Isaiah 61.1-9 (Vespers)

1Duh je Gospoda Boga na meni, jer me Gospod pomaza da javljam dobre glase krotkima, posla me da zavijem ranjene u srcu, da oglasim zarobljenima slobodu i sužnjima da æe im se otvoriti tamnica. 2Da oglasim godinu milosti Gospodnje i dan osvete Boga našega, da utješim sve žalosne, 3Da uèinim žalosnima u Sionu i dam im nakit mjesto pepela, ulje radosti mjesto žalosti, odijelo za pohvalu mjesto duha tužnoga, da se prozovu hrastovi pravde, sad Gospodnji za slavu njegovu. 4I oni æe sazidati davnašnje pustoline, podignuæe stare razvaline i ponoviæe gradove puste, što leže razvaljeni od mnogo naraštaja. 5I tuðini æe stajati i pasti stada vaša, i inostranci æe biti vaši oraèi i vinogradari. 6A vi æete se zvati sveštenici Gospodnji, sluge Boga našega govoriæe vam se, blago naroda ješæete i slavom njihovom hvaliæete se. 7Za dvostruku sramotu vašu, i što se pjevaše: rug je dio njihov, zato æe u zemlji njihovoj naslijediti dvojinom i imaæe vjeènu radost. 8Jer ja Gospod ljubim pravdu i mrzim na grabež sa žrtvom paljenicom, i daæu im platu uistinu, i vjeèan zavjet uèiniæu s njima. 9I sjeme æe se njihovo znati u narodima i natražje njihovo meðu plemenima; ko ih god vidi poznaæe ih da su sjeme koje je blagoslovio Gospod.

Composite 24 - Leviticus 26 (Vespers)

1The Lord spoke to the children of Israel saying, ‘If you walk in my ordinances and keep my commandments and do them, I will give you rain in its season and the earth will give its produce and the trees of the plains their fruit. Your threshing time will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will overtake the sowing. You will eat your bread to the full and dwell in safety on your land; and no one shall make you afraid. And I will destroy the evil wild beasts from your lands, and war shall not pass through your land, and enemies will fall before you. Five of you will pursue a hundred and a hundred of you will pursue tens of thousands. And I will look upon you and bless you and make you increase and multiply and I will establish my covenant with you. And you will eat what is old and very old, and bring out the old to make way for the new. And my soul will not abhor you, and I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you shall be my people. But if you will not listen to me, nor observe these ordinances of mine, but disobey them, and if your soul loathes my judgements, so that you do not keep all my commandments, I in turn will treat you like this: I will bring distress upon you, and you will sow your seed in vain and your enemies will devour your labours. And I will set my face against you and you will fall before your foes and they will pursue you and you will flee though no one pursues you; and I will smash the arrogance of your pride. And I will make the heaven like iron for you and your earth like solid bronze. And your strength will be in vain and your land will not give its fruit, and the trees of the field will not give their fruit. And I will send the wild beasts of the earth against you, and they will consume your cattle, and the sword will come against you and make you few in number. And your land will be desert and your farms will be desert; because you have walked against me crook­edly, and I will walk against you with crooked rage, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel’.

Wisdom of Solomon 4.7-15 (Vespers)

Galatians 4.28-5.10 (Epistle)

28A mi smo, braæo, po Isaku djeca obeæanja. 29No kako onda onaj što se rodi po tijelu gonjaše duhovnoga, tako i sad. 30Ali šta govori pismo? Istjeraj robinju i sina njezina; jer sin robinjin neæe naslijediti sa sinom slobodne. 31Tako, braæo, nijesmo djeca robinjina nego slobodne.

1Stojte dakle u slobodi kojom nas Hristos oslobodi, i ne dajte se opet u jaram ropstva uhvatiti. 2Evo ja Pavle kažem vam da ako se obrežete Hristos vam ništa neæe pomoæi. 3A opet svjedoèim svakome èovjeku koji se obrezuje da je dužan sav zakon tvoriti. 4Izgubiste Hrista, vi koji hoæete zakonom da se opravdate, i otpadoste od blagodati. 5Jer mi duhom èekamo od vjere nad pravde. 6Jer u Hristu Isusu niti što pomaže obrezanje ni neobrezanje, nego vjera, koja kroz ljubav radi. 7Dobro trèaste; ko vam zabrani da se ne pokoravate istini? 8To odvraæanje nije od onoga koji vas pozva. 9Malo kvasca ukiseli sve tijesto. 10Ja se za vas nadam u Gospodu da ništa drugo neæete misliti. A koji vas smeta ponijeæe grijeh, makar ko bio.

