Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Seventh Week - Apodosis of Ascension

Epistle

The Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles [§ 50A]. In those days:

27 ¹When it was decided that we should sail off to Italy, they were delivering up both Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion, by name Julius, of Augustus’ cohort. ²And having boarded an Adramyttium ship about to sail toward Asian places, we put out to sea. Aristarchos, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. ³And the next day we landed in Sidon. And Julius treated Paul humanely, and permitted him to go to his friends to obtain care. ⁴And after we put out to sea from that place, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. ⁵And after we sailed across the high sea over against Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came down to Myra of Lycia. ⁶And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and put us on board therein. ⁷And when we sailed slowly for many days, and scarcely came over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete over against Salmone. ⁸And hardly coasting along it, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, which was near a city of Lasæa. ⁹And after considerable time intervened, and the voyage was already precarious, because the fast had gone by, Paul began advising them, ¹⁰saying, “Men, I perceive that the voyage is about to be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and of the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹But the centurion was being persuaded by the steersman and the shipowner, rather than by the things which were spoken of by Paul. ¹²And because the harbor was inconvenient for wintering in, the majority gave counsel to set sail from that place also, if by any means they might be able to winter there after they arrived at Phœnice, a port of Crete, which looks toward the southwest and toward the northwest. ¹³And after a south wind blew gently, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and were coasting along close by Crete. ¹⁴But not long after, a typhonic wind, called Euroclydon, fell against her. ¹⁵And after the ship was caught, and was not able to look the wind in the eye, we gave way, and were being borne along. ¹⁶And running under a certain small island which is called Clauda, we were hardly able to become masters of the skiff, ¹⁷which they hoisted up after they had used helps and undergirded the ship; and fearing lest they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear and were thus being borne along. ¹⁸And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, on the next day they began making a jettison of the cargo. ¹⁹And on the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. ²⁰And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest was being laid upon us, finally all hope of our being saved began to be taken away. ²¹And since there was much abstinence from food, Paul then stood in their midst and said, “It was needful, indeed, O men, to have hearkened to me, and not to have set sail from Crete and reaped this injury and loss. ²²“And now I advise you to be of good cheer; for not even one life among you shall be lost, except in respect of the ship. ²³“For there stood by me this night an angel of God, Whose I am and Whom I worship, ²⁴“saying, ‘Cease being afraid, Paul; it is needful for thee to stand before Caesar; and behold, God hath granted to thee all those sailing with thee.’ ²⁵“Wherefore, be of good cheer, men, for I believe God that it shall be thus according to the way it hath been spoken to me. ²⁶“But it is needful for us to be cast ashore upon a certain island.” ²⁷Now when it came to be the fourteenth night, as we were tossed about in the Adria, toward the middle of the night the sailors began to surmise some land to be drawing near them. ²⁸And they took soundings, and found it to be twenty fathoms. And after they went a little further, they took soundings again, and found it to be fifteen fathoms. ²⁹And fearing lest they should suffer shipwreck in rough places, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and kept on praying for day to come. ³⁰Now as the sailors who sought to flee out of the ship lowered the skiff into the sea with the pretext that they were about to cast out anchors from the prow, ³¹Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” ³²Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the skiff, and let her fall off. ³³And until day was about to come, Paul kept on beseeching all to partake of food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that ye wait with expectation and continue without food, having taken nothing. ³⁴“Wherefore I beseech you to take food, for this is for your preservation; for not one hair from your head shall fall.” ³⁵And after he said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God before all; and having broken it he began to eat. ³⁶And after they all became of good cheer, they also took food for themselves. ³⁷And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six souls in the ship. ³⁸And after they were satiated with food, they lightened the ship and cast out the wheat into the sea. ³⁹And when it became day, they tried to recognize the land, but could not; but they began to perceive a certain bay having a beach, into which they purposed, if they could, to drive the ship on shore. ⁴⁰And having slipped the anchors, they were leaving them in the sea, at the same time having loosed the yokes of the rudders; and having hoisted the foresail to the blowing wind, they began making toward the seashore. ⁴¹And having fallen into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground. And on the one hand the prow became fixed and remained unmovable, but on the other hand the stern was being broken by the violence of the waves. ⁴²And the counsel of the soldiers was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any should swim out and escape. ⁴³But the centurion was willing to save Paul, and hindered them of their purpose, and commanded those who were able to swim to cast themselves off first, and to go out on the land, ⁴⁴and the rest, some on the one hand on planks, and some on the other hand on some of the things from the ship. And so it came to pass that all came through safely to the land.

