Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

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 [§ 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.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyrs Efstratios, Afxentios, Evgenios, Mardarios, and Orestes.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 233].

6 ¹⁰Brethren, keep on being empowered in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; ¹²because for us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the cosmic rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of evil on account of the heavenly things. ¹³For this cause take up the full armor of God, in order that ye might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having counteracted all things, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having girt your loins with truth, and having put on for yourselves the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet in readiness of the Gospel of peace; ¹⁶on the whole, take up the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 106]. The Lord said to His disciples, “Be taking heed of men:

21 ¹²“For they shall lay their hands upon you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name; ¹³“but it shall prove to be a testimony for you. ¹⁴“Therefore settle it for yourselves in your hearts not to premeditate to make a defense; ¹⁵“for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all those who oppose you shall not be able to contradict nor withstand. ¹⁶“And ye shall be delivered up also by parents, and kinfolk, and friends, and brethren; and they shall put some of you to death. ¹⁷“And ye shall be hated by all for My name’s sake. ¹⁸“But a hair of your head in no wise shall perish. ¹⁹“In your patience win your souls.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

December 26th – Civil Calendar
December 13th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyrs Evstratius, Auxentius, Evgenius, Mardarius and Orestes.

These five courageous men shone like five resplendent stars in the dark days of the anti-Christian Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. St. Evstratius was a Roman general in the city of Satalios, Evgenius (Eugene) was one of his comrades in arms and Orestes likewise a respected soldier. Auxentius was a priest and Mardarius a simple citizen who came, like Evstratius, from the town of Aravraca. The imperial governors, Lysias and Agricola, tortured Auxentius first as he was a priest. Beholding the innocent suffering of the Christians, Evstratius presented himself before Lysias and declared that he also was a Christian. While Evstratius was being tortured, Evgenius stood up before the judge and cried out: ‘I am a Christian too, Lysias!’ When they were driving Evstratius and the other martyrs through the town, Mardarius saw them from the roof of his house, and he took leave of his wife and two frail daughters and hastened after them, shouting into the faces of their tormentors: ‘I am a Christian too, like the Lord Evstratius!’ Orestes was a young and handsome soldier, who stood head and shoulders above all the other soldiers. One day, when he was at target practice in Lysias’ presence, the cross he was wearing fell from his breast, and Lysias realized that he was a Christian. Orestes openly confessed his faith, and was martyred with the others. Auxentius was beheaded, Evgenius and Mardarius died under torture, Orestes was exposed on a red-hot iron grid and Evstratius died in a flaming furnace. St. Vlasios (see Feb. 11th) gave Communion to St. Evstratius in prison before his death. Their relics were later taken to Constantinople, and are preserved in the church dedicated to them—The Holy Five Companions. They were seen alive in that church, and St. Orestes appeared to St. Dimitri of Rostov (see Oct. 28th). A beautiful prayer by St. Evstratius is extant, which is read at the Midnight Service on Saturdays: ‘I glorify Thy majesty, O Lord, for Thou hast regarded my lowliness and hast not shut me up in the hands of my enemies, but hast saved my soul from want...’

2. The Holy Martyr Lucy the Virgin.

With her mother, Lucy visited the grave of St. Agatha in Catania, and the saint appeared to her. Her mother, who had an issue of blood, was miraculously cured in the church at that time. Lucy gave away all her goods to the poor, and this embittered her betrothed, who denounced her to Paschasius the judge as a Christian. The wicked judge ordered that she be taken to a brothel and defiled, but by the power of God, she remained immovable, as if rooted to the earth, and not even a vast number of people was able to move her from the spot. An enraged pagan then ran her through the throat with a sword, and she commended her soul to God and entered into the kingdom of eternity. She suffered in the year 304.

3. The Hieromartyr Gavrilo (Gabriel), Patriarch of Serbia.

In the fearful period of Turkish rule in Serbia, this great hierarch went to Russia, where he took part in the Moscow Synod of 1655. When he returned to Serbia, he was denounced as a traitor. Certain wicked Jews also brought against him the charge of having converted several Jews to the Christian Faith. These Jews, in order to stir up the Turkish authorities, made a special point of the fact that he had worked for the Baptism of Turks. He was tried, and sentenced to forcible conversion to Islam. Since Gavrilo would have none of this, he was, after a period of imprisonment, sentenced to death and hanged in Prousa (Bursa) in 1659, and so went to his beloved Christ, to receive at His hands the double wreath of hierarch and martyr.

FOR CONSIDERATION

To give alms out of one’s own need is true almsgiving. Not even the most hardened sinner sins then, for it is an act precious before God. When St. Lucy had seen her sick mother miraculously healed, she suggested to her that her possessions be used as alms to the needy. Her mother replied that she was not willing to relinquish her goods until her death, but agreed that, when that happened, Lucy should use them in whatever way she wished. ‘First cover my eyes with earth,’ she said, ‘and then do what you will with them.’ Lucy said: ‘He who gives to God only what he cannot take with him into the grave, or make use of in this life, is not very pleasing to God. If you want to do something pleasing to Him, give Him that which you yourself need. In death, you can use nothing at all, and need from Him things that you cannot take with you. It is better to give to Christ that which you have while you are alive and well. Give to Him all that you have set aside for me, and do it now!’ The devout mother hearkened to her wise daughter, and did so.

When the torturer Paschasius was trying to force this holy maiden into carnal sin, Lucy tried to keep the thought of it from entering her will. When the torturer threatened that his men would defile her by force, saying with a smirk: ‘When you have been defiled, the Holy Spirit will flee from you,’ Lucy, full of grace, replied: ‘The body cannot be defiled without the consent of the mind,’ and holy Lucy went to her death having given away all her goods and having preserved her pure young body from defilement.

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.