Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Sunday of the Eleventh Week

Mode Two — Eleventh Eothinon

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 141]. Brethren:

9 ²Ye are the seal of mine apostleship in the Lord. ³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴We do not have authority to eat and to drink, do we? ⁵We do not have authority to lead about a wife who is a sister in the Lord, as also the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Kephas, do we? ⁶Or do only I and Barnabas have no authority not to be working? ⁷Who at any time serveth as a soldier at his own pay? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of its fruit? Or who shepherdeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? ⁸I am not saying these things after the manner of man, am I? Or saith not the law these things also? ⁹For in the law of Moses it hath been written: “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth the corn [Deut. 25:4].” It is not the care of the oxen that matters with God, is it? ¹⁰Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes it was written, that the one who ploweth ought to plow in hope, and the one who thresheth in hope ought to partake of his hope. ¹¹If we did sow to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap of your carnal things? ¹²If others partake of this authority over you, should not rather we? Nevertheless we did not use this authority; but we bear up against all things, lest we should give any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 77]. The Lord said this parable:

18 ²³“The kingdom of the heavens is likened to a man, a king, who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴“And after he began to make a reckoning for himself, there was brought to him one debtor of ten thousand talents. ²⁵“But when he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and the children, and all things whatsoever he had, and to render payment. ²⁶“The slave therefore fell down and was making obeisance to him, saying, ‘Lord, be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ ²⁷“And the lord of that slave was moved with compassion, and released him, and forgave him the loan. ²⁸“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hold of him and began to throttle him, saying, ‘Pay me, if thou dost owe anything.’ ²⁹“Then his fellow slave fell down at his feet and was beseeching him, saying, ‘Be long-suffering toward me, and I will pay all to thee.’ ³⁰“And he was not willing, but went away and cast him into prison, until he should pay that which was owed. ³¹“But after his fellow slaves saw what was done, they were exceedingly grieved; and they came to their lord and made quite clear all that was done. ³²“Then his lord, having summoned him, saith to him, ‘O thou evil slave, I forgave thee all that debt, since thou besoughtest me; ³³“‘was it not also necessary for thee to have pitied thy fellow slave, even as I pitied thee?’ ³⁴“And his lord, having been provoked to anger, delivered him up to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was owed to him. ³⁵“Thus shall My Father, the heavenly One, do to you also, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Afterfeast of the Transfiguration, and the holy Martyr Laurence, Archdeacon of Rome.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to Saint Timothy [§ 292]. Child Timothy:

2 ¹Be thou empowered in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; ²and the things which thou heardest from me in the midst of many witnesses, commit thou these things to faithful men who shall be competent also to teach others. ³Thou therefore suffer hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴No one serving as a soldier is entangled with the affairs of life, in order that he might please the one who enlisted him. ⁵And if anyone also contend as an athlete in the games, he is not crowned unless he contend lawfully. ⁶The farmer who laboreth must be first to partake of the fruits. ⁷Be considering what I say; O may the Lord give thee understanding in all things! ⁸Be remembering Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, Who hath been raised from the dead, according to my Gospel, ⁹in which I suffer hardship even to bonds as a malefactor, but the word of God hath not been bound. ¹⁰On this account I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they might also attain salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

August 23rd – Civil Calendar
August 10th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyrs Laurence the Archdeacon and Pope Sixtus, and others with them.

When Pope Stephen (see August 2nd) was killed, St. Sixtus was installed in his place. Sixtus was an Athenian, first a philosopher and later a Christian. At that time, the Roman bishops were being killed one after the other in such quick succession that to be made Bishop of Rome was tantamount to a death sentence. The Emperor Valerian was determined to stamp out Christianity, and Pope Sixtus was quickly brought to trial with two of his deacons, Felicicius and Agapitus. When they were being taken off to prison, Laurence said to the pope: ‘Where are you going, father, without your son? Whither, O bishop, without your archdeacon?’ The pope consoled him with the prophecy that he would undergo yet greater suffering for Christ, and follow him very soon. And indeed, as soon as Sixtus and the two deacons had been beheaded, Laurence was arrested. He had been inspired to set in order both his own affairs and those of the Church. As treasurer, he had taken all the Church’s valuables to the house of a widower, Cyriacus. At that time, he healed Cyriacus of terrible pains in the head by the touch of his hand, and restored the sight of a blind man, Crescention. Thrown into prison, Laurence there healed an elderly prisoner, Lucillus, of blindness and baptized him. Seeing this, the warder, Hippolytus, also received Baptism, and later suffered for Christ (see August 13th). As Laurence would not deny Christ, but strongly counselled the Emperor Valerian to abandon his false gods, he was beaten on the face with stones and on his body with scorpions (chains with poisoned teeth). A soldier, Romanus, who was present at the torture, came to belief in Christ and was immediately beheaded. They finally put Laurence on an iron grid and lit a fire underneath. Roasting in the fire, Laurence gave thanks to God, and mocked the emperor for his paganism. When he had given his pure and heroic soul to God, Hippolytus took his body by night, first to the house of Cyriacus and then to a cave, where he buried it. St. Laurence suffered, together with the others, in 258.

2. St. Hiron.

He was a Christian philosopher. St. Gregory the Theologian mentions him in his books. He entered peacefully into rest and went to the Lord.

FOR CONSIDERATION

How can we overcome the enmity of our adversaries? By renunciation, meekness and prayer, surrender of all but faith, purity of life and meekness and prayer forever and always. St. Ambrose writes: ‘This is the weapon of the righteous man: to win while retreating, as skilled archers are able, while in retreat, to hit those stronger than themselves.’ A brother was insulted by his friend, but desiring peace with him, went to him to be reconciled. But the other would not open the door to him, and abusing him from within, drove him away from the house. The brother complained to a spiritual elder, who said to him: ‘In going to make peace with your brother, you have, all along the way, condemned him in your thoughts and justified yourself. I advise you, if your friend sins against you, to order your thoughts as though it were you who had sinned against him, and then go to him, justifying him and condemning yourself in your thoughts.’ The brother did this, and what happened? As soon as he drew near to his brother’s house, the latter opened the door wide, ran to him and embraced him, and peace was made between them.

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.