Romans 9.6-19 (Epistle)

6A nije moguæe da rijeè Božija proðe: jer nijesu svi Izrailjci koji su od Izrailja; 7Niti su svi djeca koji su sjeme Avraamovo, nego u Isaku, reèe, nazvaæe ti se sjeme. 8To jest, nijesu ono djeca Božija što su po tijelu djeca, nego djeca obeæanja primaju se za sjeme. 9Jer je ovo rijeè obeæanja: u ovo vrijeme doæi æu i u Sare æe biti sin. 10Ne samo pak ona nego i Reveka, kad zatrudnje od samoga Isaka oca našega. 11Jer još dok se djeca ne bijahu rodila, ni uèinila dobra ni zla, da ostane Božija naredba po izboru, 12Ne za djela, nego onoga radi koji poziva reèe joj se: veæi æe služiti manjemu, 13Kao što stoji napisano: Jakov mi omilje, a na Isava omrzoh. 14Šta æemo dakle na to reæi? Eda li je nepravda u Boga? Bože saèuvaj! 15Jer Mojsiju govori: koga æu pomilovati, pomilovaæu, i na koga æu se smilovati, smilovaæu se. 16Tako dakle niti stoji do onoga koji hoæe, ni do onoga koji trèi, nego do Boga koji pomiluje. 17Jer pismo govori Faraonu: za to te isto podigoh da na tebi pokažem silu svoju, i da se razglasi ime moje po svoj zemlji. 18Tako dakle koga hoæe miluje, a koga hoæe otvrdoglavi. 19Reæi æeš mi: zašto nas još krivi? jer ko se može suprotiti volji njegovoj?

Matthew 10.32-36, 11.1 (Gospel)

32A koji god prizna mene pred ljudima, priznaæu i ja njega pred ocem svojijem koji je na nebesima. 33A ko se odreèe mene pred ljudima, odreæi æu se i ja njega pred ocem svojijem koji je na nebesima. 34Ne mislite da sam ja došao da donesem mir na zemlju; nijesam došao da donesem mir nego maè. 35Jer sam došao da rastavim èovjeka od oca njegova i kæer od matere njezine i snahu od svekrve njezine: 36I neprijatelji èovjeku postaæe domašnji njegovi.

1I kad svrši Isus zapovijesti dvanaestorici uèenika svojijeh, otide odande dalje da uèi i da propovijeda po gradovima njihovijem.

St David of Thessalonica (540)

For years he lived the ascetic life in a crude tree- house he had fashioned in the branches of an almond tree. Then he moved to Thessaly, where he continued his life of fasting, prayer and vigil, cleansing his soul and being made worthy to perform many miracles. Once, when the Emperor Justinian visited him, he took a live coal in his bare hand and censed the Emperor. The Emperor, seeing this, bowed to the ground before David. He reposed in peace.

Feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. Feast of the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God

This icon was once kept in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In 1383, it suddenly appeared in the sky over Lake Ladoga, then travelled through the air to the city of Tikhvin, where it alit by the River Tikhvina. A monastery was built there to house it. In the twentieth century it was brought to America. Innumerable miracles have been worked through this wonderworking icon, especially healings of children.

On this day is also commemorated the Hodigritia Icon of the Mother of God. According to many accounts, this icon and the Tikhvin Icon are one and the same, so we list them together. Hodigritia is translated “Directress” or more literally “She who shows the way.” It was painted by Luke the Evangelist himself, who knew the Mother of God in the flesh. Over the years the icon was taken from Antioch to Jerusalem, then to Constantinople where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae. When Constantinople was attacked at the same time by the Persians and the Scythians, Patriarch Sergius carried the holy icon around the ramparts, and the city was miraculously delivered from its pagan enemies. During the iconoclast period, the icon was hidden in a wall in the monastery of the Pantocrator.