Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Saturday of the Ninth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans [§ 113]. Brethren:

14 ⁶The one who mindeth the day, mindeth it to the Lord; and the one who mindeth not the day, mindeth it not to the Lord. The one who eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth thanks to God; and the one who eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth thanks to God. ⁷For none of us liveth to himself, and no one dieth to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this purpose Christ both died and rose and came to life again, in order that He might become Lord both of the dead and the living.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 64]. At that time:

15 ³²Jesus called to Himself His disciples and said, “I am moved with compassion toward the crowd, because they continue with Me now three days, and have nothing that they might eat. And I am not willing to dismiss them fasting, lest they should be faint in the way.” ³³And His disciples say to Him, “From what place should come so many loaves in a wilderness, as to fill so great a crowd?” ³⁴And Jesus saith to them, “How many loaves have ye?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵And He commanded the crowds to recline on the ground. ³⁶And having taken the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the crowd. ³⁷And they did all eat, and were filled; and they took up of the fragments that which was over and above—seven large provision baskets full. ³⁸And they who ate were four thousand men, apart from women and children. ³⁹And He dismissed the crowds, and embarked into the ship, and came to the borders of Magdala.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Martyrs Julitta and her child Kyrikos.

According to Gk. usage, this service is commemorated on the 15^th of July. For Gk. usage, see [Mt. 17:24-18:4].

According to Sl. usage, this service has been transferred from the 15^th to the 14^th of July, due to the commemoration of St. Vladimir on the 15^th. For Sl. usage, see [Lk. 10:19-21].

Epistle

14, 15. The commemoration of the Martyrs Julitta and her child Kyrikos.

According to Gk. usage, this service is commemorated on the 15^th of July.

According to Sl. usage, the service to these saints has been transferred from the 15^th to the 14^th of July, due to the commemoration of St. Vladimir on the 15^th of July.

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ mid 154]. Brethren:

13 ¹¹When I was an infant, as an infant I used to talk, as an infant I used to understand, as an infant I used to reason; but when I became a man, I did away with the things of the infant. ¹²For now we see by means of a mirror, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also was fully known. ¹³And there now abideth faith, hope, love, these three things; but the greatest of these is love.

14 ¹Keep on pursuing love and emulously desiring spiritual gifts, but much more that ye may prophesy. ²For the one who speaketh in a tongue, speaketh not to men, but to God; for no one heareth, but in spirit he speaketh mysteries. ³But the one who prophesieth to men speaketh for edification, and exhortation, and consolation. ⁴The one who speaketh in a tongue edifieth himself; but the one who prophesieth edifieth a church. ⁵Now I wish for you all to speak in tongues, but much more that ye may prophesy; for greater is the one who prophesieth than the one who speaketh in tongues, unless he be interpreting in order that the Church might receive edification.

15. The commemoration of Prince Vladimir the Great, Equal-to-the-apostles.

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 200].

1 ¹¹Brethren, I make known to you the Gospel which was preached as good tidings by me, that it is not according to man; ¹²for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³For ye heard of my manner of life at one time in Judaism, that according to excess, I used to persecute the Church of God, and was ravaging her. ¹⁴And I kept on advancing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in mine own race, being more exceedingly a zealot of the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when it pleased God, Who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, ¹⁶to reveal His Son in me, that I be preaching Him as good tidings among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, ¹⁷neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus. ¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and remained with him fifteen days; ¹⁹but of the other apostles I saw none, except Iakovos the brother of the Lord.

Gospel

14, 15. The commemoration of the Martyrs Julitta and her child Kyrikos.

According to Gk. usage, this service is commemorated on the 15^thof July. For Gk. usage, see [Mt. 17:24-18:4], hereunder:

According to Sl. usage, this service has been transferred from the 15^thto the 14^thof July. For Sl. usage, see [Lk. 10:19-21].

