Luke 24.1-12 (4th Matins Gospel)

1A u prvi dan nedjeljni doðoše vrlo rano na grob, i donesoše mirise što pripraviše, i neke druge žene s njima; 2Ali naðoše kamen odvaljen od groba. 3I ušavši ne naðoše tijela Gospoda Isusa. 4I kad se one èuðahu tome, gle, dva èovjeka staše pred njima u sjajnijem haljinama; 5A kad se one uplašiše i oboriše lica k zemlji, rekoše im: što tražite živoga meðu mrtvima? 6Nije ovdje; nego ustade; opomenite se kako vam kaza kad bješe još u Galileji, 7Govoreæi da sin èovjeèij treba da se preda u ruke ljudi grješnika i da se razapne i treæi dan da ustane. 8I opomenuše se rijeèi njegovijeh. 9I vrativši se od groba javiše sve ovo jedanaestorici i svima ostalijem. 10A to bijaše Magdalina Marija i Jovana i Marija Jakovljeva i ostale s njima koje kazaše ovo apostolima. 11I njima se uèiniše njihove rijeèi kao laž, i ne vjerovaše im. 12A Petar ustavši otrèa ka grobu, i natkuèivši se vidje same haljine gdje leže, i otide èudeæi se u sebi šta bi.

Galatians 2.16-20 (Epistle, Sunday after Elevation)

16Pa doznavši da se èovjek neæe opravdati djelima zakona, nego samo vjerom Isusa Hrista, i mi vjerovasmo Hrista Isusa da se opravdamo vjerom Hristovom, a ne djelima zakona: jer se djelima zakona nikakvo tijelo neæe opravdati. 17Ako li se mi koji tražimo da se opravdamo Hristom, naðosmo i sami grješnici, dakle je Hristos grijehu sluga? Bože saèuvaj! 18Jer ako opet zidam ono što razvalih, pokazujem se da sam prestupnik. 19Jer ja zakonom zakonu umrijeh da Bogu živim; s Hristom se razapeh. 20A ja više ne živim, nego živi u meni Hristos. A što sad živim u tijelu, živim vjerom sina Božijega, kojemu omiljeh, i predade sebe za mene.

2 Corinthians 4.6-15 (Epistle)

6Jer Bog koji reèe da iz tame zasvijetli vidjelo, zasvijetli u srcima našima na svjetlost poznanja slave Božije u licu Isusa Hrista. 7Ali ovo blago imamo u zemljanijem sudovima, da premnoštvo sile bude od Boga a ne od nas. 8U svemu imamo nevolje, ali nam se ne dosaðuje; zbunjeni smo, ali ne gubimo nada; 9Progone nas, ali nijesmo ostavljeni; obaljuju nas, ali ne ginemo. 10I jednako nosimo na tijelu smrt Gospoda Isusa, da se i život Isusov na tijelu našemu pokaže. 11Jer mi živi jednako se predajemo na smrt za Isusa, da se i život Isusov javi na smrtnome tijelu našemu. 12Zato dakle smrt vlada u nama, a život u vama. 13Imajuæi pak onaj isti duh vjere kao što je napisano: vjerovah, zato govorih; mi vjerujemo, zato i govorimo. 14Znajuæi da æe onaj koji podiže Isusa, i nas podignuti s Isusom, i postaviti s vama. 15Jer je sve vas radi, da blagodat umnožena izobiluje hvalama na slavu Božiju.

Mark 8.34-9.1 (Gospel, Sunday after Elevation)

34I dozvavši narod s uèenicima svojima reèe im: ko hoæe za mnom da ide neka se odreèe sebe i uzme krst svoj, i za mnom ide. 35Jer ko hoæe dušu svoju da saèuva, izgubiæe je; a ko izgubi dušu svoju mene radi i jevanðelja onaj æe je saèuvati. 36Jer kakva je korist èovjeku ako zadobije sav svijet a duši svojoj naudi? 37Ili kakav æe otkup dati èovjek za dušu svoju? 38Jer ko se postidi mene i mojijeh rijeèi u rodu ovome preljubotvornome i grješnom, i sin æe se èovjeèij postidjeti njega kad doðe u slavi oca svojega s anðelima svetima.

