Isaiah 2.11-21 (6th Hour)

11For the eyes of the Lord are high, but man is low; and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 12For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and haughty, and upon every one that is high and towering, and they shall be brought down; 13and upon every cedar of Libanus, of them that are high and towering, and upon every oak of Basan, 14and upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, 15and upon every high tower, and upon every high wall, 16and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every display of fine ships. 17And every man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall fall: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 18And they shall hide all idols made with hands, 19having carried them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the caverns of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of his might, when he shall arise to strike terribly the earth. 20For in that day a man shall cast forth his silver and gold abominations, which they made in order to worship vanities and bats; 21to enter into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of his might, when he shall arise to strike terribly the earth.

Genesis 2.4-19 (Vespers)

4This is the book of the generation of heaven and earth, when they were made, in the day in which the Lord God made the heaven and the earth, 5and every herb of the field before it was on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it. 6But there rose a fountain out of the earth, and watered the whole face of the earth. 7And God formed the man of dust of the earth, and breathed upon his face the breath of life, and the man became a living soul. 8And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man whom he had formed. 9And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. 10And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads. 11The name of the one, Phisom, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. 13And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. 14And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it. 16And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden you may freely eat, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—of it you⌃ shall not eat, but in whatever day you⌃ eat of it, you⌃ shall surely die. 18And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him. 19And God formed yet farther out of the earth all the wild beasts of the field, and all the birds of the sky, and he brought them to Adam, to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called any living creature, that was the name of it.

Proverbs 3.1-18 (Vespers)

1My son, forget not my laws; but let your heart keep my words: 2for length of existence, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to you. 3Let not mercy and truth forsake you; but bind them about your neck: 4so shall you find favor: and do you provide things honest in the sight of the Lord, and of men. 5Trust in God with all your heart; and be not exalted in your own wisdom. 6In all your ways acquaint yourself with her, that she may rightly direct your paths. 7Be not wise in your own conceit; but fear God, and depart from all evil. 8Then shall there be health to your body, and good keeping to your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your just labors, and give him the first of your fruits of righteousness: 10that your storehouses may be completely filled with corn, and that your presses may burst forth with wine. 11My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when you are rebuked of him: 12for whom the Lord loves, he rebukes, and scourges every son whom he receives. 13Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence. 14For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. 15And she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value. 16For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth proceeds righteousness, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue. 17Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are peaceful. 18She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is a secure help to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.

Ven. Alexius the Man of God

He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine only once a day, at sunset. By his parents’ arrangement Alexis was married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife, he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome. Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to his parents’ house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years, living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the pope of Rome heard a voice saying “Look for the Man of God,” and revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius, the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh. Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.

St Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland (ca. 461)

“Saint Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, ‘After I came to Ireland — every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed — the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled in the monastic life in Aesir in Gaul [now France], under the guidance of the holy Bishop Germanus. Many years later he was ordained bishop and sent to Ireland once again, about the year 432, to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three bishops were sent from Gaul to help him shepherd his flock, ‘my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord — so many thousands of people,’ he says in his Confession.

His apostolic work was not accomplished without much ‘weariness and painfulness,’ long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner.” (Great Horologion)

The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single missionary venture in the history of the Church.

It is said of St Patrick that he chanted the entire Psalter every day.