Isaiah 40.18-31 (6th Hour)

18S kim æete dakle izjednaèiti Boga? i kaku æete mu priliku naæi? 19Umjetnik lije lik, i zlatar ga pozlaæuje, i verižice srebrne lije. 20A ko je siromah, te nema šta prinijeti, bira drvo koje ne trune, i traži vješta umjetnika da naèini rezan lik, koji se ne pomièe. 21Ne znate li? ne èujete li? ne kazuje li vam se od iskona? ne razumijete li od temelja zemaljskih? 22On sjedi nad krugom zemaljskim, i njezini su mu stanovnici kao skakavci; on je razastro nebesa kao platno i razapeo ih kao šator za stan. 23On obraæa knezove u ništa, sudije zemaljske èini da su kao taština. 24Kao da nijesu posaðeni ni posijani, i kao da im se stablo nije ukorijenilo u zemlji, èim dune na njih, posahnu, i vihor kao pljevu raznese ih. 25S kim æete me dakle izjednaèiti da bih bio kao on? veli sveti. 26Podignite gore oèi svoje i vidite; ko je to stvorio? ko izvodi vojsku svega toga na broj i zove svako po imenu, i velike radi sile njegove i jake moæi ne izostaje nijedno? 27Zašto govoriš, Jakove, i kažeš, Izrailju: sakriven je put moj od Gospoda, i stvar moja ne izlazi pred Boga mojega? 28Ne znaš li? nijesi li èuo da Bog vjeèni Gospod, koji je stvorio krajeve zemaljske, ne sustaje niti se utruðuje? razumu njegovu nema mjere. 29On daje snagu umornome, i nejakome umnožava krjepost. 30Djeca se more i sustaju, i mladiæi padaju; 31Ali koji se nadaju Gospodu, dobijaju novu snagu, podižu se na krilima kao orlovi, trèe i ne sustaju, hode i ne more se.

Genesis 15.1-15 (Vespers)

1Poslije ovijeh stvari doðe Avramu rijeè Gospodnja u utvari govoreæi: ne boj se, Avrame, ja sam ti štit, i plata je tvoja vrlo velika. 2A Avram reèe: Gospode, Gospode, šta æeš mi dati kad živim bez djece, a na kom æe ostati moja kuæa to je Elijezer ovaj Damaštanin? 3Još reèe Avram: eto meni nijesi dao poroda, pa æe sluga roðen u kuæi mojoj biti moj našljednik. 4A gle, Gospod mu progovori: neæe taj biti našljednik tvoj, nego koji æe izaæi od tebe taj æe ti biti našljednik. 5Pa ga izvede napolje i reèe mu: pogledaj na nebo i prebroj zvijezde, ako ih možeš prebrojiti. I reèe mu: tako æe biti sjeme tvoje. 6I povjerova Avram Bogu, a on mu primi to u pravdu. 7I reèe mu: ja sam Gospod, koji te izvedoh iz Ura Haldejskoga da ti dam zemlju ovu da bude tvoja. 8A on reèe: Gospode, Gospode, po èemu æu poznati da æe biti moja? 9I reèe mu: prinesi mi junicu od tri godine i kozu od tri godine i ovna od tri godine i grlicu i golupèe. 10I on uze sve to, i rasijeèe na pole, i metnu sve pole jednu prema drugoj; ali ne rasijeèe ptica. 11A ptice slijetahu na te mrtve životinje; a Avram ih odgonjaše. 12A kad sunce bješe na zahodu, uhvati Avrama tvrd san, i gle, strah i mrak velik obuze ga. 13I Gospod reèe Avramu: znaj zacijelo da æe sjeme tvoje biti došljaci u zemlji tuðoj, pa æe joj služiti, i ona æe ih muèiti èetiri stotine godina. 14Ali æu suditi i narodu kojemu æe služiti; a poslije æe oni izaæi s velikim blagom. 15A ti æeš otiæi k ocima svojim u miru, i biæeš pogreben u dobroj starosti.

