Hebrews 1.1-12 (Epistle)

1Bog koji je negda mnogo puta i razliènijem naèinom govorio ocevima preko proroka, govori i nama u pošljedak dana ovijeh preko sina, 2Kojega postavi našljednika svemu, kroz kojega i svijet stvori. 3Koji buduæi sjajnost slave i oblièje biæa njegova, i noseæi sve u rijeèi sile svoje, uèinivši sobom oèišæenje grijeha našijeh, sjede s desne strane prijestola velièine na visini, 4I toliko bolji posta od anðela koliko preslavnije ime od njihova dobi. 5Jer kome od anðela reèe kad: sin moj ti si, ja te danas rodih? I opet: ja æu mu biti otac, i on æe mi biti sin. 6I opet uvodeæi prvorodnoga u svijet govori: i da mu se poklone svi anðeli Božiji. 7Tako i anðelima govori: koji èini anðele svoje duhove, i sluge svoje plamen ognjeni. 8A sinu: prijestol je tvoj, Bože, va vijek vijeka; palica je pravde palica carstva tvoga. 9Omiljela ti je pravda, i omrzao si na bezakonje: toga radi pomaza te, Bože, Bog tvoj uljem radosti veæma od drugova tvojijeh. 10I opet: ti si, Gospode, u poèetku osnovao zemlju, i nebesa su djela ruku tvojijeh: 11Ona æe proæi, a ti ostaješ: i sva æe ostarjeti kao haljina, 12I saviæeš ih kao haljinu, i izmijeniæe se: a ti si onaj isti, i tvojijeh godina neæe nestati.

2 Timothy 2.1-10 (Epistle, St Theodore)

1Ti dakle, sine moj, jaèaj u blagodati Isusa Hrista; 2I što si èuo od mene pred mnogijem svjedocima, ono predaj vjernijem ljudima, koji æe biti vrijedni i druge nauèiti. 3Ti dakle trpi zlo kao dobar vojnik Isusa Hrista; 4Jer se nikakav vojnik ne zapleæe u trgovine ovoga svijeta da ugodi vojvodi. 5Ako i vojuje, ne dobija vijenca ako pravo ne vojuje. 6Radin koji se trudi najprije treba da okusi od roda. 7Razumij što govorim; a Gospod da ti da razum u svemu. 8Opominji se Gospoda Isusa Hrista koji usta iz mrtvijeh, od sjemena Davidova, po jevanðelju mojemu, 9U kojemu trpim zlo do samijeh okova kao zloèinac; ali se rijeè Božija ne veže. 10Zato trpim sve izbranijeh radi da i oni dobiju spasenije u Hristu Isusu sa slavom vjeènom.

Mark 2.23-3.5 (Gospel)

23I dogodi mu se da iðaše u subotu kroz usjeve, i uèenici njegovi trgahu putem klasje. 24I fariseji govorahu mu: gledaj, zašto èine u subotu što ne valja? 25A on reèe im: nijeste li nikad èitali šta uèini David kad mu bi do nevolje i ogladnje s onima što bijahu s njim? 26Kako uðe u Božiju kuæu pred Avijatarom poglavarom sveštenièkijem i hljebove postavljene pojede kojijeh ne bijaše slobodno nikome jesti osim sveštenika, i dade ih onima koji bijahu s njim? 27I govoraše im: subota je naèinjena èovjeka radi, a nije èovjek subote radi. 28Dakle je gospodar sin èovjeèij i od subote.

1I uðe opet u zbornicu, i ondje bješe èovjek sa suhom rukom. 2I motrahu za njim neæe li ga u subotu iscijeliti da ga okrive. 3I reèe èovjeku sa suhom rukom: stani na srijedu. 4I reèe im: valja li u subotu dobro èiniti ili zlo èiniti? dušu održati, ili pogubiti? A oni muèahu. 5I pogledavši na njih s gnjevom od žalosti što su im onako srca odrvenila reèe èovjeku: pruži ruku svoju. I pruži; i posta ruka zdrava kao i druga.

John 15.17-16.2 (Gospel, St Theodore)

17Ovo vam zapovijedam da imate ljubav meðu sobom. 18Ako svijet na vas uzmrzi, znajte da na mene omrznu prije vas. 19Kad biste bili od svijeta, onda bi svijet svoje ljubio: a kako nijeste od svijeta, nego vas ja od svijeta izbrah, zato mrzi na vas svijet. 20Opominjite se rijeèi koju vam ja rekoh: nije sluga veæi od gospodara svojega. Ako mene izgnaše, i vas æe izgnati; ako moju rijeè održaše, i vašu æe održati. 21Ali sve æe vam ovo èiniti za ime moje, jer ne poznaju onoga koji me posla. 22Da nijesam bio došao i govorio im ne bi grijeha imali; a sad izgovora neæe imati za grijeh svoj. 23Koji mrzi na mene i na oca mojega mrzi. 24Da nijesam bio djela tvorio meðu njima kojijeh niko drugi ne tvori, ne bi grijeha imali: a sad i vidješe, i omrznuše na mene i na oca mojega. 25Ali da se zbude rijeè napisana u zakonu njihovom: omrznuše na mene ni za što. 26A kad doðe utješitelj, koga æu vam poslati od oca, Duh istine, koji od oca izlazi, on æe svjedoèiti za mene. 27A i vi æete svjedoèiti, jer ste od poèetka sa mnom.

