Luke 24.12-35 (5th Matins Gospel)

12A Petar ustavši otrèa ka grobu, i natkuèivši se vidje same haljine gdje leže, i otide èudeæi se u sebi šta bi. 13I gle, dvojica od njih iðahu u onaj dan u selo koje bijaše daleko od Jerusalima šeset potrkališta i zvaše se Emaus. 14A oni govorahu meðu sobom o svima ovijem dogaðajima. 15I kad se oni razgovarahu i zapitivahu jedan drugoga, i Isus približi se, i iðaše s njima. 16A oèi im se držahu da ga ne poznaše. 17A on im reèe: kakav je to razgovor koji imate meðu sobom iduæi, i što ste neveseli? 18A jedan po imenu Kleopa, odgovarajuæi reèe mu: zar si ti jedan od crkvara u Jerusalimu koji nijesi èuo šta je u njemu bilo ovijeh dana? 19I reèe im: šta? A oni mu rekoše: za Isusa Nazareæanina, koji bješe prorok, silan u djelu i u rijeèi pred Bogom i pred svijem narodom; 20Kako ga predadoše glavari sveštenièki i knezovi naši te se osudi na smrt, i razapeše ga? 21A mi se nadasmo da je on onaj koji æe izbaviti Izrailja; ali svrh svega toga ovo je danas treæi dan kako to bi. 22A uplašiše nas i žene neke od našijeh koje su bile rano na grobu, 23I ne našavši tijela njegova doðoše govoreæi da su im se anðeli javili koji su kazali da je on živ. 24I idoše jedni od našijeh na grob, i naðoše tako kao što i žene kazaše, ali njega ne vidješe. 25I on im reèe: o bezumni i sporoga srca za vjerovanje svega što govoriše proroci! 26Nije li to trebalo da Hristos pretrpi i da uðe u slavu svoju? 27I poèevši od Mojsija i od sviju proroka kazivaše im što je za njega u svemu pismu. 28I približiše se k selu u koje iðahu, i on èinjaše se da hoæe dalje da ide. 29I oni ga ustavljahu govoreæi: ostani s nama, jer je dan nagao, i blizu je noæ. I uðe s njima da noæi. 30I kad sjeðaše s njima za trpezom, uze hljeb i blagoslovivši prelomi ga i dade im. 31Tada se njima otvoriše oèi i poznaše ga. I njega nestade. 32I oni govorahu jedan drugome: ne goraše li naše srce u nama kad nam govoraše putem i kad nam kazivaše pismo? 33I ustavši onaj èas, vratiše se u Jerusalim, i naðoše u skupu jedanaestoricu i koji bijahu s njima, 34Koji govorahu: zaista ustade Gospod, i javi se Simonu. 35I oni kazaše što bi na putu, i kako ga poznaše kad prelomi hljeb.

2 Timothy 3.10-15 (Epistle)

10A ti si se ugledao na moju nauku, življenje, namjeru, vjeru, snošenje, ljubav, trpljenje, 11Protjerivanja, stradanja, kakova mi se dogodiše u Antiohiji, i u Ikoniji, i u Listri, kakova protjerivanja podnesoh, i od sviju me izbavi Gospod. 12A i svi koji pobožno hoæe da žive u Hristu Isusu, biæe gonjeni. 13A zli ljudi i varalice napredovaæe na gore, varajuæi i varajuæi se. 14Ali ti stoj u tome što si nauèio i što ti je povjereno, znajuæi od koga si se nauèio, 15I buduæi da iz malena umiješ sveta pisma, koja te mogu umudriti na spasenije u Hrista Isusa.

Luke 18.10-14 (Gospel)

10Dva èovjeka uðoše u crkvu da se mole Bogu, jedan farisej a drugi carinik. 11Farisej stade i moljaše se u sebi ovako: Bože! hvalim te što ja nijesam kao ostali ljudi: hajduci, nepravednici, preljuboèinci, ili kao ovaj carinik. 12Postim dvaput u nedjelji; dajem desetak od svega što imam. 13A carinik izdaleka stajaše, i ne šæaše ni oèiju podignuti na nebo, nego bijaše prsi svoje govoreæi: Bože! milostiv budi meni grješnome. 14Kažem vam da ovaj otide opravdan kuæi svojoj, a ne onaj. Jer svaki koji se sam podiže poniziæe se; a koji se sam ponižuje podignuæe se.

Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates ("the General") of Heraclea (319)

He was a renowned commander in the Imperial army, and dwelt in Heraclea of Pontus. The Emperor Licinius heard of Theodore’s fame as an officer, and also that he was a devout Christian; the Emperor determined to visit the general, officially to honor him, but secretly to turn him from Christ.

When the Emperor came to Heraclea, Saint Theodore met him with all honor, and the Emperor in turn praised him for his service to the state. Licinius then publicly bade Theodore make sacrifice to the gods. Theodore asked that he be given the most venerable gods, made of gold and silver, to attend upon at home, and promised that the following day he would return and honor them before the people. The Emperor, thinking that he had succeeded in restoring Theodore to paganism, gladly agreed.

That night the Saint smashed all the idols he had taken home, and distributed the gold and silver pieces to the poor. When this was discovered, Theodore gladly admitted his deed and confessed Christ boldly. The Emperor, in a fury, had the Saint subjected to many tortures, then crucified. On the cross, he was subject to further torments and mutilations: parts of his body were cut off, his eyes put out, and he was shot with arrows, finally being left on the cross for dead. The next day Licinius sent men to cast his body into the sea, but to their amazement they found the Saint alive, his body perfectly intact. Through this, many spectators and some of the Emperor’s own men turned to Christ. Seeing that the Saint, far from renouncing Christ, was leading others to Him, the Emperor promptly had him beheaded. His holy relics were returned to his family home in Euchaita, where they worked so many miracles that the town came to be known as Theodoropolis.

Holy Prophet Zechariah (6th c. BC)

He was among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, following the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC. With the Prophet Haggai (December 16) he began to prophesy in Jerusalem in 520, to encourage the Jews to return to their task of rebuilding the Temple, which they had given up in discouragement. His prophetic ministry is described both in the Book of Ezra and in the Old Testament book that bears his name. His prophecies, in addition to speaking to the situation in which he lived, are replete with prophecies of the coming, and second coming, of Christ. His name means “The Lord is renowned.” Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History reports that under the Emperor Honorius, Zacharias’ holy relics were discovered by divine revelation in Palestine, and were found to be incorrupt.

St Sabbas II, Archbishop of Serbia (1271)

He was the son of St Stephen the First- Crowned King of Serbia (September 24), and the nephew of St Sabbas (Sava) (January 14), the first Archbishop of Serbia. Like his uncle, he became a monk at the monastery of Chilandar on Mt Athos, where he zealously lived the ascetical life until he was elected Bishop of Zachounios, then Archbishop of Serbia. He fell asleep in peace in 1271, having shepherded his flock with love and wisdom. His holy relics are in the monastery of Pech.