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 Peter 1:20-2:9
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any
private interpretation,
for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of
God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in
destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on
themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom
the way of truth will be blasphemed.
By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;
for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction
does not slumber.
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them
down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for
judgment;
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of
eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the
world of the ungodly;
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes,
condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who
afterward would live ungodly;
and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the
filthy conduct of the Wicked
(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his
righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds);
then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of
temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of
judgment,
Gospel Reading: Mark 13:9-13
"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to
councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought
before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.
"And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
"But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry
beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you
in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
"Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his
child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put
to death.
"And you will be hated by all men for My name's sake. But he
who endures to the end shall be saved.
Saints and Feasts
Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch; Antonius, Archbishop of Constantinople; Christos the New Martyr
