Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Thursday of the Fifth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 35]. In those days:

For Gk. usage, Acts 14:20-15:5; for Sl. usage, Acts 14:20-27.

14 ²⁰Paul went away with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹And having preached the Gospel to that city and having made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, ²²adding strength to the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that “through many temptations it is necessary for us to enter into the kingdom of God.” ²³And after they ordained presbyters for them in every church, and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in Whom they had believed. ²⁴And after they passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵And having spoken the word in Perga, they came down to Attaleia. ²⁶And from that place they sailed off to Antioch, from which place they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. ²⁷And after they came and gathered together the Church, they reported how much God did with them, and that He opened to the nations a door of faith. ²⁸And they were spending there not a little time with the disciples.

15 ¹And certain men, having come down from Judæa, were teaching the brethren, “Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved.” ²Then after there arose no little disputation for Paul and Barnabas with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas and certain others from among them to go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and presbyters, about this question. ³They indeed therefore were sent forth under escort by the Church and were passing through Phœnicia and Samaria, telling in detail the conversion of the nations; and they were causing great joy to all the brethren. ⁴And having come into Jerusalem, they were received by the Church and the apostles and the presbyters, and they reported how much God did with them.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 35]. The Lord said to those Jews who had come to Him:

9 ³⁹“For judgment I came into this world, in order that they who see not may see; and they who see might become blind.” ⁴⁰And those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, “We are not also blind, are we?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If ye were blind, ye should not have sin; but now ye say, ‘We see’; therefore your sin remaineth.

10 ¹“Verily, verily, I say to you, the one who entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but goeth up from another place, that one is a thief and a robber. ²“But the one who entereth by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³“To this one the doorkeeper openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out. ⁴“And whenever he should put forth his own sheep, he goeth before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. ⁵“But a stranger in no wise will they follow, but will flee from him, because they know not the voice of strangers.” ⁶This parable Jesus spoke to them; but they understood not what it was which He spoke to them. ⁷Then said Jesus to them again, “Verily, verily, I say to you that I am the door of the sheep. ⁸“All, as many as came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep heard them not. ⁹“I am the door; by Me if anyone should enter, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out and find pasture.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

1. The commemoration of the holy Prophet Jeremias, and the venerable Monk- martyrs of Mt. Athos, Efthymios, Ignatios, and Akakios.

Epistle

For the Prophet:

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians [§ 266].

For Gk. usage, see 1 Thess. 2:14-20; for Sl. usage, see 1 Thess. 2:14-19.

2 ¹⁴Brethren, ye became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judæa in Christ Jesus. For ye also suffered the same things by your own countrymen, even as they have by the Jews, ¹⁵who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men, ¹⁶forbidding us to speak to the nations that they might be saved, to the end that they fill up their sins always. But the wrath came upon them to the uttermost.

¹⁷But we, brethren, having been made orphans from you for an hour’s time—in person, not in heart—endeavored more abundantly to see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Wherefore we wished to come to you, indeed I Paul, both once and twice, and yet Satan hindered us. ¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting? Are not also ye before our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? ²⁰For ye are our glory and joy.

for Sl. usage, see [1 Cor. 14:20-25].

For the venerable Martyrs:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans [§ 99]. Brethren:

8 ²⁸We know that to those who love God all things work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose. ²⁹For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformable to the image of His Son, in order for Him to be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰But whom He foreordained, these also He called; and whom He called, these also He justified; and whom He justified, these also He glorified. ³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He Who indeed spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also graciously give us all things? ³³Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God? God is the One Who justifieth. ³⁴Who is the one who condemneth? Christ is the One Who died, but much more is He the One also Who was raised, Who also is at the right of God, Who also intercedeth for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶Even as it hath been written: “For on account of Thee, we are being put to death the whole day; we were counted as sheep of slaughter [Ps. 43(44):23(22)].” ³⁷But in all these things we more than conquer through the One Who loved us. ³⁸For I have been persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things coming, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel

For the Prophet:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 14]. At that time:

4 ²² The crowds were wondering at the words of grace which were proceeding out of Jesus’ mouth, and were saying, “This is the Son of Joseph, is it not?” ²³And He said to them, “No doubt, ye will say this parable to Me, ‘Physician, heal thyself; as much as we heard was done in Capernaum, do also here in Thy country.’” ²⁴And He said, “Verily I say to you that not one prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵“But in truth I say to you, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine arose over all the land; ²⁶“and to not even one of them was Elias sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷“And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisaios the prophet, and not one of them was cleansed, except Neman the Syrian.” ²⁸And all in the synagogue were filled with anger when they heard these things. ²⁹And they rose up and cast Him outside of the city; and they led Him up to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down headlong. ³⁰But He, having passed through the midst of them, kept going on His way.

