Isaiah 25.1-9 (6th Hour)

1Gospode, ti si Bog moj, uzvišivaæu te, slaviæu ime tvoje, jer si uèinio èudesa; namjere tvoje od starine vjera su i istina. 2Jer si od grada naèinio gomilu, i od tvrdoga grada zidine; od grada dvor za strance, dovijeka se neæe sagraditi. 3Zato æe te slaviti narod silan, grad strašnijeh naroda bojaæe te se. 4Jer si bio krjepost ubogome, krjepost siromahu u nevolji njegovoj, utoèište od poplave, zaklon od žege, jer je gnjev nasilnièki kao poplava koja obaljuje zid. 5Vrevu inostranaca prekinuo si kao pripeku na suhu mjestu; kao pripeka sjenom od oblaka, tako se pjevanje nasilnika prekide. 6I Gospod æe nad vojskama uèiniti svijem narodima na ovoj gori gozbu od pretila mesa, gozbu od èista vina, od pretila mesa s moždanima, od vina bez taloga. 7I pokvariæe na ovoj gori zastiraè kojim su zastrti svi narodi, i pokrivaè kojim su pokriveni svi narodi. 8Uništiæe smrt zauvijek, i utræe Gospod Gospod suze sa svakoga lica, i sramotu naroda svojega ukinuæe sa sve zemlje; jer Gospod reèe. 9I reæi æe se u ono vrijeme: gle, ovo je Bog naš, njega èekasmo, i spašæe nas; ovo je Gospod, njega èekasmo; radovaæemo se i veseliæemo se za spasenje njegovo.

Genesis 9.8-17 (Vespers)

8I reèe Bog Noju i sinovima njegovijem s njim, govoreæi: 9A ja evo postavljam zavjet svoj s vama i s vašim sjemenom nakon vas, 10I sa svijem životinjama, što su s vama od ptica, od stoke i od svega zvijerja zemaljskoga što je s vama, sa svaèim što je izašlo iz kovèega, i sa svijem zvijerjem zemaljskim. 11Postavljam zavjet svoj s vama, te otsele neæe nijedno tijelo poginuti od potopa, niti æe više biti potopa da zatre zemlju. 12I reèe Bog: evo znak zavjeta koji postavljam izmeðu sebe i vas i svake žive tvari, koja je s vama dovijeka: 13Metnuo sam dugu svoju u oblake, da bude znak zavjeta izmeðu mene i zemlje. 14Pa kad oblake navuèem na zemlju, vidjeæe se duga u oblacima, 15I opomenuæu se zavjeta svojega koji je izmeðu mene i vas i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu, i neæe više biti od vode potopa da zatre svako tijelo. 16Duga æe biti u oblacima, pa æu je pogledati, i opomenuæu se vjeènoga zavjeta izmeðu Boga i svake duše žive u svakom tijelu koje je na zemlji. 17I reèe Bog Noju: to je znak zavjeta koji sam uèinio izmeðu sebe i svakoga tijela na zemlji.

Proverbs 12.8-22 (Vespers)

8Prema razumu svom hvali se èovjek; a ko je opaka srca, prezreæe se. 9Ko se snebiva, a ima slugu, bolji je od onoga koji se velièa a hljeba nema. 10Pravednik se brine za život svojega živinèeta, a u bezbožnika je srce nemilostivo. 11Ko radi svoju zemlju, biæe sit hljeba; a ko ide za besposlicama, bezuman je. 12Bezbožnik želi obranu oda zla, ali korijen pravednijeh daje je. 13Zlome je zamka u grijehu usana njegovijeh, a pravednik izlazi iz tjeskobe. 14Od ploda usta svojih siti se èovjek dobra, i platu za djela svoja prima èovjek. 15Bezumniku se èini prav put njegov; ali ko sluša savjet, mudar je. 16Gnjev bezumnikov odmah se pozna, ali pametni pokriva sramotu. 17Ko govori istinu, javlja što je pravo, a lažni svjedok prijevaru. 18Ima ko govori kao da maè probada, a jezik je mudrijeh lijek. 19Istinita usta stoje tvrdo dovijeka, a jezik lažljivi za èas. 20Koji zlo misle, prijevara im je u srcu, a radost je onima koji svjetuju na mir. 21Nikaka nesreæa neæe zadesiti pravednika, a bezbožnici æe se napuniti zla. 22Mrske su Gospodu lažljive usne; a koji rade vjerno, mili su mu.

St Gerasimos of the Jordan (475)

He was from Lycia in Asia Minor. After living there as a hermit for many years, he traveled to the Egyptian Thebaid and lived among the Desert Fathers. He then went to Palestine, where he founded the great Lavra, a community of about seventy monks, that remains to this day. The monastery’s rule was simple and strict: During the five weekdays, the monks would stay in their cells, praying and weaving baskets and mats. On these days they ate only a little dry bread and some dates. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered for worship and ate boiled vegetables with a little wine. Each monk owned only one garment; if he left his cell he was required to leave it open so that anyone else could take whatever he needed from it. Saint Gerasimos himself was an example to all of them, exceeding even the rule that he laid upon them: during the Great Fast, he would eat nothing but what he received in Holy Communion.

In the desert, the Saint once saw a lion in great pain from a thorn in its paw. Moved by compassion, Gerasim approached it, made the sign of the Cross and pulled the thorn out. The lion followed the elder back to the monastery and remained there until the Saint’s death. When Gerasimos died, the lion, overcome by grief, soon died also, lying upon the Saint’s grave.

Saint Gerasimos was present at the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, where he proved a strong champion of Orthodoxy, though he had inclined toward the Monophysite heresy in his youth. He reposed in peace in 475.

St James the Faster of Phoenecia (6th c.)

“He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in godliness that he was able to heal the gravest illnesses by his prayers. But the enemy of the human race brought a heavy temptation on him. There was once sent to him a woman who had been corrupted by some mockers. She pretended to weep before him, but enticed him to sin. Seeing that he would fall into sin, James put his left hand into the fire and held it there until it was completely burned. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and horror, repented and reformed her life.

“But on a second occasion he did not resist and fell with a young girl whom her parents had brought to him to be healed of her madness. He indeed healed her, but then sinned with her and, in order to conceal the sin, killed her and threw her into a river. As always, the path from lust to murder was not very long. James spent ten years after that as a penitent, living in a grave. He learned after that that God had forgiven him, because, when he at one time prayed for rain in a time of great drought from which both men and cattle were suffering, it fell.

“Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how wicked the evil demon is; how, by the permission of God, the greatest spiritual giants can topple, and how again, by sincere repentance, God in His compassion will forgive the greatest sins and does not punish those who punish themselves.” (Prologue)