Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 223]. Brethren:

3 ⁸To me, the one who is less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach the Gospel of the unsearchable wealth of the Christ among the nations, ⁹and to enlighten all as to what is the dispensation of the mystery which hath been hidden from the ages in God, Who created all things through Jesus Christ, ¹⁰in order that now the much-variegated wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and to the authorities in the heavenlies through the Church, ¹¹according to the purpose of the ages which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in Whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. ¹³Wherefore I ask you not to be fainthearted at mine afflictions on behalf of you, which is your glory. ¹⁴For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵from Whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, ¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the wealth of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷that the Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith, having been rooted and founded in love, ¹⁸in order that ye might be able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, ¹⁹and to know the love of the Christ which surpasseth knowledge, that ye might be filled to all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly above all things that we ask for ourselves or think, according to the power which energizeth itself in us, ²¹to Him be the glory in the Church in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

Gospel

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

4 ¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was being led in the Spirit into the wilderness, ²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing; and they having been brought to an end, afterwards He became hungry. ³And the devil said to Him, “If Thou art God’s Son, command this stone that it become bread.” ⁴And Jesus gave answer to him, saying, “It hath been written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God [cf. Deut. 8:3].’” ⁵And the devil, having brought Him up into a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited world in a moment of time. ⁶And the devil said to Him, “To Thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them; for to me it hath been delivered up, and to whomsoever I may wish to give it. ⁷“Thou, therefore, if Thou wilt make obeisance before me, all shall be Thine.” ⁸And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get thee behind Me, Satan. For it hath been written: ‘Thou shalt make obeisance to the Lord thy God, and Him alone shalt thou worship [cf. Deut. 6:13].’” ⁹And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him upon the wing of the temple, and said to Him, “If Thou art God’s Son, cast Thyself down from this place. ¹⁰“For it hath been written: ‘He shall enjoin His angels concerning Thee, to keep Thee [Ps. 90(91):11],’ ¹¹“and, ‘Upon their hands shall they take Thee up, lest ever Thou strike Thy foot against a stone [Ps. 90(91):12].’” ¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It hath been said, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God [Deut. 6:16].’” ¹³And after the devil brought to an end every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

¹⁴And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee; and a common report concerning Him went out throughout all the country round about. ¹⁵And He was teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

22. The commemoration of Hieromartyr Phokas, Bishop of Sinope, and the 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos.

The commemoration of the holy Apostle Quadratus is transferred to this day from the 21^st of September, on account of the Leave-taking of the Exaltation of the Cross.

Epistle

For the Hieromartyr:

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to Saint Timothy [§ 291]. Child Timothy:

1 ⁸Do thou not become ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor me His prisoner, but suffer hardship with the Gospel, according to God’s power, ⁹Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time, ¹⁰but now hath been made manifest by the appearance of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who brought death to nought indeed and brought to light life and incorruption through the Gospel, ¹¹to which I was appointed a herald and apostle and teacher of nations. ¹²For which cause I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know Whom I have believed, and have been persuaded that He is able to guard the deposit entrusted to me until that day. ¹³Keep on holding fast an outline of sound words which thou heardest from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard thou the good deposit entrusted to thee through the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.

¹⁵This thou knowest, that all they who are in Asia were turned away from me, of whom are Phygellos and Hermogenes. ¹⁶May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphoros, for many times he refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; ¹⁷but having been in Rome, he sought me out most diligently and found me— ¹⁸may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day—and in how many things he ministered in Ephesus thou knowest better than I need say.

for Sl. usage, see [Heb. 4:14-5:6].

For the venerable Martyrs:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 233].

6 ¹⁰Brethren, keep on being empowered in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; ¹²because for us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the cosmic rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of evil on account of the heavenly things. ¹³For this cause take up the full armor of God, in order that ye might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having counteracted all things, to stand. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having girt your loins with truth, and having put on for yourselves the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet in readiness of the Gospel of peace; ¹⁶on the whole, take up the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Gospel

For the Hieromartyr:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 36]. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:

10 ⁹“I am the door; by Me if anyone should enter, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰“The thief cometh not, except that he might steal, and slay, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. ¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. ¹²“But the hireling, who indeed is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth; and the wolf seizeth them and scattereth the sheep. ¹³“Now the hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling and careth not about the sheep. ¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; and I know those that are Mine, and am known of those that are Mine. ¹⁵“Even as the Father knoweth Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶“And I have other sheep which are not of this fold; them also it is needful for Me to bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.”

