Matthew 28.16-20 (1st Matins Gospel)

16A jedanaest uèenika otidoše u Galileju u goru kuda im je kazao Isus. 17I kad ga vidješe, pokloniše mu se; a jedni posumnjaše. 18I pristupivši Isus reèe im govoreæi: dade mi se svaka vlast na nebu i na zemlji. 19Idite dakle i nauèite sve narode krsteæi ih va ime oca i sina i svetoga Duha, 20Uèeæi ih da sve drže što sam vam zapovijedao; i evo ja sam s vama u sve dane do svršetka vijeka. Amin.

Acts 5.12-20 (Epistle)

12A rukama apostolskima uèiniše se mnogi znaci i èudesa meðu ljudima; i bijahu svi jednodušno u trijemu Solomunovu. 13A od ostalijeh niko ne smijaše pristupiti k njima; nego ih hvaljaše narod. 14A sve više pristajahu oni koji vjerovahu Gospoda, mnoštvo ljudi i žena, 15Tako da i po ulicama iznošahu bolesnike i metahu na posteljama i na nosilima, da bi kad proðe Petar barem sjenka njegova osjenila koga od njih. 16A dolažahu mnogi i iz okolnijeh gradova u Jerusalim, i donošahu bolesnike i koje muèahu neèisti duhovi; i svi ozdravljahu. 17Ali ustade poglavar sveštenièki i svi koji bijahu s njim, od jeresi sadukejske, i napuniše se zavisti, 18I digoše ruke svoje na apostole, i metnuše ih u opšti zatvor. 19A anðeo Gospodnji otvori noæu vrata tamnièka, i izvedavši ih reèe: 20Idite i stanite u crkvi te govorite narodu sve rijeèi ovoga života.

John 20.19-31 (Gospel)

19A kad bi uveèe onaj prvi dan nedjelje, i vrata bijahu zatvorena gdje se bijahu uèenici njegovi skupili od straha Jevrejskoga, doðe Isus i stade na srijedu i reèe im: mir vam. 20I ovo rekavši pokaza im ruke i rebra svoja. Onda se uèenici obradovaše vidjevši Gospoda. 21A Isus im reèe opet: mir vam; kao što otac posla mene, i ja šaljem vas. 22I ovo rekavši dunu, i reèe im: primite Duh sveti. 23Kojima oprostite grijehe, oprostiæe im se; i kojima zadržite, zadržaæe se. 24A Toma koji se zove Blizanac, jedan od dvanaestorice, ne bješe ondje s njima kad doðe Isus. 25A drugi mu uèenici govorahu: vidjesmo Gospoda. A on im reèe: dok ne vidim na rukama njegovijem rana od klina, i ne metnem prsta svojega u rane od klina, i ne metnem ruke svoje u rebra njegova; neæu vjerovati. 26I poslije osam dana opet bijahu uèenici njegovi unutra, i Toma s njima. Doðe Isus kad bijahu vrata zatvorena, i stade meðu njima i reèe: mir vam. 27Potom reèe Tomi: pruži prst svoj amo i viði ruke moje; i pruži ruku svoju i metni u rebra moja, i ne budi nevjeran nego vjeran. 28I odgovori Toma i reèe mu: Gospod moj i Bog moj. 29Isus mu reèe: pošto me vidje vjerovao si; blago onima koji ne vidješe i vjerovaše. 30A i mnoga druga èudesa uèini Isus pred uèenicima svojijem koja nijesu pisana u knjizi ovoj. 31A ova se napisaše, da vjerujete da Isus jest Hristos sin Božij, i da vjerujuæi imate život u ime njegovo.

Martyrs Terence, Africanus, Maximus, Pompeius and 36 with them, beheaded at Carthage (250)

These African Christians suffered during the persecution of the Church by the emperor Decius, during which a great many Christians denied the faith rather than suffer. These faithful few boldly upheld the Faith and, after many torments, were condemned to death by beheading. The went to their execution singing psalms and hymns of thanksgiving, and received the crown of martyrdom in 250.

In the early centuries of the Church, North Africa, especially the region of Carthage, was one of the centers of the Christian Faith, comparable to Asia Minor.

Six Thousand Holy Martyrs in Georgia (1615)

“In the wilderness of David-Garejeli in Georgia there were twelve monasteries, in which monks had lived the ascetic life for centuries. In 1615, Shah Abbas I invaded Georgia, laid it waste and slew innumerable Christians. One day, while out hunting at dawn on Easter Day intself, he saw the light of many candles shining in the hills. This was the monks of all twelve monasteries in procession all round the Church of the Resurrection, walking with candles in their hands. When the Shah discovered that it was monks, he asked in disbelief: ‘Isn’t the whole of Georgia put to the sword by now?’, and ordered his generals to go and slaughter the monks at once. An angel of God appeared to Abbot Arsenius, and revealed their imminent death to him, and Arsenius informed the brethren. They then all received Communion in the Holy Mysteries and prepared for death. Then the attackers arrived, hacked the abbot to pieces when he came out ahead of the others, and then killed all the rest. They all suffered with honour and were crowned with unfading wreaths in 1615. Thus ended the history of these famous monasteries, which had been like a flame of spiritual enlightenment in Georgia for more than 1,000 years. There remain just two today: St David and St John the Baptist. The King of Georgia, Archil, gathered the remains of all the martyrs and buried them. Their relics are to this day full of myrrh for the healing of those in sickness.” (Prologue)

New Hieromartyr Gregory, Patriarch of Constantinople (1821)

He was born on the Peloponnese, and became Archbishop of Smyrna in 1785. He served at a time when revolutionary feeling and activity was increasing among the Greek people, and witnessed the cruel retribution that the Ottoman Turks visited on any evidence of rebellion among their subject people.

Once in Smyrna, seeing that an action he had taken was causing discord in his dioceses, he came down from the hierarchical throne during a service, prostrated himself before the faithful and asked their forgiveness.

He was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 1797. Under the Turkokratia, the Patriarch was not only the head of the Greek churches but the secular ruler of the Greek people, bound by oath to respect the authority of the Sultan. This, combined with Gregory’s personal experience of the treatment of Greek rebels, made him a staunch opponent of revolutionary activity among his people. Still, when revolutionaries on the Peloponnese declared Greek independence from Turkey on March 25, 1821, Turkish retribution was harsh: On Pascha, April 10, after serving the Paschal Liturgy, the aged Patriarch was arrested by the Turkish authorities. He was tortured in an effort to have him reveal the names of those heading the revolution, then was offered his freedom if he would convert to Islam. Gregory answered, ‘You ask in vain: the Patriarch of Christians dies a Christian.’ He (along with other clergy and hierarchs) was hanged as a traitor on the gate of the patriarchal compound. An eyewitness, a British clergyman visiting Constantinople, wrote: ‘His body, attenuated by abstinence and emaciated by age, had not sufficient weight to cause immediate death. He continued for a long time in pain which no friendly hand dared abridge, and the darkness of night came on before his final convulsions were over.’ His body was left hanging for three days, then sold by the Turkish authorities to a Jewish mob, who mutilated the body, then weighted it about the neck with a stone and threw it into the sea. Despite this, the body was found floating at sea by a Greek merchant ship captain. When the body was identified as that of the martyred Patriarch, it was secretly taken to Odessa, where Orthodox church leaders took it under their care. Tsar Alexander I ordered a state funeral for the holy hierarch, which was celebrated on June 17 1821 in Odessa.

In 1871 the relics were returned to Greece by Tsar Alexander III. They were incorrupt, though fifty years had passed since his death. Saint Gregory was officially glorified in 1921. His relics may be venerated at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens.