Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Thursday of the Thirty-First Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the General Epistle of Saint Iakovos [§ 51 B].

1 ¹⁹My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for man’s wrath doth not work out God’s righteousness. ²¹Wherefore lay aside all filthiness and surplus of wickedness, and receive in meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²But keep on becoming doers of the word, and not only hearers, falsely reasoning for yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, this one is like a man observing carefully the face he was born with in a mirror; ²⁴for he observed himself well, and hath gone away, and straightway forgetteth of what sort he was. ²⁵But the one who looketh into the perfect law, that of freedom, and remaineth therein—because this one did not become a hearer of forgetfulness, but a doer of work—this one shall be happy in his doing. ²⁶If anyone among you seem to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, the religion of this one is vain. ²⁷Religion pure and undefiled before the God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark [§ 45]. At that time:

10 ¹⁷When Jesus went forth into the way, one ran up and knelt down to Him, and was questioning Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I might inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸And Jesus said to him, “Why callest thou Me good? No one is good except One: God. ¹⁹“Thou knowest the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, be honoring thy father and thy mother [cf. Ex. 20:13, 15, 14, 16, 12].’” ²⁰And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these I kept for myself from my youth.” ²¹And Jesus looked at him, and loved him, and said to him, “One thing thou lackest: if thou art willing to be perfect, go thy way and sell as much as thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and keep on following Me.” ²²But he, having a gloomy, lowering look at that saying, went away being grieved; for he had many possessions. ²³And Jesus looked round about, and saith to His disciples, “How with difficulty shall they who have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus, having answered again, saith to them, “Children, how difficult it is for those who have trusted in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵“It is easier for a camel to enter through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” ²⁶And they were exceedingly amazed, saying to themselves, “And who is able to be saved?” ²⁷And Jesus, looking at them, saith, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Great-martyr Anastasia, the deliverer from potions and drugs.

Epistle

For Gk. usage, see [Gal. 3:23-4:5]. For Sl. usage, see [Gal. 3:23-29].

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§§ 208, 209]. Brethren:

3 ²³Before faith came, we were being guarded under the law, having been closed up to the faith about to be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law hath become our tutor until Christ, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor. ²⁶For all are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many as were baptized into Christ, ye put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise.

4 ¹Now I say, as long as the heir is an infant, he differeth nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all; ²but he is under guardians and stewards until the appointed time of the father. ³So we also, when we were infants, were enslaved under the elements of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order that He might redeem those under the law, that we might receive what is our due, the adoption as sons.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 33]. At that time:

7 ³⁶A certain one of the Pharisees was asking Jesus that He would eat with him. And He entered into the house of the Pharisee, and reclined at table. ³⁷And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed ointment, ³⁸and she stood beside His feet behind Him, weeping; and she began to wet His feet with tears, and was wiping them off with the hairs of her head; and she was kissing His feet ardently and anointing them with the perfumed ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, “This One, if He were a prophet, would know who and of what sort the woman is who toucheth Him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to thee.” And he saith, “Teacher, say it.” ⁴¹“There were two debtors to a certain creditor: the one was owing five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²“But when they had nothing to pay back the debt, he showed himself gracious to both. Say which of them then will love him more?” ⁴³Simon answered and said, “I suppose that he, to whom he showed himself the more gracious.” And He said to him, “Rightly thou didst judge.” ⁴⁴And He turned to the woman, and said to Simon, “Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water thou gavest Me not for My feet, but she with tears did wet My feet, and with the hairs of her head wiped them off. ⁴⁵“A kiss thou gavest Me not, but she from the time that I entered did not cease from ardently kissing My feet. ⁴⁶“With oil thou didst not anoint My head, but she anointed My feet with perfumed ointment. ⁴⁷“For which reason I say to thee, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” ⁴⁸And He said to her, “Thy sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹And those reclining at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this Who even forgiveth sins?” ⁵⁰And He said to the woman, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go thy way in peace.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

