Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First General Epistle of Saint John [§ 70].

2 ⁷Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which ye heard from the beginning. ⁸Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing on its way, and the true light already shineth. ⁹The one who saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰The one loving his brother abideth in the light, and there is not an occasion of stumbling in him. ¹¹But the one hating his brother is in darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not where he goeth, because the darkness blinded his eyes.

¹²I write to you, little children, because ye have been forgiven your sins for His name’s sake. ¹³I write to you, fathers, because ye have come to know Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one. I am writing to you, little children, because ye have come to know the Father. ¹⁴I am writing to you, fathers, because ye have come to know Him Who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. ¹⁵Do not keep on loving the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the false pretensions of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing on its way, and the desire of it; but the one doing the will of God abideth forever.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 63]. At that time:

14 ³While Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, reclining at table, there came a woman having an alabaster flask of pure, costly perfumed ointment of spikenard. And she broke the alabaster flask and poured it down upon His head. ⁴And some were feeling indignant within themselves, and saying, “For what hath this waste of the perfumed ointment taken place? ⁵“For it was possible for this perfumed ointment to have been sold for above three hundred denarii, and to have been given to the poor.” And they were snorting with indignation at her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do ye cause her trouble? She wrought a good work toward Me. ⁷“For ye have the poor among yourselves always, and whenever ye wish ye are able to do them good; but Me ye have not always. ⁸“What she could do, she did; she undertook beforehand to anoint My body for the burial. ⁹“Verily I say to you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, also what she did shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

24. The commemoration of our venerable Mother Xene of Rome, and our venerable Mother Xenia of St. Petersburg.

Epistle

For St. Xene of Rome:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 213]. Brethren:

5 ²²The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴But they who are of the Christ crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be walking by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.

6 ¹Brethren, even if a man should be overtaken in some transgression, ye, the spiritual ones, be restoring such a one in the spirit of meekness, looking out for thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ²Keep on bearing one another’s burdens, and thus fill up the law of the Christ.

For St. Xenia of St. Petersburg:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 208]. Brethren:

3 ²³Before faith came, we were being guarded under the law, having been closed up to the faith about to be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law hath become our tutor until Christ, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor. ²⁶For all are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many as were baptized into Christ, ye put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise.

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)

February 6th – Civil Calendar
January 24th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Mother Xenia.

Born in Rome, she was the only daughter of a famous senator. Drawn by the love of Christ, she refused to marry as her parents desired. In order to escape this, she fled from her home with two of her slaves and came to the island of Kos, to a place called Mylassa, where she started a community for virgins, remaining there in asceticism till her death. Though she was a woman, she had a man’s perseverance in fasting, prayer and vigils. She often spent entire nights standing in prayer, was dressed more poorly than her sisters, and when she ate she often put ashes from the censer on her bread. At the hour of her death (in 450), a wonderful sign appeared over the monastery: a wreath of stars encircling a cross more resplendent than the sun. Many of the sick were healed by her relics. Her two slave girls followed the example of their abbess in all things, and when they died, they were buried, by their wish, at the feet of blessed Xenia.

2. The Holy Martyr Babylas.

A Sicilian priest who suffered for Christ with two of his disciples in the third century.

3. Our Holy Father Makedonios.

He was a Syrian hermit. Only in old age did he feed himself with baked bread. Before that, he ate only barley grain soaked in water. He finished his earthly course in the year 418.

4. Our Holy Father Phylon, Bishop of Cyprus.

When St. Epiphanios was called to Rome to support his sister, the Empress Honoria, by his prayers he chose Phylon to be bishop. Phylon wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch and the Song of Songs. He entered peacefully into rest in the fifth century.

5. Our Holy Father Dionysius of Olympus, the Wonder-worker.

He lived the ascetic life on Olympus. He received the monastic tonsure on the Holy Mountain, where he later became abbot of Philotheou. Before the end of his life, he withdrew again to the solitude of Olympus, where he entered into rest in the 16th century.

FOR CONSIDERATION

In our day, we often hear parents say that they want to insure the lives of their children. To this end they make such great efforts, amass riches (often illicit riches), educate their children for that vocation which brings the surest physical security and material help. And so-called Christians do the same. They do this because their concept of real life and real security of life is faulty. But this is how a true Christian prepares his son for real life: At her death, blessed Ephrosyne said to her son, Clement of Ankyra: ‘Do me honor, my son, and stand for Christ as a man, and confess Him with strength and steadfastness. I hope, dear heart, that the crown of martyrdom will soon flower upon you, to the salvation of many.... Fear neither threats nor the sword, nor wounds nor fire. Nothing can separate you from Christ. But look into the heavens and await thence the great and eternal and rich reward of God. Fear God’s majesty, fear His judgment, tremble before His all-seeing Eye, for those who deny Him will suffer the unquenched fire and the ever vigilant worm. May this be my reward from you, my sweet son, for the pain of giving you birth and for the care of your upbringing that I may be known as the mother of a martyr. The blood that you received from me do not spare, but shed it, that it too may give me honor. Give your body to martyrdom, that I may rejoice at that before the Lord, as though I myself alone suffered for 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.