Daily Devotional

Saturday, January 6, 2029 (NS), December 24, 2028 (OS)

Fast Day, but Shellfish, Wine and Olive Oil Allowed.

The Saturday Before the Nativity of Christ

Saturday of the Thirty-First Week

The commemoration of the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, and our venerable mother, Evgenia, nun of Rome, and those with her, including the Martyrs Philip her father, Protos, Hyacinth, and Claudia.

Jump to Prologue

Scripture Readings

Special Commemorations

The Saturday Before the Nativity of Christ

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 205]. Brethren:

3 ⁸The Scripture, having foreseen that God justifieth the nations by faith, proclaimed the good tidings beforehand to Abraham that “in thee all the nations shall be blessed [cf. Gen. 12:3].” ⁹Therefore those who are of faith are being blessed with the faithful Abraham. ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it hath been written: “Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all the things which have been written in the book of the law to do them [cf. Deut. 27:26].” ¹¹Now that no one is being justified by the law before God is manifest, for “the just shall live by faith [cf. Hab. 2:4].” ¹²And the law is not of faith, but “the man who doeth these things shall live in them [cf. Lev. 18:5].”

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 72]. The Lord said this parable:

13 ¹⁸“To what is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I liken it? ¹⁹“It is like a grain of mustard, which a man took and cast into his own garden; and it grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the heaven settled in its branches.” ²⁰And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹“It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of wheat meal until the whole was leavened.”

²²And He was going through, by cities and villages, teaching, and making His way toward Jerusalem. ²³And one said to Him, “Lord, are they few who are being saved?” And He said to them, ²⁴“Be striving to enter in through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. ²⁵“From the time when the Master of the house riseth and shutteth the door, and ye begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us,’ and He shall answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where ye are from,’ ²⁶“then ye shall begin to say, ‘We ate before Thy face and drank, and Thou didst teach in our streets.’ ²⁷“But He shall say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where ye are from; stand off from Me, all ye workers of unrighteousness.’ ²⁸“There shall be there the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, whenever ye see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and ye yourselves being cast out. ²⁹“And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall be made to recline in the kingdom of God.”

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Saturday of the Thirty-First Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Colossians [§ 249].

For Gk. usage, see Col. 1:1-6; for Sl. usage, see Col. 1:3-6.

1 ¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colossæ: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴after we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have toward all the saints, ⁵on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel, ⁶which is come to you, even as it is also in all the world, and is bearing fruit and increasing, as also in you, from the day in which ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 81]. The Lord said:

16 ¹⁰“The one who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and the one who is unjust in that which is least is unjust also in much. ¹¹“If then ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true wealth? ¹²“And if in that which is another’s ye have not been faithful, who shall give you that which is your own? ¹³“Not one household slave is able to serve two lords; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye are not able to serve God and mammon.” ¹⁴And the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things and were turning up their noses at Him. ¹⁵And He said to them, “Ye are they who justify yourselves before the face of men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is exalted among men is an abomination before the face of God.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, and our venerable mother, Evgenia, nun of Rome, and those with her, including the Martyrs Philip her father, Protos, Hyacinth, and Claudia.

Epistle

Epistle Readings of the Great Hours

on the Eve of the Nativity

Epistle Reading of the First Hour

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 303]. Brethren:

1 ¹God, Who of old, in many parts and in many ways, spoke to the fathers through the prophets, ²did in these last of days speak to us through the Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the ages, ³Who being the effulgence of the glory and impress of His hypostasis, and bearing all things by the word of His power, having made for Himself our purification through Himself, sat down on the right of the Majesty in high places, ⁴having become so much better than the angels, as He hath inherited a more excellent name than they. ⁵For to which of the angels said He at any time, “Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee [Ps. 2:7]”? And again, “I will be to Him for a Father, and He shall be to Me for a Son [2 Kgs.(2 Sam.) 7:14]”? ⁶And whenever He again should bring in the firstborn into the inhabited world, He saith, “And let all the angels of God do homage to Him [Deut. 32:43 LXX; cf. Ps. 96(97):8(7)].” ⁷And indeed with reference to the angels He saith, “The One Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire [Ps. 103(104):5(4)]”; ⁸but with reference to the Son, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom [Ps. 44(45):5(6)]. ⁹“Thou didst love righteousness and didst hate lawlessness; on this account, God, Thy God, anointed Thee with the oil of gladness beyond Thy fellows [Ps. 44(45):6(7)].” ¹⁰And, “Thou, O Lord, in the beginning founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands [Ps. 101(102):25]. ¹¹“They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they shall all become old as an outer garment [Ps. 101(102):26], ¹²“and as a covering Thou shalt roll them up, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail [Ps. 101(102):26, 27].”

Epistle Reading of the Third Hour

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.

Epistle Reading of the Sixth Hour

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 304].

1 ¹⁰“Thou, O Lord, in the beginning founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands [Ps. 101(102):25]. ¹¹“They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they shall all become old as an outer garment [Ps. 101(102):26], ¹²“and as a covering Thou shalt roll them up, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail [Ps. 101(102):26, 27].” ¹³But to which of the angels hath He said at any time, “Sit Thou on My right, until I should place Thine enemies as a footstool of Thy feet [Ps. 109(110):1]”? ¹⁴They are all ministering spirits being sent forth to minister for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation, are they not?

