Romans 9.6-19 (Epistle)

6A nije moguæe da rijeè Božija proðe: jer nijesu svi Izrailjci koji su od Izrailja; 7Niti su svi djeca koji su sjeme Avraamovo, nego u Isaku, reèe, nazvaæe ti se sjeme. 8To jest, nijesu ono djeca Božija što su po tijelu djeca, nego djeca obeæanja primaju se za sjeme. 9Jer je ovo rijeè obeæanja: u ovo vrijeme doæi æu i u Sare æe biti sin. 10Ne samo pak ona nego i Reveka, kad zatrudnje od samoga Isaka oca našega. 11Jer još dok se djeca ne bijahu rodila, ni uèinila dobra ni zla, da ostane Božija naredba po izboru, 12Ne za djela, nego onoga radi koji poziva reèe joj se: veæi æe služiti manjemu, 13Kao što stoji napisano: Jakov mi omilje, a na Isava omrzoh. 14Šta æemo dakle na to reæi? Eda li je nepravda u Boga? Bože saèuvaj! 15Jer Mojsiju govori: koga æu pomilovati, pomilovaæu, i na koga æu se smilovati, smilovaæu se. 16Tako dakle niti stoji do onoga koji hoæe, ni do onoga koji trèi, nego do Boga koji pomiluje. 17Jer pismo govori Faraonu: za to te isto podigoh da na tebi pokažem silu svoju, i da se razglasi ime moje po svoj zemlji. 18Tako dakle koga hoæe miluje, a koga hoæe otvrdoglavi. 19Reæi æeš mi: zašto nas još krivi? jer ko se može suprotiti volji njegovoj?

Matthew 10.32-36, 11.1 (Gospel)

32A koji god prizna mene pred ljudima, priznaæu i ja njega pred ocem svojijem koji je na nebesima. 33A ko se odreèe mene pred ljudima, odreæi æu se i ja njega pred ocem svojijem koji je na nebesima. 34Ne mislite da sam ja došao da donesem mir na zemlju; nijesam došao da donesem mir nego maè. 35Jer sam došao da rastavim èovjeka od oca njegova i kæer od matere njezine i snahu od svekrve njezine: 36I neprijatelji èovjeku postaæe domašnji njegovi.

1I kad svrši Isus zapovijesti dvanaestorici uèenika svojijeh, otide odande dalje da uèi i da propovijeda po gradovima njihovijem.

Hieromartyr Timothy, bishop of Prusa (362)

“For his great spiritual purity, God gave him the gift of wonderworking, and he healed all manner of diseases and pains among the people. During the reign of the evil Emperor Julian, who had renounced Christ, holy Timothy was thrown into prison. The faithful visited him there to listen to the wise teaching of their bishop. When this came to the Emperor’s ears, he commanded that the executioner behead the Saint in the prison. This was in 362, and his soul entered into Paradise while his relics remained, full of miraculous power, to help the people and declare the power of the Lord.” (Prologue [adapted])

Holy Martyrs Alexander and Antonina (313)

In Alexandria, the virgin Antonina was brought before Festus, the Governor, tortured for her faith in Christ, then thrown into prison. A Christian soldier named Alexander, who had never before seen or heard of Antonina, was commanded by an angel of God to go to her. Finding her, he gave her his military cloak, wrapping it about her head and body; and thus, with her head lowered, she was able to walk out of the prison while Alexander remained in her place. Alexander was brought before Festus, where he too confessed his faith in Christ. Antonina, learning of this, voluntarily came before the judge, who put both of them to hideous tortures, mutilating them in many ways before having them cast into a fire and burned alive.

A slightly different account says that Festus placed Antonina under guard in a brothel rather than a prison, so that her virginity might be defiled, and that it was from there that Alexander rescued her.

Festus, the Governor, was struck mute at the time of the holy martyrs’ death, and was tormented by an evil spirit for seven days, at the end of which he died.

Hieromartyr Metrophanes, first Chinese priest, and the Chinese New Martyrs of the Boxer Uprising (1900)

“The Holy Martyrs of China were native Chinese Orthodox Christians brought up in piety at the Russian Orthodox Mission in Peking, which had been founded in 1685. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 against the foreign powers occupying China, native Chinese Christians were commanded by the Boxers to renounce Christianity or be tortured to death. Two hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest Metrophanes Tsi-Chung and his family, refused to deny Christ, and were deemed worthy of a martyric death.” ( Great Horologion)