Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Second Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 11]. In those days:

4 ¹³When the Jews saw the boldness of Peter and John, and comprehended for themselves that they were unlettered and laymen, they kept on wondering and began to recognize them that they were with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they kept on having nothing to gainsay. ¹⁵But after they commanded them to go outside the council, they were conferring with one another, ¹⁶saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable sign hath come to pass through them is manifest to all those inhabiting Jerusalem, and we are not able to deny it. ¹⁷“But in order that it might not spread further among the people, let us forbid them with a threat to no longer speak in this name to any man.” ¹⁸And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right before the face of God to hearken to you rather than God, judge ye. ²⁰“For we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.” ²¹Now after they further threatened them, they released them, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all were glorifying God for that which had taken place. ²²For the man upon whom this sign of healing had taken place was more than forty years old.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 15]. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:

5 ¹⁷“My Father worketh until now, and I work.” ¹⁸On this account therefore the Jews were seeking the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God His own Father, making Himself equal to God. ¹⁹Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Verily, verily, I say to you, the Son is not able to do anything of Himself, unless He see the Father doing anything; for whatsoever that One may do, these things also the Son is doing in like manner. ²⁰“For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things which He Himself doeth; and He will show Him greater works than these, that ye may wonder. ²¹“For even as the Father raiseth up the dead and maketh alive, thus also the Son maketh alive whom He will. ²²“For the Father judgeth no one, but hath given all judgment to the Son, ²³“in order that all may honor the Son, even as they are honoring the Father. The one who honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father Who sent Him. ²⁴“Verily, verily, I say to you, that the one who heareth My word and believeth the One Who sent Me hath everlasting life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed over out of death into life.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our holy father among the saints, Martin, Pope of Rome (commemorated on Sl. calendar on the 14th of April), and his fellow bishops, and Hieromartyr Artemon, presbyter of Laodicea.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

April 26th – Civil Calendar
April 13th – Church Calendar

1. The Hieromartyr Artemon.

He was a priest in Laodicea in the time of the Emperor Diocletian. He spoke thus of himself before the torturers’ tribunal: ‘I am called Artemon, a servant of Christ my God. Sixteen years I was a reader, and read the services in the Church of my God; twenty-eight years a deacon, and read the holy Gospel; and have now completed thirty years as a priest, teaching the people and setting them on the way of salvation with the help of Christ.’ The judge took him to the temple of Aesculapius, where the priests kept great snakes, regarding them as gods. They meant the snakes to bite Artemon, but he made the sign of the Cross, and by its power riveted the snakes to the ground so that they could not bite him. He then brought them out to the courtyard and breathed on them, and they died instantly. All who saw this were filled with amazement. But the chief of the pagan priests of that temple, Vitalis, seeing this marvel, fell to his knees before Artemon and cried: ‘Great is the Christian God!’ The martyr baptized him, along with several of his friends. But the evil judge stood firm in his wickedness and tortured the aged Artemon in various ways. He intended at one time to cast him into burning pitch, but fell off his horse into it himself and was burned. Two eagles were seen to descend on him, lift him from his horse and cast him into the pitch. St. Artemon remained free for a certain time and went about teaching the people, accompanied always by two tame deer. But he was arrested afresh and beheaded in the year 303. And his soul went to the kingdom of Christ our God, Whom he had served so faithfully.

2. The Holy Martyr Crescens.

From the city of Myra in Lycia, he was an honored and eminent citizen. He openly confessed his faith in Christ, and mocked at the lifeless idols. For this he was burned to death by the pagans.

3. The Holy Martyr Thomaïs.

Born in Alexandria of devout parents, she was instructed in piety from her youth and married to a devout man at the age of fifteen. But her father-in-law was a foul old man, and in the absence of his son, fell on his daughter-in-law with the intention of taking away her honor. Thomaïs was terrified, and in her terror, reminded her father-in-law of God’s law and slipped out of his hands. After a long struggle, the father-in-law took out a knife and slaughtered Thomaïs, cutting her into two pieces. At that moment the punishment of God fell upon him: he was instantly blinded and was unable to find the door to get out of the room. He was arrested right there and taken for trial, where he was condemned to death. Thus Thomaïs suffered for the commandments of God and for marital fidelity and purity. It happened after that, that those who were tormented by lustful passions lifted up their prayers to St. Thomaïs and received great help from her. The great ascetic Daniel translated her relics to Sketis and laid them in the priests’ cemetery. St. Thomaïs suffered in 476.

FOR CONSIDERATION

When the martyr Crescens, a nobleman of Myra in Lycia, was taken for trial, the judge put great pressure on him to worship idols. Being utterly unsuccessful in this, he finally said to Crescens: ‘Only let your body bow, but cleave in your soul to your God.’ To this the honest Crescens replied: ‘The body can do nothing independently of the soul, which gives it movement and guidance.’ Crescens was murdered for that clear teaching for Christians against two-facedness. And there is more to this. Christians have the responsibility of serving their Creator with their bodies, not just with their souls. By this is refuted the false position of some Christians who live in the flesh as pagans and meanwhile congratulate themselves on the belief in and love for God in their souls. They cut themselves in half and enter the service of two masters—although the holiest lips have stated the impossibility of that.

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.