Isaiah 6.1-12 (6th Hour)

1Godine koje umrije car Ozija vidjeh Gospoda gdje sjedi na prijestolu visoku i izdignutu, i skut mu ispunjavaše crkvu. 2Serafimi stajahu više njega, svaki ih imaše šest krila: dvjema zaklanjaše lice svoje i dvjema zaklanjaše noge svoje, a dvjema leæaše. 3I vikahu jedan drugome govoreæi: svet, svet, svet je Gospod nad vojskama; puna je sva zemlja slave njegove. 4I zadrmaše se pragovi na vratima od glasa kojim vikahu, i dom se napuni dima. 5I rekoh: jaoh meni! pogiboh, jer sam èovjek neèistijeh usana, i živim usred naroda neèistijeh usana, jer cara Gospoda nad vojskama vidjeh svojim oèima. 6A jedan od serafima doletje k meni držeæi u ruci živ ugljen, koji uze s oltara kliještima, 7I dotaèe se usta mojih i reèe: evo, ovo se dotaèe usta tvojih, i bezakonje tvoje uze se, i grijeh tvoj oèisti se. 8Potom èuh glas Gospodnji gdje reèe: koga æu poslati? i ko æe nam iæi? A ja rekoh: evo mene, pošlji mene. 9A on reèe: idi, i reci tome narodu: slušajte ali neæete razumjeti, gledajte ali neæete poznati. 10Uèini da odeblja srce tome narodu i uši da im otežaju, i oèi im zatvori, da ne vide oèima svojim i ušima svojim da ne èuju i srcem svojim da ne razumiju i ne obrate se i ne iscijele. 11A ja rekoh: dokle Gospode? A on reèe: dokle ne opuste gradovi da budu bez stanovnika i kuæe da budu bez ljudi, i zemlja dokle sasvijem ne opusti, 12I dokle Gospod opravi daleko ljude i bude sama pustoš u zemlji.

Genesis 5.1-24 (Vespers)

1Ovo je pleme Adamovo. Kad Bog stvori èovjeka, po oblièju svojemu stvori ga. 2Muško i žensko stvori ih, i blagoslovi ih, i nazva ih èovjek, kad biše stvoreni. 3I poživje Adam sto i trideset godina, i rodi sina po oblièju svojemu, kao što je on, i nadjede mu ime Sit. 4A rodiv Sita poživje Adam osam stotina godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 5Tako poživje Adam svega devet stotina i trideset godina; i umrije. 6A Sit poživje sto i pet godina, i rodi Enosa; 7A rodiv Enosa poživje Sit osam stotina i sedam godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 8Tako poživje Sit svega devet stotina i dvanaest godina; i umrije. 9A Enos poživje devedeset godina, i rodi Kajinana; 10A rodiv Kajinana poživje Enos osam stotina i petnaest godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 11Tako poživje Enos svega devet stotina i pet godina; i umrije. 12A Kajinan poživje sedamdeset godina, i rodi Maleleila; 13A rodiv Maleleila poživje Kajinan osam stotina i èetrdeset godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 14Tako poživje Kajinan svega devet stotina i deset godina; i umrije. 15A Maleleilo poživje šezdeset i pet godina, i rodi Jareda; 16A rodiv Jareda poživje Maleleilo osam stotina i trideset godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 17Tako poživje Maleleilo svega osam stotina i devedeset i pet godina; i umrije. 18A Jared poživje sto i šezdeset i dvije godine, i rodi Enoha; 19A rodiv Enoha poživje Jared osam stotina godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 20Tako poživje Jared svega devet stotina i šezdeset i dvije godine, i umrije. 21A Enoh poživje šezdeset i pet godina, i rodi Matusala; 22A rodiv Matusala poživje Enoh jednako po volji Božjoj trista godina, raðajuæi sinove i kæeri; 23Tako poživje Enoh svega trista i šezdeset i pet godina; 24I živeæi Enoh jednako po volji Božjoj, nestade ga, jer ga uze Bog.

Proverbs 6.3-20 (Vespers)

3Zato uèini tako, sine moj, i oprosti se, jer si dopao u ruke bližnjemu svojemu; idi, pripadni, i navali na bližnjega svojega. 4Ne daj sna oèima svojima, ni vjeðama svojima drijema. 5Otmi se kao srna iz ruke lovcu, i kao ptica iz ruke ptièaru. 6Idi k mravu, ljenivèe, gledaj putove njegove, i omudraj. 7Nema voða ni upravitelja ni gospodara; 8I opet pripravlja ljeti sebi hranu, zbira uz žetvu piæu svoju. 9Dokle æeš, ljenivèe, ležati? kad æeš ustati od sna svojega? 10Dok malo prospavaš, dok malo prodrijemlješ, dok malo sklopiš ruke da prilegneš, 11Utom æe doæi siromaštvo tvoje kao putnik i oskudica tvoja kao oružan èovjek. 12Èovjek nevaljao i nitkov hodi sa zlijem ustima; 13Namiguje oèima, govori nogama, pokazuje prstima; 14Svaka mu je opaèina u srcu, kuje zlo svagda, zameæe svaðu. 15Zato æe ujedanput doæi pogibao njegova, èasom æe se satrti i neæe biti lijeka. 16Na ovo šestoro mrzi Gospod, i sedmo je gad duši njegovoj: 17Oèi ponosite, jezik lažljiv i ruke koje proljevaju krv pravu, 18Srce koje kuje zle misli, noge koje brzo trèe na zlo, 19Lažan svjedok koji govori laž, i ko zameæe svaðu meðu braæom. 20Èuvaj, sine moj, zapovijest oca svojega, i ne ostavljaj nauke matere svoje.

