Daily Devotional

Monday, August 16, 2027 (NS), August 3, 2027 (OS)

Fast Day. No Meat, Fish, Dairy, Eggs, Alcohol or Olive Oil Allowed.

Monday of the Ninth Week

The commemoration of righteous Fathers Isaakios, Dalmatos, and Faustos, ascetics of the Dalmaton Monastery at Constantinople, and our venerable Father Anthony the Roman, Abbot and Wonder-worker of Novgorod.

Jump to Prologue

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Monday of the Ninth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 150]. Brethren:

11 ³¹If we were discerning ourselves, we should not be judged; ³²but when we are judged, we are being chastised by the Lord, in order that we should not be condemned with the world. ³³So that, my brethren, when ye come together in order to eat, be waiting for one another. ³⁴And if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, in order that ye not be coming together for judgment. And the rest, whensoever I should come, I will set in order.

12 ¹Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant. ²Ye know that when ye were heathens ye were led away to the dumb idols, as often as ye were led. ³Wherefore, I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God saith, “Anathema Jesus,” and no one is able to say, “Lord Jesus,” except in the Holy Spirit. ⁴Now there are distributions of gifts of grace, but the same Spirit. ⁵And there are distributions of ministrations, and the same Lord. ⁶And there are distributions of operations, but it is the same God Who energizeth all things in all.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 74]. At that time:

18 ¹The disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greater in the kingdom of the heavens?” ²And Jesus called to Himself a little child, and set him in their midst, ³and said, “Verily I say to you, unless ye be turned about and become as the little children, in no wise shall ye enter into the kingdom of the heavens. ⁴“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens. ⁵“And whosoever shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me. ⁶“But whosoever shall cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be to his advantage that a millstone turned by an ass were hung upon his neck, and he were drowned in the deep of the sea. ⁷“Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks! For it must be that the stumbling blocks come, yet woe to that man by whom the stumbling block cometh! ⁸“And if thy hand or thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut them off, and cast them from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life lame or maimed, than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the fire, the everlasting one. ⁹“And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life one-eyed, than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of the fire. ¹⁰“Be taking heed that ye do not ever despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in the heavens their angels continually behold the face of My Father Who is in the heavens. ¹¹“For the Son of Man came to save that which hath been lost.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

Epistle

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.

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

August 16th – Civil Calendar
August 3rd – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Fathers Isaac, Dalmatos and Faustos.

Isaac is commemorated separately on May 30th. St. Dalmatos was first an officer under the Emperor Theodosios the Great, who held him in great honor, but when his spirit awakened within him, he scorned all that is of this world, abandoning his rank, and took his only son Faustos off to the outskirts of Constantinople, to St. Isaac’s community, where they were both tonsured as monks. Dalmatos consecrated himself utterly to please God in his life, which was a joy to the elder, Isaac (Isaakios). When Isaac came to the hour of death, he installed Dalmatos as abbot in his place, and the community later came to be called after Dalmatos. He sometimes fasted for forty days at a time, conquering by his fasting the invisible power of the demons. He took part in the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, and battled against the Nestorian heresy. Being pleasing to God, he entered peacefully into rest in the 5th century. His son Faustos supported his father in everything, and after a godly life, died peacefully in that community.

2. Our Holy Father Kosmas the Eunuch.

A monk of the monastery of Pharan, he was very learned in the holy Scriptures. He so valued the works of St. Athanasius the Great that he said to his disciples: ‘When you hear something quoted from the writings of St. Athanasius, if you have no paper by you, write them on your handkerchief.’ In old age, he came to Antioch, to Patriarch Gregory (†596), and there ended his days. One particular man often came to Kosmas’ grave, and honoring the saint, prayed there. Asked why he did this, he explained that he had been paralysed for twelve years, and that St. Kosmas had healed him.

3. Our Holy Father Anthony the Roman.

He was born in Rome in 1086 of devout and affluent parents. At that time, the Roman Church broke away from the Eastern Church, and all who remained faithful to the Eastern Church were persecuted by the Roman clergy. Anthony was among those persecuted. He gave away all his goods and became a monk. Standing on a rock in the sea, he lived in asceticism for fourteen months. The rock meanwhile parted from its base, and by a strange providence, floated through the water to Novgorod. In Novgorod, Archbishop Nikita received him with kindness and helped him to build a church to the holy Mother of God, later to become a monastery. Anthony lived long as abbot of this monastery, and revealing great power by the grace of God through many miracles, died peacefully in 1148 and went to the courts of the Lord.

4. St. Salome the Myrrh-bearer.

The mother of the holy Apostles Iakovos and John, the wife of Zebedee and daughter of Joseph, the betrothed of the most holy Mother of God, she served the Lord during His earthly life, and was made worthy to be among the first bearers of the tidings of His Resurrection.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Holy souls were wont to read the holy Scriptures with great diligence, considering every word with care and placing themselves before the mirror of the word of God as before the Dreadful Judgement. Their diligence in this was so great that some undertook long journeys to come to some man of spiritual wisdom who would interpret for them some word or sentence in holy Scripture. Wherever it was possible, this took place through correspondence. Hence there remain various collections of letters of the saints, such as those of Ss. Basil, Gregory, Chrysostom, Isidore of Pelusium, Nilus of Sinai and many others. St. Kosmas was pondering one day on the words of the Lord Christ, when, in Gethsemane, He asked His disciples if they had a sword. When His disciples said to Him: ‘Here are two swords,’ He said to them: ‘It is enough’ (Luke 22:38). Being unable to explain these words himself, Kosmas decided to go through the desert to the distant monastery of Pirga, to the famous Abba Theophilus, to ask him. It was only with great difficulty that he reached his goal. Theophilus explained to him: ‘The two swords denote the twofold state of a godly life: labor, and a mind steeped in thoughts of God and in prayer. He who has these two is perfect.’

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.