1 Timothy 2.1-7 (Epistle, New Year)

1Molim dakle prije svega da se èine iskanja, molitve, moljenja, zahvaljivanja za sve ljude, 2Za careve, i za sve koji su u vlasti, da tihi i mirni život poživimo u svakoj pobožnosti i poštenju. 3Jer je ovo dobro i prijatno pred spasiteljem našijem Bogom, 4Koji hoæe da se svi ljudi spasu, i da doðu u poznanje istine. 5Jer je jedan Bog, i jedan posrednik Boga i ljudi, èovjek Hristos Isus, 6Koji sebe dade u otkup za sve, za svjedoèanstvo u svoje vrijeme, 7Za koje sam postavljen propovjednik i apostol istinu govorim u Hristu, ne lažem uèitelj neznabožaca, u vjeri i istini.

Colossians 3.12-16 (Epistle, St Simeon)

12Obucite se dakle kao izbrani Božiji, sveti i ljubazni, u srdaènu milost, dobrotu, poniznost, krotost, i trpljenje, 13Snoseæi jedan drugoga, i opraštajuæi jedan drugome ako ima ko tužbu na koga: kao što je i Hristos vama oprostio tako i vi. 14A svrh svega toga obucite se u ljubav, koja je sveza savršenstva. 15I mir Božij da vlada u srcima vašima, na koji ste i pozvani u jednom tijelu, i zahvalni budite. 16Rijeè Hristova da se bogato useli meðu vas, u svakoj premudrosti uèeæi i svjetujuæi sami sebe sa psalmima i pojanjem i pjesmama duhovnijem, u blagodati pjevajuæi u srcima svojima Gospodu.

Mark 6.54-7.8 (Gospel)

54I kad iziðoše iz laðe, odmah ga poznaše ljudi. 55I optrèavši sav onaj kraj poèeše na odrima donositi bolesnike gdje èujahu da je on. 56I kud god iðaše u sela ili u gradove ili u palanke, na raskršæima metahu bolesnike i moljahu ga da se barem skuta od haljine njegove dotaknu: i ozdravljahu svi koji ga se doticahu.

1I skupiše se oko njega fariseji i neki od književnika koji bijahu došli iz Jerusalima. 2I vidjevši neke od uèenika njegovijeh da neèistijem, to jest neumivenijem, rukama jedu hljeb, ukoriše ih. 3Jer fariseji i svi Jevreji ne jedu dok ne umiju ruku do lakata, držeæi se onoga što im je ostalo od starijeh; 4I kad doðu s pazara, ne jedu dok se ne umiju; i još mnogo ima što su primili te drže: peru èaše i žbanove i kotlove i klupe. 5A potom pitahu ga fariseji i književnici: zašto uèenici tvoji ne žive kao što nam je ostalo od starijeh, nego jedu hljeb neumivenijem rukama? 6A on odgovarajuæi reèe im: dobro je prorokovao Isaija za vas licemjere, kao što je pisano: ovi ljudi usnama me poštuju, a srce njihovo daleko stoji od mene. 7No zaludu me poštuju uèeæi naukama, zapovijestima ljudskijem. 8Jer ostaviste zapovijesti Božije, a držite obièaje ljudske, pranje žbanova i èaša; i druga mnoga takova èinite.

Luke 4.16-22 (Gospel, New Year)

16I doðe u Nazaret gdje bješe odrastao, i uðe po obièaju svome u dan subotni u zbornicu, i ustade da èita. 17I daše mu knjigu proroka Isaije, i otvorivši knjigu naðe mjesto gdje bješe napisano: 18Duh je Gospodnji na meni; zato me pomaza da javim jevanðelje siromasima; posla me da iscijelim skrušene u srcu; da propovjedim zarobljenima da æe se otpustiti, i slijepima da æe progledati; da otpustim sužnje; 19I da propovijedam prijatnu godinu Gospodnju. 20I zatvorivši knjigu dade sluzi, pa sjede: i svi u zbornici gledahu na nj. 21I poèe im govoriti: danas se izvrši ovo pismo u ušima vašima. 22I svi mu svjedoèahu, i divljahu se rijeèima blagodati koje izlažahu iz usta njegovijeh, i govorahu: nije li ovo sin Josifov?

