22And Solomon stood up in front of the altar before all the congregation of Israel; and he spread out his hands toward heaven:
23and he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above and on the earth beneath, keeping covenant and mercy with your servant who walks before you with all his heart;
27But will God indeed dwell with men upon the earth? if the heaven and heaven of heavens will not suffice you, how much less even this house which I have built to your name?
28Yet, O Lord God of Israel, you shall look upon my petition, to hear the prayer which your servant prays to you in your presence this day,
29that your eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the place which you said, My name shall be there, to hear the prayer which your servant prays at this place day and night.
30And you shall listen to the prayer of your servant, and of your people Israel, which they shall pray toward this place; and you shall hear in your dwelling-place in heaven, and you shall do and be gracious.
Proverbs 3.19-34 (Vespers)
19God by wisdom founded the earth, and by prudence he prepared the heavens.
20By understanding were the depths broken up, and the clouds dropped water.
21My son, let them not pass from you, but keep my counsel and understanding:
22that your soul may live, and that there may be grace round your neck; and it shall be health to your flesh, and safety to your bones:
23that you may go confidently in peace in all your ways, and that your foot may not stumble.
24For if you rest, you shall be undismayed; and if you sleep, you shall slumber sweetly.
25And you shall not be afraid of alarm coming upon you, neither of approaching attacks of ungodly men.
26For the Lord shall be over all your ways, and shall establish your foot that you be not moved.
27Forbear not to do good to the poor, whenever your hand may have power to help him.
28Say not, Come back another time, to-morrow I will give; while you are able to do him good: for you know not what the next day will bring forth.
29Devise not evil against your friend, living near you and trusting in you.
30Be not ready to quarrel with a man without a cause, lest he do you some harm.
31Procure not the reproaches of bad men, neither do you covet their ways.
32For every transgressor is unclean before the Lord; neither does he sit among the righteous.
33The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly; but the habitations of the just are blessed.
34The Lord resists the proud; but he gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 9.1-11 (Vespers)
1Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars.
2She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table.
3She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying,
4Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that lack understanding she says,
5Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you.
6Leave folly, that you⌃ may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.
7He that reproves evil men shall get dishonor to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly man shall disgrace himself.
8Rebuke not evil men, lest they should hate you: rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction.
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: for to know the law is the character of a sound mind.
11For in this way you shall live long, and years of your life shall be added to you.
Mark 16.9-20
(3rd Matins Gospel)
9Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
10She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.
12After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them as they walked, on their way into the country.
13They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either.
14Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table; and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation.
16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
17These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;
18they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
Galatians 6.11-18
(Epistle, Sunday before Elevation)
11See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.
12As many as desire to make a good impression in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, just so they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
13For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, so that they may boast in your flesh.
14But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
16As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God’s Israel.
17From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body.
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
2 Corinthians 1.21-2.4 (Epistle)
21Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,
22who also sealed us and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.
23But I call God for a witness to my soul, that to spare you, I didn’t come to Corinth.
24We don’t control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.
1But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.
2For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?
3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be shared by all of you.
4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
Hebrews 3.1-4
(Epistle, Church)
1Therefore, holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession: Jesus,
2who was faithful to him who appointed him, as also Moses was in all his house.
3For he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who built the house has more honor than the house.
4For every house is built by someone; but he who built all things is God.
John 3.13-17
(Gospel, Sunday before Elevation)
13No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
Matthew 22.1-14 (Gospel)
1Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son,
3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
4Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’
5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise;
6and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
7When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy.
9Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’
10Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,
12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.
13Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’
14For many are called, but few chosen.”
Matthew 16.13-18
(Gospel, Church)
13Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Commemorations
Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem (335)
The Church is located on Golgotha, where our Lord was crucified and buried. The true Cross and the place of the Resurrection were covered over by those hostile to Christ and His Apostles, and in the reign of Hadrian a temple to Aphrodite was built over the holy sites. St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, personally commanded and oversaw the excavations that restored the site and recovered the Cross itself. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was begun at the Empress Helena’s command, but she reposed before it could be completed. The Church was completed by Constantine and consecrated on this date in 335. Makarios archbishop of Jerusalem, presided at the consecration and also exalted the precious Cross (September 14). It is at this church that the miracle of the Holy Fire occurs every Pascha.
Holy Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion (1st c. )
This is the Cornelius who received St Peter into his household in Caesarea (Acts ch.10). He was then instructed in the Faith and baptised by St Peter, though he had been a pagan and a Gentile: a great turning point in the growth of the Church, for before this time many (including St Peter) had believed that the Church was meant only for the Jews. Tradition holds that St Cornelius later became a bishop and died a martyr.
Holy Great Martyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia (1624)
In the seventeenth century, the Kingdom of Georgia was cruelly pressed by the Ottoman Empire on one side and Persia, under Shah Abbas the Great, on the other. King Theimuraz was taken captive by the Persians during an invasion and held captive in the fortress of Shiraz until, after many tortures, he was strangled.
The King’s mother, Queen Ketevan, travelled to the Persian court at Shiraz along with her grandsons Levan and Alexander, to plead with the Shah to spare the Kingdom. The Shah agreed, but the three were kept as hostages, where all were cruelly tortured.
Queen Ketevan endured ten years of captivity, throughout which the Shah attempted to convert her to Islam, first by persuasion and threats, then by torture. The Queen refused every effort to drive her into apostasy, and before each new torture would make the sign of the Cross and say ‘In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ At the end a brazier of burning coals was fixed to her head and, in the midst of her extreme torment, she was strangled with a bow-string on September 13 1624. After her glorious martyrdom a divine light surrounded her tomb.