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 Martyrs Florus and Laurus.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians [§ 252]. Brethren:

1 ²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and fill up the things lacking of the afflictions of the Christ in my flesh, on behalf of His body, which is the Church, ²⁵of which I became a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶the mystery which hath been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now is made manifest to His saints, ²⁷to whom God willed to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory, ²⁸Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, in order that we might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; ²⁹for which I also labor, struggling according to the energy of Him Who Himself energizeth in me in power.

2 ¹For I wish you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.

for Sl. usage, see [Eph. 6:10-17].

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 63]. The Lord said to His disciples:

12 ²“There is nothing which hath been covered up which shall not be uncovered, nor hidden which shall not be known. ³“Wherefore, whatsoever ye said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye spoke in the ear in the closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. ⁴“And I say to you, My friends, do not become afraid because of those who kill the body, and after these things are not able to do anything more. ⁵“But I will show you Whom ye should fear: fear the One Who after the killing hath power to cast into Gehenna; yea, I say to you, this One fear. ⁶“Five sparrows are sold for two assaria, are they not? And not one of them is forgotten before the face of God. ⁷“Yea, even the hairs of your head have all been numbered. Therefore cease being afraid; ye excel many sparrows. ⁸“But I say to you, everyone who shall confess in Me before men, the Son of Man also shall confess in him before the angels of God. ⁹“But the one who denieth Me before the face of men shall be denied before the face of the angels of God. ¹⁰“And everyone who shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but to the one who blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. ¹¹“And whenever they bring you in before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, cease being anxious how or what ye should speak in defense, or what ye should say; ¹²“for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what things it is needful to say.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

August 31st – Civil Calendar
August 18th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father John of Rila.

This great ascetic and light of the Orthodox Church was born near Sophia, in a place called Skrino, in the time of the Emperor Boris. He was born of poor but worthy parents. After their death, he became a monk and withdrew to a high mountain, where he began to live the ascetic life in a cave. He endured many assaults both by demons and men, from robbers and from his kinsmen. He afterwards moved to the mountain of Rila, and there took up residence in a hollow tree. He ate only the herbs and berries that grew, by God’s providence, in the vicinity. He saw no man’s face for many years until, again by God’s providence, he was found by a herdsman searching for his lost sheep. The saint then became known among men, and people began to come to him, seeking help in sickness or trouble. The Bulgarian king, Peter, himself visited him, to ask his advice. Many who were seeking the spiritual life settled near to John, and a church and monastery were soon built there. St. John entered into rest in the Lord on August 18th, 946, at the age of seventy, and appeared to his disciples after his death. His relics were first taken to Sophia, then to Hungary, to Trnovo and finally to the monastery of Rila, where they are preserved to this day. The monastery of Rila has, through the ages, been a lighthouse and a place of wonder-working power and spiritual support to the Christian people of Bulgaria, most especially during the time of slavery under the Turks.

2. The Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus.

Brothers in both the flesh and the spirit, they were both zealous Christians, and stonemasons by craft. They lived in Illyria. Some pagan prince set them to build a pagan temple. It happened during the course of their work that a fragment of stone splintered off and flew into the eye of the pagan priest’s son, who was watching the building work with curiosity. Seeing his son blinded and bleeding, the priest shouted at Florus and Laurus and tried to thrash them. Then the holy brothers told him that, if he would believe in the God in Whom they believed, his son would be restored to health. The priest promised. Florus and Laurus prayed to the one, living Lord with tears and made the sign of the Cross over the child’s stricken eye. The child was healed instantly and his eye became whole as it had been before. Then the priest, Merentios, and his son were baptized, and they both very soon suffered for Christ in the flames. But Florus and Laurus, when they had finished the temple, put a Cross on it, called together all the Christians and consecrated it in the name of the Lord Jesus with an all-night vigil of hymns. Hearing of this, the governor of Illyria burned many of these Christians by fire and had Florus and Laurus thrown alive into a well, which was then filled with earth. Their relics were later discovered and taken to Constantinople. These two wonderful brothers suffered for Christ, and were glorified by Him, in the second century.

3. The Hieromartyr Emilian the Bishop.

He was born in Armenia. He sought martyrdom, and went to Italy to preach Christ in the time of Diocletian, being chosen as bishop in Trevi. Through the many miracles associated with his martyrdom, about a thousand pagans came to faith in Christ. He was slain with the sword along with his spiritual father, Hilary, and two brothers, Dionysius and Hermippus.

FOR CONSIDERATION

It is not a rare occurrence, especially in our day, for parents to be responsible for their children’s spiritual death. Whenever a child aspires to the spiritual life and its asceticism in monasticism, and the parent resists this aspiration instead of encouraging it, such a parent is the murderer of his child. And such children—as a punishment to their parents—often go to the other extreme and become dissolute. A child called Luke, nephew to St. John of Rila, heard of his uncle, and urged by a desire for the spiritual life, visited him on his mountain. John received him with love, and began to instruct him and accustom him to asceticism. But Luke’s father appeared one day at John’s cave, and furiously began to scold the saint for keeping his son in this desert place. John’s words and advice were of no avail. The father withdrew his son by force and took him home. On the way, a snake bit the boy and he died. The cruel father came to see the punishment of God in this, and repented, but it was all too late. He returned to John with grief and self-accusation, but the saint only told him to bury the child and return whence he had come.

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.