Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Thursday of the Seventh Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 138].

7 ²⁴Brethren, wherein each was called, in this let him abide with God.

²⁵Now concerning the virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion, as one who hath been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful. ²⁶I think therefore this to be good on account of the present necessity—that for a man to be so is good. ²⁷Hast thou been bound to a wife? Cease seeking to be loosed. Hast thou been loosed from a wife? Cease seeking a wife. ²⁸But even if thou marry, thou hast not sinned. And if the virgin should marry, she did not sin. But such shall have affliction in the flesh, but I am trying to spare you. ²⁹Now this I say, brethren, the time hath been shortened henceforth, that even they who have wives be as though they did not have. ³⁰And they who weep, as though they wept not; and they who rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they who buy, as though they possess not; ³¹and they who make use of this world, as though they did not use it to the full; for the fashion of this world passeth away. ³²But I wish you to be without care. The unmarried careth for the things of the Lord, how he shall please the Lord. ³³But he who is married careth for the things of the world, how he shall please his wife. ³⁴The wife and the virgin also differ. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit, but she who is married careth for the things of the world, how she shall please her husband. ³⁵And this I say for your own profit, not that I might cast a noose upon you, but for that which is seemly, and for constant waiting on the Lord without distraction.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 61]. At that time:

15 ¹²The disciples of Jesus came to Him and said to Him, “Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard the saying?” ¹³But He answered and said, “Every plant which My Father, the heavenly One, did not plant shall be rooted out. ¹⁴“Let them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.” ¹⁵And Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶And Jesus said, “Are ye also still without understanding? ¹⁷“Do ye not yet perceive that everything that entereth into the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy? ¹⁸“But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those defile the man. ¹⁹“For out of the heart cometh forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. ²⁰“These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not the man.”

²¹And Jesus went from that place and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Phokas of Sinope (commemorated on Sl. calendar on the 22^nd of July), the holy Prophet Ezekiel (commemorated on Sl. calendar on the 21^st of July), and the Martyrs Trophimos, Theophilos, and 13 others in Lycia (Sl. calendar), and the Icon of the Theotokos, The Joy of All Who Sorrow, and the Icon of the Theotokos of Pochaev.

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.

Or for the Pochaev Icon:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 320]. Brethren:

9 ¹The first tabernacle also used to have both ordinances of worship and the sanctuary of this world. ²For a tabernacle was furnished: the first in which were both the lampstand and the table, and the laying forth of the loaves, which is called Holy; ³and after the second veil, a tabernacle which is called Holy of Holies, ⁴which hath a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant which hath been covered all around from every side with gold, in which was the golden jar having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, concerning which now is not the time to speak severally. ⁶Now after these things were thus furnished, the priests, on the one hand, enter into the first tabernacle, performing worship services; ⁷on the other hand, into the second, the high priest entereth alone once for all every year, not without blood, which he offereth on behalf of himself and the faults of ignorance of the people.

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.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

August 5th – Civil Calendar
July 23rd – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyrs Trophimus and Theophilus and thirteen others with them.

They suffered in Lycia, in the time of the Emperor Diocletian. Because they would in no way deny Christ nor offer sacrifice to idols, they were put to manifold tortures: they were stoned, flayed with iron flails, their knees were broken, and thus tortured and more dead than alive, they were thrown into the flames, in which the power of God kept them unharmed. They were then taken from the fire and beheaded. The Lord glorified them both on earth and in His heavenly kingdom. They suffered with honor in Lycia at the beginning of the fourth century.

2. The Hieromartyr Apollinarius.

He was a disciple of the Apostle Peter and was born in the city of Antioch. St. Peter took him with him from Antioch to Rome, and in Rome, consecrated him Bishop of Ravenna. Arriving in Ravenna, Apollinarius went into the house of a soldier, Irenaeus, whose blind son he healed and by this brought the whole family to the Christian Faith. He also healed the wife of the military governor of Ravenna of a grave infirmity, and baptized his whole household. At the governor’s request, Apollinarius remained in his house as his guest. Here he formed a house-church, and lived in that house for twelve years, preaching the Gospel and baptising unbelievers. He was grievously tormented in various ways by the pagan elders, but the strong right hand of God upheld him and preserved him. He was finally condemned to exile in Illyria in the Balkans. But the boat in which he was sailing capsized in a storm, and from among all the travellers, only St. Apollinarius, together with two soldiers and three of his priests, was saved. Saved so miraculously, the soldiers came to believe in the power of Apollinarius’ God and were baptized. Then Apollinarius began preaching the Gospel throughout the Balkans, travelling as far as the Danube. He then went to Thrace, where he spread the Gospel against great opposition. After three years of working in the Balkans, he was driven back to Italy. He went to Ravenna, where the faithful welcomed him with great joy. Hearing of this, the pagan elders wrote to Emperor Vespasian about Apollinarius, calling him a magician and asking if he should be put to death as an opponent of their gods. The emperor replied that it was not necessary to kill him, but that he should be made to sacrifice to idols or driven from the city, for, he said: ‘It is not seemly to take revenge on someone on behalf of the gods, for they can themselves be revenged on their enemies if they are angered.’ But, in spite of this imperial decree, the pagans assaulted Apollinarius and stabbed him with daggers. This servant of God died of his wounds and went to the kingdom of God. His relics are preserved in Ravenna, in the church dedicated to him.

3. The Pochaev Icon of the Theotokos.

In the summer of 1675 during the time of the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, during the reign of the Polish king Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls, just like some of the stone buildings of the monastery, did not offer much defense against a siege. The hegumen, Iosif (Dobromirsky), urged the brethren and laypeople to turn themselves to heavenly intercessors: to the most holy Mother of God and the Monk Job of Pochaev (Oct. 28). The monks and the laypeople prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking image of the Mother of God and the reliquary with the relics of the Monk Job. On the morning of July 23, with the rising of the sun, as the Tatars were holding a final meeting about an assault on the monastery, the hegumen ordered the singing of an Akathist to the Mother of God. With the first words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts”, suddenly there appeared over the church the most holy Mother of God herself, in “an unfurled gleaming-white omophorion”, with heavenly angels holding unsheathed swords. The Abbot Job was beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching for the defense of the monastery. The Tatars took the heavenly army for an apparition, and in confusion they began to shoot arrows at the Theotokos and the Monk Job, but the arrows fell backwards and wounded those who shot them. Terror seized the enemy. In a flight of panic and without looking, they trampled upon and killed each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoner. Some of the prisoners afterwards accepted the Christian Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter.

FOR CONSIDERATION

The greatest teachers of the Church endeavored to teach great truths to men not only by words, but also by visual examples. Thus Abba Isaias, in order to teach the monks that no one would receive a reward from God Who did not toil in this life for Him, led his disciples to a threshing floor, where a laborer was gathering the threshed wheat. ‘Give me some of that wheat!’ Isaias said to the laborer. ‘Have you been reaping as well, father?’ ‘I haven’t,’ replied the elder. ‘Then you’ve got a hope of some wheat, if you’ve not gathered it!’ To this, the elder said: ‘There’s no wheat for him who has not gathered it?’ ‘No,’ replied the laborer. Hearing this reply, the elder went away in silence. When his disciples asked him to explain his actions to them, he said: ‘I did that deliberately, in order to show you that no one will receive the reward from God who has not labored in asceticism.’

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.