Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Eighth Sunday, or the Sunday of Holy Pentecost

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 3].

2 ¹While the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all with one accord in the same place. ²And suddenly there came to be a sound out of the heaven, like as of a violent wind borne along, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared to them tongues, as if of fire, being distributed; and it sat upon each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, even as the Spirit was giving them to utter. ⁵And there were Jews abiding in Jerusalem, pious men, from every nation of those under the heaven. ⁶And the report of this having arisen, the multitude came together and was confounded, because they were hearing, each one of them, speaking in his own dialect. ⁷And they were all amazed and wondering, saying to one another, “Behold, all these who are speaking are Galilæans, are they not? ⁸“And how do we each hear in our own dialect in which we were born? ⁹“Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those who dwell in Mesopotamia, also Judæa and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, ¹⁰“also Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya which are in the region of Cyrene, and the Romans, both Jews and proselytes, who sojourn here, ¹¹“Cretans and Arabians—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the magnificent works of God.”

Gospel

In the Orthros

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 65].

20 ¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first of the week—and the doors were closed where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews—Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, “Peace be to you.” ²⁰And after He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, after they saw the Lord. ²¹Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; even as the Father hath sent Me forth, I also send you.” ²²And after He said this, He breathed on them, and saith to them, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit: ²³“if ye forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven to them; if ye retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

In the Liturgy

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 27].

7 ³⁷In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus was standing and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸“The one who believeth in Me, even as the Scripture said—rivers of living water shall flow out of his belly.” ³⁹But this He said concerning the Spirit, Whom those who believe in Him were about to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ⁴⁰Many therefore of the crowd, having heard the utterance, were saying, “This is truly the Prophet.” ⁴¹Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” But others were saying, “The Christ is not coming out of Galilee, is He? ⁴²“Hath not the Scripture said that of the seed of David and from the village of Bethlehem, where David was, the Christ is coming?” ⁴³Therefore a division occurred in the crowd on account of Him. ⁴⁴And some of them were wishing to lay hold of Him, but no one laid hands on Him. ⁴⁵Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did ye not bring Him?” ⁴⁶The officers answered, “Never did a man so speak as this Man.” ⁴⁷Then the Pharisees answered them, “Ye have not also been deceived, have ye? ⁴⁸“Not one of the rulers believe in Him or of the Pharisees, doth he? ⁴⁹“But this people who knoweth not the law are accursed!” ⁵⁰Nicodemos (the one who came by night to Him, being one of them) saith to them, ⁵¹“Our law doth not judge the man, unless it should first hear him, and know from the man himself what he doeth, doth it?” ⁵²They answered and said to him, “Thou art not also of Galilee, art thou? Search and look, for a prophet hath not been raised out of Galilee.”...

8 ¹²Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; the one who followeth Me in no wise shall walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of the life.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Vasiliskos of Comana.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

June 4th – Civil Calendar
May 22nd – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyr Vasiliskos.

A kinsman of St. Theodore the Tyro, he was martyred together with Eftropios and Kleonikos (March 3rd). When these two were crucified and gave up the spirit, Vasiliskos was taken back to prison. A change of governors occurring at this time, Vasiliskos remained a long time confined in prison. He besought God with tears that He would not deprive him of a martyr’s death for His sake. After he had prayed at length, the Lord Jesus appeared to him and promised to fulfill his desire, sending him to his village to say farewell to his mother and brothers. Thereupon the new governor, Agrippa, arrived and sent to have Vasiliskos brought from the village immediately. On the way to the city of Amaseia, the Lord worked great wonders through His martyr, bringing many of the people to faith in Christ. Agrippa ordered the martyr to offer sacrifice to Apollyon. ‘“Apollyon” means “Destroyer”,’ said Vasiliskos, and with fervent prayer, he knocked the idol to dust and burned the temple with fire from heaven. The terrified Agrippa attributed this all to magic, and ordered that Vasiliskos be beheaded with the sword. Agrippa immediately became insane, and in his madness, went to the place of execution, found a little of the martyr’s blood in the dust and smeared it on himself under his belt, being restored to health by it. Having come to his senses, he was baptized. Later, a certain Marinus, a citizen of Comana (the place of Vasiliskos’ execution) built a church over the martyr’s relics, and many of the sick found healing there.

2. The Holy Martyr John (Jovan) Vladimir, King of Serbia.

He came of a princely family from Zahumlje. His grandfather was named Hvalimir and his father Petrislav. He was a wise ruler—merciful, meek, chaste and courageous. He was fervent in prayer and a devoted builder and benefactor of churches. But he had major battles to fight, both inside and outside his realm; internally with heretics and Bogomils, and externally with invaders, with King Samuel of Bulgaria and the Emperor Basil. Samuel captured him by guile and threw him into prison. While he was in prison, an angel of God appeared to him and foretold that he would soon be released from prison, but that he would die a martyr’s death. Getting to know Vladimir better, Samuel became attached to him and gave him his daughter Kosara in marriage. When Samuel died, his son Radomir became king, but his twin brother Radislav killed him and then summoned Vladimir on some pretext and beheaded him as well, in 1015. The relics of this holy martyr-king are preserved incorrupt in his monastery near Elbasan, and numerous wonders have been worked over them through the ages and to this day. In 1925, a church was built to this royal martyr near the monastery of St. Naum, which famous monastery he founded.

3. The Second Ecumenical Council.

This council was held in Constantinople in 381, in the time of the Emperor Theodosios the Great. Its purpose was to confirm the teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Holy Spirit. Makedonios (Macedonius), Bishop of Constantinople (d. 362), had taught wrongly that the Holy Spirit is God’s creature and not a divine Person, equal to the Persons of the Father and the Son and one in being with Them. Makedonios was condemned by this council and the Nicene Creed was amplified with teaching on the Holy Spirit.

4. Holy and Righteous Melchisedek, King of Salem.

He was a contemporary of our forefather Abraham. According to the Apostle Paul, he was, as king and priest, a type of the Lord Jesus (Heb. 7).

FOR CONSIDERATION

How was Moses able to fast for forty days? How were many Christian ascetics able to live, and live long, with prolonged periods of abstinence from food and drink? A carnal man, unacquainted with the spiritual life, finds this impossible to believe. It is impossible to prove it to him, for it can be understood only from experience. When St. Vasiliskos’ torturers left him for three days without food or water, and then urged him to eat, he refused, saying that he was not hungry. ‘I am,’ he said, ‘filled with immortal nourishment and will not receive mortal food. Earthly bread feeds you, but I am fed by the heavenly word of God; the universe gives you wine, but I receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. You are nourished by meat, but I by fasting; bodily power strengthens you, but me the Cross of Christ; gold enriches you, but me the love of Christ; clothing beautifies you, but me good works. You are made merry by laughter, but I am comforted in my spirit through prayer.’ Behold this man, one of many, in whom the words of Christ are confirmed: ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matt. 4:4).

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.