Isaiah 11.10-12.2 (6th Hour)

10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious. 11And it shall be in that day, that the Lord shall again show his hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left of the people, which shall be left by the Assyrians, and that from Egypt, and from the country of Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and out of Arabia. 12And he shall lift up a standard for the nations, and he shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and he shall gather the dispersed of Juda from the four corners of the earth. 13And the envy of Ephraim shall be taken away, and the enemies of Juda shall perish: Ephraim shall not envy Juda, and Juda shall not afflict Ephraim. 14And they shall fly in the ships of the Philistines: they shall at the same time spoil the sea, and them that come from the east, and Idumea: and they shall lay their hands on Moab first; but the children of Ammon shall first obey them. 15And the Lord shall make desolate the sea of Egypt; and he shall lay his hand on the river with a strong wind, and he shall strike the seven channels, so that men shall pass through it dry-shod. 16And there shall be a passage for my people that is left in Egypt: and it shall be to Israel as the day when he came forth out of the land of Egypt.

1And in that day you shall say, I will bless you, O Lord; for you were angry with me, but you have turned aside your wrath, and have pitied me. 2Behold, my God is my Saviour; I will trust in him, and not be afraid: for the Lord is my glory and my praise, and is become my salvation.

Genesis 7.11-8.3 (Vespers)

11In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened. 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13On that very day entered Noe, Sem, Cham, Japheth, the sons of Noe, and the wife of Noe, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark. 14And all the wild beasts after their kind, and all cattle after their kind, and every reptile moving itself on the earth after its kind, and every flying bird after its kind, 15went in to Noe into the ark, pairs, male and female of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16And they that entered went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded Noe, and the Lord God shut the ark outside of him. 17And the flood was upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and the water abounded greatly and bore up the ark, and it was lifted on high from off the earth. 18And the water prevailed and abounded exceedingly upon the earth, and the ark was borne upon the water. 19And the water prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and covered all the high mountains which were under heaven. 20Fifteen cubits upwards was the water raised, and it covered all the high mountains. 21And there died all flesh that moved upon the earth, of flying creatures and cattle, and of wild beasts, and every reptile moving upon the earth, and every man. 22And all things which have the breath of life, and whatever was on the dry land, died. 23And God blotted out every offspring which was upon the face of the earth, both man and beast, and reptiles, and birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth, and Noe was left alone, and those with him in the ark. 24And the water was raised over the earth one hundred and fifty days.

1And God remembered Noe, and all the wild beasts, and all the cattle, and all the birds, and all the reptiles that creep, as many as were with him in the ark, and God brought a wind upon the earth, and the water stayed. 2And the fountains of the deep were closed up, and the flood-gates of heaven, and the rain from heaven was withheld. 3And the water subsided, and went off the earth, and after one hundred and fifty days the water was diminished, and the ark rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.

Proverbs 10.1-22 (Vespers)

1A wise son makes his father glad: but a foolish son is a grief to his mother. 2Treasures shall not profit the lawless: but righteousness shall deliver from death. 3The Lord will not famish a righteous soul: but he will overthrow the life of the ungodly. 4Poverty brings a man low: but the hands of the vigorous make rich. A son who is instructed shall be wise, and shall use the fool for a servant. 5A wise son is saved from heat: but a lawless son is blighted of the winds in harvest. 6The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the just: but untimely grief shall cover the mouth of the ungodly. 7The memory of the just is praised; but the name of the ungodly man is extinguished. 8A wise man in heart will receive commandments; but he that is unguarded in his lips shall be overthrown in his perverseness. 9He that walks simply, walks confidently; but he that perverts his ways shall be known. 10He that winks with his eyes deceitfully, procures griefs for men; but he that reproves boldly is a peacemaker. 11There is a fountain of life in the hand of a righteous man; but destruction shall cover the mouth of the ungodly. 12Hatred stirs up strife; but affection covers all that do not love strife. 13He that brings forth wisdom from his lips smites the fool with a rod. 14The wise will hide discretion; but the mouth of the hasty draws near to ruin. 15The wealth of rich men is a strong city; but poverty is the ruin of the ungodly. 16The works of the righteous produce life; but the fruits of the ungodly produce sins. 17Instruction keeps the right ways of life; but instruction unchastened goes astray. 18Righteous lips cover enmity; but they that utter railings are most foolish. 19By a multitude of words you shall not escape sin; but if you refrain your lips you will be prudent. 20The tongue of the just is tried silver; but the heart of the ungodly shall fail. 21The lips of the righteous know sublime truths: but the foolish die in lack. 22The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous; it enriches him, and grief of heart shall not be added to it.

Ven. Gerasimus of the Jordan

He was from Lycia in Asia Minor. After living there as a hermit for many years, he traveled to the Egyptian Thebaid and lived among the Desert Fathers. He then went to Palestine, where he founded the great Lavra, a community of about seventy monks, that remains to this day. The monastery’s rule was simple and strict: During the five weekdays, the monks would stay in their cells, praying and weaving baskets and mats. On these days they ate only a little dry bread and some dates. On Saturdays and Sundays the monks gathered for worship and ate boiled vegetables with a little wine. Each monk owned only one garment; if he left his cell he was required to leave it open so that anyone else could take whatever he needed from it. Saint Gerasimos himself was an example to all of them, exceeding even the rule that he laid upon them: during the Great Fast, he would eat nothing but what he received in Holy Communion.

In the desert, the Saint once saw a lion in great pain from a thorn in its paw. Moved by compassion, Gerasim approached it, made the sign of the Cross and pulled the thorn out. The lion followed the elder back to the monastery and remained there until the Saint’s death. When Gerasimos died, the lion, overcome by grief, soon died also, lying upon the Saint’s grave.

Saint Gerasimos was present at the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, where he proved a strong champion of Orthodoxy, though he had inclined toward the Monophysite heresy in his youth. He reposed in peace in 475.

St James the Faster of Phoenecia (6th c.)

“He lived in the sixth century. He was so perfected in godliness that he was able to heal the gravest illnesses by his prayers. But the enemy of the human race brought a heavy temptation on him. There was once sent to him a woman who had been corrupted by some mockers. She pretended to weep before him, but enticed him to sin. Seeing that he would fall into sin, James put his left hand into the fire and held it there until it was completely burned. Seeing this, the woman was filled with fear and horror, repented and reformed her life.

“But on a second occasion he did not resist and fell with a young girl whom her parents had brought to him to be healed of her madness. He indeed healed her, but then sinned with her and, in order to conceal the sin, killed her and threw her into a river. As always, the path from lust to murder was not very long. James spent ten years after that as a penitent, living in a grave. He learned after that that God had forgiven him, because, when he at one time prayed for rain in a time of great drought from which both men and cattle were suffering, it fell.

“Here is an example, similar to that of David, of how wicked the evil demon is; how, by the permission of God, the greatest spiritual giants can topple, and how again, by sincere repentance, God in His compassion will forgive the greatest sins and does not punish those who punish themselves.” (Prologue)