Isaiah 48.17-49.4 (6th Hour)

17Ovako veli Gospod, izbavitelj tvoj, svetac Izrailjev: ja sam Gospod Bog tvoj koji te uèim da bi napredovao, vodim te putem kojim treba da ideš. 18O, da si pazio na zapovjesti moje! mir bi tvoj bio kao rijeka, i pravda tvoja kao valovi morski; 19I sjemena bi tvojega bilo kao pijeska, i poroda utrobe tvoje kao zrna njegovijeh; ime se njihovo ne bi zatrlo ni istrijebilo ispred mene. 20Izidite iz Vavilona, bježite od Haldejaca; glasno pjevajuæi objavljujte, kazujte, razglašujte do krajeva zemaljskih; recite: izbavi Gospod slugu svojega Jakova. 21Neæe ožednjeti kad ih povede preko pustinje; vodu iz stijene toèiæe im, jer æe rascijepiti kamen i poteæi æe voda. 22Nema mira bezbožnicima, veli Gospod.

1Poslušajte me, ostrva, i pazite, narodi daljni. Gospod me pozva od utrobe; od utrobe matere moje pomenu ime moje. 2I uèinio je usta moja da su kao oštar maè, u sjenu ruke svoje sakri me; uèinio me je sjajnom strijelom, i u tulu svojem sakri me. 3I reèe mi: ti si sluga moj, u Izrailju æu se tobom proslaviti. 4A ja rekoh: uzalud se trudih, uzalud i naprazno potroših silu svoju; ali opet sud je moj u Gospoda i posao moj u Boga mojega.

Genesis 27.1-41 (Vespers)

