Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Special Commemorations

The Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ: The Commemoration of the Holy Fathers.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 328]. Brethren:

For Gk. usage, read Heb. 11:9, 10, 32-40; for Sl. usage, read Heb. 11:9, 10, 17-23, 32-40.

11 ⁹By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of the promise, as in a foreign land, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the joint-heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰for he was waiting for the city which hath the foundations of which the artificer and maker is God....

Sl. usage adds Heb. 11:17-23, and then verses 32-40, but Gk. usage skips to Heb. 11:32-40.

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who received the promises offered up his only-begotten son, ¹⁸as to whom it was said “for in Isaac thy seed shall be called [Gen. 21:12],” ¹⁹reckoning that God was able to raise even from the dead; from which also he received him for himself in a type. ²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning coming things. ²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and “did reverence upon the top of his staff [Gen. 47:31].” ²²By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention concerning the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave command concerning his bones. ²³By faith Moses, after he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because “they saw the little child was fair [cf. Ex. 2:2],” and they were not afraid of the edict of the king....

Both Gk. and Sl. usages conclude with Heb. 11:32-40.

³²And what more shall I say? For the time will fail me narrating about Gideon and Barak and also Samson and Jephthae, and about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith struggled against kingdoms, wrought righteousness, attained to promises, stopped mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edges of the sword, were empowered out of weakness, became strong in battle, turned back encampments of aliens. ³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection. And others were tortured, not accepting release, that they might attain a better resurrection. ³⁶And others received trial of mockings and of scourgings, and, moreover, of bonds and of imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted; they died, murdered by the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in need, afflicted, ill-treated— ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy. They were made to wander in deserts, and in mountains, and in caves, and in the holes of the earth. ³⁹And these all, having been approved by testimony through faith, received not for themselves the promise, ⁴⁰God having foreseen some better thing concerning us, that they should not be made perfect without us.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 1].

1 ¹The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

²Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren, ³and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar, and Phares begat Esrom, and Esrom begat Aram, ⁴and Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat Naasson, and Naasson begat Salmon, ⁵and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab, and Booz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse, ⁶and Jesse begat David the king. And David the king begat Solomon of her who had been the wife of Urias, ⁷and Solomon begat Roboam, and Roboam begat Abia, and Abia begat Asa, ⁸and Asa begat Josaphat, and Josaphat begat Joram, and Joram begat Ozias, ⁹and Ozias begat Joatham, and Joatham begat Achaz, and Achaz begat Ezekias, ¹⁰and Ezekias begat Manasses, and Manasses begat Amon, and Amon begat Josias, ¹¹and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, in the time of the deportation to Babylon. ¹²And after the deportation to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel, and Salathiel begat Zorobabel, ¹³and Zorobabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat Eliakeim, and Eliakeim begat Azor, ¹⁴and Azor begat Sadok, and Sadok begat Acheim, and Acheim begat Eliud, ¹⁵and Eliud begat Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Matthan, and Matthan begat Jacob, ¹⁶and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus Who is called Christ.

¹⁷Then all the generations from Abraham until David are fourteen generations, and from David until the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: For His Mother, Mary, having been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹But Joseph her husband, being just, and yet not willing to make her an example, wished to divorce her secretly. ²⁰And after he pondered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not become afraid to take to thee Mariam thy wife; for that which is in her was begotten of the Holy Spirit. ²¹“And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. ²²“Now all this came to pass, in order that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel [cf. Is. 7:14],’” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” ²⁴And Joseph, having been awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took to him his wife, ²⁵and was not knowing her until she brought forth her Son, the firstborn; and he called His name Jesus.

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Sunday of the Thirtieth Week

Mode Plagal One — Eighth Eothinon

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians [§ 258]. Brethren:

3 ¹²Put on for yourselves, as elect of God, holy and beloved, compassion from your inward parts, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, ¹³bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving one another, if anyone hath a complaint against someone; even as the Christ graciously forgave you, thus also do ye. ¹⁴And over all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵And let the peace of God be presiding in your hearts, to which also ye were called in one body; and keep on becoming thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual odes, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 91]. At that time:

18 ¹⁸A certain ruler came to Jesus and questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, by doing what shall I inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹And Jesus said to him, “Why callest thou Me good? No one is good except One: God. ²⁰“Thou knowest the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, be honoring thy father and thy mother [cf. Ex. 20:13, 15, 14, 16, 12].’” ²¹And he said, “All these I kept for myself from my youth.” ²²And after Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “Yet one thing is wanting to thee: sell all, as much as thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and keep on following Me.” ²³And after he heard these things, he became deeply grieved, for he was exceedingly rich. ²⁴And after Jesus saw him become deeply grieved, He said, “How with difficulty shall they who have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵“For it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶And they who heard it said, “And who is able to be saved?” ²⁷And He said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Sebastian at Rome and his companions. The commemoration of our holy father among the saints, Modestos, Archbishop of Jerusalem (commemorated on Gk. calendar on the 16^th of December).

Epistle

No reading given.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 11]. The Lord said to His disciples:

5 ¹⁴“Ye are the light of the world. A city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid. ¹⁵“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lampstand, and it giveth light to all those in the house. ¹⁶“Thus, let your light shine before men, that they might see your good works, and might glorify your Father Who is in the heavens.