For the venerable Martyrs:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§§ 38, mid 79]. The Lord said to his disciples:

10 ³²“Everyone who shall confess in Me before men, I also will confess in him before My Father Who is in the heavens. ³³“But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father Who is in the heavens.... ³⁷“The one who loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸“And whosoever taketh not his cross and followeth after Me is not worthy of Me.”...

19 ²⁷Peter answered and said to Him, “Behold, we left all things and followed Thee; what then shall be for us?” ²⁸And Jesus said to them, “Verily I say to you, that ye who followed Me, in the regeneration, whenever the Son of Man shall have taken His seat upon the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹“And everyone who leaveth houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, on account of My name, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit life everlasting. ³⁰“But many who are first shall be last, and the last first.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

May 14th – Civil Calendar
May 1st – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Prophet Jeremias (Jeremiah).

Born 650 years before Christ in the village of Anathoth, not far from Jerusalem, he began to prophesy at an early age, during the reign of King Josiah (Jer. 1:1-19). He preached repentance to the king and nobles and the false prophets and priests, and in the time of that King Josiah, barely escaped death at the hands of the enraged nobles. He prophesied to King Jehoiakim that his burial would be like that of an ass; that is, he would be cast dead out of Jerusalem and his body would be for a long time dragged around the ground without burial (22:18). For this, Jeremias was thrown into prison. Being unable to write there, he sent for Baruch, who stood outside the window of the prison while Jeremias dictated to him. When the king read this prophecy, he took the paper in fury and threw it into the fire. By God’s providence, Jeremias was saved from prison, and the words of the prophecy were fulfilled upon Jehoiakim. He prophesied to King Jeconiah that he would be carried off to Babylon with his whole family and that he would die there, all of which quickly came to pass (24:1; 27:20). Under King Zedekiah, he put a yoke on his neck and walked through Jerusalem prophesying the fall of the city and slavery under the yoke of Babylon (27:2). He wrote to the slaves in Babylon, telling them that they would not return to Jerusalem but would remain for seventy years in Babylon, which came to pass (25:11). In the valley of Topnet, near Jerusalem, where the Jews had brought children to the idols for sacrifice, Jeremias took a whole pot in his hands and smashed it in front of the people, prophesying the imminent crushing of the Jewish Kingdom (19:10-11). The Babylonians soon overran Jerusalem, killed King Zedekiah, burned the city down and utterly destroyed it. They slaughtered an enormous number of Jews in the valley of Topnet, in the place where children had died as sacrifices to idols and where the prophet had broken the pot. Jeremias, with the Levites, took the Ark out of the Temple and bore it off to the mountain of Nebo, where Moses had died, and hid it in a cave. He hid the fire from the altar in a deep well. He was forced by some Jews to go with them to Egypt, where he lived for four years and was then stoned to death by his countrymen. He prophesied to the Egyptians the destruction of their idols and the coming there of a Virgin with a Child. There is a tradition that Alexander the Great himself visited the grave of the Prophet Jeremias,* and ordered that his body be moved and buried in Alexandria.

* Author’s note: The Egyptians almost deified St. Jeremias, and they therefore buried him as a king. He was regarded as a wonder-worker after his death. The dust from his tomb was taken as a medicine against snake bites, and today many Christians invoke his help against them.