1Ovo vam kazah da se ne sablaznite. 2Izgoniæe vas iz zbornica; a doæi æe vrijeme kad æe svaki koji vas ubije misliti da Bogu službu èini.

St Leo, bishop of Catania in Sicily (ca. 780)

He lived at the time of the first persecutions of the holy icons. He was born in Ravenna to a noble family, and became bishop of his native city. Soon his reputation as a true shepherd of Christ’s flock spread, and he was elected Bishop of Catania in Sicily. As is so often true even today, the city, though nominally Christian, was plagued by superstition and paganism. The holy bishop set about to turn the people away from error: by his prayers he caused a pagan temple to collapse and built a church on its site, dedicated to the Forty Maryrs of Sebaste. At that time the entire island was under the oppressive rule of a magus named Heliodorus, who used all his magical skills to oppress the people and advance himself. Though he had been taken captive by Imperial order, and condemned to death, he was always able to escape his captors by his occult skills. Saint Leo, who sought the conversion of everyone, did his best to turn the magus to Christ, but to no effect. One day Heliodorus entered the church during the Divine Liturgy, mocking the Mysteries of Christ. The Saint came out of the sanctuary and, casting his omophorion over the mocker, instantly deprived him of his demonic powers. The Prefect of Sicily ordered the magus to be burnt alive. Bishop Leo went to the stake with him, but emerged unmarked without even the smell of fire upon him, while Heliodorus was burnt to ashes.

Saint Leo’s fierceness in defense of the Faith was matched by his love and compassion for the poor and defenseless, for whom he poured himself out unceasingly with prayers, alms and visitation. By his prayers he restored sight to the blind and healed the paralyzed. After his repose, his holy relics, which exuded a fragrant myrrh, were venerated in a church that he had founded in honor of Saint Lucia.

St Bessarion the Great, wonder-worker of Egypt (466)

“An Egyptian by birth, Abba Bessarion was initiated into the angelic life by Saint Anthony the Great. He later became a disciple of Saint Macarius, the founder of Scetis (19 Jan.), and then set out to lead the life of a wanderer, borne hither and thither by Providence like a bird by the wind. All his wealth lay in the Gospel, which he always had in his hand. Living in the open air, he patiently endured all weathers, untroubled by care for a dwelling or for clothing. Fortified by the strength of the faith, he thus remained untouched by all the passions of the flesh.

“On coming to a monastery where the brethren led the common life, he would sit weeping at the gate. A brother once offered him hospitality and asked why he was distressed. ‘I cannot live under a roof, until I have regained the wealth of my house,’ he replied, meaning the heavenly inheritance lost since Adam. ‘I am afflicted, in danger of death every day, and without rest because of my huge misfortunes, which oblige me ever to travel on in order to finish my course.’

“He wandered for forty years without ever lying down to sleep, and he spent all of forty days and forty nights standing wide awake in a thorn bush. One winter’s day, he was walking through a village when he came upon a dead man. Without hesitation, he took off his own coat and covered the body. A little further on, he gave his tunic to a poor man who was shivering in the cold. An army officer, who happened to be passing, saw the naked ascetic and wanted to know who had stripped him of his clothing. ‘He did!’ replied Bessarion, holding up the Gospel Book. On another occasion, he met with a poor man and, having nothing to give him in alms, he hurried to the market in order to sell his Gospel Book. On his disciple’s asking him where the Book was, he replied cheerfully, ‘I have sold it in obedience to the words which I never cease to hear: Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor‘ (Matt. 19:21).

“Through this evangelic way of life he became a chosen vessel of Grace, and God wrought many miracles through him. One day, for example, he made sea water sweet through the sign of the Cross, to quench his disciple’s thirst. When the latter wanted to keep some for the remainder of the journey, he prevented him, saying, ‘God is here, God is everywhere!’ At another time, having stood for two weeks in prayer with hands raised to heaven, he brought about rain enough to fill a thirsty brother’s coat. Then there was the time when he stopped the sun from setting until he reached the cell of an elder whom he wished to meet; and the time when he walked across the waters of a river. Through these and many other wonders wrought by the Saint, God showed, as He did with Moses, Joshua and Elias, that He grants His servants mastery even over natural phenomena. Through the power of Christ, he raised a paralytic, drove out demons and showed himself truly to be a ‘god’ upon the earth.

“When, having reached his goal, he was at the point of regaining that dwelling in heaven which he had sought throughout his wanderings, he said to those about him, ‘The monk ought, like the cherubim, to be all eye.’

“In answer to a brother who asked what a monk living in community ought to do, he replied: ‘Keep silence and do not measure yourself.’ Indeed, this is how even in the midst of people one can obtain the grace of the great anchorites.” (Synaxarion)

Thirty-four Holy Martyrs of the Monastery of Valaam (1578)

These thirty-four venerable fathers of the Monastery of the Transfiguration at Valaam on Lake Ladoga were massacred by a party of converts to Lutheranism who besieged the monastery and attempted to make the brethren renounce the Orthodox Faith.