Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

The Sunday of the Antipascha (The Sunday After Pascha)

The Sunday of the Holy Apostle Thomas

Mode One — First Eothinon

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 14]. In those days:

5 ¹²Through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were being wrought among the people. And they were all with one accord in the porch of Solomon. ¹³And of the rest not even one was daring to be joined to them, but the people were magnifying them. ¹⁴And more believers were being added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and of women, ¹⁵insomuch that they carried out the sick into the streets and laid them upon beds and pallets, in order that at least the shadow of Peter as he came might overshadow some of them. ¹⁶And also the multitude kept on coming together out of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bearing sick people and those who were troubled by unclean spirits—all of whom were being healed.

¹⁷Then the high priest rose up and all those with him (the sect which is of the Sadducees), and were full of jealousy, ¹⁸and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in state custody. ¹⁹But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the doors of the prison and led them out, and said, ²⁰“Go and take a stand in the temple, and be speaking to the people all the words of this life.”

Gospel

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.” ²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymos, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples therefore were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I should see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, in no wise will I believe.” ²⁶And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Then cometh Jesus, the doors having been shut, and He stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be to you.” ²⁷Then He saith to Thomas, “Bring thy finger here, and behold My hands; and bring thy hand, and put it into My side. And cease being unbelieving, but believing.” ²⁸And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God.” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

³⁰Then indeed Jesus also did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but these things have been written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in His name.

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.