Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second General Epistle of Saint Peter [§ 67]. Beloved:

2 ⁹The Lord knoweth how to deliver the pious out of temptation, and to keep the unjust who are under punishment until a day of judgment, ¹⁰and, most of all, those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise dominion. They are daring, self-willed! They tremble not at blaspheming dignities; ¹¹whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not bring a reviling condemnation against them before the Lord. ¹²But these—as irrational animals, in accordance with nature, having been born for capture and corruption, blaspheming in which things they are ignorant—shall be destroyed in their corruption, ¹³and are about to receive the wages of unrighteousness, since they deem it pleasure living softly in the day. Spots they are and blemishes, revelling in their deceits, feasting with you, ¹⁴having eyes full of an adulteress and of incessant sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart which hath been exercised with greedy desires, children of a curse! ¹⁵Forsaking the straight way, they were led astray, following the way of Balaam, son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. ¹⁶But he had reproof of his own transgression of the law: the dumb beast of burden which spoke in a man’s voice hindered the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷These are waterless fountains, clouds being driven by a storm, for whom the gloom of darkness hath been kept forever. ¹⁸For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they entice with the desires of the flesh, by licentious acts, the ones who verily escape from those who conduct themselves in error, ¹⁹promising them freedom who are themselves slaves of corruption; for by whom anyone hath been defeated, by the same hath he been enslaved. ²⁰For if, after they escaped the pollutions of the world by a full knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they then are again entangled in these and defeated, the last state hath become worse to them than the first. ²¹For it would have been better for them not to have acknowledged the way of righteousness, than, having acknowledged it, to have turned from the holy commandment which was delivered to them. ²²But the word of the proverb hath happened to them: “The dog returned to its own vomit [cf. Prov. 26:11]”; and, “The sow, having washed herself, to her wallowing in the mire.”

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 60]. The Lord said to His disciples:

13 ¹⁴“Whenever ye see ‘the abomination of the desolation [cf. Dan. 9:27, 12:11],’ which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not—the one who readeth, let him understand—then let those in Judæa flee to the mountains. ¹⁵“And the one who is on the housetop, let him not come down into the house, nor go in to take away anything out of his house. ¹⁶“And the one who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind, to take up his outer garment. ¹⁷“And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! ¹⁸“But be praying that your flight might not take place in winter. ¹⁹“For there shall be affliction in those days, such as hath not been the like from the beginning of creation which God created until the present, and never shall be. ²⁰“And if the Lord did not shorten those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose for Himself, He shortened the days. ²¹“And then if anyone should say to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ; behold, there,’ do not begin to believe it. ²²“For false christs and false prophets shall be raised up, and shall produce signs and wonders, with a view to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²³“Be taking heed; behold, I have told you all things beforehand.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our righteous Father Xenophon and his wife, Mary, and their two sons, Arcadios and John, of Constantinople.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

February 8th – Civil Calendar
January 26th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father Xenophon and our Mother Maria, and their sons John and Arkadios.

They were rich and respected citizens of Constantinople. Xenophon and Maria lived godly lives, and made every effort to give their sons a Christian upbringing. When the boys were grown, their parents sent them to Beirut to study, but a storm capsized their ship. By God’s providence, both John and Arkadios were somehow saved and thrown onto the shore by the waves; in two separate places, however, so that each thought the other had perished. Out of grief for each other, they became monks in two different monasteries. After two years of mourning, their parents traveled to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places. There, helped by the insight of a holy man, the brothers were first united with each other and then with their parents. Out of gratitude to God, Xenophon and Maria gave away all their goods to the poor and both embraced the monastic state. This touching story of these four holy souls demonstrates clearly how the Lord guides most wonderfully the destinies of those who believe in Him; how He looses on them trials and sorrows, that they may later, yet more greatly strengthened in their faith, experience the greater joy. They lived and died in the fifth century.

2. Our Holy Father Simeon the Ancient.

A friend and companion of St. Palladios, he lived in asceticism in a cave from his early youth right up to his death. He founded two monasteries and entered into rest in the Lord in the year 390. He was named ‘the Ancient’ by St. Simeon the Stylite, who lived somewhat later.

3. St. David, King of Georgia (1089-1130).

He restored and strengthened Georgia as a country. He was a great zealot for the Christian Faith. He built many new churches throughout Georgia, and restored ancient ones. He is regarded as the regenerator of Orthodoxy in Georgia.

FOR CONSIDERATION

The greatest blessing any country can have is that of good and holy men living within it. Compared with this blessing, all other blessings are as nothing. Devout Christian kings regarded holy people in their lands as the greatest blessing from God. The holy Emperor Constantine the Great said: ‘We bless the Lord Jesus Christ that there exists in my day three glorious saints: the blessed Abba Anthony, Abba Elenius and Abba Efchius.’ Before the Battle of Kulikovo, a battle significant for Russia, the devout Prince Dimitri of the Don went off with his chief advisors and commanders to the forest of Radonezh to seek St. Sergius and beg his prayers. And although the prince prepared his armies for the war of liberation from the Tartars, he placed greater confidence in the prayers of one holy man than in a vast army and many weapons.

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.