Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Monday of the Twenty-Second Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians [§ 255]. Brethren:

2 ¹³You, being dead in the transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, did Christ make alive together with Him, having forgiven us all the transgressions, ¹⁴having blotted out the bond written against us, in the ordinances, which was contrary to us. And He hath taken it away out of the midst, having nailed it to the Cross. ¹⁵And having put off from Himself the principalities and the powers, He made an example of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶Let no one therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in part of a feast, or a new moon, or sabbath days, ¹⁷which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. ¹⁸Let no one deprive you of the prize, delighting in humility of mind and religious worship of the angels, intruding into things which he hath not seen, in vain being puffed up by the mind of his flesh,¹⁹and not holding the head, from Whom all the body, by the joints and ligaments being supplied and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

²⁰If then ye died with the Christ from the elements of the world, why, as if living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to regulations?

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 65]. At that time:

12 ¹³As Jesus was teaching, one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or a divider over you?” ¹⁵And He said to them, “Be taking heed and guarding yourselves from all covetousness, for not in the abundance of that which one possesseth is his life.”... ²²And He said to His disciples, “On this account I say to you, cease being anxious for your soul, what ye shall eat; nor for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³“The soul is more than food, and the body is more than the garment. ²⁴“Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap, for which there is no chamber nor storehouse; and God feedeth them. How much more do ye excel the birds? ²⁵“And which of you, by being anxious, is able to add one cubit onto his stature? ²⁶“If ye then are not able to do even the least, why are ye anxious about the rest? ²⁷“Consider the lilies, how they grow; they toil not, nor do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself as one of these. ²⁸“But if God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into an oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith? ²⁹“And ye, cease seeking what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, and cease being anxious. ³⁰“For all these things the nations of the world seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye need these things. ³¹“But be seeking the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyrs Galacteon and Episteme.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 325]. Brethren:

10 ³²Remind yourselves of the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great contest of sufferings: ³³partly, being made a show of both by reproaches and affliction; and partly, having become partners of those who conducted themselves thus. ³⁴For ye also sympathized with those in bonds and ye yourselves accepted the seizure of your possessions with joy, knowing in yourselves that ye have in the heavens a better and abiding possession. ³⁵Do not begin therefore to cast away your boldness which hath great recompense. ³⁶For ye have need of patience, that, after ye do the will of God, ye might receive for yourselves the promise. ³⁷“For yet a very little while, the One Who cometh will come, and will not delay [cf. Hab. 2:3]. ³⁸“Now the just shall live by faith; and if one should draw himself back, My soul hath no pleasure in him [cf. Hab. 2:4].”

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

November 18th – Civil Calendar
November 5th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father Galacteon and our Mother Episteme, the Martyrs.

They were born in the city of Edessa in Phoenicia, both of pagan parents. Galacteon’s mother was barren until she was baptized. After her Baptism, she brought her husband also to the true Faith and baptized her son Galacteon, bringing him up a Christian. When the time came for Galacteon to marry, his devout mother Leucippe died, and his father betrothed him to a maiden called Episteme. Galacteon did not wish to enter into marriage at all, and he quickly urged Episteme to be baptized and then to become a nun at the same time as he became a monk. Both went away to the mountain of Publion, Galacteon to a men’s monastery and Episteme to a women’s, and each of them became a true light in the monastery. They were first in labors, in prayer, in humility and obedience, and first in love. They did not leave their monasteries, and neither saw the other until the time of their death. A fierce persecution arose, and they were both brought to trial. While they were mercilessly whipping Galacteon, Episteme was weeping, and they then whipped her also. They cut off their hands and feet, and finally their heads. One Eutolius, a man who had been a servant of Episteme’s parents and then a monk together with Galacteon, took their bodies and buried them. He also wrote the Lives of these two wonderful martyrs for Christ, who suffered and received their heavenly crowns in 253.

2. The Holy Apostles Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius and Philologus.

They were of the Seventy. Patrobus was bishop of Neapolis; Hermes was in Philippopolis (Rom. 16:14), Linus in Rome (II Tim. 4:21), Gaius in Ephesus (Rom. 16:23) and Philologus in Synope (Rom. 15:16). All of them fulfilled the law of Christ with love and went to His kingdom.

3. St. Jonah (Iona), Archbishop of Novgorod

Born in Novgorod and orphaned early, he was taken and educated by a God-fearing woman. Michael the Fool for Christ of Klops saw him once as a young boy and said to him prophetically: ‘Ivan, my little one, be diligent in your studies, for you will be archbishop in Novgorod the Mighty’. And so it came to pass, for later, after the death of Archbishop Evtimy, this Jonah was elected and consecrated to the throne of Novgorod. Jonah was God-fearing and merciful, such as is rare in a mortal man. He built churches and monasteries and cared for his flock as a true and good shepherd. He was offered the throne of Moscow as metropolitan but declined, excusing himself because of his great age. He entered into rest peacefully on November 5th, 1570, and went to the joyful, heavenly mansions. One hundred years after his death, a great fire broke out in Novgorod. The relics of this holy hierarch did not catch fire among the flames, but on the contrary, began to show healing powers and to give off a sweet and wonderful fragrance.

FOR CONSIDERATION

As shadow is to reality (although even this is too weak a comparison), so is physical love to spiritual. Brotherhood and sisterhood of blood is nothing compared with the same relationship in the spirit. Galacteon was betrothed by his father to the maiden Episteme. He baptized her, and then they both received the monastic schema. Their physical love was transformed into spiritual, a love as strong as death. Galacteon’s spiritual love for Episteme was so great that he had no need to see her with his bodily sight; for, with spiritual love, neither physical contact or even meeting are necessary. Episteme’s spiritual love for Galacteon was so great that, when she heard that he had been taken for martyrdom, she ran after him, begging him not to cast her away, but as a spiritual father and brother, let her share his martyrdom. When Galacteon was flogged on his naked body by his merciless torturers, holy Episteme wept. When the torturers cut off their hands and feet for Christ’s sake, they both rejoiced and glorified God. Such was the power of their love for Christ the Lord and such was the mutual spiritual love with which they loved each other. Truly, physical love is like a gaudy butterfly that passes in a moment, but spiritual love is enduring.

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.