January 4th – Civil Calendar
December 22nd – Church Calendar

1. The Holy and Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Poison, and those with her.

This great heroine of the Christian Faith was born in Rome into a wealthy senatorial family, her father being a pagan and her mother a Christian. From her early youth, she clave in love to the Lord Jesus, guided in Christian teaching by a devout teacher, Chrysogonus. Under pressure from her father, Anastasia married a pagan landowner, Publius, but using the pretext of bodily illness, she never had physical relations with him. For this, her husband tortured her harshly by imprisonment and starvation, and laid even heavier tortures on her when he discovered that she went secretly to the prisons of the Christian martyrs, ministering to their needs, washing their wounds and loosening their bonds. But, by God’s providence, she was freed from her wicked husband. Publius was sent to Persia by the emperor, and was drowned on the voyage. Then St. Anastasia began to minister openly to the Christian martyrs, and from her great inheritance, helped the poor with alms. The Emperor Diocletian was once in the town of Aquileia, and commanded that Chrysogonus, the confessor of Christ, be brought to him. As he was being brought, Anastasia followed him on the way. Holy Chrysogonus was beheaded at the emperor’s command, and then three sisters, Agapia, Chionia and Irene (April 16th) suffered, the first two being cast into fire and the third shot through with arrows. St. Anastasia took their bodies, wrapped them in white linen, and anointing them with aromatic spices, gave them burial. Then Anastasia went to Macedonia, where she ministered to those who were suffering for Christ. There, she became widely-known as a Christian, for which she was seized and taken for interrogation before various judges. Desiring to die for her beloved Christ, Anastasia constantly clung to Him in her heart. A certain pagan high priest, Ulphian, tried to touch St. Anastasia’s body out of lust, but he was suddenly blinded and gave up the spirit. Condemned to death by starvation, St. Anastasia lay in prison for thirty days, nourishing herself only with tears and prayers. After that, she was put in a boat with several other Christians to be drowned, but God saved her from this death. She was finally tied hand and foot to four wheels over a fire, and thus gave her holy soul into God’s hands. She suffered and entered into Christ’s kingdom in 304.

2. The Holy Martyr Theodota with her three Children.

Left a young widow with three children, Theodota gave herself utterly to the service of God and the bringing-up of her children in piety. St. Anastasia lived with her when she was in Macedonia, and together with her, ministered to the Christian captives in the prisons. Taken for trial, Theodota confidently confessed Christ the Lord. She was then sent to the Governor of Bithynia, Niketas. When a shameless pagan tried to touch her body, an angel of God suddenly appeared beside her and struck the man. Condemned to death and thrown into a glowing furnace with her three children, St. Theodota finished her earthly course with honor and entered into the kingdom of eternal glory.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Our merciful God often sends comfort to those pleasing to Him on earth through His saints from the other world. St. Theodota suffered for Christ before St. Anastasia did. Anastasia was then thrown into a small, dingy prison to die there of hunger at the judge’s command. During the thirty days of her imprisonment, St. Theodota appeared to her every night from the other world, and strengthened her in her sufferings. When St. Anastasia had conversed many times in this way with St. Theodota, she asked her one night how it was that she was able to come to her after her death. Theodota replied that God gave to the souls of the martyrs the special grace that, after leaving this world, they could come to whomsoever they would in order to instruct or comfort. When the thirty days had passed, the torturer brought Anastasia out of the prison, amazed to see that she was still alive. He then condemned her to death by drowning, along with several others. The soldiers put the Christians into a small boat and themselves got into another, and when they got out into deep water, they upset the boat containing the Christians, so that the water would flow in and drown them. Then a wonderful thing happened: St. Theodota appeared walking on the water and took the boat to the shore, and thus they were all preserved from death together with St. Anastasia. Seeing this wonder, a hundred and twenty pagans came at once to faith in Christ and were baptized.

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.