28 ¹And having come through safely, then they found out that the island was called Melita.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 57]. At that time Jesus lifted up His eyes to the heaven and said:

17 ¹⁸“Even as Thou didst send Me forth into the world, I also sent them forth into the world. ¹⁹“And on behalf of them I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. ²⁰“And I do not make request for these only, but also for those who shall believe on Me through their word; ²¹“in order that all may be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world might believe that Thou didst send Me forth. ²²“And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given them, in order that they may be one, even as We are one: ²³“I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one, and that the world may know that Thou didst send Me forth, and didst love them even as Thou didst love Me. ²⁴“Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold the glory, that which is Mine, which Thou gavest Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵“O righteous Father, indeed the world did not know Thee, but I knew Thee, and these knew that Thou didst send Me forth. ²⁶“And I made known to them Thy name, and will make it known, in order that the love with which Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of Hieromartyr Eftychios (or Eftychous), Bishop of Melitene, and our holy father among the saints, Niketas, Bishop of Chalcedon.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

June 10th – Civil Calendar
May 28th – Church Calendar

1. St. Niketas the Confessor, Bishop of Chalcedon.

He renounced the world in his youth and withdrew to follow the path of monastic asceticism. He shone like the sun with virtue and came to the attention of the ecclesiastical authorities, being raised to the episcopal throne of Chalcedon. He was, as a hierarch, particularly compassionate to the poor and cared for many orphans, widows and beggars. When the wicked Emperor Leo the Armenian made his stand against the icons, St. Niketas came courageously to their defence, denouncing the emperor and expounding their meaning. He was finally driven into exile for his confession of the Faith, and after much hardship and suffering, went to the Lord to receive a wreath of glory in the kingdom of God.

2. The Holy Martyr Heliconis.

She was born in Thessalonica and educated in Christian piety. She went to Corinth in the time of Gordian and Philip, where she outspokenly denounced all who sacrificed to idols. When the governor, Perinos, urged her to offer sacrifice to Aesculapius, Christ’s martyr said to him: ‘Hear me, and know that I am a servant of Christ; as for Aesculapius, I do not know who he is. Do what you will.’ She was brought to trial for these words and terribly tortured. She was thrown into the flames, but a great gush of blood poured from her body and extinguished it, and she remained alive. She was thrown to the lions, but they would not touch her and instead fawned round her. Thrust into a temple for at least the semblance of offering sacrifice to idols, she smashed the idols, thereby arousing still greater hatred in her tormentors. Lying in prison covered all over with wounds, she saw the Lord Himself with the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. He healed her wounds, comforting and encouraging her. Later, she was led out to the scaffold to be beheaded with the sword. Before her beheading, Heliconis raised her arms high and prayed that God accept her and bring her into the company of His flock in the heavenly fold. When she had finished her prayer, a voice was heard from heaven: ‘Come, make haste; a crown and a throne are prepared for thee.’ She was finally beheaded and received a wreath of glory from the Lord, for Whose love she was sacrificed like an innocent and pure lamb.

3. St. Ignatius (Ignaty), Bishop of Rostov.

This hierarch guided the flock of Christ for twenty-six years with great love and compassion. When he died and his body was placed in the church, some of those present saw him leave his coffin and rise up in the air above the church. He blessed the people and the city from on high, and then returned to his coffin. Many other miracles were wrought at his grave. He went to the Lord on May 28th, 1288.

FOR CONSIDERATION

From The Paradise of the Fathers: The brethren said, “If a man attaineth unto purity of heart what is the sign thereof? And when will he know himself if the heart is coming to purity?” The elder said, “When he seeth that all men are fair, and when no man appeareth to him to be unclean or polluted; whosoever is thus indeed standeth with purity. And if this be not the case, how can he fulfill the word of the apostle which saith, ‘When a man standeth wholly with purity, he will think that every man is better than he in heart and in truth,’ unless it be that he attaineth to the state of him of whom it is said, ‘He whose eyes are pure seeth not wickedness.’”

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.