Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Sunday of the Eleventh Week

Mode Two — Eleventh Eothinon

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 141]. Brethren:

9 ²Ye are the seal of mine apostleship in the Lord. ³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴We do not have authority to eat and to drink, do we? ⁵We do not have authority to lead about a wife who is a sister in the Lord, as also the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Kephas, do we? ⁶Or do only I and Barnabas have no authority not to be working? ⁷Who at any time serveth as a soldier at his own pay? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of its fruit? Or who shepherdeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? ⁸I am not saying these things after the manner of man, am I? Or saith not the law these things also? ⁹For in the law of Moses it hath been written: “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth the corn [Deut. 25:4].” It is not the care of the oxen that matters with God, is it? ¹⁰Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes it was written, that the one who ploweth ought to plow in hope, and the one who thresheth in hope ought to partake of his hope. ¹¹If we did sow to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap of your carnal things? ¹²If others partake of this authority over you, should not rather we? Nevertheless we did not use this authority; but we bear up against all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 77]. The Lord said this parable:

18 ²³“The kingdom of the heavens is likened to a man, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴“And after he began to make a reckoning for himself, there was brought to him one debtor of ten thousand talents. ²⁵“But when he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all things whatsoever he had, and to render payment. ²⁶“The slave therefore fell down and was making obeisance to him, saying, ‘Lord, be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ ²⁷“And the lord of that slave was moved with compassion, and released him, and forgave him the loan. ²⁸“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hold of him and began to throttle him, saying, ‘Pay me, if thou dost owe anything.’ ²⁹“Then his fellow slave fell down at his feet and was beseeching him, saying, ‘Be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ ³⁰“And he was not willing, but went away and cast him into prison, until he should pay that which was owed. ³¹“But after his fellow slaves saw what was done, they were exceedingly grieved; and they came to their lord and made quite clear all that was done. ³²“Then his lord, having summoned him, saith to him, ‘O thou evil slave, I forgave thee all that debt, since thou besoughtest me; ³³“‘was it not also necessary for thee to have pitied thy fellow slave, even as I pitied thee?’ ³⁴“And his lord, having been provoked to anger, delivered him up to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was owed to him. ³⁵“Thus shall My Father, the heavenly One, do to you also, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of righteous Fathers Isaakios, Dalmatos, and Faustos, ascetics of the Dalmaton Monastery at Constantinople, and our venerable Father Anthony the Roman, Abbot and Wonder-worker of Novgorod.

Epistle

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.

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

August 16th – Civil Calendar
August 3rd – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Fathers Isaac, Dalmatos and Faustos.

Isaac is commemorated separately on May 30th. St. Dalmatos was first an officer under the Emperor Theodosios the Great, who held him in great honor, but when his spirit awakened within him, he scorned all that is of this world, abandoning his rank, and took his only son Faustos off to the outskirts of Constantinople, to St. Isaac’s community, where they were both tonsured as monks. Dalmatos consecrated himself utterly to please God in his life, which was a joy to the elder, Isaac (Isaakios). When Isaac came to the hour of death, he installed Dalmatos as abbot in his place, and the community later came to be called after Dalmatos. He sometimes fasted for forty days at a time, conquering by his fasting the invisible power of the demons. He took part in the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, and battled against the Nestorian heresy. Being pleasing to God, he entered peacefully into rest in the 5th century. His son Faustos supported his father in everything, and after a godly life, died peacefully in that community.

2. Our Holy Father Kosmas the Eunuch.

A monk of the monastery of Pharan, he was very learned in the holy Scriptures. He so valued the works of St. Athanasius the Great that he said to his disciples: ‘When you hear something quoted from the writings of St. Athanasius, if you have no paper by you, write them on your handkerchief.’ In old age, he came to Antioch, to Patriarch Gregory (†596), and there ended his days. One particular man often came to Kosmas’ grave, and honoring the saint, prayed there. Asked why he did this, he explained that he had been paralysed for twelve years, and that St. Kosmas had healed him.

3. Our Holy Father Anthony the Roman.

He was born in Rome in 1086 of devout and affluent parents. At that time, the Roman Church broke away from the Eastern Church, and all who remained faithful to the Eastern Church were persecuted by the Roman clergy. Anthony was among those persecuted. He gave away all his goods and became a monk. Standing on a rock in the sea, he lived in asceticism for fourteen months. The rock meanwhile parted from its base, and by a strange providence, floated through the water to Novgorod. In Novgorod, Archbishop Nikita received him with kindness and helped him to build a church to the holy Mother of God, later to become a monastery. Anthony lived long as abbot of this monastery, and revealing great power by the grace of God through many miracles, died peacefully in 1148 and went to the courts of the Lord.

4. St. Salome the Myrrh-bearer.

The mother of the holy Apostles Iakovos and John, the wife of Zebedee and daughter of Joseph, the betrothed of the most holy Mother of God, she served the Lord during His earthly life, and was made worthy to be among the first bearers of the tidings of His Resurrection.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Holy souls were wont to read the holy Scriptures with great diligence, considering every word with care and placing themselves before the mirror of the word of God as before the Dreadful Judgement. Their diligence in this was so great that some undertook long journeys to come to some man of spiritual wisdom who would interpret for them some word or sentence in holy Scripture. Wherever it was possible, this took place through correspondence. Hence there remain various collections of letters of the saints, such as those of Ss. Basil, Gregory, Chrysostom, Isidore of Pelusium, Nilus of Sinai and many others. St. Kosmas was pondering one day on the words of the Lord Christ, when, in Gethsemane, He asked His disciples if they had a sword. When His disciples said to Him: ‘Here are two swords,’ He said to them: ‘It is enough’ (Luke 22:38). Being unable to explain these words himself, Kosmas decided to go through the desert to the distant monastery of Pirga, to the famous Abba Theophilus, to ask him. It was only with great difficulty that he reached his goal. Theophilus explained to him: ‘The two swords denote the twofold state of a godly life: labor, and a mind steeped in thoughts of God and in prayer. He who has these two is perfect.’

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.