Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Special Commemorations

The Saturday Before the Nativity of Christ

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 205]. Brethren:

3 ⁸The Scripture, having foreseen that God justifieth the nations by faith, proclaimed the good tidings beforehand to Abraham that “in thee all the nations shall be blessed [cf. Gen. 12:3].” ⁹Therefore those who are of faith are being blessed with the faithful Abraham. ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it hath been written: “Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all the things which have been written in the book of the law to do them [cf. Deut. 27:26].” ¹¹Now that no one is being justified by the law before God is manifest, for “the just shall live by faith [cf. Hab. 2:4].” ¹²And the law is not of faith, but “the man who doeth these things shall live in them [cf. Lev. 18:5].”

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 72]. The Lord said this parable:

13 ¹⁸“To what is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I liken it? ¹⁹“It is like a grain of mustard, which a man took and cast into his own garden; and it grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the heaven settled in its branches.” ²⁰And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹“It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of wheat meal until the whole was leavened.”

²²And He was going through, by cities and villages, teaching, and making His way toward Jerusalem. ²³And one said to Him, “Lord, are they few who are being saved?” And He said to them, ²⁴“Be striving to enter in through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. ²⁵“From the time when the Master of the house riseth and shutteth the door, and ye begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us,’ and He shall answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where ye are from,’ ²⁶“then ye shall begin to say, ‘We ate before Thy face and drank, and Thou didst teach in our streets.’ ²⁷“But He shall say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where ye are from; stand off from Me, all ye workers of unrighteousness.’ ²⁸“There shall be there the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, whenever ye see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and ye yourselves being cast out. ²⁹“And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall be made to recline in the kingdom of God.”

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 228]. Brethren:

5 ¹Keep on becoming imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And be walking in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smelling fragrance. ³But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you—even as it is becoming to saints— ⁴and filthy conduct, and foolish talking or jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵For this ye know, that every fornicator or impure person, or coveter (who is an idolater), hath no inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and of God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words; for on account of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore cease becoming partakers with them. ⁸For ye were once darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; be walking as children of light.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 81]. The Lord said:

16 ¹⁰“The one who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and the one who is unjust in that which is least is unjust also in much. ¹¹“If then ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true wealth? ¹²“And if in that which is another’s ye have not been faithful, who shall give you that which is your own? ¹³“Not one household slave is able to serve two lords; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye are not able to serve God and mammon.” ¹⁴And the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things and were turning up their noses at Him. ¹⁵And He said to them, “Ye are they who justify yourselves before the face of men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is exalted among men is an abomination before the face of God.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Virgin-martyr Julianna of Nicomedia, and all those with her, and our holy father among the saints, Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia.

Epistle

For the Hierarch:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 318]. Brethren:

7 ²⁶Such a High Priest was fitting for us: holy, guileless, undefiled, Who hath been separated from the sinners and hath become higher than the heavens, ²⁷Who hath no need daily, even as the high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, then for those of the people; for this He did once for all after He offered up Himself. ²⁸For the law appointeth men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which is after the law, appointeth the Son, Who hath been perfected forever.

8 ¹Now in reference to the things being spoken of, the chief point is: We have such a High Priest, Who sat down on the right of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, ²a Liturgist of the holies and of the tabernacle, the true one, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 24]. At that time:

6 ¹⁷Jesus stood upon a level place. And there was a crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all of Judæa and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases— ¹⁸even those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and they were cured. ¹⁹And all the crowd was seeking to touch Him, for power was coming forth from Him and healing all. ²⁰And He lifted up His eyes to His disciples, and began to say:
   “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
   ²¹“Blessed are ye who hunger now, for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye who weep now, for ye shall laugh.
   ²²“Blessed are ye whenever men hate you, and whenever they separate you, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.
   ²³“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in the heavens.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

January 3rd – Civil Calendar
December 21st – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyr Juliana, and the 630 martyrs with her.

