Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Monday of the Sixteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 211].

4 ²⁸Brethren, after the manner of Isaac, we are children of promise. ²⁹But as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. ³⁰But what saith the Scripture? “Cast out the maidservant and her son; for in no wise shall the son of the maidservant inherit with the son of the free woman [cf. Gen. 21:10].” ³¹So then, brethren, we are not children of a maidservant, but of the free woman.

5 ¹Keep on standing fast therefore in the freedom with which Christ set us free, and cease being held fast again with a yoke of slavery. ²Behold, I Paul say to you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. ³And I testify again to every man being circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. ⁴Ye are deprived of all effect from the Christ, ye who are trying to be justified in the law; ye fell from grace. ⁵For we by the Spirit out of faith eagerly await the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision hath any strength, nor uncircumcision, but faith energizing itself through love. ⁷Ye were running well; who cut in on you that ye should not be persuaded to the truth? ⁸The persuasion is not from the One Who calleth you. ⁹A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. ¹⁰I have confidence in regard to you in the Lord, that ye will not be otherwise minded; but the one who troubleth you shall bear the judgment, whosoever he may be.

Gospel

Sl. usage begins, Lk. 4:37-44, as follows:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 16]. At that time, Jesus entered into Simon’s house:

4 ³⁷And a resounding report kept on going forth into every place of the country round about.

³⁸...And the mother-in-law of Simon was constrained by a great fever, and they besought Him for her. ^39-44[See herein below.]

Gk. usage begins, Lk. 4:38-44, as follows:

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

4 ³⁸Jesus entered into the house of Simon. And the mother-in-law of Simon was constrained by a great fever, and they besought Him for her.

³⁹And He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and began to minister to them. ⁴⁰Now at the setting of the sun, all, as many as had those who were sick with various diseases, brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on each one of them, and cured them. ⁴¹And demons also came out from many, crying out and saying, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” And He, rebuking them, suffered them not to talk, for they knew Him to be the Christ. ⁴²And it having become day, He came out and went forth into a desolate place; and the crowds were seeking after Him. And they came up to Him and tried to hold Him back, so that He should not go from them. ⁴³But He said to them, “There is need for Me to preach the good tidings of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; because for this have I been sent forth.” ⁴⁴And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the miracle of the most holy Theotokos "of the Myrtle Tree" in Kythera, and holy First-martyr and Equal-to-the-apostles Thekla.

Epistle

For the Theotokos:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians [§ 240]. Brethren:

2 ⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶Who, existing in the form of God, deemed it not a prize to be seized to be equal with God; ⁷but He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, and came to be in the likeness of men. ⁸And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient even to death—indeed, the death of a cross. ⁹Wherefore God also exalted Him exceedingly, and freely gave to Him a name that is above every name, ¹⁰that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth; ¹¹and every tongue should confess for itself that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

For the Proto-martyr:

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to Saint Timothy [§ 296]. Child Timothy:

3 ¹⁰Thou hast closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, patience, ¹¹persecutions, sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra—what persecutions I endured! And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹²Yes, and all those who wish to live piously in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. ¹³But evil men and cheats shall advance to the worse, leading astray and being led astray. ¹⁴But thou, keep on abiding in what thou didst learn and wast assured of, knowing from whom thou didst learn, ¹⁵and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings, which are able to make thee wise in regard to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 104]. The Lord said this parable:

25 ¹“The kingdom of the heavens shall be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ²“And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish. ³“Those who were foolish took lamps for themselves and took no oil with them; ⁴“but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵“But while the bridegroom tarried, they all dozed and went on sleeping. ⁶“But in the middle of the night, there came to pass a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!’ ⁷“Then all those virgins were wakened and trimmed their lamps. ⁸“And the foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹“But the prudent answered, saying, ‘Peradventure there might not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰“But while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and they who were ready went in with him to the wedding festivities; and the door was shut. ¹¹“And afterwards the remaining virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²“But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say to you, I know ye not.’ ¹³“Be watching then, for ye know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man cometh.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

October 7th – Civil Calendar
September 24th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Protomartyr Thekla, Equal to the Apostles.

