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.
1 Corinthians 2.6-9
(Epistle, Saturday before Elevation)
6We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown, yet a wisdom not of this world nor of the rulers of this world who are coming to nothing.
7But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,
8which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But as it is written, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.”
Galatians 3.23-4.5 (Epistle)
23But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.
27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.
1But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all,
2but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father.
3So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.
4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
5that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children.
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.
Matthew 10.37-11.1
(Gospel, Saturday before Elevation)
37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.
38He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me.
39He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.
41He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.”
1When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Mark 6.30-45 (Gospel)
30The apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught.
31He said to them, “Come away into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
33They saw them going, and many recognized him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to him.
34Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
35When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is late in the day.
36Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.”
37But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”
38He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.” When they knew, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
39He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass.
40They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.
41He took the five loaves and the two fish; and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves, and he gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all.
42They all ate and were filled.
43They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and also of the fish.
44Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away.
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.