15. The commemoration of Prince Vladimir the Great, Equal-to-the-apostles.

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ mid 35]. The Lord said to those Jews who had come to Him:

10 ¹“Verily, verily, I say to you, the one who entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but goeth up from another place, that one is a thief and a robber. ²“But the one who entereth by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³“To this one the doorkeeper openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out. ⁴“And whenever he should put forth his own sheep, he goeth before them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. ⁵“But a stranger in no wise will they follow, but will flee from him, because they know not the voice of strangers.” ⁶This parable Jesus spoke to them; but they understood not what it was which He spoke to them. ⁷Then said Jesus to them again, “Verily, verily, I say to you that I am the door of the sheep. ⁸“All, as many as came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep heard them not. 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.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

July 28th – Civil Calendar
July 15th – Church Calendar

1. The Holy Martyrs Kyrikos and Julitta.

Holy Julitta was of noble birth. She was widowed young, and left with a newborn child, Kyrikos (Cerycus). She lived in Iconium, a city of Lykaonia, and was a very devout Christian. She had her son baptized immediately after his birth, and when he was three years old, instructed him in the Faith and taught him to pray insofar as a child of that age is capable of learning. When Diocletian launched a persecution of Christians, much innocent blood was shed in the city of Iconium. Julitta took her son and hid from the wrath of the pagans in the town of Seleucid, but things were no better there. Julitta was arrested as a Christian and brought to trial. Seeing Julitta so courageously proclaim her faith in the Lord Jesus, the judge, to distress her and make her waver, took the child in his arms and began to kiss it. But Kyrikos shouted: ‘I am a Christian; let me go to my mother!’ and he began to scratch the judge, turning his face away from him. The judge was furious, threw the child to the ground and kicked it, and the child rolled down the stone steps and gave his holy and innocent soul to God. Seeing how Kyrikos suffered before her, Julitta was filled with joy and gave thanks to God that her son had been counted worthy of the wreath of martyrdom. After harsh torture, Julitta was beheaded, in the year 304. The relics of Ss. Kyrikos and Julitta have wonder-working power to this day. A part of the relics of these saints is to be found in Ochrid, in the Church of the Holy Mother of God, the Healer.

2. St. Vladimir, Great Prince of Russia.

Vladimir was the son of Prince Svyatoslav, and grandson of Igor and Olga, and was at first completely pagan in faith and life. Learning of the existence of various faiths, he began to examine them, to decide which was best. He sent envoys throughout the world to examine all of the major religions, and to report back to him what they had found. The envoys who examined the Indian, Moslem, Jewish, and Latin faiths were not impressed; but the envoys who visited the Orthodox in Constantinople, told the prince that they had been at a service in the Orthodox Church of Hagia Sophia, and that they had been ‘out of ourselves, not knowing if we were on earth or in heaven’. This inspired Vladimir to be baptized, receiving the name Vasily (Basil), and to baptize his people. The chief idol, Perun, was dragged off the hill of Kiev and thrown into the Dnieper. Embracing the Christian Faith, Vladimir utterly changed his way of life and devoted all his labor to the perfect fulfilling of the demands of his faith. He decreed that churches be built throughout the land on the places where the idols had been pulled down, and himself built a beautiful church in Kiev to the most holy Mother of God. This church was built on the same spot where St. Theodore and his son John suffered martyrdom for Christ (see July 12th). With the same irresistible force with which Vladimir earlier upheld idolatry, he now spread Christianity. He entered into rest in the Lord in 1015.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Hospitality exists among other faiths, but Christianity has stressed hospitality as a duty and an obligation. Gratitude for hospitality is no less a duty and an obligation for the Christian. He who learns to be grateful for hospitality will also be grateful to God for His hospitality, for what are we here on earth but God’s guests? What else are the angels in heaven? The following is told of King Philip of Macedon, who harshly punished one of his courtiers for ingratitude: The king sent this courtier overseas to carry out a certain piece of work. The courtier completed it and set off home by ship. A storm destroyed the ship, and the courtier found himself among the waves. Fortunately, this was not far from land, and a fisherman saw the man drowning and brought him to land. When he had recovered and rested, the courtier returned to the king, and told him of his calamity in the storm at sea. The king, desiring to reward him, asked him what he desired. The courtier mentioned the fisherman, and told the king that his greatest desire was that the king should give him the farm of that fisherman by the sea. The king immediately did as he asked. When the courtier had taken possession of the farm of his greatest benefactor, the latter went to the king and related the whole story with great lamentation. He told how he had saved the courtier’s life and how he had driven the fisherman from his home. Hearing this, the king was furious with the ungrateful courtier, and ordered that he be branded on the forehead with the words: ‘An ungrateful guest’.

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.