Isaiah 37.33-38.6 (6th Hour)

33De aceea aşa vorbeşte Domnul despre împăratul Asiriei: „El nu va intra în cetatea aceasta, nu va arunca săgeţi în ea, nu-i va sta înainte cu scuturi şi nu va ridica întărituri de şanţuri împotriva ei. 34Ci se va întoarce pe drumul pe care a venit şi nu va intra în cetatea aceasta, zice Domnul, 35căci Eu voi ocroti cetatea aceasta ca s-o scap, din pricina Mea şi din pricina robului Meu David!” 36Îngerul Domnului a ieşit şi a ucis în tabăra asirienilor o sută optzeci şi cinci de mii de oameni. Şi, când s-au sculat dimineaţa, iată că toţi aceştia erau nişte trupuri moarte. 37Atunci Sanherib, împăratul Asiriei, şi-a ridicat tabăra, a plecat şi s-a întors; şi a rămas la Ninive.

38Şi, pe când stătea cu faţa la pământ rugându-se în casa lui Nisroc, dumnezeul său, fiii săi, Adramalec şi Şareţer, l-au lovit cu sabia şi au fugit în ţara Ararat. Şi, în locul lui, a domnit fiul său Esar-Hadon. 1În vremea aceea, Ezechia a fost bolnav pe moarte. Prorocul Isaia, fiul lui Amoţ, a venit la el şi i-a zis: „Aşa vorbeşte Domnul: „Pune-ţi în rânduială casa, căci vei muri, şi nu vei mai trăi.” 2Ezechia s-a întors cu faţa la perete şi a făcut Domnului următoarea rugăciune: 3„Doamne, adu-Ţi aminte că am umblat înaintea Ta cu credincioşie şi inimă curată şi am făcut ce este bine înaintea Ta!” Şi Ezechia a vărsat multe lacrimi. 4Atunci cuvântul Domnului a vorbit lui Isaia astfel: 5„Du-te şi spune lui Ezechia: „Aşa vorbeşte Domnul Dumnezeul tatălui tău David: „Am auzit rugăciunea ta şi am văzut lacrimile tale. Iată că voi mai adăuga încă cincisprezece ani la zilele vieţii tale. 6Te voi izbăvi, pe tine şi cetatea aceasta, din mâna împăratului Asiriei; voi ocroti cetatea aceasta.”

Genesis 13.12-18 (Vespers)

12Avram a locuit în ţara Canaan, iar Lot a locuit în cetăţile din câmpie şi şi-a întins corturile până la Sodoma. 13Oamenii din Sodoma erau răi şi afară din cale de păcătoşi împotriva Domnului. 14Domnul a zis lui Avram, după ce s-a despărţit Lot de el: „Ridică-ţi ochii şi, din locul în care eşti, priveşte spre miazănoapte şi spre miazăzi, spre răsărit şi spre apus; 15căci toată ţara pe care o vezi, ţi-o voi da ţie şi seminţei tale în veac. 16Îţi voi face sămânţa ca pulberea pământului de mare; aşa că, dacă poate număra cineva pulberea pământului, şi sămânţa ta va putea să fie numărată. 17Scoală-te, străbate ţara în lung şi în lat; căci ţie ţi-o voi da.”

18Avram şi-a ridicat corturile şi a venit de a locuit lângă stejarii lui Mamre, care sunt lângă Hebron. Şi acolo a zidit un altar Domnului.

Proverbs 14.27-15.4 (Vespers)

27Frica de Domnul este un izvor de viaţă, ea ne fereşte de cursele morţii. – 28Mulţimea poporului este slava împăratului, lipsa poporului este pieirea voievodului. – 29Cine este încet la mânie are multă pricepere, dar cine se aprinde iute, face multe prostii. – 30O inimă liniştită este viaţa trupului, dar pizma este putrezirea oaselor. – 31Cine asupreşte pe sărac, batjocoreşte pe Ziditorul său, dar cine are milă de cel lipsit, cinsteşte pe Ziditorul său. – 32Cel rău este doborât de răutatea lui, dar cel neprihănit chiar şi la moarte trage nădejde. – 33Înţelepciunea se odihneşte într-o inimă pricepută, dar în mijlocul celor nesocotiţi ea se dă de gol. – 34Neprihănirea înalţă pe un popor, dar păcatul este ruşinea popoarelor. –

35Un împărat are plăcere de un slujitor chibzuit, dar pe cel de ocară îl atinge mânia lui. 1Un răspuns blând potoleşte mânia, dar o vorbă aspră aţâţă mânia. 2Limba înţelepţilor dă ştiinţă plăcută, dar gura nesocotiţilor împroaşcă nebunie. – 3Ochii Domnului sunt în orice loc, ei văd pe cei răi şi pe cei buni. – 4Limba dulce este un pom de viaţă, dar limba stricată zdrobeşte sufletul. –

Composite 2 - Proverbs 10, 3, 8 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1The memory of a just man is praised, and the Lord’s blessing is upon his head. Blessed is one who has found wisdom; a mortal who knows understanding. To import her is better than treasures of gold and silver. She is more valuable than precious stones; nothing of value equals her worth. Justice proceeds from her mouth; she bears law and mercy on her tongue. Therefore, my children, listen to me, for I speak weighty things. And blessed is the one who keeps my ways. For my goings out are the goings out of life, and favour is prepared from the Lord. Therefore I exhort you, and utter my voice to the children of humankind. Because I, Wisdom, have prepared counsel, knowledge and understanding. I have called on them. Counsel and sureness are mine; prudence is mine, strength is mine. I love those who are my friends, while those who seek me will find grace. You innocent, then, understand cunning; you untaught, take it to heart. Listen to me, for I will speak weighty things, and I will open right things from my lips. Because my throat will meditate truth; lying lips are abominable before me. All the words of my mouth are with justice, there is nothing crooked in them nor twisted. They are all straight for those who understand, and right for those who find knowledge. For I teach you what is true, that your hope may be in the Lord and that you may be filled with spirit.

