James 2.1-13 (Epistle)

1Braæo moja! u vjeri Gospoda našega slavnoga Isusa Hrista ne gledajte ko je ko; 2Jer ako doðe u crkvu vašu èovjek sa zlatnijem prstenom i u svijetloj haljini, a doðe i siromah u rðavoj haljini, 3I pogledate na onoga u svijetloj haljini, i reèete mu: ti sjedi ovdje lijepo, a siromahu reèete: ti stani tamo, ili sjedi ovdje niže podnožja mojega; 4I ne rasudiste u sebi, nego biste sudije zlijeh pomisli. 5Èujte, ljubazna braæo moja, ne izabra li Bog siromahe ovoga svijeta da budu bogati vjerom, i našljednici carstva koje obreèe onima koji njega ljube? 6A vi osramotiste siromaha. Nijesu li to bogati koji vas muèe i vuku vas na sudove? 7Ne hule li oni na dobro ime vaše kojijem ste se nazvali? 8Ako dakle zakon carski izvršujete po pismu: ljubi bližnjega kao samoga sebe, dobro èinite; 9Ako li gledate ko je ko, grijeh èinite, i biæete pokarani od zakona kao prestupnici; 10Jer koji sav zakon održi a sagriješi u jednome, kriv je za sve. 11Jer onaj koji je rekao: ne èini preljube, rekao je i: ne ubij. Ako dakle ne uèiniš preljube a ubiješ, postao si prestupnik zakona. 12Tako govorite i tako tvorite kao oni koji æe zakonom slobode biti suðeni; 13Jer æe onome biti sud bez milosti koji ne èini milosti; i hvali se milost na sudu.

Mark 10.23-32 (Gospel)

23I pogledavši Isus reèe uèenicima svojima: kako je teško bogatima uæi u carstvo nebesko! 24A uèenici se uplašiše od rijeèi njegovijeh. A Isus opet odgovarajuæi reèe im: djeco! kako je teško onima koji se uzdaju u svoje bogatstvo uæi u carstvo Božije! 25Lakše je kamili proæi kroz iglene uši negoli bogatome uæi u carstvo Božije. 26A oni se vrlo divljahu govoreæi u sebi: ko se dakle može spasti? 27A Isus pogledavši na njih reèe: ljudima je nemoguæe, ali nije Bogu: jer je sve moguæe Bogu. 28A Petar mu poèe govoriti: eto mi smo ostavili sve, i za tobom idemo. 29A Isus odgovarajuæi reèe: zaista vam kažem: nema nikoga koji je ostavio kuæu, ili braæu, ili sestre, ili oca, ili mater, ili ženu, ili djecu, ili zemlju, mene radi i jevanðelja radi, 30A da neæe primiti sad u ovo vrijeme sto puta onoliko kuæa, i braæe, i sestara, i otaca, i matera, i djece, i zemlje, u progonjenju, a na onome svijetu život vjeèni. 31Ali æe mnogi prvi biti pošljednji, i pošljednji prvi. 32A kad iðahu putem u Jerusalim, Isus iðaše pred njima, a oni se èuðahu, i za njim iðahu sa strahom. I uzevši opet dvanaestoricu poèe im kazivati šta æe biti od njega:

Hieromartyr Clement of Ancyra, and Martyr Agathangelus (296)

He was from Ancyra in Galatia, son of a pagan father and a Christian mother named Euphrosyne. His mother prophesied on her deathbed that he would suffer great torments for Christ over many years. After her death he was adopted and reared by a pious woman named Sophia. From the age of twelve, he began to fast and pray like the monks, so that he was soon ordained a deacon, and became Bishop of Ancyra at the age of twenty. His piety and zeal for the faith attracted the attention of the Imperial Governor of the region, who had him arrested. Thus began Clement’s twenty-eight years of almost continuous suffering for the Faith. When he stood firm despite many tortures, he was sent to the Emperor Diocletian in Rome. The Emperor showed him a table set with costly vessels on one side, and another decked with instruments of torture on the other, and bade Clement to make his choice. The Saint replied: “These precious vessels remind how much more glorious must be the eternal good things of Paradise; and these instruments of torture remind me of the everlasting punishments of hell that await those who deny the Lord.”

The Saint was viciously tortured, then transported to Nicomedia, where a converted pagan named Agathangelus (‘good angel’) became his companion. For many years they endured unspeakable torments alternating with long imprisonments, but nothing would move them to deny the precious Faith of Christ. After twenty-eight years of suffering, Agathangelus was beheaded; but Clement was briefly paroled and allowed to celebrate the services of Theophany and to give the holy Communion to his fellow-Christians. A few days later, as he was again celebrating the Divine Liturgy, some pagan soldiers burst into the church and beheaded him at the altar.