Thekla was born in Iconium of eminent pagan parents. She was betrothed at the age of eighteen to a young man, at the time that the Apostle Paul came to Iconium with Barnabas to preach the Gospel. Listening to Paul for three days and nights, Thekla turned utterly to the Christian Faith and vowed to live in virginity. Her mother, seeing that she shunned her betrothed and thought no more of marriage, first talked to her and then beat her and starved her. Finally, she gave her over to the judges and demanded, wicked mother that she was, that Thekla be burned. The judge threw her into the flames, but God preserved her unharmed. Thekla then became a follower of the Apostle Paul, and went with him to Antioch. Attracted by Thekla’s beauty, an elder of the city attempted to take her by force, but Thekla tore herself out of his grasp. The elder denounced her to the governor as a Christian who was averse to marriage. The governor condemned her to death and threw her to the wild beasts, but the animals would not touch the body of this holy virgin. Amazed at this, the governor asked: ‘Who are you, and what is the power that you have in you, that nothing can do you harm?’ Thekla replied: ‘I am a servant of the living God.’ Then the governor let her go free, and she began to preach the Gospel and succeeded in bringing many to the true Faith, among whom was an eminent and honored widow, Tryphena. After this, St. Thekla, with the blessing of the Apostle Paul, withdrew to a solitary place near Seleukeia. She lived a long time there in asceticism, healing the sick with miraculous power and in this way bringing many to Christianity. The doctors in Seleukeia were jealous of her and sent some young men to assault her, hoping that, in losing her virginity, she would lose also her miraculous power. Thekla fled from these insolent young men, and when she saw that they would catch her, prayed to God for help in front of a rock, and the rock opened and hid the holy maiden and bride of Christ. This rock was her hiding place and her tomb. St. Chrysostom says of this wonderful Christian heroine and saint: ‘I seem to see this blessed virgin going to Christ with virginity in one hand and martyrdom in the other.’

2. St. Stefan (Stephen), King of Serbia, the First-Crowned (Simon the Monk).

Crowned king at Žiča, his foundation, by his brother and spiritual father, St. Sava, he was a devout Christian and a wise and peace-loving ruler. Stefan, together with St. Sava, raised Orthodoxy to great heights among his people. At his desire, St. Sava made him a monk at the time of his death, giving him the name Simon. He entered into rest in the Lord on September 24th, 1224, and his relics are preserved at Studenica.

3. St. David (formerly Prince Dimitrije)

Son of Vukan, Stefan’s brother, he built the monastery at Lim, at which he himself became a monk.

4. The Holy Prince Vladislav.

Son of King Stefan, he built the monastery of Mileševa, whither he took St. Sava’s relics from Trnovo. He was distinguished by a rare compassion for the poor. On the coinage of his time, he had inscribed: ‘The servant of God Vladislav’.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Every saint is close to the place where he is invoked for help, or where his holiness is commemorated and glorified. Those who are gifted with insight see them; those who lack this gift believe somehow and will see them in due time. St. Kosmas of Zographou, while still a young monk, was a clairvoyant. Once, on the Annunciation, he went to Vatopedi for the feast with some other monks. Both during the service in church and during the meal in the refectory, Kosmas saw a woman of heavenly beauty and majesty, who was organising, directing and herself serving with authority. He saw her for a long time, not just for a moment, both in the church and in the refectory. Kosmas was deeply perplexed and not a little appalled at this sight, for he felt it scandalous to see a woman in a monastery of the Holy Mountain. When he recounted his vision to his elder at Zographou, saying how unseemly it was for a woman to be on the Holy Mountain, his elder told him that it must have been the Queen of the Holy Mountain, the most holy Mother of God herself. In heartfelt wonder, Kosmas was filled with great joy.

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.