Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Friday of the Nineteenth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians [§ 239]. Brethren:

1 ²⁷Be conducting yourselves worthily of the Gospel of the Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I might hear of the things concerning you, that ye stand in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the Gospel, ²⁸and in nothing being frightened by those who oppose, which to them, indeed, is a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and this from God. ²⁹For to you it was granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf, ³⁰having the same struggle which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

2 ¹If there be then any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any communion of the Spirit, if any affection from the inward parts and compassionate feelings, ²make full my joy, that ye be minding the same thing, having the same love, united in soul, minding the one thing, ³doing nothing according to factious ambition or vainglory, but in humility esteeming one another above themselves, ⁴not looking each one to one’s own things, but each also to the things of others.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 24]. At that time:

6 ¹⁷Jesus stood upon a level place. And there was a crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all of Judæa and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases— ¹⁸even those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and they were cured. ¹⁹And all the crowd was seeking to touch Him, for power was coming forth from Him and healing all. ²⁰And He lifted up His eyes to His disciples, and began to say:
   “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
   ²¹“Blessed are ye who hunger now, for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye who weep now, for ye shall laugh.
   ²²“Blessed are ye whenever men hate you, and whenever they separate you, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.
   ²³“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in the heavens.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Greater Armenia, and our father among the saints, Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev, and Wonder-worker of all Russia.

Epistle

For the Hieromartyr:

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 166]. Brethren:

16 ¹³Keep on watching, standing fast in the faith, conducting yourselves in a courageous way, and being strong. ¹⁴Let all your things be done in love.

¹⁵But, I beseech you, brethren—ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they set themselves to ministering to the saints— ¹⁶that ye also be submitting to such, and to everyone who is helping in the work and toiling. ¹⁷And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, and of Fortunatos, and of Achaikos; for that which ye lacked, these supplied. ¹⁸For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore be acknowledging such ones as these.

¹⁹The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you much in the Lord, with the church in their house. ²⁰All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹The greeting of me Paul with mine own hand. ²²If anyone love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. The Lord hath come. ²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. ²⁴My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

For the Hierarch:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 335]. Brethren:

13 ¹⁷Be obedient to those who lead you, and keep on submitting, for they are watchful for your souls, as those about to render an account, that they may do this with joy, and not groaning; for this would be unprofitable for you. ¹⁸Keep on praying for us; for we trust that we have a good conscience, in all things wishing to conduct ourselves well. ¹⁹But I beseech you more abundantly to do this, that I might be restored more quickly to you.

²⁰Now the God of peace Who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Shepherd of the sheep, the great One, in the blood of an everlasting covenant, ²¹may He render you perfect in every good work, in order to do His will, doing in you that which is well-pleasing before His face, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.

Gospel

For the Hieromartyr:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 103]. The Lord said to His disciples:

24 ⁴²“Be watching then, for ye know not in what hour your Lord cometh. ⁴³“But know ye this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴“On this account, ye also keep on becoming ready, for in what hour ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. ⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom his lord appointeth over his household, to give them food in due season? ⁴⁶“Happy is that slave whom his lord, after he cometh, shall find so doing. ⁴⁷“Verily I say to you, that he shall appoint him over all his possessions.”

For the Hierarch:

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.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

October 13th – Civil Calendar
September 30th – Church Calendar

1. St. Gregory the Enlightener, Bishop of Armenia.

Gregory was of a noble family, kin to the imperial house of Persia (to King Artaban) and Armenia (King Khosrov). When these two houses made war between themselves, Gregory withdrew to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he first came into contact with the Christian Faith, received Baptism and married. He had two sons of this marriage, Rostanes and Aristanes, and dedicated them both to the service of the Church. After his wife’s death, he returned to Armenia and entered the service of King Tiridates. Gregory served his king faithfully, and the king loved him, but when he discovered that Gregory was a Christian, he was greatly enraged and put pressure on him to reject the Christian Faith and worship idols. Having no success whatever in this, Tiridates put Gregory to harsh torture, and after cruel torment, threw him into a deep pit filled with every kind of poisonous reptile, meaning thus to kill him. But God, Who is all-seeing, preserved Gregory alive in that pit for fourteen whole years. Tiridates continued the persecution of Christians in his kingdom, and attacked a women’s monastery of thirty-seven nuns with their abbess, Gaïane. When he had slain them with terrible tortures, Tiridates went mad and was like a monstrous wild boar. A man appeared to the king’s sister in a dream and told her that her mad brother would not be restored to sanity until Gregory was taken out of the pit. This being done, Gregory healed and baptized Tiridates. Then Gregory, at the king’s desire, became Bishop of Armenia and with the king’s help, and above all, God’s help, enlightened the whole of Armenia and the surrounding area with the Christian Faith. St. Gregory finished his life of great toil in old age, in about 335. In his place, his son Aristanes was consecrated bishop, and he continued his father’s work. Aristanes was one of the 318 fathers at the First Ecumenical Council.

2. The Holy Martyrs Gaïane, Rhipsimia and 35 other nuns.

They were all slain by Tiridates for their faith in Christ. Holy Rhipsimia was of rare beauty, and the Emperor Diocletian therefore wanted her for his wife. This was the cause of the suffering of all thirty-seven of them. Rhipsimia refused to go to the emperor, because she was already consecrated to Christ her Bridegroom. Then Tiridates began to urge her to go with him, for the king was as though intoxicated by her beauty, but Rhipsimia resisted the pagan king with all her strength, ‘and he who was victorious over the princes of the Goths and routed the Persians could not overcome one virgin of Christ’. The furious king put her to harsh torture (her tongue was cut out, her stomach cut open and her entrails spilled out), during which Rhipsimia gave her soul into God’s hands. After that, the other nuns were seized and beheaded with the sword. The famous monastery of Echmiazdin, near Erivan, was built over their relics, and became the chief spiritual center of Armenia for many centuries.

3. St. Michael (Mikhail), First Metropolitan of Kiev.

He was sent by the Patriarch of Constantinople to Russia at the request of the great Prince Vladimir, to baptize the pagan people and to establish and organize the Church. St. Michael baptized the people in Kiev, Novgorod, Rostov and many other towns and villages, set the Church in order, establishing the episcopate and priesthood, laid the foundations of the monastery of St. Michael in Kiev, and sent missionaries to the Bulgars and Tartars, bringing many of them to Christ. This saint accomplished all this and much else in a mere four years. He entered peacefully into rest in 992, and his relics are preserved in the Monastery of the Caves.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Strange changes take place in the destinies of men, today as in former times. Those who have abased themselves for the sake of God’s righteousness are raised up to great heights, and scoffers at the Faith of God turn into servants of that same Faith. King Tiridates threw St. Gregory into a deep pit, where he spent fourteen years, forgotten by the entire world but not forgotten by God. Who among men could imagine that the greatest light of the Armenian people was to be found in the darkness of a pit? And who could ever imagine the powerful and tyrannical King Tiridates one day saving the life of this Gregory, whom he had condemned to death, and giving him more help than the whole world could give him? After fourteen years, Gregory was shown by God to be alive, and miraculously healed the mad king. King Tiridates, an unrestrained persecutor of Christians, was baptized and became the greatest zealot for the Christian Faith. One could say that, by God’s help, both Gregory and Tiridates were brought out of a deep pit: Gregory a physical one and Tiridates a spiritual. Oh, the infinite wisdom of God in the directing of the destinies of men! The sometime bestial and passionate Tiridates became so softened by repentance that he became in character more like Gregory than like himself before his Baptism.

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.