2. The Right-believing Queen Tamara of Georgia.

She was born between the years 1156 and 1165, a descendant of the ancient Bagratid Dynasty. In her youth, Tamara became co-regent with her father. She became sole ruler of Georgia upon his death in 1184. Her reign came to be known as the Golden Age of Georgian history. Queen Tamara ruled with much wisdom and godly piety. She was a favorite among her people. In imitation of the saintly empress of old, Helen, Tamara built countless churches and monasteries throughout her kingdom and was a benefactress to the holy land, Mount Athos, and the sacred places in Greece and Cyprus. Saint Tamara was conspicuous for her continuous flow of alms among the needy. She sponsored both education and learning. Upon her coronation she convoked a holy synod, urging the holy fathers to establish righteousness and redress abuses. The young sovereign addressed the prelates with many wise words, speaking in this manner, “Our holy Faith will be exalted by you as spiritual fathers and ones with authority given to you from on high, and by me as this fair country’s ruler and vigilant guardian.” In 1204, the Georgian people were threatened by the inroads of Muslims. The queen went herself, clad in armor at the head of her Georgian armies. With sword in hand, she gained unprecedented military triumphs over the neighboring Muslims. By means of her many military and political triumphs, she expanded Georgian power into Armenia and Persia, for the sake of Orthodoxy and the curtailment of Islam. Queen Tamara also founded the empire of Trebizond. The enemies of Georgia, entire mountain tribes, on account of the reverence they had for Tamara the queen, renounced Islam and were baptized. She also defeated coalitions of Muslim rulers. In other instances, the Archangel Michael appeared to her prisoners of war, making it known that his heavenly solicitude was directed toward the queen, so that he both protected her in battle and caused her campaigns to succeed. Although fearless in war and governing, her people extolled her gentleness, love of peace, wisdom, piety, and beauty. Although St. Tamara acquired much glory and admiration in her lifetime, still she did not exalt herself in her mind. She spent the final years of her life in the Bardzia Cave Monastery. She had her own cell which was connected to the church by a window, through which she could offer up prayer to God during the divine offices. She reposed in peace between 1207 and 1213, and soared into the heavens where she is numbered among the saints. St. Tamara is venerated as the healer of infirmities. She is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women. The queen is recorded to have uttered these final words: “O Christ, my God, as Thou hadst entrusted me with the stewardship of this kingdom dedicated to Thee, so I commend to Thee the people who have been redeemed by Thy precious blood. To Thee, O my Christ, do I commit my spirit.” Tamara the all-great is the never-fading glory of the Iberians and the exquisite ornament of the Orthodox Church, for she tended well the portion of the Theotokos and cultivated well the vine of the enlightener Nina, by confirming her people in Orthodoxy and with right doctrine and practice.

3. Our Holy Father, the New-Martyr Akakios the Slipper-Maker.

He was from the village of Neochorion, near Thessalonica. Being much ill-treated by his master in Serres, he became a Turk. After that, as a penitent and a monk, he lived at Hilandar. His poor and devout mother counselled him: ‘As you voluntarily denied the Lord, so you must now voluntarily and courageously receive martyrdom for our sweet Jesus’. The son obeyed his mother, and with the blessing of the fathers of the Holy Mountain, went off to Constantinople, where he was beheaded by the Turks on May 1st, 1815. His head is preserved in the monastery of St. Panteleimon.

4. Our Holy Father Paphnutius of Borovsk.

The son of a Tartar noble who had earlier accepted the Christian Faith, he became a monk at the age of twenty and remained in his monastery to the age of ninety-four, when he entered into rest in the Lord. He was a virgin and an ascetic, and because of this, a great wonder-worker and clairvoyant. He died in 1478.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Our holy father Paphnutius of Borovsk spoke to his disciples of how a man’s soul and hidden works can be known by external sight. This seemed improbable to his disciples, until this man of God demonstrated it in practice on several occasions. Looking with insight into the destiny of others, he also saw his own. For a week, while still in good health, he prophesied that, on the next Thursday, he would be parted from this world. And when that Thursday dawned, he cried out with joy: ‘This is the day of the Lord! Rejoice, O ye people! Lo, the expected day has dawned!’ And thus the man waited for death who, through his whole life, had thought on the parting from this world and the meeting with God.

Daily Scripture Readings taken from The Orthodox New Testament, translated and published by Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, copyright © 2000, used with permission, all rights reserved.

Daily Prologue Readings taken from The Prologue of Ochrid, by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, translated by Mother Maria, published by Lazarica Press, Birmingham, England, copyright © 1985, all rights reserved. Edited by Dormition Skete.