Acts 5.1-11 (Epistle)

1A jedan èovjek, po imenu Ananija, sa ženom svojom Sapfirom prodade njivu, 2I sakri od novaca sa znanjem i žene svoje, i donesavši jedan dijel metnu apostolima pred noge. 3A Petar reèe: Ananija! zašto napuni sotona srce tvoje da slažeš Duhu svetome i sakriješ od novaca što uze za njivu? 4Kad je bila u tebe ne bješe li tvoja? I kad je prodade ne bješe li u tvojoj vlasti? Zašto si dakle takovu stvar metnuo u srce svoje? Ljudima nijesi slagao nego Bogu. 5A kad èu Ananija rijeèi ove, pade i izdahnu; i uðe veliki strah u sve koji slušahu ovo. 6A momci ušavši uzeše ga i iznesoše te zakopaše. 7A kad proðe oko tri sahata, uðe i žena njegova ne znajuæi šta je bilo. 8A Petar joj odgovori: kaži mi jeste li za toliko dali njivu? A ona reèe: da, za toliko. 9A Petar joj reèe: zašto se dogovoriste da iskušate Duha Gospodnjega? Gle, noge onijeh koji tvoga muža zakopaše pred vratima su, i iznijeæe te. 10I odmah padnu pred nogama njegovijem i izdahnu. A momci ušavši naðoše je mrtvu i iznesoše je i zakopaše kod muža njezina. 11I uðe veliki strah u svu crkvu i u sve koji èuše ovo.

John 5.30-6.2 (Gospel)

30Ja ne mogu ništa èiniti sam od sebe; kako èujem onako sudim, i sud je moj pravedan; jer ne tražim volje svoje nego volju oca koji me je poslao. 31Ako ja svjedoèim za sebe, svjedoèanstvo moje nije istinito. 32Ima drugi koji svjedoèi za mene; i znam da je istinito svjedoèanstvo što svjedoèi za mene. 33Vi poslaste k Jovanu, i posvjedoèi vam za istinu; 34A ja ne primam svjedoèanstva od èovjeka, nego ovo govorim da se vi spasete. 35On bješe vidjelo koje goraše i svijetljaše, a vi se htjeste malo vremena radovati njegovu svijetljenju. 36Ali ja imam svjedoèanstvo veæe od Jovanova; jer poslovi koje mi dade otac da ih svršim, ovi poslovi koje ja radim svjedoèe za mene da me otac posla. 37I otac koji me posla sam svjedoèi za mene. Ni glasa njegova kad èuste ni lica njegova vidjeste. 38I rijeèi njegove nemate u sebi da stoji; jer vi ne vjerujete onome koga on posla. 39Pregledajte pisma, jer vi mislite da imate u njima život vjeèni; i ona svjedoèe za mene. 40I neæete da doðete k meni da imate život. 41Ja ne primam slave od ljudi. 42Nego vas poznajem da ljubavi Božije nemate u sebi. 43Ja doðoh u ime oca svojega i ne primate me; ako drugi doðe u ime svoje, njega æete primiti. 44Kako vi možete vjerovati kad primate slavu jedan od drugoga, a slave koja je od jedinoga Boga ne tražite? 45Ne mislite da æu vas tužiti ocu; ima koji vas tuži, Mojsije, u koga se vi uzdate. 46Jer da ste vjerovali Mojsiju tako biste vjerovali i meni; jer on pisa za mene. 47A kad njegovijem pismima ne vjerujete kako æete vjerovati mojijem rijeèima?

1Potom otide Isus preko mora Galilejskoga kod Tiverijade. 2I za njim iðaše mnoštvo naroda, jer viðahu èudesa njegova koja èinjaše na bolesnicima.

Holy Prophet Jeremiah (583 BC)

He is the author of the Old Testament book that bears his name and of the Book of Lamentations; and Baruch, his scribe and disciple, composed the Old Testament book that bears his own name. Jeremiah was the son of Helkiah, of the tribe of Levi, from the city of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. He prophesied for thirty years, from 613 to 583 BC. When the Hebrew people were taken into captivity in the reigh of Zedekiah, the Prophet remained behind and mourned the downfall of the Jerusalem: this is the origin of the book of Lamentations. The Jews who remained fled into Egypt, forcibly taking Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch with them. In Egypt, his prophecies continued to disturb his own people, who stoned him to death by in 583.

His name means “The Lord is exalted.” He is ranked second among the great Prophets, after Isaiah.

The holy Prophets and Forefathers, who lived before Christ’s coming in the flesh are counted as Saints of the Church because they foresaw His coming, spoke of it in their prophecies, looked forward to it with Joy, and greeted Jesus as their Savior when he descended into Hades before his Resurrection.

Saint Tamara (Tamar), Queen of Georgia (1212)

‘Saint Tamara was the only child of King George III. Upon his death in 1184, she became Queen at the age of twenty-four. Despite her youth, she ruled the country with such wisdom and godliness — leading it to unprecedented military triumphs over the neighboring Moslem countries in defence of her kingdom, fostering arts and letters, and zealously strengthening Orthodoxy — that her reign is known as the Golden Age of Georgia. After her coronation, she convoked a local council to correct disorders in church life. When the bishops had assembled from all parts of her kingdom, she, like Saint Constantine at the First Ecumenical Council, honoured them as if she were a commoner, and they Angels of God; exhorting them to establish righteousness and redress abuses, she said in her humility, “Do away with every wickedness, beginning with me, for the prerogative of the throne is in no wise that of making war against God.” Saint Tamara called herself “the father of orphans and the judge of widows,” and her contemporaries called her “King” instead of “Queen.” She herself led her army against the Moslems and fearlessly defeated them; because of the reverence that even the enemies of Georgia had for her, entire mountain tribes renounced Islam and were baptized. She built countless churches and monasteries throughout her kingdom, and was a benefactress also to the Holy Land, Mount Athos, and holy places in Greece and Cyprus. She has always been much beloved by her people, who have memorialized her meekness, wisdom, piety, obedience, and peace-loving nature in innumerable legends, ballads, and songs; the poem written in her honor by Shota Rustaveli, “The Knight of the Panther Skin,” is the masterpiece of Georgian literature. The great Queen Tamara departed the earthly kingdom for the heavenly in the year 1212.’ (Great Horologion)

Synaxis of the Three New Righteous Martyrs of the Holy Mountain, Euthymius, Ignatius, and Acacius (1814-1815)

All three were monks on Mt Athos. All three had renounced Christ in their youth and embraced Islam, but had repented and pursued the Christian life with fervor. All three, at different times, returned to Constantinople and declared themselves Christians, dooming themselves to death under Islamic law. Acacius’s poor and pious mother told him, ‘As you voluntarily denied the Lord, so you must now voluntarily and courageously receive martyrdom for our sweet Jesus.’ All three were beheaded in Constantinople. The holy relics of all three are kept at the Skete of the Venerable Forerunner on the Holy Mountain, where they had been monks.