This glorious virgin martyr was born in Nikomedia of pagan parents. Hearing the Gospel preached, she turned to Christ with all her heart and began to live in exact observance of the Lord’s commandments. A certain senator, Eleusius, was her betrothed. In order to free herself from him, Juliana told him that she would not marry him unless he became eparch of that city. She said this thinking that the young man would not be in the least likely to attain to such a high position, but Eleusius worked at it, and by flattery and bribes, gained the post of Eparch of Nikomedia. Juliana then revealed to him that she was a Christian, and could not enter into marriage with him unless he accepted her faith, saying: ‘What would it profit us to be united physically but divided in spirit?’ Eleusius was exasperated, and denounced her to her father. Her furious father poured scorn on her and whipped her, and then handed her over to the eparch for torture. The eparch ordered that she be harshly beaten; then she was thrown into prison all torn and bleeding. But the Lord healed her in the prison, and she appeared before the eparch whole and unharmed. He then put her into a glowing furnace, but the fire did not burn her. Seeing this wonder, many came to believe in Christ the Lord. Five hundred men and a hundred thirty women were converted. The eparch condemned them all to death, and ordered that they be beheaded with the sword, and their souls entered into Paradise. Then the wicked judge condemned holy Juliana to be beheaded with the sword. Rejoicing in spirit, Juliana went out to the scaffold, prayed on her knees to God and laid her head on the block. Her head was cut off, and her soul went to Christ’s eternal kingdom of light, in the year 304. God’s punishment quickly fell on Eleusius: sailing over the sea, his ship broke up and he fell into the water. He did not find death in the waves, but swam to an island, where the dogs tore him to pieces and devoured him.

2. St. Peter the Wonder-worker, Metropolitan of Russia.

Born in the province of Volinsk, he received the monastic schema at the age of twelve. He was a great ascetic and an icon-painter. He founded a monastery on the River Rata, and became its abbot. He was made Metropolitan of Kiev against his will, and consecrated in Constantinople by Patriarch Athanasius. As metropolitan, he suffered a great deal at the hands of the envious and of heretics, governing the Church for eighteen years as a good and zealous pastor. During his lifetime, he built himself a tomb in the Church of the Dormition, where his holy and wonder-working relics are preserved to this day. He entered into rest in 1326, and went to his true homeland.

3. The Holy Martyr Themistocles.

As a herdsman, the young Themistocles kept sheep in a field near Myra in Lycia. At that time, the persecutors of the Christians were seeking St. Dioscorides, and came upon Themistocles, asking him if he knew where Dioscorides was hiding. Themistocles, although he knew, refused to say, and declared himself a Christian. He was tortured and beheaded in the time of Decius, in 251.

FOR CONSIDERATION

He who sets his sights on Christ’s kingdom will have to encounter obstructions, and these obstructions are manifold and varied. They are mostly the evil workings of demons. Therefore every man zealous for the spiritual life must be on his guard not to take every shining vision from the other world as a divine revelation. That the adversary is able to appear as an angel of light is shown in the life of the holy martyr Juliana. When this holy maiden was lying in prison, the adversary appeared to her in angelic light, smiled at her, and counseled her to offer sacrifice to idols and so avoid torture. The frightened Juliana asked: ‘Who are you?’ The adversary replied: ‘I am an angel of God. God is greatly concerned for you, and has therefore sent me with the message that you should obey the eparch, that your body may not be covered in wounds. The Lord is gracious, and will forgive you for the weakness of your body.’ The martyr was horrified at these words, and confused, and fell to prayer with tears, begging God to show her who it was who had spoken with her. Then she heard a voice from heaven: ‘Be brave, Juliana; I am with you, giving you power and authority over the one who has come to you, and by this you will know who he is.’ And the devil was bound, and forced to reveal that he was the same who tempted Eve in Paradise, who told Cain to kill Abel and Herod to kill the children in Bethlehem, the Jews to stone Stephen, Nero to crucify Peter upside down and behead Paul, and so forth. Thus this holy maiden, fortified by God’s strength, did not give herself to delusion from the evil spirit, but by her vigilant and ardent prayer, overcame him.

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.