Lenten Fast — Wine and Oil are Allowed
9Ali od vas, ljubazni, nadamo se boljemu i što se drži spasenija, ako i govorimo tako. 10Jer Bog nije nepravedan da zaboravi djelo vaše i trud ljubavi koju pokazaste u ime njegovo, posluživši svetima i služeæi. 11Ali želimo da svaki od vas pokaže to isto staranje da se nad održi tvrdo do samoga kraja; 12Da ne budete ljenivi, nego da se ugledate na one koji vjerom i trpljenjem dobijaju obeæanja.
47Prvi je èovjek od zemlje, zemljan; drugi je èovjek Gospod s neba. 48Kakav je zemljani taki su i zemljani; i kakav je nebeski taki su i nebeski. 49I kako nosimo oblièje zemljanoga tako æemo nositi i oblièje nebeskoga. 50A ovo govorim, braæo, da tijelo i krv ne mogu naslijediti carstva Božijega, niti raspadljivost neraspadljivosti našljeðuje. 51Evo vam kazujem tajnu: jer svi neæemo pomrijeti, a svi æemo se pretvoriti, 52Ujedanput, u trenuæu oka u pošljednjoj trubi; jer æe zatrubiti i mrtvi æe ustati neraspadljivi, i mi æemo se pretvoriti. 53Jer ovo raspadljivo treba da se obuèe u neraspadljivost, i ovo smrtno da se obuèe u besmrtnost. 54A kad se ovo raspadljivo obuèe u neraspadljivost i ovo se smrtno obuèe u besmrtnost, onda æe se zbiti ona rijeè što je napisana: pobjeda proždrije smrt. 55Gdje ti je, smrti, žalac? Gdje ti je, pakle, pobjeda? 56A žalac je smrti grijeh, a sila je grijeha zakon. 57A Bogu hvala koji nam dade pobjedu kroz Gospoda našega Isusa Hrista.
31I opet iziðe Isus iz krajeva Tirskijeh i Sidonskijeh i doðe na more Galilejsko u krajeve Desetogradske. 32I dovedoše k njemu gluha i mutava, i moljahu ga da metne na nj ruku. 33I uzevši ga iz naroda nasamo metnu prste svoje u uši njegove, i pljunuvši dohvati se jezika njegova; 34I pogledavši na nebo uzdahnu, i reèe mu: Efata, to jest: otvori se. 35I odmah mu se otvoriše uši, i razdriješi se sveza jezika njegova, i govoraše lijepo. 36I zaprijeti im da nikome ne kazuju; ali što im on zabranjivaše oni još veæma razglašivahu. 37I vrlo se divljahu govoreæi: sve dobro èini; i gluhe èini da èuju i nijeme da govore.
24Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ko moju rijeè sluša i vjeruje onome koji je mene poslao, ima život vjeèni, i ne dolazi na sud, nego je prešao iz smrti u život. 25Zaista, zaista vam kažem: ide èas, i veæ je nastao, kad æe mrtvi èuti glas sina Božijega, i èuvši oživljeti. 26Jer kako što otac ima život u sebi, tako dade i sinu da ima život u sebi; 27I dade mu vlast da i sud èini, jer je sin èovjeèij. 28Ne divite se ovome, jer ide èas u koji æe svi koji su u grobovima èuti glas sina Božijega, 29I iziæi æe koji su èinili dobro u vaskrsenije života, a koji su èinili zlo u vaskrsenije suda. 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.
He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then, in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.
He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called ‘the Dialogist’ after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.
Saint Gregory reposed in peace in 604.
He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor’s court. Later, with his wife’s consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working: his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with thanksgiving.
When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment, he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.
His main commemoration is on October 12.