Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians [§ 275].

2 ¹Brethren, we beseech you with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together before Him, ²in order that ye be not quickly shaken from your reason, nor to be stirred—neither by a spirit, nor by a word, nor by an epistle as if by us—as if the day of Christ hath arrived. ³Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day shall not come unless the apostasy should come first, and the man of the sin be revealed, the son of the perdition, ⁴who opposeth and exalteth himself above all which is called God or an object of worship, so as for him to sit in the temple of God as God, showing himself that he is God. ⁵Do ye not remember that when I was yet with you I was telling you these things? ⁶And now ye know that which restraineth, in order that he be revealed in his own time. ⁷For the mystery of the lawlessness already is energizing itself, only there is the one who restraineth now, until he should come to be taken out of the midst. ⁸And then the lawless one shall be revealed—whom the Lord shall destroy by the breath of His mouth, and shall bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming— ⁹whose coming is according to the energy of Satan in all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰and in all deceit of the unrighteousness in those who are perishing, because they received not the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved. ¹¹And on this account God shall send to them an influence of error for them to believe the lie, ¹²that they all might be judged who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in the unrighteousness.

Gospel

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§§ 90, mid 91]. At that time:

18 ¹⁵They were bringing to Jesus also the infants, in order that He may be touching them; but after the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “Let alone the little children to come to Me, and cease hindering them; for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁷“Verily I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child in no wise shall enter into it.”...

²⁶And they who heard it said, “And who is able to be saved?” ²⁷And He said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” ²⁸And Peter said, “Behold, we left all and followed Thee.” ²⁹And He said to them, “Verily I say to you, that there is no one who left house or parents or brethren or wife or children on account of the kingdom of God, ³⁰“who shall not receive many times more, in this present time, and in the age that is coming life everlasting.”

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of the Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the Temple.

Epistle

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews [§ 320]. Brethren:

9 ¹The first tabernacle also used to have both ordinances of worship and the sanctuary of this world. ²For a tabernacle was furnished: the first in which were both the lampstand and the table, and the laying forth of the loaves, which is called Holy; ³and after the second veil, a tabernacle which is called Holy of Holies, ⁴which hath a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant which hath been covered all around from every side with gold, in which was the golden jar having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, concerning which now is not the time to speak severally. ⁶Now after these things were thus furnished, the priests, on the one hand, enter into the first tabernacle, performing worship services; ⁷on the other hand, into the second, the high priest entereth alone once for all every year, not without blood, which he offereth on behalf of himself and the faults of ignorance of the people.

Gospel

In the Orthros

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

1 ³⁹In those days Mariam rose up and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; ⁴⁰and she entered into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elisabeth. ⁴¹And it came to pass, as Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice, and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. ⁴³“And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴“For behold, as the sound of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe in my womb leaped in exultant joy. ⁴⁵“And happy is she who believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of those things which were spoken to her from the Lord.” ⁴⁶And Mariam saith:

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷“and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,

⁴⁸“for He looked upon the low estate of His slave. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹“For the mighty One did great things to me, and holy is His name.”... ⁵⁶And Mariam stayed with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

In the Liturgy

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 54]. At that time:

10 ³⁸Jesus entered into a certain village. And a certain woman, by name Martha, received Him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat down beside the feet of Jesus, and was listening to His word. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted about much serving, and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, is it no concern to Thee that my sister left me to serve alone? Speak to her therefore that she should help me.” ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things. ⁴²“But there is need of one thing, and Mary chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”...

11 ²⁷And it came to pass, as He was speaking these things, a certain woman out of the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts which Thou didst suck.” ²⁸But He said, “Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Lives of the Saints (Prologue)

December 4th – Civil Calendar
November 21st – Church Calendar

1. The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God.

When the most holy Virgin Mary had reached the age of three, her parents, holy Joachim and Anna, took her from Nazareth to Jerusalem to give her to the service of God in fulfillment of their promise. It was three days journey to Jerusalem, but going as they were on God’s work, they did not find the journey difficult. Many of Joachim and Anna’s kinsmen gathered to take part in this celebration, in which the invisible angels of God also took part. Maidens went ahead with lighted candles in their hands, followed by the most holy Virgin, led on either side by her father and mother. The Virgin was clad in royal and beautiful garments, like those of the ‘king’s daughter,’ the Bride of God (Ps. 44:9, 10). Behind them walked many of their kinsfolk and friends, all bearing lighted candles. There were fifteen steps leading to the Temple. Her parents stood the Virgin on the first step, and she ran quickly to the top on her own, where the high priest, Zacharias, the father of St. John the Forerunner, met her, and taking her by the hand, led her not only into the Temple, but into the Holy of Holies, the holiest place of all, into which none could enter except the high priest, and that only once a year. St. Theophylact of Ochrid says that Zacharias was ‘transported in mind and moved by God’ when he led the Virgin into the chief place in the Temple, beyond the second curtain—otherwise there could be no explanation of his action. Her parents then offered sacrifices to God according to the law, received the priest’s blessing, and returned home, leaving the most holy Virgin in the Temple. She dwelt in the Temple for nine whole years. While her parents were alive, they visited her often. When they departed this life, the holy Virgin was left an orphan, and longed to remain in the Temple for the rest of her days, without entering into marriage. This being contrary both to the law and Israelite custom, she was confided at the age of fourteen to St. Joseph, a kinsman of hers in Nazareth, so that she might, under the protection of betrothal, live in virginity and thus fulfill both her desire and the demands of the law, for it was unknown in Israel at that time for a girl to vow perpetual virginity. The holy Virgin Mary was the first to do this, and was later followed by thousand upon thousand of virgin men and women in the Church of Christ.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Submit yourself to the will of God, and do not pry too closely into His judgements, for that can send you out of your mind. The judgements of God are innumerable and unfathomable. A monk in the desert, thinking he had achieved perfection, prayed to God that He would reveal to him His various judgements in the lives of men. God put the thought into his head to go a long way to visit an aged spiritual guide and ask him about this. While the monk was on the way, he met an angel of God, in the semblance of an ordinary man, who accompanied him and told him that he, too, wanted to visit the elder. Travelling thus together, they came upon the house of a God-fearing man, who welcomed them warmly, giving them food on a silver platter. When they had eaten, the angel took the plate and threw it into the sea. This was something strange and wrong in the monk’s eyes, and he asked the angel why he had done such a thing. The angel answered him gently: ‘The man was pleasing to God in all things, and had nothing in his house that he had acquired unjustly except that silver plate. By God’s judgement, I threw away that stolen plate, that the man might be righteous in all things before God. Such things are the mysterious and unfathomable judgements of God. And you, elder, go back to your cell and don’t exercise yourself foolishly in trying to examine that which is in the power of the one God.’

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.