Jude 11-25 (Epistle)

11Teško njima! jer putem Kainovijem poðoše i u prijevaru Valaamove plate padoše, i u buni Koreovoj izgiboše. 12Ovo su oni što pogane vaše milostinje jeduæi s vama bez straha i gojeæi se; oblaci bezvodni, koje vjetrovi prenose; jesenska drveta nerodljiva, koja su dvaput umrla, i iz korijena išèupana; 13Bijesni valovi morski, koji se pjene svojijem sramotama, zvijezde lažne, kojima se èuva mrak vjeène tame. 14Ali i za ovake prorokova Enoh, sedmi od Adama, govoreæi: gle, ide Gospod s hiljadama svetijeh anðela svojijeh 15Da uèini sud svima, i da pokara sve bezbožnike za sva njihova bezbožna djela kojima bezbožnost èiniše, i za sve ružne rijeèi njihove koje bezbožni grješnici govoriše na nj. 16Ovo su nezadovoljni vikaèi, koji po željama svojijem žive, i usta njihova govore ponosite rijeèi, i za dobitak gledaju ko je ko. 17A vi, ljubazni, opominjite se rijeèi koje naprijed kazaše apostoli Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista, 18Jer vam kazaše da æe u pošljednje vrijeme postati rugaèi, koji æe hoditi po svojijem željama i bezbožnostima. 19Ovo su oni što se odvajaju od jedinosti vjere i jesu tjelesni, koji duha nemaju. 20A vi, ljubazni, naziðujte se svojom svetom vjerom, i molite se Bogu Duhom svetijem. 21I sami sebe držite u ljubavi Božijoj, èekajuæi milosti Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista za život vjeèni. 22I tako razlikujuæi jedne milujte, 23A jedne strahom izbavljajte i iz ognja vadite; a karajte sa strahom, mrzeæi i na haljinu opoganjenu od tijela. 24A onome koji vas može saèuvati bez grijeha i bez mane, i postaviti prave pred slavom svojom u radosti, 25Jedinome premudrome Bogu i spasu našemu, kroz Isusa Hrista Gospoda našega, slava i velièanstvo, država i vlast prije sviju vijekova i sad i u sve vijekove. Amin.

Luke 23.2-34, 44-56 (Gospel)

2I poèeše ga tužiti govoreæi: ovoga naðosmo da otpaðuje narod naš, i zabranjuje davati æesaru danak, i govori da je on Hristos car. 3A Pilat ga zapita: ti li si car Judejski? A on odgovarajuæi reèe mu: ti kažeš. 4A Pilat reèe glavarima sveštenièkijem i narodu: ja ne nalazim nikakve krivice na ovom èovjeku. 5A oni navaljivahu govoreæi: on buni ljude uèeæi po svoj Judeji poèevši od Galileje dovde. 6A Pilat èuvši za Galileju zapita: zar je on Galilejac? 7I razumjevši da je iz podruèja Irodova posla ga Irodu, koji takoðer bijaše u Jerusalimu onijeh dana. 8A Irod vidjevši Isusa bi mu vrlo milo; jer je odavno željeo da ga vidi, jer je mnogo slušao za njega, i nadaše se da æe vidjeti od njega kako èudo. 9I pita ga mnogo koje za što; ali mu on ništa ne odgovori. 10A glavari sveštenièki i književnici stajahu, i jednako tužahu ga. 11A Irod osramotivši ga sa svojijem vojnicima, i narugavši mu se, obuèe mu bijelu haljinu, i posla ga natrag Pilatu. 12I u taj se dan pomiriše Pilat i Irod meðu sobom; jer prije bijahu u zavadi. 13A Pilat sazvavši glavare sveštenièke i knezove i narod 14Reèe im: dovedoste mi ovoga èovjeka kao koji narod otpaðuje, i eto ja ga pred vama ispitah, i ne nalazim na ovom èovjeku nijedne krivice što vi na njega govorite; 15A ni Irod, jer sam ga slao k njemu; i eto se ne nalazi ništa da je uèinio što bi zasluživalo smrt. 16Daklem da ga izbijem pa da pustim. 17A trebaše o svakom prazniku pashe da im pusti po jednoga sužnja. 18Ali narod sav povika govoreæi: uzmi ovoga, a pusti nam Varavu; 19Koji bijaše baèen u tamnicu za nekakvu bunu uèinjenu u gradu i za krv. 20A Pilat opet reèe da bi on htio pustiti Isusa. 21A oni vikahu govoreæi: raspni ga, raspni. 22A on im treæi put reèe: kakvo je dakle on zlo uèinio? ja ništa na njemu ne naðoh što bi zasluživalo smrt; daklem da ga izbijem pa da pustim. 23A oni jednako navaljivahu s velikom vikom, i iskahu da se on razapne; i nadvlada vika njihova i glavara sveštenièkijeh. 24I Pilat presudi da bude kao što oni ištu. 25I pusti onoga što iskahu, koji bješe baèen u tamnicu za bunu i za krv; a Isusa ostavi na njihovu volju. 26I kad ga povedoše, uhvatiše nekoga Simona Kirinca koji iðaše iz polja, i metnuše na njega krst da nosi za Isusom. 27A za njim iðaše mnoštvo naroda i žena, koje plakahu i naricahu za njim. 28A Isus obazrevši se na njih reèe: kæeri Jerusalimske! ne plaèite za mnom, nego plaèite za sobom i za djecom svojom. 29Jer gle, idu dani u koje æe se reæi: blago nerotkinjama, i utrobama koje ne rodiše, i sisama koje ne dojiše. 30Tada æe poèeti govoriti gorama: padnite na nas; i bregovima: pokrijte nas. 31Jer kad se ovako radi od sirova drveta, šta æe biti od suha? 32Voðahu pak i druga dva zloèinca da pogube s njim. 33I kad doðoše na mjesto koje se zvaše košturnica, ondje razapeše njega i zloèince, jednoga s desne strane a drugoga s lijeve. 34A Isus govoraše: oèe! oprosti im; jer ne znadu šta èine. A dijeleæi njegove haljine bacahu kocke. 44A bijaše oko šestoga sahata, i tama bi po svoj zemlji do sahata devetoga. 45I pomrèa sunce, i zavjes crkveni razdrije se napola. 46I povikavši Isus iza glasa reèe: oèe! u ruke tvoje predajem duh svoj. I rekavši ovo izdahnu. 47A kad vidje kapetan šta bi, stade hvaliti Boga govoreæi: zaista ovaj èovjek bješe pravednik. 48I sav narod koji se bijaše skupio da gleda ovo, kad vidje šta biva, vrati se bijuæi se u prsi svoje. 49A svi njegovi znanci stajahu izdaleka, i žene koje bijahu išle za njim iz Galileje, i gledahu ovo. 50I gle, èovjek, po imenu Josif, savjetnik, èovjek dobar i pravedan, 51On ne bijaše pristao na njihov savjet i na posao) iz Arimateje grada Judejskoga, koji i sam èekaše carstva Božijega, 52On pristupivši k Pilatu zaiska tijelo Isusovo. 53I skide ga, i obavi platnom, i metnu ga u grob isjeèen, u kome niko ne bijaše nikad metnut. 54I dan bijaše petak, i subota osvitaše. 55A žene koje bijahu došle s Isusom iz Galileje, idoše za Josifom, i vidješe grob i kako se tijelo metnu. 56Vrativši se pak pripraviše mirise i miro; i u subotu dakle ostaše na miru po zakonu.

