Zechariah 8.7-17 (6th Hour)

7Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: evo, ja æu izbaviti svoj narod iz zemlje istoène i iz zemlje zapadne. 8I dovešæu ih, i oni æe nastavati usred Jerusalima, i biæe mi narod i ja æu im biti Bog, istinom i pravdom. 9Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: neka vam se ukrijepe ruke koji slušate u ovo vrijeme ove rijeèi iz usta proroèkih od dana kad se osnova dom Gospoda nad vojskama da se sazida crkva. 10Jer prije tijeh dana ne bješe plate ni za èovjeka ni za živinèe, niti bješe mira od neprijatelja ni onome koji odlažaše ni onome koji dolažaše, i pustih sve ljude jednoga na drugoga. 11A sada neæu biti kao prije ostatku toga naroda, govori Gospod nad vojskama. 12Nego æe usjev biti miran, vinova æe loza nositi plod svoj, i zemlja æe raðati rod svoj, i nebo æe davati rosu svoju; i sve æu to dati u našljedstvo ostatku toga naroda. 13I kao što bijaste uklin meðu narodima, dome Judin i dome Izrailjev, tako æu vas izbaviti te æete biti blagoslov; ne bojte se, neka vam se okrijepe ruke. 14Jer ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: kao što vam namislih zlo uèiniti, kad me razgnjeviše oci vaši, veli Gospod nad vojskama, i ne raskajah se, 15Tako opet u ove dane namislih da dobro èinim Jerusalimu i domu Judinu; ne bojte se. 16Ovo je što treba da èinite: govorite istinu jedan drugom, sudite pravo i mirno na vratima svojim; 17I ne mislite jedan drugome zlo u srcu svom, i ne ljubite krive zakletve, jer na sve to mrzim, govori Gospod.

Zechariah 8.19-23 (Vespers)

19Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: post èetvrtoga mjeseca, i post petoga i post sedmoga i post desetoga obratiæe se domu Judinu u radost i veselje i u praznike vesele; ali ljubite istinu i mir. 20Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: još æe dolaziti narodi i stanovnici mnogih gradova; 21Dolaziæe stanovnici jednoga u drugi govoreæi: hajdemo da se molimo Gospodu i da tražimo Gospoda nad vojskama; idem i ja. 22Tako æe doæi mnogi narodi i silni narodi da traže Gospoda nad vojskama u Jerusalimu i da se mole Gospodu. 23Ovako veli Gospod nad vojskama: u to æe vrijeme deset ljudi od svijeh jezika narodnijeh uhvatiti jednoga Judejca za skut govoreæi: idemo s vama, jer èujemo da je Bog s vama.

St Meletios, archbishop of Antioch (381)

Our holy father Meletios, an Armenian by birth, became archbishop of Antioch at the height of the Arian controversy. Though he was appointed by influential Arians who thought that he shared their views, as soon as he was raised to the throne he began to preach the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. “At this, the archdeacon, an Arian, put his hand over the bishop’s mouth; Meletios then extended three fingers towards the people, closed them, and extended one only, showing by signs the equality and unity of the Trinity. The embarrassed archdeacon then seized his hand, but released his mouth, and Meletios spoke out even more forcibly in defense of the Council of Nicea” (Great Horologion). It was St Meletios who ordained St John Chrysostom reader and deacon in Antioch. He presided at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381. At his repose, St Gregory of Nyssa gave his funeral oration, lamenting: “Our Elijah has been caught up, and no Elisha is left behind in his place.”

St Alexis, metropolitan of Moscow and wonder-worker of all Russia (1378)

He was born early in the 14th century to a family of court dignitaries in Moscow. Despite a fine education, he was not drawn to worldly success and became a monk at the age of twenty. In time Alexis was consecrated Bishop of Vladimir, then Metropolitan of Moscow, at that time the highest rank in the Russian church (which was still under the Patriarchate of Constantinople). Russia was then under the cruel domination of the Tatars. Saint Alexis traveled twice to the Golden Horde, where the Tatar Khan kept court. On his first visit (1359), he healed the Khan’s wife of a blindness which had afflicted her for three years — a miracle that did much to soften the Tatars’ treatment of their Russian vassals, and to preserve the liberty of the Church.

His ceaseless labors in the world did not deprive the Saint of his love for monasticism: he conferred with holy monks at every opportunity, and founded many new monasteries. As he neared the end of his life he tried without success to persuade his friend St Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) to succeed him. He reposed in peace in 1378. His incorrupt relics are venerated in the Cathedral of the Theophany in Moscow.