Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Seventh Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 137]. Brethren:

7 ¹²If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she consenteth to dwell with him, let him not leave her. ¹³And a woman who hath an unbelieving husband, and he consenteth to dwell with her, let her not leave him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband hath been sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife hath been sanctified in the husband; for otherwise then your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving separate himself, let him separate himself. The brother or sister hath not been placed under bondage in such cases. But God hath called us in peace. ¹⁶For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife? ¹⁷Only as God distributed to each, as the Lord hath called each, so let him be walking. And thus I prescribe in all the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone called who hath been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God. ²⁰Each one in the calling in which he was called, in this let him abide. ²¹Wast thou called being a slave? Let it not be a care to thee; but if thou art able to become free, use it rather. ²²For he who is called in the Lord, being a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; and likewise also he who is called, being free, is a slave of Christ. ²³Ye were bought with a price; cease making yourselves slaves of men. ²⁴Wherein each was called, brethren, in this let him abide with God.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew [§ 60]. At that time:

14 ³⁵After the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought to Him all those who were ill. ³⁶And they besought Him that they might only touch the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched were made to recover.

15 ¹Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ²“Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they eat bread.” ³And He answered and said to them, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God on account of your tradition? ⁴“For God commanded, saying, ‘Be honoring thy father and thy mother [Ex. 20:12]’; and, ‘the one who speaketh evil of father or mother, let him come to an end by death [cf. Ex. 21:16].’ ⁵“But ye say, ‘Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, “Whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me is a votive gift”—then in no wise shall he be bound to honor his father or his mother’; ⁶“and thus ye invalidate the commandment of God on account of your tradition. ⁷“Hypocrites! Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you, saying, ⁸“‘This people draweth nigh to Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹“‘And in vain they reverence Me, teaching as precepts the commandments of men [cf. Is. 29:13].’” ¹⁰And He called the crowd and said to them, “Be ye hearing and understanding: ¹¹“Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which goeth forth out of the mouth, this defileth the man.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the holy Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans [§ 99]. Brethren:

8 ²⁸We know that to those who love God all things work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose. ²⁹For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformable to the image of His Son, in order for Him to be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰But whom He foreordained, these also He called; and whom He called, these also He justified; and whom He justified, these also He glorified. ³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He Who indeed spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also graciously give us all things? ³³Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God? God is the One Who justifieth. ³⁴Who is the one who condemneth? Christ is the One Who died, but much more is He the One also Who was raised, Who also is at the right of God, Who also intercedeth for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶Even as it hath been written: “For on account of Thee, we are being put to death the whole day; we were counted as sheep of slaughter [Ps. 43(44):23(22)].” ³⁷But in all these things we more than conquer through the One Who loved us. ³⁸For I have been persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things coming, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel

No reading given.

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

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

1. The Holy Martyr Emilian.

In the time of Julian the Apostate, in the town of Dorostolon (Silistra) in Thrace, there lived the young Emilian, a servant of the governor. When the Emperor Julian began to persecute the Christians with fire and the sword throughout the Roman Empire, the imperial delegate arrived in Dorostolon to kill the Christians. But he did not find a single one there. Delighted by this, he gave a great feast for the citizens of Dorostolon and ordered the offering of sacrifices to the idols, and merrymaking day and night throughout the town. That night, holy Emilian went round the temples, squares and streets of the town, and with a hammer, smashed all the idols. On the following day, the whole town was in an uproar; everyone was searching for the destroyer of their gods. A villager, who was seen passing near the temples that morning, was arrested and Emilian, seeing that an innocent man would suffer, said within himself: ‘If I conceal my action, what sort of use has it been? Shall I not stand before God as the slayer of an innocent man?’ He therefore presented himself before the imperial legate and confessed the whole matter. The legate, in a rage, questioned Emilian, asking him on whose instructions he had done such a thing. Christ’s martyr replied: ‘God and my soul commanded me to destroy those dead pillars that you call gods.’ Then the judge ordered that he be flogged, and after flogging and other tortures, be burned. Thus St. Emilian finished his earthly course and moved to the heavenly life, on July 18th, 362.

2. Our Holy Father Pambo.

An Egyptian ascetic on the Nitrian mountain, he was a contemporary of St. Anthony the Great and himself great in monastic asceticism. He had two characteristics by which he was especially known: by long training, he sealed his lips, so that no unnecessary word passed them, and he never ate any bread other than that which he gained by his own labor, plaiting rushes. He was like an angel of God, and in old age, his face shone as did the face of Moses in ancient times, so that the monks could not look on it. He did not give a quick answer even to a simple question, without prior prayer and pondering in his heart. At one time, Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, was visiting the Nitrian monks. The monks begged Pambo to ‘give a word’ to the patriarch. The silent Pambo replied: ‘If my silence is of no help to him, neither will my words be.’ St. Pambo was once travelling around Egypt with some monks. When they came to a group of people who remained seated as the monks passed them, St. Pambo said to them: ‘Get up and greet the monks, and ask their blessing, for they converse unceasingly with God and their lips are holy.’ This wonderful saint had clear discernment into the destiny of the living and the dead. He entered into rest in the Lord in the year 374.

3. Our Holy Fathers Paisius and Isaias.

Brothers, sons of wealthy parents, they were both monks. One devoted himself to asceticism in the desert and the other to works of mercy among men. St. Pambo saw them both in Paradise. Through this, a dispute among the monks as to which is better: asceticism or works of mercy, was settled. Both the one and the other, when performed in the name of Christ, lead to Paradise.

4. Our Holy Father John the Long-suffering.

An anchorite in the Caves of St. Anthony in Kiev, he was tormented for thirty years by a spirit of carnality, against which he struggled incessantly until he overcame it with the help of God and by touching the relics of St. Moses the Hungarian (see July 26th). Conquering this foul passion, St. John was bathed inwardly with heavenly light, by which he was enabled to see as clearly at night as in the daytime.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Which is the more pleasing to God: asceticism in the desert or works of mercy? Men of prayer in the desert think that a man among men, even if he does good works, can only with difficulty keep his heart pure and his mind fixed on God. Those who do good works among men say that a man who withdraws to the desert is too occupied with his own salvation, and does not devote himself to the salvation of others. Two Egyptians, two brothers born, Paisius and Isaias, inherited great possessions from their parents, sold them all and each took his half of the money. One of them immediately gave his share to the poor, and becoming a monk, he withdrew to the asceticism of the desert so that, by endurance, fasting and prayer and the purifying of his mind from all evil thoughts, he might save his soul. The other brother also became a monk, but did not go into the desert. He built a small monastery near the town, and also a hospital for the sick, a refectory for those in want and a resthouse for the weary. In this way, he gave himself utterly to the service of others.

When both brothers died, a dispute arose among the monks in Egypt as to which fulfilled the law of Christ. Being unable to reach agreement, they went to St. Pambo and asked him about this. St. Pambo replied: ‘They are both perfect before God; the receiver of guests is like hospitable Abraham and the hermit is like Elias the prophet, who were both equally pleasing to God.’ But they were not all satisfied with this answer. Then St. Pambo prayed to God to reveal the truth to him. After several days of prayer, St. Pambo said to the monks: ‘As God is my witness, I say to you, I have seen both brothers, Paisius and Isaias, together in Paradise.’ And thus the dispute was settled and they were all content.

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.