2 ¹On this account, it is necessary for us to give heed more abundantly to the things which were heard, lest ever we should slip away. ²For if the word spoken by angels was confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, ³how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation, which received a beginning to be spoken of by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard?

Epistle Reading of the Ninth Hour

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 306]. Brethren:

2 ¹¹Both He Who sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹²saying, “I will announce Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the church will I hymn Thee [cf. Ps. 21(22):22]”; ¹³and again, “I will trust in Him [cf. Is. 8:17]”; and again, “Behold, I and the children whom God gave Me [Is. 8:18].” ¹⁴Since then the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, in order that through death He might bring to nought the one who hath the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and might set free those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. ¹⁶For surely He taketh not hold of the nature of the angels, but He taketh hold of the seed of Abraham. ¹⁷Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like His brethren, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, in order to be made an expiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸For having Himself been tempted in that which He suffered, He is able to help those who are tempted.

Epistle Reading at Vespers or the Liturgy of St. Basil

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 303]. Brethren:

Gospel

Gospel Readings of the Great Hours

on the Eve of the Nativity

Gospel Reading of the First Hour

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 2].

1 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.

Gospel Reading of the Third Hour

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 5].

2 ¹In those days, it came to pass that a public decree went out from Cæsar Augustus for all the inhabited world to be registered. ²This registration first took place when Quirinius governed Syria. ³And all were going to be registered, each to his own city. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, to a city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to register himself with Mariam, who had been espoused to him as wife and who was pregnant. ⁶And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to bring forth. ⁷And she brought forth her Son, the firstborn, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in the manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸And shepherds were in the same country, living out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were afraid with a great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Cease being afraid; for behold, I announce to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; ¹¹“for a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord, was born to you today in the city of David. ¹²“And this shall be a sign to you: Ye shall find the newborn Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.” ¹³And suddenly there came to be with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men.” ¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels went away from them into the heaven, also the men, the shepherds, said to one another, “Let us now pass through as far as Bethlehem and see this thing which is spoken of as having come to pass, which the Lord made known to us.” ¹⁶And having hastened, they came and found out both Mariam and Joseph, and the newborn Babe lying in the manger. ¹⁷And after they saw, they made known publicly concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this little Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard wondered about those things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mariam was keeping closely all these sayings, conjecturing in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God over all the things which they heard and saw, even as it was spoken to them.

Gospel Reading of the Sixth Hour

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 3].

2 ¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is He Who was born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and came to do homage to Him.” ³But after Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And after he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he kept on inquiring of them where the Christ is born. ⁵And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judæa, for thus it hath been written by the prophet: ⁶“‘And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art in no wise the least among the governors of Juda; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor Who shall shepherd My people Israel [cf. Mic. 5:2].’” ⁷Then Herod, after he secretly called the Magi, inquired carefully of them the time of the appearing star. ⁸And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, “Go and search out carefully for the young Child; and when ye find Him, bring tidings to me, in order that I also might go and do homage to Him.” ⁹And after they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they saw in the east was going before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰And having seen the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And after they came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His Mother, and fell down and did homage to Him. And after they opened their treasures, they offered gifts to Him: gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And having been divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed into their own country by another way.

Gospel Reading of the Ninth Hour

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 4].

2 ¹³After the Magi departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and flee thou into Egypt, and be thou there until I should tell thee; for Herod is about to seek the young Child, to destroy Him.” ¹⁴And he arose and took the young Child and His Mother by night and departed into Egypt, ¹⁵and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son [cf. Hos. 11:1].” ¹⁶Then Herod, after he saw that he was mocked by the Magi, was angered exceedingly. And he sent forth and killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all her borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he inquired carefully from the Magi. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying, ¹⁸“A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not [cf. Jer. 38(31):15].” ¹⁹But after Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they who sought the soul of the young Child have died.” ²¹And he arose and took the young Child and His Mother, and came into the land of Israel. ²²But after he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judæa instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. And having been divinely warned in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee. ²³And he came and dwelt in a city which is called Nazareth, in order that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophets, that He shall be called a Nazarene.

Gospel Reading at Vespers or the Liturgy of St. Basil

See [Lk. 2:1-20] the Gospel Reading of the Third Hour, p. 359 [Lk. § 5].

If the Eve of the Nativity falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, for the Liturgy Gospel, see [Mt. 13:31-36]:

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 53]. The Lord said this parable:

13 ³¹“The kingdom of the heavens is like a grain of mustard, which a man took and sowed in his field, ³²“which indeed is the smallest of all the seeds; but whenever it is grown, it is the greatest of all the herbs, and doth become a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and settle in its branches.” ³³He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of the heavens is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of wheat meal until the whole was leavened.”

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; and without a parable He was not in the habit of speaking to them, ³⁵in order that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been hidden from the foundation of the world [cf. Ps. 77(78):2].”