1I reèe im: zaista vam kažem: imaju neki meðu ovima što stoje ovdje koji neæe okusiti smrti dok ne vide carstvo Božije da doðe u sili.

Matthew 22.35-46 (Gospel)

35I upita jedan od njih zakonik kušajuæi ga i govoreæi: 36Uèitelju! koja je zapovijest najveæa u zakonu? 37A Isus reèe mu: ljubi Gospoda Boga svojega svijem srcem svojijem, i svom dušom svojom, i svom misli svojom. 38Ovo je prva i najveæa zapovijest. 39A druga je kao i ova: ljubi bližnjega svojega kao samoga sebe. 40O ovima dvjema zapovijestima visi sav zakon i proroci. 41A kad se sabraše fariseji, upita ih Isus 42Govoreæi: šta mislite za Hrista, èij je sin? Rekoše mu: Davidov. 43Reèe im: kako dakle David njega duhom naziva Gospodom govoreæi: 44Reèe Gospod Gospodu mojemu: sjedi meni s desne strane, dok položim neprijatelje tvoje podnožje nogama tvojima? 45Kad dakle David naziva njega Gospodom, kako mu je sin? 46I niko mu ne mogaše odgovoriti rijeèi; niti smijaše ko od toga dana da ga zapita više.

Great Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) Placidas, with his family (118)

Before baptism he was a renowned military commander under Trajan. While hunting in the woods, he met a great stag with a shining Cross between his antlers. Through the stag, the Lord spoke to Placidas (his pagan name) and told him to find a priest and be baptized into Christ. Returning home, he found that his wife Tatiana had also had a vision in which she was told to become a Christian. They were baptized, Placidas receiving the name Eustathius, and Tatiana the name Theopiste; their two sons were baptized with them. Eustathius and his family were almost immediately subjected to a series of grievous trials, in which all were separated from one another. After years of hardship they were re-united, and returned to Rome with honor when the Emperor sought out Eustathius to command his army once again. But when the Emperor Hadrian (who had succeeded Trajan) commanded them to worship the idols, all of them refused. They were put together into a large bronze ox which was heated white-hot in a fire. When their bodies were removed, they were found to be dead but intact. The Prologue concludes, ‘Thus this glorious general gave to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s, and entered into the eternal Kingdom of Christ our God.’

Holy Martyrs Hypatius and Andrew, Confessors of the Holy Icons (8th c.)

They were friends from childhood, fellow-strugglers for holiness. Their godly way of life attracted the attention of the Bishop of Ephesus, who made Hypatius a bishop and Andrew a deacon and itinerant preacher. During the reign of Leo the Isaurian (714-41) they were both imprisoned for confessing the Orthodox faith and defending the veneration of the holy icons. They were subjected to various tortures, including having icons set afire on their heads in mockery of their faithfulness. They were executed near Constantinople and their bodies thrown to the dogs.

Sts Anastasius, Theodore, Euprepius and Anastasius the Younger, confessors and disciples of St Maximos the Confessor (7th c.)

These saints were disciples of St Maximos the Confessor (January 21) and suffered with him for their condemnation of the Monothelite doctrine promoted by the Emperor Constans II. Anastasius the elder (who had been the Papal representative to Constantinople) and Anastasius the younger were present at the Lateran Council called by St Martin, Pope of Rome (April 13), which condemned the Monothelite heresy. For this the Pope himself, and the two confessors named Anastasius, were seized by the Emperor. Along with St Maximos, the two endured many tortures; when St Maximos had his right hand cut off and his tongue cut out, Anastasius the elder suffered the same punishment. They, along with their fellow-disciples Euprepius and Theodore and St Maximos himself, were sent into exile to Lazica in the Caucasus, where all of them died. Euprepius died after one year; Saint Maximos after three years; Anastasius the younger a few days before St Maximos; Anastasius the elder after seven years of exile; and Theodore after twenty years. All remained steadfast until the end, and all are proclaimed as Confessors of the Faith.