Romans 5.17-6.2 (Epistle)

17Jer kad za grijeh jednoga carova smrt kroz jednoga, koliko æe veæma oni koji primaju izobilje blagodati i dar pravde u životu carovati kroz jednoga Isusa Hrista! 18Zato dakle kao što za grijeh jednoga doðe osuðenje na sve ljude, tako i pravdom jednoga doðe na sve ljude opravdanje života. 19Jer kao što neposlušanjem jednoga èovjeka postaše mnogi grješni, tako æe i poslušanjem jednoga biti mnogi pravedni. 20A zakon doðe uz to da se umnoži grijeh; jer gdje se umnoži grijeh ondje se još veæma umnoži blagodat, 21Da kao što carova grijeh za smrt, tako i blagodat da caruje pravdom za život vjeèni, kroz Isusa Hrista Gospoda našega.

1Šta æemo dakle reæi? Hoæemo li ostati u grijehu da se blagodat umnoži? Bože saèuvaj! 2Jer koji umrijesmo grijehu kako æemo još življeti u njemu?

Matthew 9.14-17 (Gospel)

14Tada pristupiše k njemu uèenici Jovanovi govoreæi: zašto mi i fariseji postimo mnogo, a uèenici tvoji ne poste? 15A Isus reèe im: eda li mogu svatovi plakati dok je s njima ženik? Nego æe doæi vrijeme kad æe se oteti od njih ženik, i onda æe postiti. 16Jer niko ne meæe nove zakrpe na staru haljinu; jer æe zakrpa odadrijeti od haljine, i gora æe rupa biti. 17Niti se ljeva vino novo u mjehove stare; inaèe mjehovi prodru se i vino se prolije, i mjehovi propadnu. Nego se ljeva vino novo u mjehove nove, i oboje se saèuva.

St Isaac, founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (383)

While a hermit in the east, Isaac heard that the Arians, supported by the Emperor Valens, were persecuting Orthodoxy. Leaving his seclusion, he traveled to Constantinople, where he lived in a small hut. He confronted the Emperor, telling him that if he did not cease his persecutions and embrace the true Faith, disaster would befall him. The Emperor ignored his words, and shortly thereafter was killed in a battle with the Goths. The Emperor Theodosius the Great then came to the throne, restoring peace to the Church. Hearing of Isaac and his prophecy, the Emperor sent for Isaac and prostrated before him. Isaac wished to return to the desert, but was persuaded to remain as a monk in Constantinople. He took part in the Second Ecumenical Council, where he shone in zeal for the Faith; the Third Ecumenical Council made him archimandrite over all the monasteries in the City. (Some say that the monastery founded by him is called the Dalmatian Monastery because it was built by Dalmatus, a wealthy nobleman of the City; others say that it was founded by St Isaac himself and later took its name from Abbot Dalmatus, who succeeded Isaac). In his own lifetime St Isaac was known far and wide as a wonderworker and one endowed with the gift of prophecy.

Saint Isaac is also commemorated in August 3, along with Dalmatus and his son Faustus.

St Macrina, grandmother of St Basil the Great (4th c.)

“The grandmother of St Basil the Great, she was outstanding for her intellect and piety. She was a disciple of St Gregory the Wonder-worker of Neocaesarea. In the reign of Diocletian, she abandoned her home and hid in the forests and desert places with her husband, Basil. Although their home was confiscated, they felt no pangs of regret. Stripped of everything except their love for God, they settled in an ancient forest and spent seven years there. By God’s providence, goats would come down from the mountains and provide them with food. They both died peacefully in the fourth century, after great sufferings for the Christian faith.” (Prologue)