Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Thirty-Third Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second General Epistle of Saint Peter [§ 64].

1 ¹Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who obtained as their portion a faith equal in honor to us in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. ²Grace to you and peace be multiplied in a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord:

³Inasmuch as His divine power hath freely given to us all the things for life and piety, through the full knowledge of Him Who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴by which He hath freely given to us the very great and precious promises, that through these ye might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by desire. ⁵But also for this very thing, besides having brought in all diligence, supply virtue in your faith, and knowledge in virtue, ⁶and self-control in knowledge, and patience in self-control, and piety in patience, ⁷and brotherly affection in piety, and love in brotherly affection. ⁸For if these things are in you and abounding, they render you neither barren nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For to whom these things are not present he is blind, being shortsighted, having forgotten the purification of old of his sins. ¹⁰Wherefore, brethren, rather give the more diligence to make sure for yourselves your calling and election; for if ye do these things, in no wise shall ye ever stumble.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 53]. The Lord said this parable:

12 ¹“A man planted a vineyard, and put a hedge around it, and dug a trough underneath the winepress, and built a tower. And he let it out to vinedressers and went abroad. ²“And at the season he sent forth a slave to the vinedressers, in order that he might receive from the vinedressers of the fruit of the vineyard. ³“And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty. ⁴“And again he sent forth to them another slave, and that one they stoned, and smote him on the head; and sent him away having suffered dishonor. ⁵“And again he sent forth another, and that one they killed, and many others—some, on the one hand, beating, and others, on the other hand, killing. ⁶“Having yet therefore one son, his own beloved, he also sent him forth to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷“But those vinedressers, having seen him coming, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.’ ⁸“And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹“What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and will give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰“Did ye not even read this Scripture? ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the head of the corner; ¹¹“‘this came to be from the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes [Ps. 117(118):22, 23; cf. Is. 28:16]’?” ¹²And they were seeking to lay hold of Him, but were afraid of the crowd; for they knew that He spoke the parable against them. And they left Him and went away.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Forefeast of Theophany, and our father among the saints, Sylvester, Pope of Rome, and our venerable and God-bearing Father Seraphim, Wonder-worker of Sarov, and the holy and Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo.

Epistle

For the Hierarch:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ mid 311]. Brethren:

5 ⁴No one taketh the honor to himself, but he who is called by God, even as also Aaron. ⁵Thus also the Christ glorified not Himself to become a high priest, but the One Who said to Him, “Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee [Ps. 2:7].” ⁶Even as He saith also in another place, “Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedek [Ps. 109(110):4]”; ⁷Who, in the days of His flesh, having offered up both entreaties and supplications to the One Who was able to save Him from death, with strong crying and tears, and having been heard on account of the reverence, ⁸although being Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered; ⁹and having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the cause of eternal salvation, ¹⁰having been called, by God, High Priest according to the order of Melchisedek.

For Sl. usage, see [Heb. 7:26-8:2].

For the Wonder-worker:

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. Juliana:

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

For the Hierarch:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 8]. At that time:

3 ¹There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemos, a ruler of the Jews. ²This one came to Jesus by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that Thou hast come from God as a teacher; for no one is able to do these signs which Thou doest unless God be with him.” ³Jesus answered and said to him, “Verily, verily, I say to thee, except one should be born again, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.” ⁴Nicodemos saith to Him, “How is a man able to be born when he is old? He is not able to enter the womb of his mother a second time, and be born, is he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say to thee, unless one should be born of water and of the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶“That which hath been born of the flesh is flesh; and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷“Do not begin to wonder that I said to thee, ‘It is needful for you to be born again.’ ⁸“The wind bloweth wheresoever it is naturally disposed, and thou hearest its sound, but thou knowest not from what place it cometh and where it goeth; thus is everyone who hath been born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemos answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Thou art the teacher of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹“Verily, verily, I say to thee that We speak that which We know, and We bear witness of that which We have seen; and ye receive not Our testimony. ¹²“If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³“And no one hath gone up into the heavens, except the One Who came down from out of the heavens, the Son of Man, Who is in the heavens. ¹⁴“And even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus it is needful for the Son of Man to be lifted up; ¹⁵“that everyone who believeth in Him should not perish, but may have everlasting life.”

for Sl. usage, see [Jn. 15:1-7].

