Isaiah 49.6-10 (6th Hour)

6I reèe mi: malo je da mi budeš sluga da se podigne pleme Jakovljevo i da se vrati ostatak Izrailjev, nego te uèinih vidjelom narodima da budeš moje spasenje do krajeva zemaljskih. 7Ovako veli Gospod, izbavitelj Izrailjev, svetac njegov, onome kojega preziru, na koga se gadi narod, sluzi onijeh koji gospodare: carevi æe vidjeti i ustati, i knezovi æe se pokloniti radi Gospoda, koji je vjeran, radi sveca Izrailjeva, koji te je izabrao. 8Ovako veli Gospod: u vrijeme milosno usliših te, i u dan spasenja pomogoh ti; i èuvaæu te i daæu te da budeš zavjet narodu da utvrdiš zemlju i naslijediš opustjelo našljedstvo; 9Da kažeš sužnjima: izidite; onima koji su u mraku: pokažite se. Oni æe pokraj putova pasti, i paša æe im biti po svijem visokim mjestima. 10Neæe biti gladni ni žedni, neæe ih biti vruæina ni sunce; jer kome ih je žao, on æe ih voditi, i pokraj izvora vodenijeh provodiæe ih.

Genesis 31.3-16 (Vespers)

3I Gospod reèe Jakovu: vrati se u zemlju otaca svojih i u rod svoj, i ja æu biti s tobom. 4I poslav Jakov dozva Rahilju i Liju u polje k stadu svojemu. 5I reèe im: vidim gdje lice oca vašega nije prema meni kao prije; ali je Bog oca mojega bio sa mnom. 6I vi znate da sam služio ocu vašemu kako sam god mogao; 7A otac me je vaš varao i mijenjao mi platu deset puta; ali mu Bog ne dade da me ošteti; 8Kad on reèe: što bude šareno neka ti je plata, onda se mladilo sve šareno; a kad reèe: s biljegom što bude neka ti je plata, onda se mladilo sve s biljegom. 9Tako Bog uze stoku ocu vašemu i dade je meni; 10Jer kad se upaljivaše stoka, podigoh oèi svoje i vidjeh u snu, a to ovnovi i jarci što skaèu na ovce i koze bijahu šareni, s biljegama prutastim i kolastim. 11A anðeo Gospodnji reèe mi u snu: Jakove! A ja odgovorih: evo me. 12A on reèe: podigni sad oèi svoje i gledaj, ovnovi i jarci što skaèu na ovce i koze, šareni su, s biljegama prutastim i kolastim; jer vidjeh sve što ti èini Lavan. 13Ja sam Bog od Vetilja, gdje si prelio kamen i uèinio mi zavjet; ustani sada i idi iz ove zemlje, i vrati se na postojbinu svoju. 14Tada odgovori Rahilja i Lija, i rekoše mu: eda li još imamo kakav dio i našljedstvo u domu oca svojega? 15Nije li nas držao kao tuðinke kad nas je prodao? pa je još i naše novce jednako jeo. 16Jer sve ovo blago što uze Gospod ocu našemu, naše je i naše djece. Zato èini sve što ti je Gospod kazao.

Proverbs 21.3-21 (Vespers)

3Da se èini pravda i sud, milije je Gospodu nego žrtva. 4Ponosite oèi i naduto srce i oranje bezbožnièko grijeh je. 5Misli vrijedna èovjeka donose obilje, a svakoga nagla siromaštvo. 6Blago sabrano jezikom lažljivijem taština je koja prolazi meðu one koji traže smrt. 7Grabež bezbožnijeh odnijeæe ih, jer ne htješe èiniti što je pravo. 8Èiji je put kriv, on je tuð; a ko je èist, njegovo je djelo pravo. 9Bolje je sjedjeti u uglu od krova nego sa ženom svadljivom u kuæi zajednièkoj. 10Duša bezbožnikova želi zlo, ni prijatelj njegov ne nalazi milosti u njega. 11Kad potsmjevaè biva karan, ludi mudra; i kad se mudri pouèava, prima znanje. 12Uèi se pravednik od kuæe bezbožnikove, kad se bezbožnici obaraju u zlo. 13Ko zatiskuje uho svoje od vike ubogoga, vikaæe i sam, ali neæe biti uslišen. 14Dar u tajnosti utišava gnjev, i poklon u njedrima žestoku srdnju. 15Radost je pravedniku èiniti što je pravo, a strah onima koji èine bezakonje. 16Èovjek koji zaðe s puta mudrosti poèinuæe u zboru mrtvijeh. 17Ko ljubi veselje, biæe siromah; ko ljubi vino i ulje, neæe se obogatiti. 18Otkup za pravednike biæe bezbožnik i za dobre bezakonik. 19Bolje je živjeti u zemlji pustoj nego sa ženom svadljivom i gnjevljivom. 20Dragocjeno je blago i ulje u stanu mudroga, a èovjek bezuman proždire ga. 21Ko ide za pravdom i milošæu, naæi æe život, pravdu i slavu.

St Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem (386)

He was born in Jerusalem in 315, ordained to the priesthood in 346, and succeeded Maximus as Archbishop of Jerusalem in 350. He was exiled three times by the Arian Emperors Constantius and Valens for his unwavering defense of the Faith. Restored by the Emperor Theodosius, he did not return to the throne, but lived for eight years in peace before reposing in 386.

He was known to all his people as a tireless defender of the poor, and as a great ascetic. He was gentle and humble in his bearing, pale and gaunt from fasting. He struggled throughout his time against the Arian heresy, which had become very strong, claiming the allegiance even of the Emperors. In addition, he lived through the reign of Julian the Apostate, who tried by many means to weaken and undermine the Church and the Christian Faith.

Of St Cyril’s many writings, the best-known are his Catecheses, considered the oldest systematic summary of Christian teaching.

St Ananias (Aninus) the Wonderworker (?)

“Born in Chalcedon, he was little of stature, like Zaccheus, but great in spirit and faith. He denied himself to the world at the age of fifteen and settled near the River Euphrates in a little hut, where he atoned for his sins, and prayed to God, at first with his teacher Mayum and then, after Mayum’s death, alone. By the power of his prayers he filled an empty well with water, healed the sick of various pains and tamed wild beasts. There was a tamed lion with him as his servant. He had insight into distant happenings. When robbers attacked a stylite, Pionius, at some distance from him, and beat him up to such an extent that he decided to come down from his pillar and go to complain to the judges, St Aninus saw his intention in his soul and sent him a letter by means of his lion, telling him to set aside his intention, to forgive his assaulters and to continue in his asceticism. He was inexpressibly generous. The bishop of Neo-Caesarea made a gift to him of a donkey, to ease his carrying of water from the river, but he gave this donkey to some poor man who had complained to him of his poverty. The bishop gave him a second donkey, but he gave that away. Then the bishop gave him a third donkey, not for his own but only to serve as a water-carrier, to be kept and returned. At the time of his death, he saw Moses, Aaron and Or coming to him and calling: ‘Aninus, the Lord is calling you. Get up and come with us.’ This he revealed to his disciples, and gave his spirit to the Lord whom he had served so faithfully. He was 110 years old when he finished his earthly course.” (Prologue)

Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic), Bishop of Ochrid and Zica, Serbia (1956)(March 5 OC)

He has been called ‘The New Chrysostom’ for his many grace-filled sermons and writings.

He was born in 1880 in the Serbian village of Lelich. After attending the Seminary of St Sava in Belgrade, he obtained doctoral degrees from both the University of Berne and Oxford University. In 1919, Archimandrite Nikolai was made Bishop of Zica.

In 1941 Bishop Nikolai was arrested by the Nazis and, after three years’ imprisonment in Ljubostir Vojlovici Monastery, was sent to the infamous Dachau concentration camp along with the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo. He both witnessed and personally underwent many tortures there until the camp was liberated by the US army in 1945.

After the war he fled Communist-controlled Yugoslavia and emigrated to the United States, where he taught at St Sava’s Seminary, St Vladimir Seminary and St Tikhon seminary. It was at St Tikhon Seminary that he reposed in 1956. His relics rested for awhile at St Sava’s Seminary in Libertyville IL, then were returned to Serbia, where they now reside.

Throughout his adult life, the holy monk and bishop poured forth a steady stream of beautiful homilies and theological and spiritual writings. He is the author of the Prologue from Ochrid, a Slavic Synaxarion. The luminous homilies included therein, one for each day of the year, give a good sample of his inspired writing.

His feast is kept on this day (March 5 OC, March 18 NC) by Orthodox Christians on both the Old and New Calendars.

Note: With the blessing of Bishop Jovan of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Mitrophan Chin is engaged in a project to translate St Nikolai’s Prologue into Chinese. To learn more about this worthy project, see his web site: http://chineseorthodox.n3.net