Isaiah 45.11-17 (6th Hour)

11Ovako veli Gospod svetac Izrailjev i tvorac njegov: pitajte me što æe biti; za sinove moje i za djelo ruku mojih nareðujte mi. 12Ja sam naèinio zemlju i èovjeka na njoj stvorio, ja sam razapeo nebesa svojim rukama, i svoj vojsci njihovoj dao zapovijest. 13Ja ga podigoh u pravdi, i sve putove njegove poravniæu; on æe sazidati moj grad i roblje moje otpustiæe, ne za novce ni za darove, veli Gospod nad vojskama. 14Ovako veli Gospod: trud Misirski i trgovina Etiopska i Savaca ljudi visoka rasta doæi æe k tebi i biti tvoja; za tobom æe pristati, u okovima æe iæi, i tebi æe se klanjati, tebi æe se moliti govoreæi: doista, Bog je u tebi, i nema drugoga Boga. 15Da, ti si Bog, koji se kriješ, Bog Izrailjev, spasitelj. 16Oni æe se svi postidjeti i posramiti, otiæi æe sa sramotom svikoliki koji grade likove. 17A Izrailja æe spasti Gospod spasenjem vjeènijem, neæete se postidjeti niti æete se osramotiti dovijeka.

Genesis 22.1-18 (Vespers)

1Poslije toga šæaše Bog okušati Avrama, pa mu reèe: Avrame! A on odgovori: evo me. 2I reèe mu Bog: uzmi sada sina svojega, jedinca svojega miloga, Isaka, pa idi u zemlju Moriju, i spali ga na žrtvu tamo na brdu gdje æu ti kazati. 3I sjutradan rano ustavši Avram osamari magarca svojega, i uze sa sobom dva momka i Isaka sina svojega; i nacijepavši drva za žrtvu podiže se i poðe na mjesto koje mu kaza Bog. 4Treæi dan podigavši oèi svoje Avram ugleda mjesto izdaleka. 5I reèe Avram momcima svojim: ostanite vi ovdje s magarcem, a ja i dijete idemo onamo, pa kad se pomolimo Bogu, vratiæemo se k vama. 6I uzevši Avram drva za žrtvu naprti Isaku sinu svojemu, a sam uze u svoje ruke ognja i nož; pa otidoše obojica zajedno. 7Tada reèe Isak Avramu ocu svojemu: oèe! A on reèe: što, sine! I reèe Isak: eto ognja i drva, a gdje je jagnje za žrtvu? 8A Avram odgovori: Bog æe se, sinko, postarati za jagnje sebi na žrtvu. I iðahu obojica zajedno. 9A kad doðoše na mjesto koje mu Bog kaza, Avram naèini ondje žrtvenik, i metnu drva na nj, i svezavši Isaka sina svojega metnu ga na žrtvenik vrh drva; 10I izmahnu Avram rukom svojom i uze nož da zakolje sina svojega. 11Ali anðeo Gospodnji viknu ga s neba, i reèe: Avrame! Avrame! A on reèe: evo me. 12A anðeo reèe: ne diži ruke svoje na dijete, i ne èini mu ništa; jer sada poznah da se bojiš Boga, kad nijesi požalio sina svojega, jedinca svojega, mene radi. 13I Avram podigavši oèi svoje pogleda; i gle, ovan iza njega zapleo se u èesti rogovima; i otišavši Avram uze ovna i spali ga na žrtvu mjesto sina svojega. 14I nazva Avram ono mjesto: Gospod æe se postarati. Zato se i danas kaže: na brdu, gdje æe se Gospod postarati. 15I anðeo Gospodnji opet viknu s neba Avrama. 16I reèe: sobom se zakleh, veli Gospod: kad si tako uèinio, i nijesi požalio sina svojega, jedinca svojega, 17Zaista æu te blagosloviti i sjeme tvoje veoma umnožiti, da ga bude kao zvijezda na nebu i kao pijeska na brijegu morskom; i naslijediæe sjeme tvoje vrata neprijatelja svojih. 18I blagosloviæe se u sjemenu tvojem svi narodi na zemlji, kad si poslušao glas moj.

Proverbs 17.17-18.5 (Vespers)

17U svako doba ljubi prijatelj, i brat postaje u nevolji. 18Èovjek bezuman daje ruku i jamèi se za prijatelja svojega. 19Ko miluje svaðu, miluje grijeh; ko podiže uvis vrata svoja, traži pogibao. 20Ko je opaka srca, neæe naæi dobra; i ko dvolièi jezikom, pašæe u zlo. 21Ko rodi bezumna, na žalost mu je, niti æe se radovati otac luda. 22Srce veselo pomaže kao lijek, a duh žalostan suši kosti. 23Bezbožnik prima poklon iz njedara da prevrati putove pravdi. 24Razumnomu je na licu mudrost, a oèi bezumniku vrljaju nakraj zemlje. 25Žalost je ocu svojemu sin bezuman, i jad roditeljci svojoj. 26Nije dobro globiti pravednika, ni da knezovi biju koga što je radio pravo. 27Usteže rijeèi svoje èovjek koji zna, i tiha je duha èovjek razuman. 28I bezuman kad muèi, misli se da je mudar, i razuman, kad stiskuje usne svoje.