³⁶Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

January 6th – Civil Calendar
December 24th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Mother, the Martyr Evgenia, and those with her.

Our Holy Mother, the Martyr Evgenia. The daughter of Philip, Eparch of all Egypt, she was born in Rome. At that time, the Christians had been driven out of Alexandria and were living outside the town. The maiden Evgenia visited the Christians and received their Faith with all her heart. She fled from her parents with her two faithful eunuchs, was baptized by Bishop Elias, and wearing man’s clothing, went to a men’s monastery where she received the monastic schema. She so purified her heart by voluntary asceticism that she received from God the gift of healing the sick, and thus healed a rich woman, Melanthia. After this, though, the woman conceived a physical passion for her, not suspecting that she was a woman. Being firmly repulsed by Evgenia, this wicked woman, out of revenge, went to the eparch and slandered her just as Potiphar’s wife had slandered chaste Joseph. The eparch ordered that all the monks be bound and thrown into prison together with Evgenia. When they were brought out for trial, Evgenia revealed herself to her father as his daughter. The overjoyed Philip was baptized, with his whole household, and Philip was chosen as Bishop of Alexandria. Hearing of this, the Roman emperor sent a wicked general, Terence, who, coming to Alexandria, secretly killed Philip. Then St. Evgenia moved to Rome with her mother and brothers. In Rome, she fearlessly and zealously brought pagans to the true Faith, especially maidens, and thus brought a beautiful maiden, Vassilia, to the Faith. Vassilia was quickly beheaded for Christ, as Evgenia had foretold to her, and then her two eunuchs, Protus and Hyacinth, were beheaded. Finally, martyrdom came to Evgenia, whose presence had caused the temple of Diana to fall in ruins. The torturers first threw her into water and then into fire, but God preserved her. The Lord Jesus Himself appeared to her in the prison and told her that she would suffer on the day of His Nativity. And so it came about. She was beheaded with the sword on December 25th, 262, in Rome. After her death, Evgenia appeared to her mother in great glory, and comforted her.

2. Our Holy Father Nicholas the Soldier.

Some people think that this great saint was a Slav of Balkan origin. In the time of the Emperor Nikephoros, Nicholas was commander of the part of the army that went to war against the Bulgars. On the road, Nicholas spent the night in an inn, where he experienced a great temptation and had a strange dream. This dream came true in the war, when the Greeks were utterly routed by the Bulgars in 811. Nicholas was preserved, and out of gratitude to God, left his command and became a monk. In long asceticism, he attained such perfection that he became a great clairvoyant and man of God. He died peacefully in the ninth century, and entered into the blessed kingdom of Christ the Lord.

In the Greek Synaxarion, Our Holy Father Antiochus, a monk of Palestine, is also commemorated. He was an eye-witness of the sufferings of our holy fathers of St. Sava’s (May 16th), and as an eye-witness, recorded their sufferings at the hands of the Saracens. He also compiled another book entitled ‘Pandect’. He wrote many prayers, of which the best-known is the one read daily at Compline: ‘And grant us, O Master, as we lay us down to sleep, repose both of body and soul...’.

The Holy New-Martyr Achmed is also commemorated. A Turk by birth and a builder by trade, he embraced the Christian Faith and laid down his life for it. He suffered at the hands of the Turks in Constantinople in 1682.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Victory over temptation is victory over death. A wonderful experience had by St. Nicholas the Soldier proves this. When this commander went off with the army of the Emperor Nikephoros against the Bulgars, it happened that he spent the night at a wayside inn. The innkeeper had a daughter, a young girl, attracted by the looks and presence of the imperial commander, who tried to lead him into sin. Nicholas refused once, saying to her that she was enticing him to a satanic act, but the shameless girl came a second and then a third time to the commander’s room and attempted to seduce him. The commander refused on each occasion more and more decisively, advising her to guard her virginity and not give her body and soul over to the devil. He said finally that he was a soldier and was going to war, and that it was both unworthy and dangerous for a soldier to foul himself by such an impure act, which would rouse God’s anger and bring him to certain death. Thus this God-loving man overcame temptation. The following day he continued on his way with the army. The next night, he had the following vision: he was standing in a great open space and saw near him a strong Man, Who was the Lord Jesus Christ, sitting with His right leg crossed over His left. Before Him stood two armies facing each other on the field, Roman and Bulgar. This strong Man told him to watch carefully what was about to happen. Nicholas looked and saw the following: while the strong Man kept His right leg crossed over the left, the Roman army prevailed over the Bulgars; and when He changed His position and crossed the left leg over the right, the Bulgars prevailed and ferociously cut the Romans down. Then the strong Man took the commander over to the massacred Roman army. The whole field was covered with corpses, piled one on another. Only in the middle of these corpses was there an empty space, large enough to accommodate one body. Then the Man said to Nicholas: ‘This place was set apart for your body, but as you three times last night overcame diabolic temptation, your body and soul have been preserved from death.’ That which Nicholas saw in the night-vision, he saw reproduced exactly at the time of the battle. The army of the Rhomaioi all perished on the field of battle, but Nicholas returned home alive—not to the barracks but to a monastery.

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.