Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 323]. Brethren:

10 ¹The law, having a shadow of the coming good things, not the very image of the things, is never able to perfect those who approach with the same sacrifices, which they offer year by year in perpetuity. ²Otherwise would they not have ceased being offered, on account of those worshipping no longer having any consciousness of sins once they were purified? ³But in these sacrifices there is a remembrance of sins year by year. ⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sins. ⁵Wherefore, when He came into the world, He saith, “Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not wish, but Thou didst prepare for Thyself a body for Me [Ps. 39(40):9(6)]; ⁶“in whole burnt offerings also for sin Thou didst not take pleasure [cf. Ps. 39(40):10(6)]. ⁷“Then I said, ‘Behold, I come, in the roll of the book it hath been written concerning Me, to do Thy will, O God [cf. Ps. 39(40):11(7, 8)].’” ⁸Above when He saith, “Sacrifice and offering, and whole burnt offerings also for sin, Thou didst not wish, nor didst Thou take pleasure therein [cf. Ps. 39(40):9, 10(6)],” which are being offered according to the law, ⁹then He said, “Behold, I come to do Thy will, O God [cf. Ps. 39(40):11(7, 8)].” He taketh away the first, in order that He might establish the second: ¹⁰By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹And indeed every priest standeth day by day ministering and offering often the same sacrifices, which are never able to take away sins. ¹²But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins in perpetuity, “sat down on the right of God [cf. Ps. 109(110):1],” ¹³henceforth waiting until His enemies should be placed as a footstool of His feet. ¹⁴For by one offering He hath perfected in perpetuity those being sanctified. ¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also beareth witness to us; for after having said before, ¹⁶“‘This is the covenant which I will covenant with them after those days,’ saith the Lord, ‘I will give My laws into their hearts, and write them upon their minds [cf. Jer. 38(31):33],’” ¹⁷and “‘Their sins and their lawlessnesses in no wise will I remember any more [cf. Jer. 38(31):34].’” ¹⁸Now where there is remission of these, there is no more offering for sin.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 104]. At that time:

For Gk. usage, see Lk. 21:5-8, 10, 11, 20-24; for Sl. usage, see Lk. 21:5-7, 10, 11, 20-24.

21 ⁵As some spoke to Jesus about the temple, that it had been adorned with goodly stones and votive offerings, He said, ⁶“As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in which not a stone shall be left upon a stone, which shall not be put down.” ⁷And they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, when then shall these things be, and what shall be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸And He said, “Be taking heed lest ye be led astray; for many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and ‘The time hath drawn near.’ Do not then begin to go after them.”... ¹⁰Then He was saying to them, “Nation shall be stirred up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹“And there shall be great earthquakes in place after place, and famines, and plagues; there shall be both terrors and great signs from heaven.... ²⁰“But whenever ye see Jerusalem being encircled by encamped armies, then know that her desolation hath drawn near. ²¹“Then those in Judæa, let them flee to the mountains. And those in the midst of her, let them depart. And those in the fields, cease entering into her. ²²“For these are the days of avenging, in order that all things that have been written might be fulfilled. ²³“And woe to those with child and to those who give suck in those days! For there shall be great anguish upon the land and wrath on this people. ²⁴“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden underfoot by the nations, until the times of the nations should be fulfilled.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our father among the saints, Nicholas, Bishop of Myra of Lycia, the Wonder-worker.

Epistle

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

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.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

December 19th – Civil Calendar
December 6th – Church Calendar

1. St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.

This saint, famed throughout the entire world today, was the only son of his eminent and wealthy parents, Theophanes and Nona, citizens of Patara in Lycia. They dedicated to God the only son He gave them. St. Nicholas was instructed in the spiritual life by his uncle Nicholas, Bishop of Patara (see below), and became a monk at ‘New Sion,’ a monastery founded by his uncle. On the death of his parents, Nicholas distributed all the property he inherited to the poor and kept nothing back for himself. As a priest in Patara, he was known for his charitable works, fulfilling the Lord’s words: ‘Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth’ (Matt. 6:3). When he embraced a life of solitude and silence, thinking to live in that way until his death, a voice from on high came to him: ‘Nicholas, set about your work among the people if you desire to receive a crown from Me.’ Immediately after that, by God’s wondrous providence, he was chosen as archbishop of the city of Myra in Lycia. Merciful, wise and fearless, Nicholas was a true shepherd to his flock. He was cast into prison during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian, but even there continued to instruct the people in the law of God. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, and in his zeal, struck Arius with his hand. For this act, he was removed from the council and from his episcopal duties, until some of the chief hierarchs had a vision of our Lord Christ and His most holy Mother showing their sympathy with Nicholas.

This wonderful saint was a defender of the truth of God, and was ever a spirited champion of justice among the people. On two occasions, he saved three men from undeserved sentences of death. Merciful, trustworthy and loving right, he walked among the people like an angel of God. People considered him a saint even during his lifetime, and invoked his aid when in torment or distress. He would appear both in dreams and in reality to those who called upon him for help, responding speedily to them, whether close at hand or far away. His face would shine with light as Moses’ did aforetime, and his mere presence among people would bring solace, peace and goodwill. In old age, he sickened of a slight illness, and went to his rest in the Lord after a life full of labor and fruitful toil. He now enjoys eternal happiness in the kingdom of heaven, continuing to help the faithful on earth by his miracles, and to spread the glory of God. He entered into rest on December 6th, 343.

2. St. Nicholas, Bishop of Patara.

The uncle of the great St. Nicholas, he set his nephew on the spiritual path and ordained him priest.

3. The Holy Martyr Nicholas of Karamanos.

He was harshly tortured by the Turks, and was hanged in Smyrna in 1657.

4. St. Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch.

A man well-versed in Hellenistic philosophy, he became a Christian through reading the holy Scriptures and became a great champion of the Christian Faith. His work ‘On the Faith’ is extant today. He governed the Church in Antioch for thirteen years, and went to his rest in the year 181.

FOR CONSIDERATION

On icons of St. Nicholas, our Lord and Savior will often be seen on one side with the Gospels in His hand, and the most holy Mother of God on the other with an episcopal omophorion in hers. This has a twofold historical significance: it denotes, firstly, Nicholas’ calling to the episcopal office, and secondly his vindication and reinstatement following the punishment for his clash with Arius. St. Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, writes: ‘One night, St. Nicholas saw our Savior in glory, standing by him and holding out to him the Gospels adorned with gold and pearls, and the Mother of God standing on his other side and placing an omophorion on his shoulders. Shortly after this vision, John, the then Archbishop of Myra, died, and Nicholas was installed as Archbishop of that city.’ That was the first occasion. The second occurred at the time of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. Unable to put a stop by argument to the senseless blasphemy of Arius against the Son of God and His most pure Mother, St. Nicholas struck Arius in the face. The holy fathers at the council strongly disapproved of such behavior, and they banned Nicholas from the council and stripped him of all marks of his episcopal rank. That very night, several of the fathers had the selfsame vision: how the Lord stood on one side of Nicholas with the Gospels and the Mother of God on the other with an omophorion, offering to the saint those marks of rank that had been stripped from him. Seeing this, the fathers were amazed, and quickly returned to Nicholas that which they had taken from him. They began from that time to respect him as a great man, and to interpret his action against Arius not as some senseless rage but as the expression of great zeal for God’s truth.

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.