Isaiah 41.4-14 (6th Hour)

4Ko je uradio i uèinio to? i zove naraštaje od iskona? Ja, Gospod, prvi i pošljednji, ja isti. 5Vidješe ostrva i uplašiše se, krajevi zemaljski zadrktaše, približiše se i doðoše. 6Jedan drugom pomagaše, i bratu svojemu govoraše: budi hrabar. 7Drvodjelja hrabraše zlatara; koji kleplje hrabraše onoga koji kuje na nakovnju, govoreæi: dobro je za spajanje. I pritvrðivaše klincima da se ne pomièe. 8Ali ti, Izrailju, slugo moj; Jakove, kojega izabrah, sjeme Avrama prijatelja mojega! 9Ti, kojega uzeh s krajeva zemaljskih, i izmeðu izbranijeh njezinijeh dozvah te, i rekoh ti: ti si moj sluga, ja te izabrah, i ne odbacih tebe; 10Ne boj se, jer sam ja s tobom; ne plaši se, jer sam ja Bog tvoj; ukrijepiæu te i pomoæi æu ti, i poduprijeæu te desnicom pravde svoje. 11Gle, postidjeæe se i posramiæe svi koji se ljute na tebe; biæe kao ništa i izginuæe protivnici tvoji. 12Potražiæeš suparnike svoje, ali ih neæeš naæi, biæe kao ništa, i koji vojuju na te, nestaæe ih. 13Jer ja Gospod Bog tvoj držim te za desnicu, i kažem ti: ne boj se, ja æu ti pomagati. 14Ne boj se, crviæu Jakovljev, narodiæu Izrailjev, ja æu ti pomagati, govori Gospod i izbavitelj tvoj, svetac Izrailjev.

Genesis 17.1-9 (Vespers)

1A kad Avramu bi devedeset i devet godina, javi mu se Gospod i reèe mu: ja sam Bog svemoguæi, po mojoj volji živi i budi pošten. 2I uèiniæu zavjet izmeðu sebe i tebe, i vrlo æu te umnožiti. 3A Avram pade nièice. I Gospod mu još govori i reèe: 4Od mene evo zavjet moj s tobom da æeš biti otac mnogim narodima. 5Zato se više neæeš zvati Avram, nego æe ti ime biti Avraam, jer sam te uèinio ocem mnogih naroda; 6Daæu ti porodicu vrlo veliku, i naèiniæu od tebe narode mnoge, i carevi æe izaæi od tebe. 7A postavljam zavjet svoj izmeðu sebe i tebe i sjemena tvojega nakon tebe od koljena do koljena, da je zavjet vjeèan, da sam Bog tebi i sjemenu tvojemu nakon tebe; 8I daæu tebi i sjemenu tvojemu nakon tebe zemlju u kojoj si došljak, svu zemlju Hanansku u državu vjeènu, i biæu im Bog. 9I reèe Bog Avramu: ti pak drži zavjet moj, ti i sjeme tvoje nakon tebe od koljena do koljena.

Proverbs 15.20-16.9 (LXX) (Vespers)

20Mudar je sin radost ocu, a èovjek bezuman prezire mater svoju. 21Bezumlje je radost bezumniku, a razuman èovjek hodi pravo. 22Namjere se rasipaju kad nema savjeta, a tvrdo stoje gdje je mnogo savjetnika. 23Raduje se èovjek odgovorom usta svojih, i rijeè u vrijeme kako je dobra! 24Put k životu ide gore razumnome da se saèuva od pakla ozdo. 25Gospod raskopava kuæu ponositima, a meðu udovici utvrðuje. 26Mrske su Gospodu misli zle, a besjede èistijeh mile su. 27Lakomac zatire svoju kuæu, a ko mrzi na poklone živ æe biti. 28Srce pravednikovo premišlja šta æe govoriti, a usta bezbožnièka rigaju zlo. 29Daleko je Gospod od bezbožnijeh, a molitvu pravednijeh èuje. 30Vid oèinji veseli srce, dobar glas goji kosti. 31Uho koje sluša karanje životno nastavaæe meðu mudrima. 32Ko odbacuje nastavu, ne mari za dušu svoju; a ko sluša karanje, biva razuman. 33Strah je Gospodnji nastava k mudrosti, i prije slave ide smjernost.

1Èovjek sprema srce, ali je od Gospoda što æe jezik govoriti. 2Èovjeku se svi putovi njegovi èine èisti, ali Gospod ispituje duhove. 3Ostavi na Gospoda djela svoja, i biæe tvrde namjere tvoje. 4Gospod je stvorio sve sam za se, i bezbožnika za zli dan. 5Mrzak je Gospodu ko je god ponosita srca, i neæe ostati bez kara ako æe i druge uzeti u pomoæ. 6Milošæu i istinom oèišæa se bezakonje, i strahom Gospodnjim uklanja se èovjek oda zla. 7Kad su èiji putovi mili Gospodu, miri s njim i neprijatelje njegove. 8Bolje je malo s pravdom nego mnogo dohodaka s nepravdom. 9Srce èovjeèije izmišlja sebi put, ali Gospod upravlja korake njegove.

St Gregory the Great (the Dialogist), Pope of Rome (604)

He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then, in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.

He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called ‘the Dialogist’ after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.

Saint Gregory reposed in peace in 604.

Our Holy Father Theophanes the Confessor (818)

He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor’s court. Later, with his wife’s consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working: his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with thanksgiving.

When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment, he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.

Repose of St Symeon the New Theologian (1021)

His main commemoration is on October 12.