For the venerable Martyrs:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 36]. The Lord said to His disciples:

10 ¹⁶“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Become therefore wise as the serpents and guileless as the doves. ¹⁷“But continue being on guard against men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸“And also ye shall be brought before governors and kings on account of Me, for a testimony to them and to the nations. ¹⁹“But whenever they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what ye should speak; for it shall be given to you in that hour what ye shall speak. ²⁰“For ye are not the ones who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father Who is speaking in you. ²¹“Now a brother shall deliver up a brother to death, and a father a child; and children shall rise up against parents and shall put them to death. ²²“And ye shall be hated by all for My name’s sake; but the one who endureth to the end, this one shall be saved.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

October 5th – Civil Calendar
September 22nd – Church Calendar

1. The Hieromartyr Phokas, Bishop of Sinope.

He exercised himself from his youth in all the Christian virtues. As bishop in his birthplace, the town of Sinope on the shore of the Black Sea, he strengthened the devout in their faith by his divine example and words, and brought many idol-worshipers to the true Faith. The stony-hearted pagans were filled with wrath against holy Phokas, and the Lord foreshowed to him in a vision his death by martyrdom. Phokas saw a shining dove fly down from heaven, carrying in its beak a beautiful wreath of flowers which it laid on his head, and a voice came from the dove: ‘My cup is full, and it is for thee to drink it!’ From this vision, the man of God learned that he must very soon suffer for Christ. He was not afraid, but with thanksgiving to God prepared himself for torture. Soon after this, the governor, Africanus, took Phokas for interrogation and inflicted harsh tortures upon him: his whole body was beaten black and blue and torn with wounds, and after imprisonment, he was thrown into boiling water, in which this courageous soldier of Christ finished his earthly course and entered into the joy of his Lord. He suffered in the time of the Emperor Trajan (98-117).

2. The Holy Prophet Jonah (Jonas).

He lived more than eight hundred years before Christ. It is said that he was the widow’s son of Sarepta in Sidon, whom the Prophet Elias raised from the dead. By his three-day sojourn in the belly of the sea monster, St. Jonah foreshadowed the three-day sojourn of Christ in the tomb, and by his deliverance from the sea monster’s belly, the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead. Everything else about this wonderful prophet is there to be read in the Book of Jonah.

3. The Holy Martyr Phokas the Gardener.

A compatriot of the hieromartyr Phokas, he had a garden in Sinope, near the Black Sea, which he cultivated himself. He refreshed all the passers-by with the fruits of his garden, not neglecting to entertain their ears with the word of God. But the governor, who was a persecutor of Christians, heard of him and sent soldiers to kill him. Phokas welcomed the soldiers so warmly that they held back from killing him, but at his beseeching, carried out their orders and beheaded him. In that place, a church dedicated to him was soon built over his relics. St. Phokas is especially venerated by seamen, and is invoked for aid by all who travel by sea. He suffered in 320.

4. Our Holy Father Kosmas of Zographou.

He was of a noble Bulgarian family. When his parents wanted him to marry, he fled to the Holy Mountain. He was a solitary and a wonder-worker, living in asceticism in a cave near the monastery of Zographou, and was the greatest ascetic and wonder-worker of that monastery. The Mother of God appeared to him several times. The cell in which Kosmas lived in silent asceticism and wrestled with demons remains to this day to the north-west of the monastery. Being gifted with discernment, he could see in the spirit, and described happenings in far-off times and places. He died in old age, on September 22nd, 1323, and after a life of much toil, entered into the joy of his Lord.

5. St. Peter the Merciful.

A man of God of the sixth century (see the passage for consideration below).

6. The Holy Priest Jonas.

The father of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer and writer of canons, and of St. Theodore (the Branded) the Scribe, he was a wonder-worker. He died in the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified in the ninth century.

FOR CONSIDERATION

When a man comes to a strong sense of God’s mercy towards him, he is jerked awake as from a dull and dreary dream and is ashamed of his long blindness towards God’s unceasing compassion. In the days of the Emperor Justinian, the chief imperial tax-collector in Africa was one Peter, a very rich man who was also very harsh and merciless. At one time the beggars were grumbling among themselves that not one of them had ever received alms from Peter. Then one of them bet that he would succeed in getting alms from him. He went off and pestered the flinty-hearted man for alms until, in a fury, Peter threw a loaf at him, having nothing else at hand. The beggar joyfully grabbed the loaf and fled. Immediately after this, Peter fell ill of a sudden and dangerous illness, and had the following vision: he saw himself being weighed by a demon in the other world. On one side of the scales, the demons heaped Peter’s sins, so that that side was weighed down, while on the other side stood angels, lamenting that there was not a single good deed in Peter’s life to place on the other, empty side of the scales. One of the angels said: ‘We have nothing at all to put in except the one loaf that he threw at a beggar a couple of days ago.’ The angel quickly put the one loaf on the empty side of the scales, and that loaf balanced the other side with all Peter’s sins. When the vision was over, Peter said to himself: ‘Truly, that was not a hallucination, for I saw all the sins I’d committed from my youth. If one loaf could be of such help to me; a loaf, moreover, that I threw at a beggar, how much help would I have from many works of mercy, performed from the heart and in meekness?’ And from that time, Peter turned into the most compassionate man in his town. He gave all his goods away to the poor, and when he had parted with them all, sold himself into slavery for thirty gold pieces, and himself gave this sum away to the needy as alms in the name of Christ. He thus became known as Peter the Merciful.

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.