Matthew 11.27-30 (Gospel, St Simeon)

27Sve je meni predao otac moj, i niko ne zna sina do otac; niti oca ko zna do sin i ako kome sin hoæe kazati. 28Hodite k meni svi koji ste umorni i natovareni, i ja æu vas odmoriti. 29Uzmite jaram moj na sebe, i nauèite se od mene; jer sam ja krotak i smjeran u srcu, i naæi æete pokoj dušama svojijem. 30Jer je jaram moj blag, i breme je moje lako.

The Beginning of the Church's Year

The First Ecumenical Council established that the Church’s year would begin on September 1st, continuing the practice of the Roman Empire at that time. For centuries, the beginning of the civil year coincided with the Church year, but later changed, first in western Europe, then in Russia in the time of Peter the Great.

Our Holy Father Symeon Stylites (459)

Born in Syria, he was a shepherd, but at the age of eighteen he left home and became a monk, practicing the strictest asceticism. At times he fasted for forty days. After a few years at a monastery he took up an ascetical discipline unique at that time: mounting a pillar, he stood on it night and day in prayer. Though he sought only seclusion and prayer, his holiness became famous, and thousands would make pilgrimage to receive a word from him or to touch his garments. Countless nomadic Arabs came to faith in Christ through the power of his example and prayers. To retreat further from the world, he used progressively taller pillars: his first pillar was about ten feet high, his final one about fifty. He was known also for the soundness of his counsel: he confirned the Orthodox doctrine at the Council of Chalcedon and persuaded the Empress Eudocia, who had been seduced by Monophysite beliefs, to return to the true Christian faith. After about forty years lived in asceticism, he reposed in peace at the age of sixty-nine.

He was at first suspected of taking up his way of life out of pride, but his monastic brethren confirmed his humility thus: They went to him as a group, and told him that the brotherhood had decided that he should come down from his pillar and rejoin them. Immediately he began to climb down from the pillar. Seeing his obedience and humility, they told him to remain with their blessing.

Righteous Joshua, Son of Nun

In the Septuagint he is called Jesus, the Greek form of Joshua. Of the Hebrews who fled Egypt in the Exodus, only he and Caleb were found worthy to enter the Promised Land. He was Moses’ chosen successor to lead the Hebrew people. Read his story in the Old Testament book that bears his name. He reposed at the age of 110, about 1500 years before Christ.

Saint Meletios the Younger (1095-1124)

He was born in Cappadocia around 1035. He became a monk in Constantinople, but after a few years he went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Rome, then settled at a small monastery near Thebes. Here Meletios became known for his piety: he wore one garment of woven horsehair and, as the Synaxarion says, ‘never let his eyelids slumber without having bathed the mat he lay on with his tears.’ After twenty-eight years of ascetical labors Meletius, seeking to escape his increasing renown, departed the monastery, eventually settling near the Monastery of the Bodiless Powers near Myoupolis in Greece. Here he thought that he would be able to pray in obscurity, but once again the fame of his virtues attracted a monastic community around him. By order of the Patriarch of Constantinople he was ordained to the priesthood and, much against his will, made abbot of the monastic colony. The Emperor Alexander Comnenus wished to give a large gift of money to the monastery, but the Saint, unwilling to store up wealth on earth, would only accept enough for the essential needs of his monks: ‘but’ (the Synaxarion says) ‘as a sign of gratitude, he protected the pious Emperor in all his campaigns from that time forth, by his prayer.’ After many years caring for the monastery, in which he revealed gifts of healing, insight and prophecy, Saint Meletios reposed in peace, aged about seventy years, sometime between 1095 and 1124.

Holy New Martyr Angelis (1680)

He was a goldsmith living in Constantinople. While he was celebrating the Dormition of the Theotokos with some friends in a nearby village, the party was joined by some Turkish neighbors. The Christians and Turks drank a great amount together, and at one point entertained themselves by exchanging headgear. The next day, when everyone had sobered up, a Turk asked Angelis why he was not wearing a Muslim turban, for wearing it once was a sign of conversion. (To our knowledge this is not Islamic law, but was a ploy to pressure the young Angelis into conversion.) The dismayed Angelis was brought before a judge and given the choice of converting to Islam or being put to torture and death. Though the young man had shown little seriousness about his faith before this, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly confessed Christ, willingly accepting a Martyr’s end. He was beheaded on Sunday, September 1, 1680.