Daily Devotional

Scripture Readings

Paschalion — Movable Calendar

Wednesday of the Sixth Week

Epistle

The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§ 127]. Brethren:

2 ⁹“Eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God prepared for those who love Him [cf. Is. 64:4].” ¹⁰But God revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who among men knoweth the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? Even so no one knoweth the things of God, except the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is of God, in order that we might know the things which were freely given to us by God, ¹³which things also we speak, not in words taught of human wisdom, but in those taught of the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴But a material-minded man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he is not able to come to know it, because it is spiritually examined. ¹⁵But the spiritual one examineth all things, yet he himself is examined by no one. ¹⁶“For who knoweth the mind of the Lord? Who shall instruct Him [cf. Is. 40:13]?” But we have the mind of Christ.

3 ¹And I, brethren, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to carnal ones, as to infants in Christ. ²I gave you milk to drink, and not solid food; for ye were not yet able, but neither now are ye yet able. ³For ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal and walking according to man? ⁴For whenever one saith, “I indeed am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are ye not carnal? ⁵Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to each? ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving the increase. ⁷So that neither is the one who planteth anything, nor the one who watereth, but God Who giveth the increase. ⁸Now the one who planteth and the one who watereth are one, and each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Gospel

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.

Menaion — Fixed Calendar

The commemoration of our venerable Father David of Thessalonica, and the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Theotokos, and of our venerable Father David of Thessalonica.

Epistle

For the Theotokos:

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.

For the venerable Father:

The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 213]. Brethren:

5 ²²The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴But they who are of the Christ crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be walking by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.

6 ¹Brethren, even if a man should be overtaken in some transgression, ye, the spiritual ones, be restoring such a one in the spirit of meekness, looking out for thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ²Keep on bearing one another’s burdens, and thus fill up the law of the Christ.

Gospel

For the Theotokos:

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

10 ³⁸ Jesus 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.”

For the venerable Father:

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)

July 9th – Civil Calendar
June 26th – Church Calendar

1. Our Holy Father David.

Born in Thessalonica, where he at first lived the ascetic life in a shelter he had built in an almond tree, he later continued his asceticism in Thessaly. He purified himself so greatly by fasting, prayer, and vigils that he was made worthy to receive great grace from God. Once he took a live coal in his hand, placed incense on it and censed the emperor with no sort of protection for his hand. The emperor, when he saw this, bowed down to the ground before David, who amazed the people by his countless miracles. He entered peacefully into rest in the blessedness of eternity in 540.

2. Feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.

This icon was in Constantinople in 1383, but seventy years before the fall of that city, it suddenly appeared in the sky near the village of Tikhvin in northern Russia. A church and a monastery were built where it came to rest. Countless miracles were wrought through this wonder-working icon; many of the sick, especially, receiving healing from it.

3. Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or Rome.

Patriarch Gennadios sent this icon to Rome for safety during the iconoclast persecution. It floated there on the water by itself, more swiftly than any ship, and when the iconoclasts had tired of their persecution, floated back to Constantinople in the same way.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Repentance is a ceaseless necessity for Christians until their last breath. St. Mark the Ascetic says: ‘Take thought, and you will see that the mystery of devotion is created in the righteous man of God through repentance.’ Repentance is necessary up to and at one’s final hour. The following incident is recorded: an aged ascetic and known spiritual teacher was dying, and called the priest to give him the Holy Mysteries. Along the way, a robber fell in with the priest and wished to see for himself how a holy man dies. The holy elder made his Communion in peace and conversed peacefully with the priest. Then the robber burst into tears and cried: ‘How blessed are you! But what sort of death shall I merit?’ The robber returned along the road weeping and lamenting for himself, and fell down and died. A certain holy man came and was seen by the people rejoicing and singing over the repentance of the robber who reaped the fruits of repentance.

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.