Acts 12.1-11 (Epistle)

1U ono pak vrijeme podiže Irod car ruke da muèi neke od crkve. 2I pogubi Jakova brata Jovanova maèem. 3I vidjevši da je to po volji Jevrejima nastavi da uhvati i Petra a bijahu dani prijesnijeh hljebova 4Kojega i uhvati i baci u tamnicu, i predade ga èetvorici èetvrtnika vojnièkijeh da ga èuvaju, i mišljaše ga po pashi izvesti pred narod. 5I tako Petra èuvahu u tamnici; a crkva moljaše se za njega Bogu bez prestanka. 6A kad šæaše Irod da ga izvede, onu noæ spavaše Petar meðu dvojicom vojnika, okovan u dvoje verige, a stražari pred vratima èuvahu tamnicu. 7I gle, anðeo Gospodnji pristupi, i svjetlost obasja po sobi, i kucnuvši Petra u rebra probudi ga govoreæi: ustani brže. I spadoše mu verige s ruku. 8A anðeo mu reèe: opaši se, i obuj opanke svoje. I uèini tako. I reèe mu anðeo: obuci haljinu svoju, pa hajde za mnom. 9I izišavši iðaše za njim, i ne znadijaše da je to istina što anðeo èinjaše, nego mišljaše da vidi utvaru. 10A kad proðoše prvu stražu i drugu i doðoše k vratima gvozdenijem koja voðahu u grad, ona im se sama otvoriše; i izišavši proðoše jednu ulicu, i anðeo odmah otstupi od njega. 11I kad doðe Petar k sebi reèe: sad zaista vidim da Bog posla anðela svojega te me izbavi iz ruku Irodovijeh i od svega èekanja naroda Jevrejskoga.

John 8.31-42 (Gospel)

31Tada Isus govoraše onijem Jevrejima koji mu vjerovaše: ako vi ostanete na mojoj besjedi, zaista æete biti uèenici moji, 32I poznaæete istinu, i istina æe vas izbaviti. 33Odgovoriše i rekoše mu: mi smo sjeme Avraamovo, i nikome nijesmo robovali nikad; kako ti govoriš da æemo se izbaviti? 34Isus im odgovori: zaista, zaista vam kažem da je svaki koji èini grijeh rob grijehu. 35A rob ne ostaje u kuæi vavijek, sin ostaje vavijek. 36Ako vas dakle sin izbavi, zaista æete biti izbavljeni. 37Znam da ste sjeme Avraamovo; ali gledate da me ubijete, jer moja besjeda ne može u vas da stane. 38Ja govorim što vidjeh od oca svojega; i vi tako èinite što vidjeste od oca svojega. 39Odgovoriše i rekoše mu: otac je naš Avraam. Isus im reèe: kad biste vi bili djeca Avraamova, èinili biste djela Avraamova. 40A sad gledate mene da ubijete, èovjeka koji vam istinu kazah koju èuh od Boga: tako Avraam nije èinio. 41Vi èinite djela oca svojega. Tada mu rekoše: mi nijesmo roðeni od kurvarstva: jednoga oca imamo Boga. 42A Isus im reèe: kad bi Bog bio vaš otac, ljubili biste mene; jer ja od Boga iziðoh i doðoh; jer ne doðoh sam od sebe, nego me on posla.

Hieromartyr Basil, bishop of Amasia and Righteous Virgin Glaphyra (322)

Licinius was co-emperor with Constantine the Great. At his accession, he had agreed to tolerate Christianity in his territories, but soon turned to persecuting the Christians, and to a variety of carnal sins. He conceived a passion for Glaphyra, a Christian virgin handmaid of the Empress Constantia. When Glaphyra told Constantia of this, the Empress sent her away to Amasia in the East for her protection. There she was received and protected by Bishop Basil of that city. Licinius learned where Glaphyra was hiding and ordered that both she and the bishop be brought to him as prisoners. The soldiers who came for her found that she had already died, so they returned with only Bishop Basil, who was subjected to cruel tortures, then beheaded. His body was cast into the sea, but, with the help of an angel of God, his people found his body, retrieved it from the sea, and returned it to Amasia.

The Prologue adds, “The Emperor Constantine raised an army against Licinius, overcame him, arrested him and sent him into exile in Gaul, where he ended his God-hating days.”

St Stephen,Bishop of Perm (1396)

As a young man he entered monastic life at the monastery of St Gregory the Theologian in Rostov. Learning that the land of Perm (on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains) was still immured in paganism, he was filled with a desire to bring the Gospel to its people. He set about learning the language, created an alphabet and translated the service books. With the blessing of the Metropolitan of Moscow he then set out and began his apostolic labors. When, after much difficulty and many sufferings, he had gathered a community of baptised Christians, he was made Bishop of the region. Once, in his old age, he returned to Moscow, where he reposed in 1396.