Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Epistle Reading: 2 Timothy 2:20-26

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.

Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Gospel Reading: Luke 19:37-44

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,

saying: ” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ” Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,

saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

“For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,

“and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Saints and Feasts

Nahum the Prophet; Ananias the Persian; Philaret the Merciful of Amnia; Holy Father Theocletus the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Lacedaemonia; Our Holy Fathers Ananius and Solochon, Archbishops of Ephesus