Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Fourth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans [§ 107].

11 ²⁵Brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant regarding this mystery—in order that ye be not wise in yourselves—that hardness in part hath happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations should enter in. ²⁶And so all Israel shall be saved, even as it hath been written: “The Deliverer shall come out of Sion, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; ²⁷“and this is the covenant from Me to them, whenever I should take away their sins [cf. Is. 59:20, 21; Jer. 38(31):31, 34].” ²⁸On the one hand, as regards the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes; but on the other hand, as regards the election they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. ²⁹For not to be repented of are the gifts of grace and calling of God. ³⁰For even as ye also once disobeyed God, but now ye were shown mercy by their disobedience, ³¹so also these now disobeyed, that by the mercy shown to you they also might have mercy shown them; ³²for God shut up all in disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all. ³³O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴“For who did know the mind of the Lord? Or who became His counselor [Is. 40:13]?” ³⁵Or who first gave to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him? ³⁶For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be the glory to the ages. Amen.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 44].

12 ¹At that time, on the sabbath, Jesus went through the sown fields; and His disciples hungered, and began to pluck the ears of grain and to eat. ²But after the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Behold, Thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a sabbath.” ³But He said to them, “Did ye not read what David did when he hungered and those with him: ⁴“how he entered into the house of God and ate the loaves set forth before the presence of God, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only? ⁵“Or did ye not read in the law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? ⁶“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷“But if ye had known what this is, ‘I wish mercy and not sacrifice [cf. Hos. 6:7],’ ye would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸“For the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our venerable Father Sisoes the Great.

No readings given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

July 19th – Civil Calendar
July 6th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father Sisoës the Great.

An Egyptian by birth, he lived at first in Sketis then, after St. Anthony’s death, settled on the desert mountain on which Anthony had earlier lived in asceticism and which was named after him. He learned humility through great struggles with himself, becoming meek and guileless as a lamb. Therefore God gave him the great gifts of healing the sick, driving out unclean spirits and raising the dead. Sisoës lived in the desert for sixty years, and was a fount of living wisdom for all the monks and lay folk who came to him for advice. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun. The monks stood around him and marvelled at this sight, and when the saint gave up his soul, the whole chamber was filled with a wonderful fragrance. He entered into rest in great old age, in about 429. St. Sisoës taught his monks: ‘When temptation comes to a man, that man must give himself over to the will of God, and acknowledge that the temptation comes upon him because of his sins. If something good comes to pass, he must acknowledge that it comes about by the providence of God.’ A monk asked him: ‘How can I please God and be saved?’ The saint replied: ‘If you desire to please God, withdraw from the world, separate yourself from the earth, leave aside creation and draw near to the Creator, unite yourself to God with prayers and tears, and you will find rest in this world and in the next.’ A monk asked Sisoës: ‘How can I acquire humility?’ The saint replied: ‘When a man learns to regard every man as better than himself, he thus acquires humility.’ Ammon complained to Sisoës that he could not memorise the wise sayings that he had read, to be able to quote them in conversation with others. The saint replied: ‘It is not necessary. That which is necessary is to acquire purity of mind and to speak from this purity, placing one’s hope in God.’

2. The Holy Martyrs Marinus and Martha, with their sons Audifax and Habakkuk, the Priest Valentine, Cyrinus, Asterius and many others.

They all suffered in the time of the Emperor Claudius Flavius in Rome, in the year 269. Marinus and Martha were rich Persians, who had sold all their goods in Persia and gone with their sons to Rome to venerate the relics of the holy apostles and other martyrs. When the emperor asked them why they had come such a distance, forsaking their household gods to seek the dead in Rome, they replied: ‘We are servants of Christ, and are come to venerate the holy apostles whose immortal souls are alive with God, that they may be our intercessors with Christ our God.’ Cyrinus was thrown into the Tiber, whence Marinus retrieved his body and buried it. The priest Valentine was committed to a General Asterius, whose task it was to urge him to deny Christ. But Valentine healed Asterius’ daughter, who had been blind for two years, by his prayers, and then baptized Asterius and his whole household. These all, in diverse ways, received torture and death for Christ the Lord, Who welcomed them into His immortal kingdom to rejoice eternally.

3. The Finding of the Relics of St. Juliana the Virgin.

The daughter of a prince of Olshansk, Juliana died in about 1540, as a girl of sixteen. Two hundred years after her death, some men digging a grave near the great church in a monastery in Kiev found the relics of this holy virgin, whole and incorrupt as though she had just fallen asleep. Many wonders were worked over these relics, and Juliana herself appeared several times to various people. The famous Peter Moghila was one of those who saw her.

4. The Holy Martyr Lucy.

The barbarian King Austius made her a slave in Campania. He wanted to have her live with him, but she resisted. The king left her in peace, to live in asceticism. She brought the king to the Faith because, by her prayers, he was victorious in battle. Later, they both suffered for Christ in Rome, in about 300.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Whence do we know that there is life after death? We know from Christ the Lord, on the foundation of His words, His Resurrection and His appearances after His death. Philosophers who recognize life after death accept it on the foundation of their own reasoning, but we recognize it on the foundation of experience, especially the experience of holy men and women who were unable to proclaim a lie. When St. Sisoës lay on his deathbed, his face was suffused with light. The monks, his disciples, stood around him. Suddenly the saint’s gaze became intent, and he said: ‘Behold, the prophets are coming!’ His countenance became yet more radiant, and he said: ‘Behold, the apostles are coming!’ Then he said: ‘Behold, the angels are coming to take my soul!’ Finally, his face shone like the sun and all were in great fear, then the elder said: ‘Behold, the Lord is coming; look, all of you! Listen! He’s saying: “Bring Me the chosen vessel from out of the wilderness”!’ After this, the saint gave up his soul. How many similar visions have there been—and all by reliable witnesses!

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.