Composite 3 - Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1A just man if he comes to his end will be at rest. A just man who dies will condemn the ungodly who are alive; for they will see the end of a just man and will not understand what they counselled concerning him. For the Lord will break the ungodly, render them voiceless and cast them headlong, and he will shake them from the foundations and they will be utterly worsted in sorrow, and their memory shall perish. They shall come with fear at the accounting of their sins, and their iniquities will convict them to their face. Then the just will stand with much boldness in the face of those who afflicted him and made his toils of no account. When they see this they will be troubled with great fear and will be amazed at the wonder of his salvation. For they will say as they repent and with anguish they will groan and say: Is this he whom we fools once made a laughing stock and a byword of reproach? We reckoned his life folly and his end dishonour. How has he been numbered among the children of God and his lot with the Saints? Therefore we have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousness has not shone on us and the sun has not dawned on us. We have been filled with paths of lawlessness and destruction and journeyed through trackless paths, but have not known the way of the Lord.

Composite 4 - Proverbs 10; Wisdom of Solomon 6, 7, 8, 9 (Vespers, St Innocent)

1The mouth of a just man distils wisdom; the lips of men know graces. The mouth of the wise meditates wisdom; justice delivers them from death. When a just man dies hope is not lost; for a just son is born for life, and among his good things he will pluck the fruit of justice. There is light at all times for the just, and they will find grace and glory from the Lord. The tongue of the wise knows what is good, and wisdom will take its rest in their hearts. The Lord loves holy hearts; while all who are blameless in the way are acceptable to him. The wisdom of the Lord will enlighten the face of the understanding; for she anticipates those who desire her before they know it, and is easily contemplated by those who love her. One who rises for her at dawn will not toil, and one who keeps vigil because of her will be without care. For she goes about seeking those who are worthy of her, and shows herself favourably to those on her paths. Wickedness will never prevail against wisdom. Because of this I too became a lover of her beauty and became her friend, and I sought her out from my youth, and I sought to take her as my bride, because the Master of all things loved her, for she is an initiate of the knowledge of God and one who chooses his works. Her toils are virtues; she herself teaches sobriety and prudence; justice and courage, than which things nothing is more useful in human life. If anyone longs for much experience, she knows how to compare things of old and those that are to come. She knows the twists of words and the explanations of riddles. She foresees signs and wonders and the outcomes of seasons and times. And to all she is a good counsellor. Because immortality is in her, and fame in the fellowship of her words. Therefore I appealed to the Lord and besought him and said from my whole heart, ‘God of my Fathers and Lord of mercy, who made all things by your Word, and established humanity by your Wisdom to be sovereign over the creatures that had come into being by you, and to order the world in holiness and justice, give me Wisdom who sits by your throne, and do not reject me from among your children, for I am your servant and the son of your maid servant. Send her out from your holy dwelling and from the throne of your glory, that she may be present with me and teach me what is well pleasing before you. And she will guide me with knowledge and guard me with her glory. For all the thoughts of mortals are wretched and their ideas are unstable.’

St John Klimakos (John of the Ladder) of Sinai (649)

He is best known as the author of the Ladder of Divine Ascent, a treasury of spiritual wisdom which is read in its entirety in monasteries during every Lenten season. He is also commemorated on the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent.

Nothing is known of his life before he entered the monastery at Mount Sinai (now St Katherine’s Monastery) at the age of sixteen; he remained there until his death at the age of eighty. After he first arrived, he spent nineteen years in strict obedience to his spiritual father, Martyrios. When Martyrios died, John retired to a nearby cave, where he lived in the strictest asceticism for twenty years. (It was during these years that he wrote the Ladder.) He reluctantly returned to the monastery when he was made abbot by the brethren, and spent the rest of his days guiding his spiritual children in the way of salvation.

Once he heard a monk criticize him for speaking too much; rather than reproach the monk, he himself kept silence for a full year, never uttering a word until the brethren begged him to speak again. At another time a large company of pilgrims came to Mt Sinai. At supper they all saw a young man, dressed as a Jew, serving at table and giving orders to the other servants, then suddenly disappearing. When they wondered among themselves what this could mean, John said ‘Do not try to look for him; that was the prophet Moses serving you in his own home.’

When the holy abbot knew that his death was approaching, he appointed his own brother, George, as his successor. George grieved the approaching death of his beloved brother, but St John told him that, if he was found worthy to stand close to God after his death, he would pray that George be taken up to heaven in the same year. So it happened: ten months after St John’s death, George reposed in the Lord.

Commemoration of an Uncondemning Monk

“This monk died joyfully because he had never in his life condemned anyone. He was lazy, careless, disinclined to prayer, but throughout his entire life he had never judged anyone. And when he lay dying, he was full of joy. The brethren asked him how he could die so joyfully with all his sins, and he replied: ‘I have just seen the angels, and they showed me a page with all my many sins. I said to them: “The Lord said: ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ I have never judged anyone and I hope in the mercy of God, that He will not judge me.” And the angels tore up the sheet of paper.’ Hearing this, the monks wondered at it and learned from it.” (From the Prologue)