Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Monday of the Thirty-Second Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the General Epistle of Saint Iakovos [§ 53].

2 ¹⁴Brethren, what is the profit if one declare oneself to have faith but have not works? Is faith able to save him? ¹⁵Now if a brother or a sister be naked and wanting of daily food, ¹⁶and any of you should say to them, “Go in peace, warm yourselves and feed yourselves,” but ye give them not the necessities of the body, what is the profit? ¹⁷Even so faith, if it be not having works, is in itself dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, “Thou hast faith, and I have works”; show me thy faith without thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. ¹⁹Thou believest that God is one. Thou doest well. The demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰But dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works, after he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²²Thou seest that faith was working with his works, and by works faith was made perfect. ²³And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness [cf. Gen. 15:6]”; and he was called a “friend of God [cf. Ex. 33:11; Is. 41:8].” ²⁴Ye see then that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁵But in like manner also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, after she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 42]. The Lord said:

9 ⁴²“Whosoever shall cause one of the little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him rather if a millstone were put about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. ⁴³“And if thy hand should cause thee to stumble, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go away into the Gehenna, into the fire, the unquenchable one, ⁴⁴“where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched [cf. Is. 66:24].’ ⁴⁵“And if thy foot should cause thee to stumble, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life lame, than having two feet to be cast into the Gehenna, into the fire, the unquenchable one, ⁴⁶“where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched [cf. Is. 66:24].’ ⁴⁷“And if thine eye should cause thee to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God one-eyed, than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of the fire, ⁴⁸“where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched [cf. Is. 66:24].’ ⁴⁹“For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. ⁵⁰“The salt is good; but if the salt should become saltless, with what will ye season it? Be having salt in yourselves and keeping peace with one another.”

10 ¹And He rose up from that place and came into the borders of Judæa by the other side of the Jordan. And crowds came together to Him again; and as He had been accustomed, He was teaching them again.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Great-martyr Anastasia, the deliverer from potions and drugs.

Epistle

For Gk. usage, see [Gal. 3:23-4:5]. For Sl. usage, see [Gal. 3:23-29].

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§§ 208, 209]. 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.

4 ¹Now I say, as long as the heir is an infant, he differeth nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all; ²but he is under guardians and stewards until the appointed time of the father. ³So we also, when we were infants, were enslaved under the elements of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order that He might redeem those under the law, that we might receive what is our due, the adoption as sons.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 33]. At that time:

7 ³⁶A certain one of the Pharisees was asking Jesus that He would eat with him. And He entered into the house of the Pharisee, and reclined at table. ³⁷And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed ointment, ³⁸and she stood beside His feet behind Him, weeping; and she began to wet His feet with tears, and was wiping them off with the hairs of her head; and she was kissing His feet ardently and anointing them with the perfumed ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, “This One, if He were a prophet, would know who and of what sort the woman is who toucheth Him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to thee.” And he saith, “Teacher, say it.” ⁴¹“There were two debtors to a certain creditor: the one was owing five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²“But when they had nothing to pay back the debt, he showed himself gracious to both. Say which of them then will love him more?” ⁴³Simon answered and said, “I suppose that he, to whom he showed himself the more gracious.” And He said to him, “Rightly thou didst judge.” ⁴⁴And He turned to the woman, and said to Simon, “Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water thou gavest Me not for My feet, but she with tears did wet My feet, and with the hairs of her head wiped them off. ⁴⁵“A kiss thou gavest Me not, but she from the time that I entered did not cease from ardently kissing My feet. ⁴⁶“With oil thou didst not anoint My head, but she anointed My feet with perfumed ointment. ⁴⁷“For which reason I say to thee, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” ⁴⁸And He said to her, “Thy sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹And those reclining at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this Who even forgiveth sins?” ⁵⁰And He said to the woman, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go thy way in peace.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

January 4th – Civil Calendar
December 22nd – Church Calendar

1. The Holy and Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Poison, and those with her.

This great heroine of the Christian Faith was born in Rome into a wealthy senatorial family, her father being a pagan and her mother a Christian. From her early youth, she clave in love to the Lord Jesus, guided in Christian teaching by a devout teacher, Chrysogonus. Under pressure from her father, Anastasia married a pagan landowner, Publius, but using the pretext of bodily illness, she never had physical relations with him. For this, her husband tortured her harshly by imprisonment and starvation, and laid even heavier tortures on her when he discovered that she went secretly to the prisons of the Christian martyrs, ministering to their needs, washing their wounds and loosening their bonds. But, by God’s providence, she was freed from her wicked husband. Publius was sent to Persia by the emperor, and was drowned on the voyage. Then St. Anastasia began to minister openly to the Christian martyrs, and from her great inheritance, helped the poor with alms. The Emperor Diocletian was once in the town of Aquileia, and commanded that Chrysogonus, the confessor of Christ, be brought to him. As he was being brought, Anastasia followed him on the way. Holy Chrysogonus was beheaded at the emperor’s command, and then three sisters, Agapia, Chionia and Irene (April 16th) suffered, the first two being cast into fire and the third shot through with arrows. St. Anastasia took their bodies, wrapped them in white linen, and anointing them with aromatic spices, gave them burial. Then Anastasia went to Macedonia, where she ministered to those who were suffering for Christ. There, she became widely-known as a Christian, for which she was seized and taken for interrogation before various judges. Desiring to die for her beloved Christ, Anastasia constantly clung to Him in her heart. A certain pagan high priest, Ulphian, tried to touch St. Anastasia’s body out of lust, but he was suddenly blinded and gave up the spirit. Condemned to death by starvation, St. Anastasia lay in prison for thirty days, nourishing herself only with tears and prayers. After that, she was put in a boat with several other Christians to be drowned, but God saved her from this death. She was finally tied hand and foot to four wheels over a fire, and thus gave her holy soul into God’s hands. She suffered and entered into Christ’s kingdom in 304.

2. The Holy Martyr Theodota with her three Children.

Left a young widow with three children, Theodota gave herself utterly to the service of God and the bringing-up of her children in piety. St. Anastasia lived with her when she was in Macedonia, and together with her, ministered to the Christian captives in the prisons. Taken for trial, Theodota confidently confessed Christ the Lord. She was then sent to the Governor of Bithynia, Niketas. When a shameless pagan tried to touch her body, an angel of God suddenly appeared beside her and struck the man. Condemned to death and thrown into a glowing furnace with her three children, St. Theodota finished her earthly course with honor and entered into the kingdom of eternal glory.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Our merciful God often sends comfort to those pleasing to Him on earth through His saints from the other world. St. Theodota suffered for Christ before St. Anastasia did. Anastasia was then thrown into a small, dingy prison to die there of hunger at the judge’s command. During the thirty days of her imprisonment, St. Theodota appeared to her every night from the other world, and strengthened her in her sufferings. When St. Anastasia had conversed many times in this way with St. Theodota, she asked her one night how it was that she was able to come to her after her death. Theodota replied that God gave to the souls of the martyrs the special grace that, after leaving this world, they could come to whomsoever they would in order to instruct or comfort. When the thirty days had passed, the torturer brought Anastasia out of the prison, amazed to see that she was still alive. He then condemned her to death by drowning, along with several others. The soldiers put the Christians into a small boat and themselves got into another, and when they got out into deep water, they upset the boat containing the Christians, so that the water would flow in and drown them. Then a wonderful thing happened: St. Theodota appeared walking on the water and took the boat to the shore, and thus they were all preserved from death together with St. Anastasia. Seeing this wonder, a hundred and twenty pagans came at once to faith in Christ and were baptized.

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.