Ephesians 5.8-19 (Epistle)

8Jer bijaste negda tama, a sad ste vidjelo u Gospodu: kao djeca vidjela živite; 9Jer je rod duhovni u svakoj dobroti i pravdi i istini. 10Istražujte što je Bogu ugodno. 11I ne pristajte na bezrodna djela tame, nego još karajte. 12Jer je sramno i govoriti šta oni tajno èine. 13A sve za što se kara, vidjelo objavljuje; jer sve što se objavljuje, vidjelo je; 14Zato govori: ustani ti koji spavaš i vaskrsni iz mrtvijeh, i obasjaæe te Hristos. 15Gledajte dakle da uredno živite, ne kao nemudri, nego kao mudri; 16Pazite na vrijeme, jer su dani zli. 17Toga radi ne budite nerazumni, nego poznajte što je volja Božija. 18I ne opijajte se vinom, u kome je kurvarstvo, nego se još ispunjavajte duhom, 19Govoreæi meðu sobom u psalmima i pojanju i pjesmama duhovnijem, pjevajuæi i pripijevajuæi u srcima svojijem Gospodu;

Matthew 18.10-20 (Gospel)

10Gledajte da ne prezrete jednoga od malijeh ovijeh; jer vam kažem da anðeli njihovi na nebesima jednako gledaju lice oca mojega nebeskoga. 11Jer sin èovjeèij doðe da iznaðe i spase izgubljeno. 12Što vam se èini? Kad ima jedan èovjek sto ovaca pa zaðe jedna od njih, ne ostavi li on devedeset i devet u planini, i ide da traži onu što je zašla? 13I ako se dogodi da je naðe, zaista vam kažem da se njoj više raduje nego onima devedeset i devet što nijesu zašle. 14Tako nije volja oca vašega nebeskoga da pogine jedan od ovijeh malijeh. 15Ako li ti sagriješi brat tvoj, idi i pokaraj ga meðu sobom i njim samijem; ako te posluša, dobio si brata svojega. 16Ako li te ne posluša, uzmi sa sobom još jednoga ili dvojicu da sve rijeèi ostanu na ustima dva ili tri svjedoka. 17Ako li njih ne posluša, kaži crkvi; a ako li ne posluša ni crkve, da ti bude kao neznabožac i carinik. 18Jer vam kažem zaista: što god svežete na zemlji biæe svezano na nebu, i što god razdriješite na zemlji biæe razdriješeno na nebu. 19Još vam kažem zaista: ako se dva od vas slože na zemlji u èemu mu drago, za što se uzmole, daæe im otac moj koji je na nebesima. 20Jer gdje su dva ili tri sabrani u ime moje ondje sam ja meðu njima.

St Michael the Confessor, bishop of Synnada (818)

“This Saint was from Synnada in Phrygia of Asia Minor. In Constantinople he met Saint Theophylact (March 8); the holy Patriarch Tarasius, learning that Michael and Theophylact desired to become monks, sent them to a monastery on the Black Sea. Because of their great virtue, St Tarasius afterwards compelled them to accept consecration, Theophylact as Bishop of Nicomedia, and Michael as Bishop of his native Synnada. Because St Michael fearlessly confessed the veneration of the holy icons, he was banished by the Iconoclast Emperor Leo V the Armenian, who reigned from 813 to 820. After being driven from one place to another, in many hardships and bitter pains, St Michael died in exile.” (Great Horologion)

Holy Myrrh-bearer Mary, wife of Cleopas

Holy Martyr Michael of St Sabbas' Monastery(9th c.)

When his parents died, the young Michael gave away all his goods and travelled to Jerusalem, where he entered the monastery of St Sabbas the Sanctified. Once he was sent into town to sell some handwork for the monastery. A eunuch of an Arab princess met him in the street and brought him to princess’ home to show his wares. (Jerusalem was ruled by Muslim Arabs at that time.) The princess, like Potiphar’s wife, conceived an illicit passion for the young monk and invited him to her bed. When he refused, the angry princess had him beaten and taken to the Sultan, where she accused him of blasphemy against Mohammed. The Sultan tried to make him accept Islam, but he refused. When a dose of poison had no effect on the holy Michael, the Sultan had him publicly beheaded in the center of Jerusalem. The monks retrieved his body and gave it honorable burial at his monastery.

Holy Virgin Euphrosyne, Princess of Polotsk (1173)

“She was the daughter of Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. When her parents wished her to be married, she ran away to a monastery and became a nun. An angel of the Lord appeared to her three times to show her the place where she was to build a new monastery for virgins. She brought her own sister, Evdokia, into monasticism and many other young girls from the ranks of the aristocracy. One kinswoman of hers, Zvenislava, a princess of Borisov, brought all her wealth, clothing and precious jewels, and said: ‘I count all the beauty of this world as naught, and wish to give these fine things, prepared for my marriage, to the Church of the Saviour. And I desire to espouse myself to Him in a spiritual marriage, and to bow my head beneath His easy and light yoke.’ Euphrosyne professed her too, and gave her the name Evpraxia. In old age, Euphrosyne evinced a desire to die in Jerusalem, and prayed for this boon. God heard her prayer, and she did indeed die in the monastery of St Theodosius in Jerusalem on May 23rd, 1173, during a visit there.” (Prologue)