim meðu neznabošcima; odmah ne pitah tijela i krvi, 17Niti iziðoh u Jerusalim k starijim apostolima od sebe, nego otidoh u Arapsku, i opet se vratih u Damask. 18A poslije toga na tri godine iziðoh u Jerusalim da vidim Petra, i ostadoh u njega petnaest dana. 19Ali drugoga od apostola ne vidjeh, osim Jakova brata Gospodnjega.

Matthew 2.13-23 (Gospel, Sunday after Nativity and Theotokos)

13A pošto oni otidu, a to anðeo Gospodnji javi se Josifu u snu i kaza mu: ustani, uzmi dijete i mater njegovu pa bježi u Misir, i budi onamo dok ti ne kažem; jer æe Irod tražiti dijete da ga pogubi. 14I on ustavši uze dijete i mater njegovu noæu i otide u Misir. 15I bi tamo do smrti Irodove: da se izvrši što je Gospod rekao preko proroka koji govori: iz Misira dozvah sina svojega. 16Tada Irod kad vidje da su ga mudarci prevarili, razgnjevi se vrlo i posla te pobiše svu djecu po Vitlejemu i po svoj okolini njegovoj od dvije godine i niže, po vremenu koje je dobro doznao od mudaraca. 17Tada se zbi što je kazao prorok Jeremija govoreæi: 18Glas u Rami èu se, plaè, i ridanje, i jaukanje mnogo: Rahila plaèe za svojom djecom, i neæe da se utješi, jer ih nema. 19A po smrti Irodovoj, gle, anðeo Gospodnji u snu javi se Josifu u Misiru. 20I reèe: ustani, i uzmi dijete i mater njegovu i idi u zemlju Izrailjevu; jer su izumrli koji su tražili dušu djetinju. 21I on ustavši, uze dijete i mater njegovu, i doðe u zemlju Izrailjevu. 22Ali èuvši da Arhelaj caruje u Judeji mjesto Iroda oca svojega, poboja se onamo iæi; nego primivši u snu zapovijest, otide u krajeve Galilejske. 23I došavši onamo, namjesti se u gradu koji se zove Nazaret, da se zbude kao što su kazali proroci da æe se Nazareæanin nazvati.

The Holy Infants Killed for Christ's Sake in Bethlehem

See Matthew ch. 2. Their number is sometimes put at fourteen thousand.

In our own day, the icon of “Rachel weeping for her children” (Matthew 2:18) has come to commemorate also the tens of millions of children who have died through abortion.

Our Venerable Father Marcellus, Abbot of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones (485)

He was born to a wealthy family in Syria at the beginning of the fifth century. Early in life he saw the futility of worldly things, gave away all of his wealth, and went to Ephesus, where he earned his living as a scribe. There he was schooled in the virtues by his fellow-worker Promotus, a slave who distributed most of his earnings to the poor; after the day’s work was done, Promotus would take Marcellus to pray all night in the churches and monasteries.

Marcellus heard of the Saint Alexander the Unsleeping (February 25), who had settled near Constantinople with about thirty disciples, who made it their discipline to send up prayer and praise to God at every hour of the day and night. The monastery aroused the resentment of some more worldly monasteries, and the brethren were forced to flee to Bithynia. It was there that Marcellus joined them and took the monastic habit.

After the death of St Alexander and his successor, Marcellus was elected Abbot of the monastery against his will. Under his direction the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones became a beacon of sanctity, with monks flocking to it from every corner of the Empire. The practice of never-ceasing service to God spread throughout the Empire, in both the West and the East. The monks were divided into three companies according to the language they spoke: Greek, Latin, or Syriac; each company took its turn celebrating the services in its particular language, and thus every hour of the day was given over to God’s glory. The monastery not only grew but give birth to others: The famed Studion Monastery in Constantinople was founded by monks from Marcellus’ monastery.

Saint Marcellus took part in the Council of Chalcedon, defending Orthodoxy against the Monophysite heresy both at the Council and in the years that followed. His generosity and contempt for worldly wealth were known to all: anyone who came to the monastery in need received alms, but God always replenished the funds so that more could be given. When Marcellus inherited his family’s fortune upon his brother’s death, he kept none of it either for himself or even for his monastery, but distributed it to poorer communities and to the needy.

Saint Marcellus reposed in peace around 484, having lived the ascetical life for some sixty years.