Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Fifteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 210]. Brethren:

4 ⁸When ye knew not God, ye slaved for those which are not gods by nature; ⁹but now, having come to know God—indeed rather having been known by God—how do ye turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, which ye wish again to slave for anew? ¹⁰Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years! ¹¹I am afraid for you, lest perchance in vain I have labored in regard to you.

¹²Brethren, I entreat you, keep on becoming as I am, for I was also as you. Ye wronged me in nothing. ¹³But ye know that through weakness of the flesh I preached the Gospel to you for the first time. ¹⁴And my temptation which was in my flesh ye neither despised, nor spat at; but as an angel of God ye received me, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵What then was your happiness? For I bear witness to you that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶Have I therefore become your enemy, because I spoke the truth to you? ¹⁷They zealously court you, but not rightly; and they desire to shut you out, that ye may be zealous toward them. ¹⁸But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. ¹⁹My little children, for whom I again travail until Christ should be formed in you! ²⁰And I was wishing to be present with you just now, and to change my voice, for I am at a loss concerning you.

²¹Tell me, ye who wish to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 26]. At that time:

6 ⁴⁵Jesus constrained His disciples to embark into the ship, and to go before to the other side toward Bethsaida, until He should dismiss the crowd. ⁴⁶And after He bid farewell to them, He departed into the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷And evening having come to pass, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. ⁴⁸And He saw them being put to the test in the rowing; for the wind was contrary to them. And about the fourth watch of the night He cometh to them, walking upon the sea, and was intending to pass by them. ⁴⁹But after they saw Him walking upon the sea, they thought it to be a phantom, and cried out; ⁵⁰for all saw Him and were troubled. And straightway He talked with them and saith to them, “Be of good courage! I am; cease being afraid.” ⁵¹And He went up to them into the ship, and the wind abated. And they were amazed in themselves exceedingly beyond measure, and kept on wondering. ⁵²For not only did they not understand, so far as regards the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

⁵³And having passed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret, and were brought to anchor at the shore.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Afterfeast of the Exaltation, and our holy father among the saints, Evmenios, Bishop and Wonder-worker of Gortyna.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

October 1st – Civil Calendar
September 18th – Church Calendar

1. St. Evmenios (Eumenius), Bishop of Gortyna in Crete.

He gave himself to Christ with his whole heart from his youth, freeing himself of two heavy burdens: the burden of riches and the burden of the flesh. He freed himself from the first by giving away all his goods to the poor and needy, and from the latter by strict fasting. He thus healed himself and was able to heal others. Passionless and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Evmenios shone with a radiance that could not be hidden, as it is written: ‘A city set on a hill cannot be hid’ (Matt. 5:14), and so holy Evmenios could not be hidden from the world. Seeing him, the people chose him as their bishop in Gortyna. As a bishop, he governed Christ’s flock as a good shepherd. He was a father to the poor, riches to the needy, consolation to the sad, healing to the sick and a marvellous wonder-worker. He worked many miracles by his prayers: he killed a poisonous snake, drove out demons, healed many of the sick, and did this not only in his home city but in Rome and in the Thebaid. In the Thebaid, he brought rain from God in a time of drought, and there finally finished his earthly course and entered into the eternal presence of his Lord. He lived and worked in the seventh century.

2. The Holy Martyr Ariadne.

In the town of Promisea in Phrygia in the time of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138), there lived a pagan patrician, Tertullus. The maiden Ariadne was a slave of his, and a Christian. On his son’s birthday, Tertullus ordered a great sacrifice to the idols, in which Ariadne did not take part, staying at home and praying to the true God. Her owner was furious with her for this, and put pressure on her to deny Christ and worship idols. When Ariadne refused to do this, he had her whipped and tortured in other ways, then threw her into prison. He soon released her from prison and drove her from the house, but quickly changed his mind and sent servants to bring her back. Ariadne was already a long way from the town. When she saw her persecutors, she prayed to God beside a great rock, and the rock opened and hid her. The servants were nonplussed at this, quarrelled among themselves and came to blows, and so perished at one another’s hands.

3. The Holy Martyr Bidzini, Prince of Georgia.

He died for the Christian Faith under Shah Abbas II in 1661, together with his kinsmen Elisbar and Shavel.

FOR CONSIDERATION

‘Insofar as ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me’ (Matt. 25:40), says the Lord. When giving alms, in giving to the poor we give to the living Lord Christ Himself. There was a man in Constantinople who had a rare compassion. Going through the streets of the city, he put his gift into the hands of the poor and immediately went on his way, to avoid hearing their thanks and becoming known. When one of his friends asked him how he had become so compassionate, he replied: ‘One day in church, I heard the priest say that what we give to the poor we give into the hands of the Lord Christ Himself. I didn’t believe this, thinking that it couldn’t be so, Christ being in heaven. Once, though, on the way home, I saw a poor man standing in the beggars’ place—and the face of Christ shining over his head. Someone passed by and gave the beggar a piece of bread, and I saw the Lord stretch out His hand, take the bread and bless the giver. From that moment, I’ve always seen that face over the heads of the beggars, and therefore, with great fear, I give all the alms I can.’

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.