1Kad Isak ostarje i oèi mu potamnješe, te ne viðaše, dozva Isava starijega sina svojega, i reèe mu: sine! A on odgovori: evo me. 2Tada reèe: evo ostario sam, ne znam kad æu umrijeti; 3Uzmi oružje svoje, tul i luk, i izidi u planinu, te mi ulovi lova; 4I zgotovi mi jelo po mojoj volji, i donesi mi da jedem, pa da te blagoslovi duša moja dok nijesam umro. 5A Reveka èu šta Isak reèe sinu svojemu Isavu. I Isav otide u planinu da ulovi lova i donese. 6A Reveka reèe Jakovu sinu svojemu govoreæi: gle, èuh oca tvojega gdje besjedi s Isavom bratom tvojim i reèe: 7Donesi mi lova, i zgotovi jelo da jedem, pa da te blagoslovim pred Gospodom dok nijesam umro. 8Nego sada, sine, poslušaj me što æu ti kazati. 9Idi sada k stadu i donesi dva dobra jareta, da zgotovim ocu tvojemu jelo od njih, kako rado jede. 10Pa æeš unijeti ocu da jede i da te blagoslovi dok nije umro. 11A Jakov reèe Reveci materi svojoj: ali je Isav brat moj rutav, a ja sam gladak; 12Može me opipati otac, pa æe se osjetiti da sam ga htio prevariti, te æu navuæi na se prokletstvo mjesto blagoslova. 13A mati mu reèe: neka prokletstvo tvoje, sine, padne na mene; samo me poslušaj, i idi i donesi mi. 14Tada otišav uze i donese materi svojoj; a mati njegova zgotovi jelo kako jeðaše rado otac njegov. 15Pa onda uze Reveka najljepše haljine starijega sina svojega, koje bijahu u nje kod kuæe, i obuèe Jakova mlaðega sina svojega. 16I jareæim kožicama obloži mu ruke i vrat gdje bješe gladak. 17I dade Jakovu sinu svojemu u ruke jelo i hljeb što zgotovi. 18A on uðe k ocu svojemu i reèe: oèe. A on odgovori: evo me; koji si ti, sine? 19I Jakov reèe ocu svojemu: ja, Isav tvoj prvenac; uèinio sam kako si mi rekao; digni se, posadi se da jedeš lova mojega, pa da me blagoslovi duša tvoja. 20A Isak reèe sinu svojemu: kad brže naðe, sine? A on reèe: Gospod Bog tvoj dade, te izaðe preda me. 21Tada reèe Isak Jakovu: hodi bliže, sine, da te opipam jesi li sin moj Isav ili ne. 22I pristupi Jakov k Isaku ocu svojemu, a on ga opipa, pa reèe: glas je Jakovljev, ali ruke su Isavove. 23I ne pozna ga, jer mu ruke bjehu kao u Isava brata njegova rutave; zato ga blagoslovi; 24I reèe mu: jesi li ti sin moj Isav? A on odgovori: ja sam. 25Tada reèe: a ti daj sine, da jedem lova tvojega, pa da te blagoslovi duša moja. I dade mu, te jede; pa mu donese i vina, te pi. 26Potom Isak otac njegov reèe mu: hodi, sine, cjeluj me. 27I on pristupi i cjeliva ga; a Isak osjeti miris od haljina njegovijeh, i blagoslovi ga govoreæi: gle, miris sina mojega kao miris od polja koje blagoslovi Gospod. 28Bog ti dao rose nebeske, i dobre zemlje i pšenice i vina izobila! 29Narodi ti služili i plemena ti se klanjala! Bio gospodar braæi svojoj i klanjali ti se sinovi matere tvoje! Proklet bio koji tebe usproklinje a blagosloven koji tebe uzblagosilja! 30A kad Isak blagoslovi Jakova, i Jakov otide ispred Isaka oca svojega, u taj èas doðe Isav brat njegov iz lova. 31Pa zgotovi i on jelo i unese ocu svojemu, i reèe mu: ustani, oèe, da jedeš što ti je sin ulovio, pa da me blagoslovi duša tvoja. 32A Isak otac njegov reèe mu: ko si ti? A on reèe: ja, sin tvoj, prvenac tvoj, Isav. 33Tada se prepade Isak, i reèe: ko? da gdje je onaj koji ulovi i donese mi lova, i od svega jedoh prije nego ti doðe, i blagoslovih ga? on æe i ostati blagosloven. 34A kad èu Isav rijeèi oca svojega, vrište iza glasa i ožalosti se veoma, i reèe ocu svojemu: blagoslovi i mene, oèe. 35A on mu reèe: doðe brat tvoj s prijevarom, i odnese tvoj blagoslov. 36A Isav reèe: pravo je što mu je ime Jakov, jer me veæ drugom prevari. Prvenaštvo mi uze, pa eto sada mi uze i blagoslov. Potom reèe: nijesi li i meni ostavio blagoslov? 37A Isak odgovori, i reèe Isavu: eto sam ga postavio tebi za gospodara; i svu braæu njegovu dadoh mu da mu budu sluge; pšenicom i vinom ukrijepih ga; pa šta bih sada tebi uèinio, sine? 38A Isav reèe ocu svojemu: eda li je samo jedan blagoslov u tebe, oèe? blagoslovi i mene, oèe. I stade iza glasa plakati Isav. 39A Isak otac njegov odgovarajuæi reèe mu: evo, stan æe ti biti na rodnoj zemlji i rosi nebeskoj ozgo. 40Ali æeš živjeti od maèa svojega, i bratu æeš svojemu služiti; ali æe doæi vrijeme, te æeš pošto se naplaèeš skršiti jaram njegov s vrata svojega. 41I Isav omrze ljuto na Jakova radi blagoslova, kojim ga blagoslovi otac, i govoraše u srcu svojem: blizu su žalosni dani oca mojega, tada æu ubiti Jakova brata svojega.

Proverbs 19.16-25 (Vespers)

16Ko drži zapovijesti, èuva dušu svoju; a ko ne mari za putove svoje, poginuæe. 17Gospodu pozaima ko poklanja siromahu, i platiæe mu za dobro njegovo. 18Karaj sina svojega dokle ima nadanja, i na pogibao njegovu da ne prašta duša tvoja. 19Velik gnjev pokazuj kad praštaš kar, i kad oprostiš, poslije veæma pokaraj. 20Slušaj svjet i primaj nastavu, da poslije budeš mudar. 21Mnogo ima misli u srcu èovjeèijem, ali što Gospod naumi ono æe ostati. 22Želja èovjeku treba da je da èini milost, a bolji je siromah nego laža. 23Strah je Gospodnji na život; u koga je on, boravi sit, niti ga pohodi zlo. 24Ljenivac krije ruku svoju u njedra, ni k ustima svojim ne prinosi je. 25Udri potsmjevaèa da ludi omudra, i razumnoga nakaraj da razumije nauku.

St Alexis, the Man of God (411)

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.