1Èovjek samovoljan traži što je njemu milo i miješa se u svašta. 2Bezumniku nije mio razum nego da se javlja srce njegovo. 3Kad doðe bezbožnik, doðe i rug, i prijekor sa sramotom. 4Rijeèi su iz usta èovjeèijih duboka voda, izvor je mudrosti potok koji se ražljeva. 5Nije dobro gledati bezbožniku ko je, da se uèini krivo pravomu na sudu.

St Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem (386)

He was born in Jerusalem in 315, ordained to the priesthood in 346, and succeeded Maximus as Archbishop of Jerusalem in 350. He was exiled three times by the Arian Emperors Constantius and Valens for his unwavering defense of the Faith. Restored by the Emperor Theodosius, he did not return to the throne, but lived for eight years in peace before reposing in 386.

He was known to all his people as a tireless defender of the poor, and as a great ascetic. He was gentle and humble in his bearing, pale and gaunt from fasting. He struggled throughout his time against the Arian heresy, which had become very strong, claiming the allegiance even of the Emperors. In addition, he lived through the reign of Julian the Apostate, who tried by many means to weaken and undermine the Church and the Christian Faith.

Of St Cyril’s many writings, the best-known are his Catecheses, considered the oldest systematic summary of Christian teaching.

St Ananias (Aninus) the Wonderworker (?)

“Born in Chalcedon, he was little of stature, like Zaccheus, but great in spirit and faith. He denied himself to the world at the age of fifteen and settled near the River Euphrates in a little hut, where he atoned for his sins, and prayed to God, at first with his teacher Mayum and then, after Mayum’s death, alone. By the power of his prayers he filled an empty well with water, healed the sick of various pains and tamed wild beasts. There was a tamed lion with him as his servant. He had insight into distant happenings. When robbers attacked a stylite, Pionius, at some distance from him, and beat him up to such an extent that he decided to come down from his pillar and go to complain to the judges, St Aninus saw his intention in his soul and sent him a letter by means of his lion, telling him to set aside his intention, to forgive his assaulters and to continue in his asceticism. He was inexpressibly generous. The bishop of Neo-Caesarea made a gift to him of a donkey, to ease his carrying of water from the river, but he gave this donkey to some poor man who had complained to him of his poverty. The bishop gave him a second donkey, but he gave that away. Then the bishop gave him a third donkey, not for his own but only to serve as a water-carrier, to be kept and returned. At the time of his death, he saw Moses, Aaron and Or coming to him and calling: ‘Aninus, the Lord is calling you. Get up and come with us.’ This he revealed to his disciples, and gave his spirit to the Lord whom he had served so faithfully. He was 110 years old when he finished his earthly course.” (Prologue)

Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic), Bishop of Ochrid and Zica, Serbia (1956)(March 5 OC)

He has been called ‘The New Chrysostom’ for his many grace-filled sermons and writings.

He was born in 1880 in the Serbian village of Lelich. After attending the Seminary of St Sava in Belgrade, he obtained doctoral degrees from both the University of Berne and Oxford University. In 1919, Archimandrite Nikolai was made Bishop of Zica.

In 1941 Bishop Nikolai was arrested by the Nazis and, after three years’ imprisonment in Ljubostir Vojlovici Monastery, was sent to the infamous Dachau concentration camp along with the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo. He both witnessed and personally underwent many tortures there until the camp was liberated by the US army in 1945.

After the war he fled Communist-controlled Yugoslavia and emigrated to the United States, where he taught at St Sava’s Seminary, St Vladimir Seminary and St Tikhon seminary. It was at St Tikhon Seminary that he reposed in 1956. His relics rested for awhile at St Sava’s Seminary in Libertyville IL, then were returned to Serbia, where they now reside.

Throughout his adult life, the holy monk and bishop poured forth a steady stream of beautiful homilies and theological and spiritual writings. He is the author of the Prologue from Ochrid, a Slavic Synaxarion. The luminous homilies included therein, one for each day of the year, give a good sample of his inspired writing.

His feast is kept on this day (March 5 OC, March 18 NC) by Orthodox Christians on both the Old and New Calendars.

Note: With the blessing of Bishop Jovan of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Mitrophan Chin is engaged in a project to translate St Nikolai’s Prologue into Chinese. To learn more about this worthy project, see his web site: http://chineseorthodox.n3.net