James 3.11-4.6 (Epistle)

11Eda li može izvor iz jedne glave toèiti slatko i grko? 12Može li, braæo moja, smokva masline raðati ili vinova loza smokve? Tako nijedan izvor ne daje slane i slatke vode. 13Ko je meðu vama mudar i pametan neka pokaže od dobra življenja djela svoja u krotosti i premudrosti. 14Ako li imate grku zavist i svaðu u srcima svojijem, ne hvalite se, ni lažite na istinu. 15Ovo nije ona premudrost što silazi odozgo, nego zemaljska, ljudska, ðavolska. 16Jer gdje je zavist i svaða ondje je nesloga i svaka zla stvar. 17A koja je premudrost odozgo ona je najprije èista, a potom mirna, krotka, pokorna, puna milosti i dobrijeh plodova, bez hatera, i nelicemjerna. 18A plod pravde u miru sije se onima koji mir èine.

1Otkuda ratovi i raspre meðu nama? Ne otuda li, od slasti vašijeh, koje se bore u vašijem udima? 2Želite i nemate; ubijate i zavidite, i ne možete da dobijete; borite se i vojujete, i nemate, jer ne ištete. 3Ištete, i ne primate, jer zlo ištete, da u slastima svojijem trošite. 4Preljuboèinci i preljuboèinice! ne znate li da je prijateljstvo ovoga svijeta neprijateljstvo Bogu? Jer koji hoæe svijetu prijatelj da bude, neprijatelj Božij postaje. 5Ili mislite da pismo uzalud govori: duh koji u nama živi mrzi na zavist? 6A on daje veæu blagodat. Jer govori: Gospod suproti se ponositima, a poniženima daje blagodat.

Mark 11.22-26 (Gospel)

22I odgovarajuæi Isus reèe im: 23Imajte vjeru Božiju; jer vam zaista kažem: ako ko reèe gori ovoj: digni se i baci se u more, i ne posumnja u srcu svojemu, nego uzvjeruje da æe biti kao što govori: biæe mu što god reèe. 24Zato vam kažem: sve što ištete u svojoj molitvi vjerujte da æete primiti; i biæe vam. 25I kad stojite na molitvi, praštajte ako što imate na koga: da i otac vaš koji je na nebesima oprosti vama pogrješke vaše. 26Ako li pak vi ne opraštate, ni otac vaš koji je na nebesima neæe oprostiti vama pogrješaka vašijeh.

Our Venerable Mother Domnica (Domnina) (ca. 474)

She was born in Rome and reared in the love of Christ. She secretly left her parents’ house and traveled by ship to Alexandria, where she found lodging with four virtuous pagan maidens. By her example and counsel these four were in time led to abandon idolatry and embrace Domnica’s faith. The five then sailed to Constantinople, where it is said that the Patriarch Nectarius (October 11) was notified of their coming by an angel and met them at the dock. The Patriarch baptized the four maidens himself, giving them the names Dorothea, Evanthia, Nonna and Timothea, then settled them and Domnica in a monastery.

Soon the fame of Domnica’s pure life, wise teaching, and wondrous healings spread throughout the city, and even the Emperor Theodosius, with the Empress and his court, came to see her. Soon the crowds made it impossible for her and her sisters to live the heavenly life for which they had entered the monastery; so they relocated the monastery to a remote, demon-haunted location where executions had once commonly been performed, since everyone avoided the area. Here a new monastery was built by order of the Emperor, and the sisters found peace.

Saint Domnica’s fame continued, and she became not only a healer but an oracle for the city of Constantinople, prophesying the death of the Emperor Theodosius and the unrest which followed it. She reposed in peace, having first entrusted the care of the monastery to Dorothea. At the moment of her death, the whole monastery was shaken, and those present saw Saint Domnica dressed as a bride, being borne heavenward escorted by a company of white-clad monks and nuns.

Saint Atticus, Patriarch of Constantinople (425)

Born in Sebaste in Armenia, he was reared by monks who held to the heresy of Macedonius, which denied the uncreated divinity of the Holy Spirit; but when he came of age he rejected this error and embraced the Orthodox faith. He settled in Constantinople and became a priest in the Great Church. Though he had little formal education, his amazing memory, his zeal for Christ, and his powerful sermons recommended him to all, and he was elected Patriarch in 406, during the reign of the Emperor Arcadius. He served as shepherd to the Church for twenty years, ruling always with wisdom and moderation. Though he was unbending in upholding the Faith exactly, he took a conciliatory, persuasive approach to heretics and schismatics; in this way he was able to restore many to the Church rather than driving them away. His best-known single act is his restoration of the name of St John Chrysostom to the diptychs. Saint John had been unjustly denied commemoration in the Patriarchate since his exile, which had led to a schism; restoration of his commemoration not only corrected a grave injustice but healed a schism. Saint Atticus also presided over the rededication of the Agia Sophia, which had been burned in 404 in the rioting that followed St John Chrysostom’s exile. He reposed in peace in 425.

Saint Severinus (482)

St. Severinus came to the borderland of present-day Gemany and Austria from the east — possibly the Egyptian desert — to care for the Roman Christians who were endangered by invading barbarians during the collapse of the Roman Empire. He remained there until the end of his life. While he was there he advised both common people and kings to put eternal life first, and taught them to be generous to one another and to lead a true Christian life. He built a monastery and protected from harm those who gathered around him. As he foretold, the monks and other Christians who had followed him escaped to safety in Italy, taking St. Severinus’ incorrupt relics with them. His relics are still honored in Frattamaggiore, Italy (near Naples).

—from the 2006 Saint Herman Calendar