Proverbs 15.7-19 (Vespers)

7Usne mudrijeh ljudi siju znanje, a srce bezumnièko ne èini tako. 8Žrtva je bezbožnièka gad Gospodu, a molitva pravednijeh ugodna mu je. 9Gad je Gospodu put bezbožnikov; a ko ide za pravdom, njega ljubi. 10Karanje je zlo onome ko ostavlja put; koji mrzi na ukor, umrijeæe. 11Pakao je i pogibao pred Gospodom, akamoli srca sinova èovjeèijih. 12Potsmjevaè ne ljubi onoga ko ga kori, niti ide k mudrima. 13Veselo srce veseli lice, a žalost u srcu obara duh. 14Srce razumno traži znanje, a usta bezumnijeh ljudi naslaðuju se bezumljem. 15Svi su dani nevoljnikovi zli; a ko je vesela srca, na gozbi je jednako. 16Bolje je malo sa strahom Gospodnjim nego veliko blago s nemirom. 17Bolje je jelo od zelja gdje je ljubav nego od vola ugojena gdje je mržnja. 18Èovjek gnjevljiv zameæe raspru; a ko je spor na gnjev, utišava svaðu. 19Put je lijenoga kao ograda od trnja, a staza je pravednijeh nasuta.

St Sophronios, patriarch of Jerusalem (638)

He was born in Damascus to an eminent family, and was well educated in his youth. Discontented with the wisdom of the world, he entered monastic life in the monastery of St Theodosius, where he became the lifelong friend and disciple of John Moschos. Together they visited the monasteries and hermitages of Egypt; they later wrote down their discoveries among the holy monks in the classic Spiritual Meadow. After the death of his teacher, St Sophronius traveled to Jerusalem, which had just been liberated from the Persians. He was there to see the Precious Cross returned from Persia by the Emperor Heraclius, who carried it into Jerusalem on his back. A few years later, in 634, St Sophronius was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem, where he served his flock wisely for three years and three months. He was zealous in the defense of Orthodoxy against the Monothelite heresy: He convoked a Council in Jerusalem which condemned it before it was condemned at the Sixth Ecumenical Council. The holy Patriarch even traveled to Constantinople to rebuke the Patriarch Sergius and Emperor Heraclius, who had embraced the Monothelite error.

The years of peace were few for the Holy Land; for just as the Persian Empire was decisively defeated by Heraclius, the followers of Islam erupted out of Arabia, conquering most of North Africa and the Middle East in a few years. The Saint was so grieved by the capture of Jerusalem in 637 by the Caliph Omar that begged God to take him, so that he might not live to see the desecration of the holy places. His prayer was granted, and he reposed in peace less than a year later.

St Sophronios is the author of the Life of Saint Mary of Egypt, appointed to be read in the churches during every Great Lent. He also wrote the service of the Great Blessing of the Waters. Some have attributed the Vesperal hymn “Gladsome Light” to him, but we know that it dates from before the time of St Basil the Great, who mentions it in his writings. It seems though, that St Sophronios supplemented the hymn, and that its present form is due to him.

St John Moschos, author of the Spiritual Meadow (622)

He is commemorated today along with his disciple and friend St Sophronius (see above).

Holy Martyr Pionius (250)

“A priest of Smyrna, he suffered there in the time of Decius’ persecution. They condemned him to be crucified, which was a great joy to him. And as soon as the soldiers assembled the cross and laid it on the ground, Pionius laid himself on it and stretched out his arms, calling to the soldiers to put the nails into his hands. The cross was inserted into the ground upside down, and a fire lit under the martyr’s head. There were many bystanders. Pionius closed his eyes and prayed to God within himself. The flames could not succeed in igniting even his hair, and when the fire had at last gone out and everyone thought that he was dead, Pionius opened his eyes and cried out joyfully: ‘O Lord, receive my spirit!’, and breathed his last. This saint wrote the life of St Polycarp of Smyrna, together with whom he now makes merry in the Kingdom of Christ. He suffered and was glorified in 250.” (Prologue)