Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 190]. Brethren:

10 ⁷If anyone hath persuaded himself to be of Christ, let him consider this of himself, that even as he is of Christ, even so are we of Christ. ⁸For even if I also should boast somewhat more abundantly concerning our authority, which the Lord gave to us for building up, and not for your pulling down, I shall not be put to shame, ⁹in order that I might not seem as if I would frighten you by means of the epistles. ¹⁰“For on the one hand, the epistles,” saith one, “are weighty and strong, but on the other hand his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” ¹¹Let such a one take this into account, that, such as we are in word by epistles when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present. ¹²For we dare not to reckon or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, do not comprehend. ¹³But we will not boast beyond measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. ¹⁴For we are not stretching ourselves overmuch, as though we did not reach to you; for we also came as far as to you in the Gospel of the Christ, ¹⁵not boasting of things beyond measure in the toils of others, but having hope, when your faith is increased, to be magnified among you according to our province unto abundance, ¹⁶to preach the Gospel to what lieth beyond you, and not to boast in another’s province, in things ready. ¹⁷“But the one who boasteth, let him boast in the Lord [cf. Jer. 9:23, 24].” ¹⁸For not the one who commendeth himself is that one who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commendeth.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 14]. The Lord said:

3 ²⁸“Verily I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and howsoever many blasphemies they shall utter to blaspheme; ²⁹“but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath not forgiveness forever, but is liable to everlasting condemnation”— ³⁰because they were saying, “He hath an unclean spirit.” ³¹Then came His Mother and His brethren; and they stood outside, and sent off word to Him, calling Him. ³²And a crowd was sitting about Him; and they said to Him, “Behold, Thy Mother and Thy brethren outside are seeking for Thee.” ³³And He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother or My brethren?” ³⁴And He looked round about on those who sat about Him in a circle, and said, “Behold, My mother and My brethren! ³⁵“For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother and My sister and My mother.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Afterfeast of the Dormition, and the holy Apostle Thaddæos of the Seventy, and the holy Martyr Vassa, and her sons Theognios, Agapios, and Pistos.

Epistle

No reading given.

Gospel

For the Apostle:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 12]. At that time:

3 ¹³Jesus went up into the mountain and calleth to Himself whom He Himself was wanting; and they went forth to Him. ¹⁴And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, ¹⁵and to have authority to cure the diseases and to cast out the demons: ¹⁶And to Simon He gave the name, Peter; ¹⁷and Iakovos the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of Iakovos; and He gave them the name Boanerges, which is, sons of thunder; ¹⁸and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and Iakovos the son of Alphæos, and Thaddæos, and Simon the Cananite, ¹⁹and Judas Iscariote, who also delivered Him up.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

September 3rd – Civil Calendar
August 21st – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Apostle Thaddaeus.

One of the Seventy, he was not that Thaddaeus who was one of the Twelve. St. Thaddaeus first saw and heard John the Baptist, and then saw the Lord Jesus and followed Him. The Lord included him among His seventy, lesser apostles, whom He sent two and two before His face (Luke 10:1). After His glorious Resurrection and Ascension, the Lord sent Thaddaeus to Edessa, Thaddaeus’ birthplace, in fulfillment of His promise to Avgar, which He made when He sent him the napkin with the imprint of His face. By kissing this napkin, Avgar was healed of his leprosy, though not entirely; a little of the leprosy remained on his face. When St. Thaddaeus visited Avgar, the latter received him with great joy. Christ’s apostle instructed him in the true Faith and then baptized him. When the baptized Avgar came up out of the water, the remaining leprosy fell from him and he was completely healed. Glorifying God, Prince Avgar desired that his people should come to the knowledge of the true God and glorify Him. The prince called together all the citizens of Edessa before the holy Apostle Thaddaeus, to hear him preach about Christ. Hearing the apostle’s words and seeing their miraculously-healed prince, the people cast away their idols and their unclean living, embraced the Christian Faith and were baptized, and the city of Edessa became resplendent with the Christian Faith. Prince Avgar brought much gold and offered it to the apostle, but Thaddaeus said to him: ‘Having abandoned my own, do I accept another’s?’ St. Thaddaeus preached the Gospel throughout Syria and Phoenicia, and entered into rest in the Lord in the Phoenician city of Beirut.

2. The Holy Martyr Vassa and her children: Theognios, Agapios and Pistos.

Vassa was the wife of a pagan priest, but she was secretly a Christian and brought her sons up in a Christian spirit. Her husband hated her for her faith, and handed her over to the judge for torture, together with her sons. After harsh torture, her sons were beheaded (it is thought, in Edessa in Macedonia). Vassa was filled with joy to see her sons thus gloriously finish their martyrs’ course for Christ, and herself went with yet greater desire from torture to torture. When she was thrown into the sea, angels appeared to her and took her to an island in the Sea of Marmara, where she was slain with the sword under Maximian. Thus holy Vassa was in a twofold manner made worthy of the kingdom of Christ: as a martyr and as the mother of martyrs.

3. Our Holy Father Abraham (Avraamy) of Smolensk.

Born in the town of Smolensk at the prayers of his parents, he early embraced the monastic state and gave himself to strict asceticism, emulating the holy fathers of the desert. He later founded the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Smolensk. He underwent many temptations from demons and from men, enduring them with great fortitude and thanksgiving to God. At a time of great drought, he brought rain by his prayers. Living fifty years in asceticism, he entered peacefully into rest in the Lord in about 1220.

4. Our Holy Forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

They are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Forefathers before the Nativity of Christ, as righteous and pleasing to God.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Great-souled forgiveness of slanderers and prayer for them is a distinctive mark of the Christian saints, who regard slander against themselves as sent, not by men but by demons, the greatest instigators of every slander, as of every sin in general. St. Abraham of Smolensk was slandered to the prince and the bishop by his envious priests as an imposter, a magician and a hypocrite. The slanderers sought nothing less than that he should be burned. The prince and bishop believed the slanderers, and Abraham was driven out of Smolensk and forbidden to celebrate the divine Mysteries. During the whole time of his exile and condemnation, Abraham repeated the prayer of St. Stephen the first martyr: ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge’ (Acts 7:60). It was later established that Abraham’s accusers were false and slanderous. The furious prince sought to punish the slanderers severely, and the bishop to excommunicate them, but holy Abraham fell on his knees before the bishop and begged him with tears to forgive them. He would not return to his monastery or begin again the celebration of the divine Mysteries until his slanderers had been pardoned and set free.

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.