Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Twenty-Third Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians [§ 264].

2 ¹Brethren, ye yourselves know our entrance which we had with you, that it hath not become empty, ²but even after we suffered before and were insulted, as ye know, in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God in much struggle. ³For our exhortation was not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. ⁴But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God Who proveth our hearts. ⁵For neither at any time were we found with speech of flattery, even as ye know, nor with a pretext of covetousness, God is witness, ⁶nor seeking glory from men, neither from you, nor from others, though we were able to be burdensome as apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were gentle in your midst, as a nurse would cherish her own children. ⁸Thus being desirous of you, we were well pleased to have imparted to you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own souls, because ye have become beloved to us.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 47]. The Lord said to His disciples:

9 ⁴⁴“Do ye yourselves put these words into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵But they were not understanding this saying, and it was veiled from them, that they should not perceive it; and they were fearing to question Him about this saying. ⁴⁶But a discussion entered in among them—the matter of which of them should be greater. ⁴⁷And Jesus, having perceived the reasoning of their heart, took hold of a little child and set him beside Himself, ⁴⁸and said to them, “Whosoever shall receive this little child in My name receiveth Me; and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth the One Who sent Me forth. For the one who is least among you all, this same one shall be great.”

⁴⁹And John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out the demons in Thy name, and we tried to hinder him, because he followeth not with us.” ⁵⁰And Jesus said to them, “Cease hindering him; for whosoever is not against us is for us.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, and the holy Wonder-worker Averkios, Bishop of Hierapolis, Equal-to-the-apostles, and the Seven Youths ("Sleepers") of Ephesus.

Epistle

For the Icon:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians [§ 240]. Brethren:

2 ⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶Who, existing in the form of God, deemed it not a prize to be seized to be equal with God; ⁷but He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, and came to be in the likeness of men. ⁸And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient even to death—indeed, the death of a cross. ⁹Wherefore God also exalted Him exceedingly, and freely gave to Him a name that is above every name, ¹⁰that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth; ¹¹and every tongue should confess for itself that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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.

For the Seven Sleepers:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§§ 330, 331]. Brethren:

11 ³³All the saints through faith struggled against kingdoms, wrought righteousness, attained to promises, stopped mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edges of the sword, were empowered out of weakness, became strong in battle, turned back encampments of aliens. ³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection. And others were tortured, not accepting release, that they might attain a better resurrection. ³⁶And others received trial of mockings and of scourgings, and, moreover, of bonds and of imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted; they died, murdered by the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in need, afflicted, ill-treated— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy. They were made to wander in deserts, and in mountains, and in caves, and in the holes of the earth. ³⁹And these all, having been approved by testimony through faith, received not for themselves the promise, ⁴⁰God having foreseen some better thing concerning us, that they should not be made perfect without us.

12 ¹Therefore we also, having so great a cloud of witnesses which is set around us, and having laid aside every weight and sin that is easily circumvented, let us by means of patience be running the course which is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the originator and accomplisher of our faith, Who, in exchange for the joy set before Him, endured a cross, having despised the shame, and hath sat down on the right of the throne of God.

Gospel

For the Icon:

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

10 ³⁸ Jesus 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.”

For the Hierarch:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 36]. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:

10 ⁹“I am the door; by Me if anyone should enter, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰“The thief cometh not, except that he might steal, and slay, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. ¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. ¹²“But the hireling, who indeed is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth; and the wolf seizeth them and scattereth the sheep. ¹³“Now the hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling and careth not about the sheep. ¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; and I know those that are Mine, and am known of those that are Mine. ¹⁵“Even as the Father knoweth Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶“And I have other sheep which are not of this fold; them also it is needful for Me to bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