For the Wonder-worker:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 24]. At that time:

6 ¹⁷Jesus stood upon a level place. And there was a crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all of Judæa and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases— ¹⁸even those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and they were cured. ¹⁹And all the crowd was seeking to touch Him, for power was coming forth from Him and healing all. ²⁰And He lifted up His eyes to His disciples, and began to say:
   “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
   ²¹“Blessed are ye who hunger now, for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye who weep now, for ye shall laugh.
   ²²“Blessed are ye whenever men hate you, and whenever they separate you, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.
   ²³“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in the heavens.”

For St. Juliana:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 21]. At that time:

5 ²⁴A great crowd was following Jesus and pressing upon Him. ²⁵And a certain woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years— ²⁶and who suffered much under many physicians and spent all from her own means, and was not profited at all, but rather came to be the worse for it— ²⁷after she heard about Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched His garment; ²⁸for she was saying within herself, “If I might but touch His garments, I shall be made well.” ²⁹And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she knew in her body that she had been healed from the scourge. ³⁰And Jesus, straightway having fully known in Himself that the power from Him went forth, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched Me on My garments?” ³¹And His disciples were saying to Him, “Thou seest the crowd pressing on Thee, and sayest Thou, ‘Who touched Me?’” ³²And He kept looking around Himself to see her who had done this. ³³And the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing that which had been done for her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. ³⁴And He said to her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee well; go in peace, and be sound in body from thy scourge.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

January 15th – Civil Calendar
January 2nd – Church Calendar

1. St. Sylvester, Bishop of Rome.

Born in Rome, he was skilled from his early years in secular learning and in Christian doctrine, and his life was always governed by the precepts of the Gospel. He made good use of the tuition of a priest, Timothy, whose death for the Faith he witnessed, and seeing the example of his teacher’s self-sacrifice, nourished himself in that same spirit for the rest of his life.

He became Bishop of Rome at the age of thirty, and reformed certain Christian customs; abolishing, for example, the Saturday fast that had up to that time been the rule among some Christians, and decreeing that only Great Saturday and those Saturdays that fall within fasting seasons should be so observed.

By his prayers and miracles, he was instrumental in the conversion and Baptism of the Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, and assisted Queen Helena in the finding of the Holy Cross. He governed the Church for twenty years, and finishing with honor his earthly life, entered into the heavenly kingdom in the year 335.

2. Our Holy Father Seraphim of Sarov.

He was one of the greatest Russian ascetics and wonder-workers, with profound spiritual discernment. Born in 1759, he departed this life in 1833. He was distinguished by great humility. Being praised by all the world, he referred to himself as “humble Seraphim”.

3. St. Theodota.

The mother of the holy brothers Kosmas and Damian, the Unmercenaries and Wonder-workers, she lived a life pleasing to God, and brought up her sons to do the same.

4. Our Holy Father Ammon of Tabennisi.

He was a great ascetic of the fifth century and had charge of the Tabennisiot monastery in Upper Egypt, with about 3,000 monks living in asceticism under his direction. He had the blessed gifts of wonder-working and spiritual discernment. When one of his monks asked him for counsel, he said to him in reply: ‘Be as a transgressor in prison and ask repeatedly, as he would: “When will the Judge appear?” So thou also, ask thou this with fear.’

FOR CONSIDERATION

God looses ruin and debasement on man in his pride, when the latter thinks that his strength is eternally assured. When the wicked Roman governor Tarquinius had beheaded blessed Timothy, he summoned St. Sylvester and threatened him with death if he did not reveal the whereabouts of Timothy’s earthly possessions and if, furthermore, he did not immediately offer sacrifice to idols. The saint, gifted with foresight, answered fearlessly in the words of the Gospel: “Thou fool, thy soul shall be required of thee this night (Lk. 12:20), and that which thou art pleased to bring upon me (i.e. death) shall come upon thee!” The proud governor put Sylvester in chains and cast him into prison, with the intention of swiftly bringing about his death. Having done this, he sat down to his midday meal. As he ate, a fishbone stuck in his throat. From midday to midnight doctors strove to save his life, but all in vain. At midnight Tarquinius was deprived of his proud spirit in the greatest torment. And so the prophecy of St. Sylvester was fulfilled, as also the biblical words: “Pride goeth before destruction” (Prov. 16:18).

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.