Isaiah 40.18-31 (6th Hour)

18To whom have you⌃ compared the Lord? and with what likeness have you⌃ compared him? 19Has not the artificer made an image, or the goldsmith having melted gold, gilt it over, and made it a similitude? 20For the artificer chooses out a wood that will not rot, and will wisely enquire how he shall set up his image, and that so that it should not be moved. 21Will you⌃ not know? will you⌃ not hear? has it not been told you of old? Have you⌃ not known the foundations of the earth? 22It is he that comprehends the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants in it are as grasshoppers; he that set up the heaven as a chamber, and stretched it out as a tent to dwell in: 23he that appoints princes to rule as nothing, and has made the earth as nothing. 24For they shall not plant, neither shall they sow, neither shall their root be fixed in the ground: he has blown upon them, and they are withered, and a storm shall carry them away like sticks. 25Now then to whom have you⌃ compared me, that I may be exalted? says the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high, and see, who has displayed all these things? even he that brings forth his host by number: he shall call them all by name by means of his great glory, and by the power of his might: nothing has escaped you. 27For say not you, O Jacob, and why have you spoken, Israel, saying, My way is hid from God, and my God has taken away my judgement, and has departed? 28And now, have you not known? have you not heard? the eternal God, the God that formed the ends of the earth, shall not hunger, nor be weary, and there is no searching of his understanding. 29He gives strength to the hungry, and sorrow to them that are not suffering. 30For the young men shall hunger, and the youths shall be weary, and the choice men shall be powerless: 31but they that wait on God shall renew their strength; they shall put forth new feathers like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not hunger.

Genesis 15.1-15 (Vespers)

1And after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I shield you, your reward shall be very great. 2And Abram said, Master and Lord, what will you give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is my heir. 3And Abram said, I am grieved since you have given me no seed, but my home-born servant shall succeed me. 4And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him, saying, This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come out of you shall be your heir. 5And he brought him out and said to him, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars, if you shall be able to number them fully, and he said, Thus shall your seed be. 6And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. 7And he said to him, I am God that brought you out of the land of the Chaldeans, so as to give you this land to inherit. 8And he said, Master and Lord, how shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9And he said to him, Take for me an heifer in her third year, and a she-goat in her third year, and a ram in his third year, and a dove and a pigeon. 10So he took to him all these, and divided them in the midst, and set them opposite to each other, but the birds he did not divide. 11And birds came down upon the bodies, even upon the divided parts of them, and Abram sat down by them. 12And about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and behold! a great gloomy terror falls upon him. 13And it was said to Abram, You shall surely know that your seed shall be a sojourner in a land not their own, and they shall enslave them, and afflict them, and humble them four hundred years. 14And the nation whoever they shall serve I will judge; and after this, they shall come forth hither with much property. 15But you shall depart to your fathers in peace, nourished in a good old age.

Proverbs 15.7-19 (Vespers)

7The lips of the wise are bound by discretion: but the hearts of the foolish are not safe. 8The sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to the Lord; but the prayers of them that walk honestly are acceptable with him. 9The ways of an ungodly man are an abomination to the Lord; but he loves those that follow after righteousness. 10The instruction of the simple is known by them that pass by; but they that hate reproofs die disgracefully. 11Hell and destruction are manifest to the Lord; how shall not also be the hearts of men? 12An uninstructed person will not love those that reprove him; neither will he associate with the wise. 13When the heart rejoices the countenance is cheerful; but when it is in sorrow, the countenance is sad. 14An upright heart seeks discretion; but the mouth of the uninstructed will experience evils. 15The eyes of the wicked are always looking for evil things; but the good are always quiet. 16Better is a small portion with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures without the fear of the Lord. 17Better is an entertainment of herbs with friendliness and kindness, than a feast of calves, with enmity. 18A passionate man stirs up strife; but he that is slow to anger appeases even a rising one. A man slow to anger will extinguish quarrels; but an ungodly man rather stirs them up. 19The ways of sluggards are strewn with thorns; but those of the diligent are made smooth.

Ven. Theophanes the Confessor

He was born in 760 to an illustrious and very wealthy family — he was a kinsman of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian. In early life he lived in great luxury, married, and became a member of the Emperor’s court. Later, with his wife’s consent, he abandoned his home, his fortune and his rank to live humbly in a monastery. (His wife also entered monastic life; both of them entered monasteries that they had established with their wealth). Theophanes, though accustomed to a life of splendor and ease, joyfully lived as the lowest of monks for many years. He became so well-known for his faith, purity and wisdom that he was invited to the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 787. He prayed unceasingly for the sick and distressed, and was granted the gift of wonder working: his prayers healed all kinds of illnesses, but especially mania and madness. When he himself fell seriously ill for a long period, he refused to pray for his own healing, but accepted his infirmity with thanksgiving.

When a second iconoclast period arose under the Emperor Leo the Armenian, Theophanes, who was widely known for his defense of the holy icons, was taken to Constantinople and imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions for two years. The Emperor then sent him into exile on the island of Samothrace. There, his body broken by his cruel imprisonment, he lived for only twenty-three days before giving up his soul to God.

St Gregory the Great (the Dialogist), Pope of Rome (604)

He was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. He received a good education in secular and spiritual learning, and became Prefect of Rome. While still in the world, he used his great wealth mostly for the good of the Church, building six monasteries in Sicily and another in Rome itself. At this monastery, dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, Gregory was tonsured a monk. He was appointed Archdeacon of Rome, then, in 579, Papal legate to Constantinople, where he lived for nearly seven years. He returned to Rome in 585 and was elected Pope in 590.

He is famed for his many writings, his generous charity (he gave almost all his income to the poor, and often invited the poor to share his table), and for initiating missionary work among the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on Wednesday and Friday evenings during Great Lent, was compiled by him. St Gregory introduced elements of the chanting that he had heard in Constantinople into Western Church chant: The Gregorian Chant which beautified the Western churches for many years is named for him. Its system of modes is related to the eight tones of the Eastern church. He is called ‘the Dialogist’ after his book The Dialogues, an account of the lives and miracles of Italian saints.

Saint Gregory reposed in peace in 604.

Repose of St Symeon the New Theologian (1021)

His main commemoration is on October 12.