Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to Saint Timothy [§ 283]. Child Timothy:

3 ¹Faithful is the word. If one reach out for the office of bishop, he is desirous of a good work. ²It is necessary then for the bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, of sound mind, of good behavior, hospitable, apt at teaching, ³not given to behave ill at wine, not a striker, not sordidly greedy of gain, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money, ⁴one who manageth his own house well, having his children in subjection with all reverence ⁵(now if one know not to manage his own house, how shall he take care of a Church of God?); ⁶not a neophyte, lest having been puffed up with pride he should fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷But it is necessary for him also to have a good testimony from those outside, lest he should fall into reproach and a snare of the devil. ⁸It is necessary for deacons, in like manner, to be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not sordidly greedy of gain, ⁹holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. ¹⁰But first let these also be proved; then if they are blameless, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹It is necessary for women deaconesses, in like manner, to be reverent, not double-tongued, sober, faithful in all things. ¹²Let deacons be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own houses well. ¹³For they who have served well as deacons acquire a good degree for themselves and much boldness in faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 92]. At that time:

18 ³¹Jesus, after He took along His twelve disciples, said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which have been written by the prophets regarding the Son of Man shall be accomplished. ³²“For He shall be delivered up to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and insulted and spat upon. ³³“And after they scourge Him, they shall kill Him. And on the third day He shall raise Himself.” ³⁴And they understood none of these things. And this saying was hidden from them, and they were not perceiving the things being said.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the Temple.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 320]. Brethren:

9 ¹The first tabernacle also used to have both ordinances of worship and the sanctuary of this world. ²For a tabernacle was furnished: the first in which were both the lampstand and the table, and the laying forth of the loaves, which is called Holy; ³and after the second veil, a tabernacle which is called Holy of Holies, ⁴which hath a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant which hath been covered all around from every side with gold, in which was the golden jar having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, concerning which now is not the time to speak severally. ⁶Now after these things were thus furnished, the priests, on the one hand, enter into the first tabernacle, performing worship services; ⁷on the other hand, into the second, the high priest entereth alone once for all every year, not without blood, which he offereth on behalf of himself and the faults of ignorance of the people.

Gospel

In the Orthros

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 4].

1 ³⁹In those days Mariam rose up and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; ⁴⁰and she entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elisabeth. ⁴¹And it came to pass, as Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice, and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. ⁴³“And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴“For behold, as the sound of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe in my womb leaped in exultant joy. ⁴⁵“And happy is she who believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of those things which were spoken to her from the Lord.” ⁴⁶And Mariam saith:

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷“and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,

⁴⁸“for He looked upon the low estate of His slave. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹“For the mighty One did great things to me, and holy is His name.”... ⁵⁶And Mariam stayed with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

In the Liturgy

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 54]. At that time:

10 ³⁸Jesus entered into a certain village. And a certain woman, by name Martha, received Him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat down beside the feet of Jesus, and was listening to His word. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted about much serving, and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, is it no concern to Thee that my sister left me to serve alone? Speak to her therefore that she should help me.” ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things. ⁴²“But there is need of one thing, and Mary chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”...

11 ²⁷And it came to pass, as He was speaking these things, a certain woman out of the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts which Thou didst suck.” ²⁸But He said, “Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

December 4th – Civil Calendar
November 21st – Church Calendar

1. The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God.

When the most holy Virgin Mary had reached the age of three, her parents, holy Joachim and Anna, took her from Nazareth to Jerusalem to give her to the service of God in fulfillment of their promise. It was three days journey to Jerusalem, but going as they were on God’s work, they did not find the journey difficult. Many of Joachim and Anna’s kinsmen gathered to take part in this celebration, in which the invisible angels of God also took part. Maidens went ahead with lighted candles in their hands, followed by the most holy Virgin, led on either side by her father and mother. The Virgin was clad in royal and beautiful garments, like those of the ‘king’s daughter,’ the Bride of God (Ps. 44:9, 10). Behind them walked many of their kinsfolk and friends, all bearing lighted candles. There were fifteen steps leading to the Temple. Her parents stood the Virgin on the first step, and she ran quickly to the top on her own, where the high priest, Zacharias, the father of St. John the Forerunner, met her, and taking her by the hand, led her not only into the Temple, but into the Holy of Holies, the holiest place of all, into which none could enter except the high priest, and that only once a year. St. Theophylact of Ochrid says that Zacharias was ‘transported in mind and moved by God’ when he led the Virgin into the chief place in the Temple, beyond the second curtain—otherwise there could be no explanation of his action. Her parents then offered sacrifices to God according to the law, received the priest’s blessing, and returned home, leaving the most holy Virgin in the Temple. She dwelt in the Temple for nine whole years. While her parents were alive, they visited her often. When they departed this life, the holy Virgin was left an orphan, and longed to remain in the Temple for the rest of her days, without entering into marriage. This being contrary both to the law and Israelite custom, she was confided at the age of fourteen to St. Joseph, a kinsman of hers in Nazareth, so that she might, under the protection of betrothal, live in virginity and thus fulfill both her desire and the demands of the law, for it was unknown in Israel at that time for a girl to vow perpetual virginity. The holy Virgin Mary was the first to do this, and was later followed by thousand upon thousand of virgin men and women in the Church of Christ.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Submit yourself to the will of God, and do not pry too closely into His judgements, for that can send you out of your mind. The judgements of God are innumerable and unfathomable. A monk in the desert, thinking he had achieved perfection, prayed to God that He would reveal to him His various judgements in the lives of men. God put the thought into his head to go a long way to visit an aged spiritual guide and ask him about this. While the monk was on the way, he met an angel of God, in the semblance of an ordinary man, who accompanied him and told him that he, too, wanted to visit the elder. Travelling thus together, they came upon the house of a God-fearing man, who welcomed them warmly, giving them food on a silver platter. When they had eaten, the angel took the plate and threw it into the sea. This was something strange and wrong in the monk’s eyes, and he asked the angel why he had done such a thing. The angel answered him gently: ‘The man was pleasing to God in all things, and had nothing in his house that he had acquired unjustly except that silver plate. By God’s judgement, I threw away that stolen plate, that the man might be righteous in all things before God. Such things are the mysterious and unfathomable judgements of God. And you, elder, go back to your cell and don’t exercise yourself foolishly in trying to examine that which is in the power of the one 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.