Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Second Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 11]. In those days:

4 ¹³When the Jews saw the boldness of Peter and John, and comprehended for themselves that they were unlettered and laymen, they kept on wondering and began to recognize them that they were with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they kept on having nothing to gainsay. ¹⁵But after they commanded them to go outside the council, they were conferring with one another, ¹⁶saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable sign hath come to pass through them is manifest to all those inhabiting Jerusalem, and we are not able to deny it. ¹⁷“But in order that it might not spread further among the people, let us forbid them with a threat to no longer speak in this name to any man.” ¹⁸And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right before the face of God to hearken to you rather than God, judge ye. ²⁰“For we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.” ²¹Now after they further threatened them, they released them, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all were glorifying God for that which had taken place. ²²For the man upon whom this sign of healing had taken place was more than forty years old.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 15]. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:

5 ¹⁷“My Father worketh until now, and I work.” ¹⁸On this account therefore the Jews were seeking the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God His own Father, making Himself equal to God. ¹⁹Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Verily, verily, I say to you, the Son is not able to do anything of Himself, unless He see the Father doing anything; for whatsoever that One may do, these things also the Son is doing in like manner. ²⁰“For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things which He Himself doeth; and He will show Him greater works than these, that ye may wonder. ²¹“For even as the Father raiseth up the dead and maketh alive, thus also the Son maketh alive whom He will. ²²“For the Father judgeth no one, but hath given all judgment to the Son, ²³“in order that all may honor the Son, even as they are honoring the Father. The one who honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father Who sent Him. ²⁴“Verily, verily, I say to you, that the one who heareth My word and believeth the One Who sent Me hath everlasting life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed over out of death into life.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our holy father among the saints, Januarius, Bishop of Benevento, and those with him, and Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia and those with him, and our venerable Father Anastasios of Sinai (commemorated on Sl. calendar on the 20^th of April).

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

May 4th – Civil Calendar
April 21st – Church Calendar

1. The Hieromartyr Januarius, and those with him.

This saint was Bishop of Benevento in Italy. In the time of a persecution under Maximian, he was brought before the judge and tormented with various tortures, which he endured patiently. When they threw him into the flames, they were cooled by an invisible dew and the martyr stood uninjured in it and sang the praises of God. Then they flayed his body with iron flails until the bones showed white, but the martyr patiently endured all. His deacon, Faustus, and his reader, Desiderius, were watching the torture and wept for their spiritual father. Then they too were bound and taken with their bishop to the town of Puteoli (Pozzuoli), and cast into prison. There were in the same prison for the sake of Christ the Puteolian deacons Proclus and Sossus and two simple, Christian men, Eutychius and Acutius. All seven were thrown next day to the wild beasts, but the beasts would not touch them. They were all then beheaded, and the Christians of the city of Naples secretly took the body of St. Januarius to their city and buried it in the church where they work miracles to those who approach with faith. One among many remembered is this: a poor widow, whose only son had died, took the icon of St. Januarius out of the church and laid it on her dead son, weeping and imploring the saint’s aid, and her son was restored to life. St. Januarius suffered with honor in 305.

2. The Holy Martyr Theodore, and others with him.

He suffered for the Christian Faith in Perga of Pamphylia in the time of the Emperor Antoninus. Theodore was young and fair of face. When the governor of that district chose him, along with several other young men, for service at the imperial court, Theodore refused and declared himself to be a Christian. Because of this, he was tortured in various ways and then thrown into the flames, but water gushed from the earth and put out the fire. The governor ascribed this to some magic of Theodore’s, but the martyr said to him: ‘This is not the work of any power of mine, but of Christ my God; and if you want to test the power of your gods, light another fire and throw in one of your soldiers—then I hope you will understand the strength and almighty power of my God.’ The governor really wanted to throw in one of the soldiers, but they, in terror, begged him to throw in the pagan priest, Dioscoros, in their place. The priest begged him to throw in only the idol of Zeus and the other idols, for, he said, if they were gods they would easily save themselves. Dioscoros spoke thus because he had already in his heart turned to Christ, having seen the marvel wrought concerning Theodore. Discovering this, the governor condemned Dioscoros to death by burning. He also delivered Theodore and two soldiers, Socrates and Dionysius, and Theodore’s mother Philippa, to death. Theodore was crucified, and breathed his last on the cross only on the third day. Socrates and Dionysius were run through with spears and Philippa was beheaded. They were all crowned with wreaths of glory in the kingdom of Christ.

FOR CONSIDERATION

‘Guard your hearts!’—said experienced ascetics of old. And Saint John of Kronstadt, in our day, says the same: ‘The heart is fine, spiritually light and heavenly in nature. Guard it; do not burden it; do not bring it low; be extremely abstinent in eating and drinking and especially in bodily comforts. The heart is the temple of God, and “he who defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy” (I Cor. 3:17).’ Spiritual experience in olden times and spiritual experience in our day are identical—on the condition that the confession of faith is identical. The heavenly knowledge to which the ancient ascetics came, in no way differs from the heavenly knowledge to which modern ascetics come. For, as Christ is the same today as yesterday, so also is human nature. And, what is most important, the heart of man is the same, and nothing can satisfy it but the glory and power and richness of God.

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.