St Photios, patriarch of Constantinople (891)

St Photios, along with St Mark of Ephesus and St Gregory Palamas, is counted as one of the Three Pillars of Orthodoxy, who stood against Latinizing influences on the Orthodox Church.

He was born in Constantinople in 810, son of pious parents belonging to one of the prominent families of the City. Both his parents were martyred during the Iconoclast persecution, leaving their son an example of adherence to the True Faith even unto death. He received a superb education, and was widely considered the single most learned person of his time. He was elevated to the Patriarchal throne in 858, after being raised through all the degrees of the priesthood in six days.

Throughout his Patriarchal reign he was troubled by the usual political battles and intrigues and, more importantly, by various threats to the Faith in the form of Manicheans and Iconoclasts.

Photios showed a special concern for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world: it was he who commissioned Sts Cyril and Methodius to embark on their mission to the Slavs.

Most memorably, it was the Patriarch’s lot to stand against the arrogant, uncanonical and heretical claims of Pope Nicholas I of Rome, who openly asserted for the first time the Pope’s pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the Church. When the Patriarch opposed these claims, Pope Nicholas summoned a council of western bishops, which “deposed” Photios and excommunicated all clergy whom he had ordained. In 867 the Emperor Michael III was assassinated, and his successor Basil I deposed Photios, had him imprisoned, and reinstated his predecessor Ignatius. To gain legitimacy for this widely-opposed move, he submitted it to the Pope for approval. Delighted, the Pope ratified the Emperor’s decision and used it to advance the claims of the Papacy. When the eastern bishops realized what was happening they prevailed on the Emperor to release Photios from his three-year imprisonment; and when Ignatius died, the Church unanimously returned Photios to the Patriarchal throne. A Council in Constantinople in 879-880, at which Photios presided, restored communion between the Eastern and Western Churches but at the same time anathematized the heretical addition of the filioque to the Creed, which the Papacy had been promoting.

When Leo VI succeeded Basil I as Emperor, the Patriarch was once again deposed, and was imprisoned in the Monastery of the Armenians for five years. During this time he wrote the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, a learned and eloquent refutation of the filioque heresy. The Saint, still imprisoned, reposed in peace in 893.

Sts Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, monks of Palestine (6th c.)

‘Saint Barsanuphius the Great, who was from Egypt, and his disciple, Saint John the Prophet, struggled in very strict reclusion during the sixth century at the monastery of Abba Seridus at Gaza of Palestine, and were endowed with amazing gifts of prophecy and spiritual discernment. They are mentioned by Saint Dorotheus of Gaza, their disciple, in his writings. Many of the counsels they sent to Christians who wrote to them are preserved in the book which bears their names. Once certain of the Fathers besought Saint Barsanuphius to pray that God stay His wrath and spare the world. Saint Barsanuphius wrote back that there were “three men perfect before God,” whose prayers met at the throne of God and protected the whole world; to them it had been revealed that the wrath of God would not last long. These three, he said, were “John of Rome, Elias of Corinth, and another in the diocese of Jerusalem,” concealing the name of the last, since it was himself.’ (Great Horologion)

Saint Barsanuphius lived in such reclusion that only Abbot Seridus ever saw him: once a week the Abbot would bring him three loaves and some water, and would write down the Saint’s counsels. Some of the brethren came to suspect that Barsanuphius was an invention of the Abbot, and to relieve their minds he came out of his cell for the only time, greeted them, washed their feet, and withdrew again.

It is unknown when St Barsanuphius reposed. When it was suspected that he had died in his cell, the Patriarch of Jerusalem ordered that it be opened, but fire blasted forth from the door, preventing any from entering.