Saturday, February 27
St Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn
Appointed readings
7 passagesVespers · Old Testament
Proverbs 10:31–11:12
31A righteous man will never fail, But the ungodly shall not inhabit the earth.
32The mouth of a righteous man distills wisdom, But the tongue of an unrighteous man utterly destroys.
33The lips of righteous men distill grace, But the mouth of the ungodly is perverse.
1Deceitful scales are an abomination before the Lord, But a righteous weight is acceptable to Him.
2Wherever arrogance enters, there also is dishonor, But the mouth of the humble meditates on wisdom.
3When a righteous man dies, he leaves regret, But the destruction of the ungodly is immediate and brings joy.
4Righteousness cuts straight and blameless paths, But ungodliness embraces wrongdoing.
5The righteousness of upright men delivers them, But lawless men are taken to their destruction.
6When a righteous man dies, his hope does not perish, But the boast of the ungodly perishes.
7A righteous man escapes from a snare, But the ungodly man is handed over in his place.
8There is a snare for citizens in the mouth of the ungodly, But the perception of the righteous is prosperous.
9A city stays upright in the good things of the righteous, But it is razed to the ground by the mouths of the ungodly.
10A man in need of discernment treats citizens with contempt, But a man of discernment keeps quiet.
11A double-tongued man reveals deliberations heard in council, But a man faithful in spirit conceals matters.
12Those for whom there is no leadership fall like leaves, But there is salvation in much counsel.
Vespers · Old Testament
Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15
7But though a righteous man may die before his time, He shall be at rest.
8For old age is not honored for its length of existence, Nor measured by its number of years;
9But discernment is gray hair for mankind, And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.
10There was once a man pleasing to God and loved by Him, And while living among sinners he was taken up.
11He was caught up lest evil change his understanding Or deceit deceive his soul.
12For envy arising from lack of judgment obscures what is good, And a whirling of desire undermines an innocent heart.
13He was made perfect, For in a short time he fulfilled long years,
14For his soul was pleasing to the Lord; Therefore, He took him early from the midst of evil. Yet peoples saw this but did not understand, Nor take such a thing to heart,
15That the Lord's grace and mercy are with His elect And that He watches over His holy ones.
Matins · Gospel
John 10:1–9
1Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.'
6Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
7Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Epistle
2 Timothy 3:1–9
1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
6For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
Epistle
Hebrews 13:17–21
17Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
18Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.
19But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
20Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Luke 20:46–21:4
46'Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,
47who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.'
1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
2and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
3So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all;
4for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.'
Gospel
John 10:9–16
9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.