¹⁷“Do not begin to think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I came not to abolish, but to fulfill. ¹⁸“For verily I say to you, until the heaven and the earth shall have passed away, one iota or one tittle in no wise shall pass away from the law, until all shall have taken place. ¹⁹“Whosoever then shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall do and teach them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

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

1. The Holy Martyr Sebastian and those with him.

This glorious martyr of Christ was born in Italy and brought up in the city of Milan. He was destined in his youth to be a soldier, and as an educated, handsome and courageous man, commended himself to the Emperor Diocletian, who made him captain of the imperial guard. He secretly confessed the Christian Faith, and prayed to the living God. An honorable, upright and merciful man, Sebastian was greatly loved by his soldiers. Whenever possible, he saved Christians from torture and death, and when this was not possible, gave them courage to die for Christ the living God without turning back. Two brothers, Marcus and Marcellinus, who were in prison for Christ and already on the verge of denying Him and worshipping idols, were confirmed in their faith and strengthened in their martyrdom by Sebastian. As he spoke with them, exhorting them not to fear death for Christ, his face was illumined like that of an angel of God. Sebastian supported his words by marvels: he healed Zoë the wife of Nicostratus the jailer, who had been dumb for six years, and brought Nicostratus and his whole household to Baptism; he healed the two sick sons of Claudius the commander, and brought him and his whole household also to Baptism; he healed Tranquillianus, the father of Marcus and Marcellinus, of gout and pains in his legs which had troubled him for eleven years, and brought him to Baptism together with his whole household; he healed the Roman Eparch, Chromatius, of the same infirmity and brought him and his son Tiburtius to Baptism. Of these, Zoë was the first to suffer, being seized while at prayer beside the tomb of the Apostle Peter. After torture, she was thrown into the Tiber River. Then Tiburtius was seized, and the judge placed live coals before him, challenging him to choose life or death: to cast incense on the coals and cense the idols, or to stand himself barefoot on the coals. St. Tibertius made the sign of the Cross and stood barefoot on the coals, and remained unharmed. He was then beheaded with the sword. Nicostratus was killed with a stake, Tranquillianus was drowned and Marcus and Marcellinus were run through by spears. Then Sebastian was taken before the Emperor Diocletian. The emperor rebuked him for his betrayal, but he said: ‘I always pray to my Christ for your health, and for the peace of the Roman Empire.’ The emperor ordered that he be stripped and shot at with arrows. The soldiers then shot at him, until the martyr’s whole body was so covered with arrows that it was invisible beneath them. When they thought that he was dead, he showed himself alive and healed of all his wounds. Then the pagans beat him to death with staves. He suffered gloriously for Christ his Lord and entered into the heavenly kingdom in 287, when Gaius was Bishop of Rome.

2. St. Florus, Bishop of Amisos.

He lived in the time of the Emperors Justin II (565-574) and Maurice (582-602), being the son of a nobleman. He forsook the bustle and vanity of the world and withdrew to a monastery, to live in asceticism for the salvation of his soul. He was then chosen as bishop of the town of Amisos in Cappadocia. As an ascetic and a hierarch, he was pleasing to God and entered peacefully into His kingdom.

3. St. Modestos, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

He was only five months old when his parents died, but by God’s providence, he was brought up in a Christian spirit. When he was grown up, he was sold as a slave to a pagan in Egypt, but he succeeded in bringing his owner to the Christian Faith, and he freed him. He withdrew to Mount Sinai, where he lived in asceticism. He was then chosen as Patriarch of Jerusalem, and governed Christ’s flock like a true shepherd, entering peacefully into rest in 634.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Man is presented with a choice in this life: the kingdom of this world or the kingdom of heaven. God puts no pressure on this choice, but each man chooses freely. When the brothers Marcus and Marcellinus were condemned to death, the pagan judge left them for a month to ponder on whether they would deny Christ and His kingdom, or be put to death. Their kinsmen came to the prison with one sort of advice, and Sebastian with another. Their kinsmen wept and implored them to do what the judge wanted and spare their youth. Their tearful father showed them his grey hairs and his infirmity; their mother besought them by the milk of the breasts by which she nourished them; their children wept around them. They all in concert urged them to reject the heavenly kingdom for the sake of the earthly, but holy Sebastian counseled the opposite, saying: ‘O courageous soldiers of Christ, do you mean to lose the eternal wreath for the sake of the flattery of your kinsmen? Do you mean to lower the banner of victory for the sake of women’s tears? This life is transient, and so unworthy and faithless that it cannot save even those who love it. What is this life worth, even if we live a hundred years? When the last day dawns, will not all our past years and all earthly delights seem as though they had never been? It is indeed folly to fear the loss of this fleeting life, when one will receive that eternal life in which delight, riches and rejoicing begin, the life that has no end. Remember the Lord’s words: “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household’’ (Matt. 10:36). They are no friends of yours, who are trying to turn you from God.’ With these and many other words, Sebastian prevailed, and the holy martyrs sought the kingdom of heaven rather than the earthly, and joyfully went to their death for Christ.

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.