St Leo, bishop of Catania in Sicily (ca. 780)

He lived at the time of the first persecutions of the holy icons. He was born in Ravenna to a noble family, and became bishop of his native city. Soon his reputation as a true shepherd of Christ’s flock spread, and he was elected Bishop of Catania in Sicily. As is so often true even today, the city, though nominally Christian, was plagued by superstition and paganism. The holy bishop set about to turn the people away from error: by his prayers he caused a pagan temple to collapse and built a church on its site, dedicated to the Forty Maryrs of Sebaste. At that time the entire island was under the oppressive rule of a magus named Heliodorus, who used all his magical skills to oppress the people and advance himself. Though he had been taken captive by Imperial order, and condemned to death, he was always able to escape his captors by his occult skills. Saint Leo, who sought the conversion of everyone, did his best to turn the magus to Christ, but to no effect. One day Heliodorus entered the church during the Divine Liturgy, mocking the Mysteries of Christ. The Saint came out of the sanctuary and, casting his omophorion over the mocker, instantly deprived him of his demonic powers. The Prefect of Sicily ordered the magus to be burnt alive. Bishop Leo went to the stake with him, but emerged unmarked without even the smell of fire upon him, while Heliodorus was burnt to ashes.

Saint Leo’s fierceness in defense of the Faith was matched by his love and compassion for the poor and defenseless, for whom he poured himself out unceasingly with prayers, alms and visitation. By his prayers he restored sight to the blind and healed the paralyzed. After his repose, his holy relics, which exuded a fragrant myrrh, were venerated in a church that he had founded in honor of Saint Lucia.

St Bessarion the Great, wonder-worker of Egypt (466)

“An Egyptian by birth, Abba Bessarion was initiated into the angelic life by Saint Anthony the Great. He later became a disciple of Saint Macarius, the founder of Scetis (19 Jan.), and then set out to lead the life of a wanderer, borne hither and thither by Providence like a bird by the wind. All his wealth lay in the Gospel, which he always had in his hand. Living in the open air, he patiently endured all weathers, untroubled by care for a dwelling or for clothing. Fortified by the strength of the faith, he thus remained untouched by all the passions of the flesh.

“On coming to a monastery where the brethren led the common life, he would sit weeping at the gate. A brother once offered him hospitality and asked why he was distressed. ‘I cannot live under a roof, until I have regained the wealth of my house,’ he replied, meaning the heavenly inheritance lost since Adam. ‘I am afflicted, in danger of death every day, and without rest because of my huge misfortunes, which oblige me ever to travel on in order to finish my course.’

“He wandered for forty years without ever lying down to sleep, and he spent all of forty days and forty nights standing wide awake in a thorn bush. One winter’s day, he was walking through a village when he came upon a dead man. Without hesitation, he took off his own coat and covered the body. A little further on, he gave his tunic to a poor man who was shivering in the cold. An army officer, who happened to be passing, saw the naked ascetic and wanted to know who had stripped him of his clothing. ‘He did!’ replied Bessarion, holding up the Gospel Book. On another occasion, he met with a poor man and, having nothing to give him in alms, he hurried to the market in order to sell his Gospel Book. On his disciple’s asking him where the Book was, he replied cheerfully, ‘I have sold it in obedience to the words which I never cease to hear: Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor‘ (Matt. 19:21).

“Through this evangelic way of life he became a chosen vessel of Grace, and God wrought many miracles through him. One day, for example, he made sea water sweet through the sign of the Cross, to quench his disciple’s thirst. When the latter wanted to keep some for the remainder of the journey, he prevented him, saying, ‘God is here, God is everywhere!’ At another time, having stood for two weeks in prayer with hands raised to heaven, he brought about rain enough to fill a thirsty brother’s coat. Then there was the time when he stopped the sun from setting until he reached the cell of an elder whom he wished to meet; and the time when he walked across the waters of a river. Through these and many other wonders wrought by the Saint, God showed, as He did with Moses, Joshua and Elias, that He grants His servants mastery even over natural phenomena. Through the power of Christ, he raised a paralytic, drove out demons and showed himself truly to be a ‘god’ upon the earth.

“When, having reached his goal, he was at the point of regaining that dwelling in heaven which he had sought throughout his wanderings, he said to those about him, ‘The monk ought, like the cherubim, to be all eye.’

“In answer to a brother who asked what a monk living in community ought to do, he replied: ‘Keep silence and do not measure yourself.’ Indeed, this is how even in the midst of people one can obtain the grace of the great anchorites.” (Synaxarion)

Thirty-four Holy Martyrs of the Monastery of Valaam (1578)

These thirty-four venerable fathers of the Monastery of the Transfiguration at Valaam on Lake Ladoga were massacred by a party of converts to Lutheranism who besieged the monastery and attempted to make the brethren renounce the Orthodox Faith.