Romans 14.19-23, 16.25-27 (Epistle)

19Tako dakle da se staramo za mir i za ono èim vodimo na bolje jedan drugoga. 20Ne raskopavaj djela Božijega jela radi; jer je sve èisto; nego je pogano za èovjeka koji jede sa spoticanjem. 21Dobro je ne jesti mesa, i vina ne piti, i ono ne èiniti na što se tvoj brat spotièe, ili oda šta gori postaje ili slabi. 22Ti imaš vjeru? Imaj je sam u sebi pred Bogom. Blago onome koji ne osuðuje sebe za ono šta naðe za dobro. 23A koji se sumnja osuðen je ako jede, jer ne èini po vjeri: a šta god nije po vjeri grijeh je. 25A onome koji vas može utvrditi po jevanðelju mojemu i propovijedanju Isusa Hrista, po otkrivenju tajne koja je bila sakrivena od postanja svijeta, 26A sad se javila i obznanila kroz pisma proroèka, po zapovijesti vjeènoga Boga, za poslušanje vjere meðu svima neznabošcima, 27Jedinome premudrome Bogu, kroz Isusa Hrista, slava vavijek. Amin.

Galatians 5.22-6.2 (Epistle, Departed)

22A rod je duhovni ljubav, radost, mir, trpljenje, dobrota, milost, vjera, 23Krotost, uzdržanje; na to nema zakona. 24A koji su Hristovi, raspeše tijelo sa slastima i željama. 25Ako u duhu živimo, po duhu i da hodimo, 26Da ne tražimo lažne slave razdražujuæi jedan drugoga, i zavideæi jedan drugome.

1Braæo! ako i upadne èovjek u kakav grijeh, vi duhovni ispravljajte takovoga duhom krotosti, èuvajuæi sebe da i ti ne budeš iskušan. 2Nosite bremena jedan drugoga, i tako æete ispuniti zakon Hristov.

Matthew 6.1-13 (Gospel)

1Pazite da pravdu svoju ne èinite pred ljudima da vas oni vide; inaèe plate nemate od oca svojega koji je na nebesima. 2Kad dakle daješ milostinju, ne trubi pred sobom, kao što èine licemjeri po zbornicama i po ulicama da ih hvale ljudi. Zaisto vam kažem: primili su platu svoju. 3A ti kad èiniš milostinju, da ne zna ljevaka tvoja što èini desnica tvoja. 4Tako da bude milostinja tvoja tajna; i otac tvoj koji vidi tajno, platiæe tebi javno. 5I kad se moliš Bogu, ne budi kao licemjeri, koji rado po zbornicama i na raskršæu po ulicama stoje i mole se da ih vide ljudi. Zaisto vam kažem da su primili platu svoju. 6A ti kad se moliš, uði u klijet svoju, i zatvorivši vrata svoja, pomoli se ocu svojemu koji je u tajnosti; i otac tvoj koji vidi tajno, platiæe tebi javno. 7A kad se molite, ne govorite mnogo, kao neznabošci; jer oni misle da æe za mnoge rijeèi svoje biti uslišeni. 8Vi dakle ne budite kao oni; jer zna otac vaš šta vam treba prije molitve vaše; 9Ovako dakle molite se vi: Oèe naš koji si na nebesima, da se sveti ime tvoje; 10Da doðe carstvo tvoje; da bude volja tvoja i na zemlji kao na nebu; 11Hljeb naš potrebni daj nam danas; 12I oprosti nam dugove naše kao i mi što opraštamo dužnicima svojijem; 13I ne navedi nas u napast; no izbavi nas oda zla. Jer je tvoje carstvo, i sila, i slava vavijek. Amin.

Matthew 11.27-30 (Gospel, Departed)

27Sve je meni predao otac moj, i niko ne zna sina do otac; niti oca ko zna do sin i ako kome sin hoæe kazati. 28Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorni i natovareni, i ja æu vas odmoriti. 29Uzmite jaram moj na sebe, i nauèite se od mene; jer sam ja krotak i smjeran u srcu, i naæi æete pokoj dušama svojijem. 30Jer je jaram moj blag, i breme je moje lako.

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.