November 4th – Civil Calendar
October 22nd – Church Calendar

1. St. Averkios, Equal to the Apostles.

In the time of the Emperor Antoninus (138-161), St. Averkios was bishop in the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia. The great majority of the town’s inhabitants were pagans, and St. Averkios governed his little flock with a heart greatly saddened by the great number of pagans and idolaters, and with fervent prayer to God that He would bring them to the true Light. At the time of a rowdy idolatrous festival, Averkios became inflamed with godly zeal and went into the temple, smashing all the idols. When the furious pagans tried to kill him, three young madmen fell down before the man of God, foaming at the mouth and bellowing. The man of God drove the demons out of them, and they were healed and became calm. Seeing this, the fury of the pagans turned to marveling at Christ’s wonder-worker, and five hundred of them were immediately baptized. Little by little, everyone in the city of Hierapolis came to believe in Christ and was baptized. The proconsul of the region, Publios, had a blind mother whose sight Averkios restored by prayer, and both Publios and his mother came to faith in Christ, along with many other people. In old age, Averkios was summoned to Rome, where he healed the emperor’s mad daughter. The Lord Christ appeared to His faithful follower several times. People from far and near came to him for help in chronic sickness, and the demons not only feared him, but were obedient to his commands. At the order of the Lord Himself, he preached the Gospel throughout Syria and Mesopotamia, and went to his beloved Lord in great old age, in the city of Hierapolis at the end of the second century.

2. Our Holy Father Lot.

A great Egyptian ascetic, he was a contemporary of Arsenius the Great and Agathon. He lived in asceticism in his monastery near a lake not far from the town of Arsinoë and set many brethren on the way of salvation. His closest friend and adviser was Abba Joseph. Lot once said to Joseph: ‘Father, I fast as much as I can, keep to prayer and silence and pondering, and also force myself to keep from evil thoughts. What more can I do?’ Then the elder stood up and raised his hands to heaven, and his ten raised fingers sprang to flame like ten candles. He then replied to Lot: ‘If this is your desire, you can become all of flame!’ Being pleasing to God and putting many onto the way of salvation, St. Lot entered peacefully into rest in the fifth century.

3. Commemoration of the Miraculous Deliverance of Moscow from the Lithuanians with the help of the Most Holy Mother of God.

In the time of Prince Vasily Ivanovitch, Moscow was occupied by the Lithuanians and Russia was in great despair. Then St. Sergius of Radonezh appeared to a captured bishop, Arsenius, and promised him that Moscow would, on the following day, be cleansed of Lithuanians by the power and prayers of the most pure one. And so it came about. The following day, the Lithuanians fled from the city, and the Russian army entered Moscow. The whole people, with tears of joy, glorified God and His most holy Mother.

FOR CONSIDERATION

The strictness of holy men towards themselves is a cause for wonder, as is also their compassion towards others. Selfless where they themselves are concerned, they have infinite care for others. St. Hilarion the Great, having nothing with which to pay for his journey to Sicily, offered his Gospel, that he had copied with his own hands as a young man, to the owner of the ship. When he had healed some prince of an evil spirit, the prince wanted to make him a present of ten liters of gold. The saint would not accept the gold, but showed the prince a piece of barley-bread and said: ‘Those who feed themselves on this sort of bread look on gold as mud.’ When men begged him to bring rain from God by his prayers, or to save them from flood or from poisonous snakes, St. Hilarion always responded and helped them by his prayers. This was also St. Averkios’ way. Seeing many of the people in pain and sickness, he knelt in one place and begged God to open there a spring of healing water, that all the infirm might be healed and glorify God. God, by His power, opened there a spring of warm water. When Averkios healed the emperor’s daughter of madness, the emperor offered him much gold and silver, and other gifts, but St. Averkios said to him: ‘Wealth is not necessary to those who regard bread and water as a kingly feast.’ Seeking nothing for himself, Averkios begged two boons of the emperor for his flock in Hierapolis: that baths should be built over the healing water, and that each year a goodly quantity of grain should be given to the poor of the city. The emperor agreed, and did as the saint requested.

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.