John 21.15-25 (11th Matins Gospel)

15A kad objedovaše, reèe Isus Simonu Petru: Simone Jonin! ljubiš li me veæma nego ovi? Reèe mu: da, Gospode! ti znaš da te ljubim. Reèe mu Isus: pasi jaganjce moje. 16Reèe mu opet drugom: Simone Jonin! ljubiš li me? Reèe mu: da, Gospode! ti znaš da te ljubim. Reèe mu Isus: pasi ovce moje. 17Reèe mu treæom: Simone Jonin! ljubiš li me? A Petar posta žalostan što mu reèe treæom: ljubiš li me? i reèe mu: Gospode! ti sve znaš, ti znaš da te ljubim. Reèe mu Isus: pasi ovce moje. 18Zaista, zaista ti kažem: kad si bio mlad, opasivao si se sam i hodio si kuda si htio; a kad ostariš, širiæeš ruke svoje i drugi æe te opasati i odvesti kuda neæeš. 19A ovo reèe pokazujuæi kakom æe smrti proslaviti Boga. I rekavši ovo reèe mu: hajde za mnom. 20A Petar obazrevši se vidje gdje za njim ide onaj uèenik koga Isus ljubljaše, koji i na veèeri leže na prsi njegove i reèe: Gospode! ko je taj koji æe te izdati? 21Vidjevši Petar ovoga reèe Isusu: Gospode! a šta æe ovaj? 22Isus mu reèe: ako hoæu da on ostane dok ja ne doðem, šta je tebi do toga? Ti hajde za mnom. 23Onda iziðe ova rijeè meðu braæom da onaj uèenik neæe umrijeti; ali Isus ne reèe njemu da neæe umrijeti, nego: ako hoæu da ostane dok ja ne doðem, što je tebi do toga? 24Ovo je onaj uèenik koji svjedoèi za ovo, koji i napisa ovo: i znamo da je svjedoèanstvo njegovo istinito. 25A ima i drugo mnogo što uèini Isus, koje kad bi se redom popisalo, ni u sami svijet, mislim, ne bi mogle stati napisane knjige. Amin.

Galatians 6.11-18 (Epistle)

11Vidite koliko vam napisah rukom svojom! 12Koji hoæe da se hvale po tijelu oni vas nagone da se obrezujete, samo da ne budu gonjeni za krst Hristov. 13Jer ni oni sami koji se obrezuju ne drže zakona, nego hoæe da se vi obrezujete da se vašijem tijelom hvale. 14A ja Bože saèuvaj da se èim drugijem hvalim osim krstom Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, kojega radi razape se meni svijet, i ja svijetu. 15Jer u Hristu Isusu niti što pomaže obrezanje ni neobrezanje, nego nova tvar. 16I koliko ih god po ovome pravilu žive, na njima biæe mir i milost, i na Izrailju Božijemu. 17Više da mi niko ne dosaðuje, jer ja rane Gospoda Isusa na tijelu svojemu nosim. 18Blagodat Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista sa duhom vašijem, braæo. Amin.

Luke 8.5-15 (Gospel)

5Iziðe sijaè da sije sjeme svoje; i kad sijaše, jedno pade kraj puta, i pogazi se, i ptice nebeske pozobaše ga. 6A drugo pade na kamen, i iznikavši osuši se, jer nemaše vlage. 7I drugo pade u trnje, i uzraste trnje, i udavi ga. 8A drugo pade na zemlju dobru, i iznikavši donese rod sto puta onoliko. Govoreæi ovo povika: ko ima uši da èuje neka èuje. 9A uèenici njegovi pitahu ga govoreæi: šta znaèi prièa ova? 10A on reèe: vama je dano da znate tajne carstva Božijega; a ostalima u prièama, da gledajuæi ne vide, i èujuæi ne razumiju. 11A prièa ova znaèi: sjeme je rijeè Božija. 12A koje je kraj puta to su oni koji slušaju, ali potom dolazi ðavo, i uzima rijeè iz srca njihovoga, da ne vjeruju i da se ne spasu. 13A koje je na kamenu to su oni koji kad èuju s radosti primaju rijeè; i ovi korijena nemaju koji za neko vrijeme vjeruju, a kad doðe vrijeme kušanja otpadnu. 14A koje u trnje pade to su oni koji slušaju, i otišavši od brige i bogatstva i slasti ovoga života zaguše se, i rod ne sazri. 15A koje je na dobroj zemlji to su oni koji rijeè slušaju, i u dobrome i èistom srcu drže, i rod donose u trpljenju. Ovo govoreæi povika: ko ima uši da èuje neka èuje.

Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt (1908).

“Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest, who lived with his wife in virginity. Through his untiring labours in his priestly duties and love for the poor and sinners, he was granted by our Lord great gifts of clairvoyance and miracle-working, to such a degree that in the last years of his life miracles of healings — both of body and of soul — were performed countless times each day through his prayers, often for people who had only written to him asking his help. During his lifetime he was known throughout Russia, as well as in the Western world. He has left us his diary My Life in Christ as a spiritual treasure for Christians of every age; simple in language, it expounds the deepest mysteries of our Faith with that wisdom which is given only to a heart purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Foreseeing as a true prophet the Revolution of 1917, he unsparingly rebuked the growing apostasy among the people; he foretold that the very name of Russia would be changed. As the darkness of unbelief grew thicker, he shone forth as a beacon of unquenchable piety, comforting the faithful through the many miracles that he worked and the fatherly love and simplicity with which he received all. Saint John reposed in peace in 1908.” (Great Horologion)

Holy Prophet Joel (8th c. BC)

His name means “The Lord is God.” He is counted second among the “minor Prophets.” The Old Testament book of his prophecies, which bears his name, includes his prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Joel 2:28), which was quoted by the Apostle Peter (Acts 2:17).

Holy Martyr Varus and those with him (304)

“He was a Roman officer in Egypt and a secret Christian. When seven Christian teachers were thrown into prison, Varus kept visiting them there, supplying their needs and serving them with great devotion. He marvelled at the martyrs, and grieved that fear would not let him stand up as a martyr for Christ. These men of God gave him courage, and Varus made up his mind to go and be tortured with them. One of these godly men died in prison, and, when the wicked governor had the martyrs brought before him and saw that there were only six of them, he asked where the seventh was. ‘I am the seventh!’, cried Varus. The furious governor had him tortured first. He ordered that he be flogged with dry thongs, then that he be tied to a tree and hacked to pieces bit by bit with knives until he gave his holy soul to God. His body was then thrown onto a dung-heap. A woman of Palestinian birth, Cleopatra, the widow of an officer, was there with her son John. She secretly took the relics of the holy martyr off the dung-heap and buried them in her house. She then asked the governor’s permission to take the body of her dead husband back from Egypt to Palestine. As she was an officer’s widow, the governor at once gave her permission. This blessed Christian woman, Cleopatra, however, took the body, not of her husband but of the holy martyr Varus, taking it to her village of Edra, near Tabor, and burying it there. She then built a church dedicated to St Varus, and he appeared to her often from the other world, resplendent as an angel of God.” (Prologue)

Holy Hieromartyr Sadoth (Shahdost) and his 128 companions (342)

During the fierce persecution of Christians by the Persian King Shapur II, Saint Sadoth succeeded the Martyr Symeon (April 17) as Bishop of Seleucia. His name in Persian, Shah-dost, means ‘Friend of the King’; but the earthly Shah saw him as no friend, and the holy bishop knew that his days on earth were numbered. One night in a dream, Sadoth saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. At the top stood Bishop Symeon, who called joyfully to him: ‘Climb up, Sadoth, and do not be afraid! I climbed up yesterday; you will climb up today.’ Waking, Sadoth knew that he would soon be called to martyrdom. He immediately set out to encourage his flock and to exhort them to stand firm for Christ in the coming day of persecution.

A few days later the persecutors came in the King’s name to arrest the holy Bishop; with him they seized 128 priests, deacons, monks and simple believers. All were held in prison for five months, being brought forth repeatedly and tortured in ways too cruel to describe; but not a single one could be brought to worship the sun. Finally, all were condemned to die by the sword. The 128 martyrs, chained together, sang joyous hymns as they went to the place of execution. They did not cease to sing until the death of the last Martyr. Sadoth himself, however, was taken in chains to the city of Beit Lapat, where he was beheaded a few days later.