Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Tuesday of the Third Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 18]. In those days:

8 ⁵Philip went down into a city of Samaria and was preaching the Christ to them. ⁶And the crowds with one accord were giving heed to the things being said by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he was doing for them. ⁷For of those who had unclean spirits, many were made to come out, shouting with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed and lame were cured. ⁸And there came to be great joy in that city. ⁹But there was a certain man, by name Simon, who previously used magic arts in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria, counting himself to be some great one, ¹⁰to whom all were giving heed, from the small to the great, saying, “This one is the power, the great one, of God.” ¹¹And they were giving heed to him because for a considerable time he had amazed them with the magic arts. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached as good tidings the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³And Simon himself also believed; and having been baptized, he persisted with Philip; and beholding the works of power and signs being done, he was himself amazed. ¹⁴Now after the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent forth to them Peter and John, ¹⁵who, after they came down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but only in the name of the Lord Jesus had they been baptized. ¹⁷Then were they laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 20]. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:

6 ²⁷“Cease working for the meat which perisheth, but for the food which abideth to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give to you; for this One did God the Father seal.” ²⁸Then they said to Him, “What may we do that we may be working the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that ye should believe in Him Whom that One sent.” ³⁰They said therefore to Him, “What sign doest Thou then, in order that we might see, and believe Thee? What dost Thou work? ³¹“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, even as it is written: ‘He gave them bread out of the heaven to eat [cf. Ex. 16:4, 15, 16].’” ³²Then Jesus said to them, “Verily, verily, I say to you, Moses hath not given you the bread out of the heaven, but My Father giveth you the bread, the true one, out of the heavens. ³³“For the bread of God is the One coming down out of the heavens and giving life to the world.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of Hieromartyr Paphnutios of Jerusalem, and our venerable Father John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

May 2nd – Civil Calendar
April 19th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father John of the Ancient Caves.

He labored in asceticism in the Ancient Caves or Lavra of Chariton the Great in Palestine. He came to love Christ the Lord with all his heart and soul and mind, and in his youth began travelling around all the holy places to seek the instruction and advice of holy men. He finally settled in Chariton’s cave, where he undertook a rigorous ascetic life, spending his days in fasting, prayer and vigils, constantly meditating on death and teaching himself humility. Like a well-ripened fruit, he was taken by death and entered into Paradise. He lived and died in the eighth century.

2. The Holy Martyrs Christopher, Theonas and Antonios.

These three were young officers under the Emperor Diocletian. When St. George the Great Martyr was being tortured, they witnessed his sufferings and the miracles that were performed at that time. Having seen all this, they came to the emperor, threw down their arms, removed their soldiers’ belts and courageously confessed the name of the Lord Jesus. They were subjected to many tortures and finally thrown into the fire, where their bodies were burned while their souls ascended to the one Lord in eternal joy. They suffered in Nikomedia in 303.

3. St. Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople.

The Emperor Romanos, who ruled Byzantium at the beginning of the 10th century, had a son, Theophylact, who was sixteen years old when Patriarch Stephen died. The emperor wished his own son to become patriarch, because he had been promised to a spiritual calling right from a small boy, but because of his youth he was timid about this. Tryphon, a simple, chaste and honorable old man, occupied the patriarchal throne and held that position for three years. When the emperor’s son attained his twentieth year, the emperor had it in mind to remove Tryphon and replace him with his own son as patriarch. St. Tryphon would not relinquish his throne voluntarily, considering it a great scandal for such a young man to be elected to so responsible and difficult a position as that of patriarch. The signature of the innocent Tryphon was obtained on a blank piece of paper through the scheming of an evil bishop, and a false resignation was written above his signature in the imperial court. The emperor announced his resignation, and a difficult time of unrest began in the Church, since the people and the clergy took the side of Tryphon, the man of God. Then the emperor deposed the old patriarch by force and placed him in a monastery, raising his own son, Theophylact, to the patriarchate. St. Tryphon lived in the monastery as an ascetic for two years and five months, and went to the Lord in 933.

4. Our Holy Father Agathangelos.

From Thrace, his worldly name being Anastasios, he was a slave to some Turks, and they compelled him to embrace Islam in Smyrna. As a penitent, he was tonsured at the monastery of Esphigmenou on the Holy Mountain. Tormented by his conscience, he desired to wash his sins in his own blood, so he went to Smyrna, where he showed a Cross and an icon of Christ’s Resurrection to the Turks. He was beheaded on April 19th, 1819, at the age of nineteen. He appeared to his spiritual father, Germanos, after his death.

5. Our Holy Father Simeon the Barefoot.

He labored in asceticism on the Holy Mountain and was abbot of Philotheou for a short time. He strengthened Christians in many Balkan countries in the Faith, and is renowned as a wonder-worker.

FOR CONSIDERATION

A spiritual guide and elder once said: ‘Remain indoors, speak with yourself alone; work, O body, that you may be fed; be vigilant, O soul, that you may be saved and inherit the kingdom.’ These are not mere idle words; rather, they have been the rule of many thousands of monks through the centuries, the daily rule of their lives. They fed themselves by their labor and were vigilant in prayer. But why only monks? Why should it not be the rule for every follower of Christ? Has not Christ Himself provided us with a clear example of bodily labor and unceasing vigilance in prayer?

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.