Daily Devotional
Saturday, February 22, 2025 (NS)
February 9, 2025 (OS)
Commemorations
Pascalion — Movable Calendar
Saturday of the Thirty-Fifth Week
Menaion — Fixed Calendar
The commemoration of the Leave-taking of the Meeting of the Lord, and the holy Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch.
Fasting Information
No Fasting.
Scripture Readings
Pascalion — Movable Calendar
Saturday of the Thirty-Fifth Week
Epistle:
The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [§
146]. Brethren:
10 23All things are lawful to me, but not all
things are expedient; all things are lawful to me, but not all things build up. 24Let
no one seek that of his own, but each one that of the other. 25Keep on eating
everything that is sold in a market, examining nothing for the sake of conscience:
26for “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof [Ps. 23(24):1].” 27And if any of the unbelievers
invite you, and ye wish to go, be eating everything set before you, examining nothing for the
sake of conscience. 28If anyone should tell you, “This is a sacrifice to
idols,” cease eating, on account of that one who informed, and for the sake of
conscience; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof [Ps. 23(24):1].”
Another Saturday Reading for the Departed
The Reading is from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians [§
270].
4 13Brethren, we do not wish you to be ignorant concerning those who have
fallen asleep, that ye may not be grieving, even as the rest who have no hope. 14For
if we believe that Jesus died and is risen, so also those who fell asleep through Jesus will God
bring with Him. 15For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that
we the living, the ones remaining over until the coming of the Lord, in no wise shall precede
those who fell asleep. 16For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout
of command, with a voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first. 17Then we the living, the ones remaining over, shall be carried off
together with them in clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air, and so shall we always
be with the Lord.
Gospel:
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 105]. The
Lord said:
21 8“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. 9“But whenever ye hear of wars and
instabilities, do not begin to be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the
end is not straightway.... 25“And there shall be signs in the sun,
and the moon, and the stars; and upon the earth anguish of nations, with
perplexity, roaring of the sea and rolling swell; 26“men fainting from
fear and expectation of those things which are coming upon the inhabited world, for the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken. 27“And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in
a cloud with power and great glory....
33“The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words in no wise shall
pass away. 34“And be taking heed to yourselves, lest your hearts should be
weighed down with carousing, and drinking, and cares of this life, and that day should
come upon you suddenly. 35“For as a snare shall it come upon all those sitting
upon the face of the whole earth. 36“Be vigilant then, in every season
entreating that ye might be accounted worthy to escape all these things which are about to come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Commemoration of the Departed on Meatfare Saturday
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John [§ 16]. The
Lord said to the Jews who had come to Him:
5 24“Verily, verily, I say to you, that
the one who heareth My word and believeth the One Who sent Me hath everlasting
life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed over out of death into life.
25“Verily, verily, I say to you, that an hour cometh, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live. 26“For
even as the Father hath life in Himself, so He also gave to the Son to have life in Himself,
27“and He also gave to Him authority to execute judgment. That He is Son of Man,
28“cease marvelling at this; for an hour is coming in which all those in the
graves shall hear His voice, 29“and shall go forth—they who did good
things to a resurrection of life, but they who practised bad things to a resurrection of
condemnation. 30“I am not able to do anything of Myself. Even as I hear, I
judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the One
Who sent Me, the Father.”
Menaion — Fixed Calendar
The commemoration of the Leave-taking of the Meeting of the Lord, and the holy Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch.
Epistle:
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 229].
Brethren:
5 8Be walking as children of light—
9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth— 10proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord. 11And cease
having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them.
12For it is shameful even to speak of the things which are done by them in
secret. 13But all things which are reproved are made manifest by the light; for all
which is made manifest is light. 14Wherefore, He saith, “Rouse thyself,
thou who sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall shine on thee [cf. Is. 9:2, 26:19, 52:1, 60:1, 2].”
15Be taking heed then how exactly ye walk, not as unwise ones, but as wise ones,
16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17On this account cease
becoming foolish, but become as ones understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18And cease being drunk with wine, in which is prodigality, but keep on being filled
with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and chanting in your heart to the Lord.
Gospel:
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 106]. The
Lord said to His disciples, “Be taking heed of men:
21 12“For they shall lay their
hands upon you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons,
bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name; 13“but it
shall prove to be a testimony for you. 14“Therefore settle it for
yourselves in your hearts not to premeditate to make a defense; 15“for I will
give you a mouth and wisdom, which all those who oppose you shall not be able to contradict nor
withstand. 16“And ye shall be delivered up also by parents, and kinfolk, and
friends, and brethren; and they shall put some of you to death. 17“And ye
shall be hated by all for My name’s sake. 18“But a hair of your head in no
wise shall perish. 19“In your patience win your souls.”
Lives of the Saints
(Prologue)
February 22nd – Civil Calendar
February 9th – Church Calendar
1. The Holy Martyr Nikephoros.
The life of this holy martyr demonstrates clearly how God casts down pride and crowns humility
and brotherly love with glory. There lived in Antioch two intimate friends, the learned priest
Saprikios and the ordinary, simple townsman Nikephoros. Their friendship somehow turned into a
terrible mutual hatred. Nikephoros, who feared God, tried many times to establish peace with the
priest, but the latter would not respond. When a persecution of Christians broke out, the priest
Saprikios was condemned to death and brought to the place of execution. Nikephoros stood in great
distress in the path Saprikios was to take, begging him to forgive him before dying, and to part
in peace. ‘I pray thee, thou martyr of Christ,’ said Nikephoros, ‘forgive me if
I have in any way sinned against thee.’ Saprikios would not turn to his adversary, but
calmly and proudly moved on to death. But, seeing the hardness of the priest’s heart, God
would not have him receive the gift of martyrdom and the crowning with the wreath, and secretly
withdrew His blessing. At the last moment, Saprikios denied Christ before the executioner and
declared that he would worship idols. Hatred had blinded him to such an extent! Nikephoros
entreated Saprikios not to deny Christ: ‘Oh, my beloved brother, do not do this! Do not
deny our Lord Jesus Christ and lose the heavenly crown!’ But all in vain; Saprikios was
unmoved. Then Nikephoros cried out to the executioners: I too am a Christian; kill me in
Saprikios’ place!’ The executioners reported this to the judge, who ordered them to
let Saprikios go and to kill Nikephoros in his place. Nikephoros joyfully laid his head on the
block and was beheaded. And thus he was made worthy of the kingdom and crowned with the eternal
wreath of glory. This came to pass in 260, in the reign of the Emperor Gallienus.
2. The Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus.
This saint is considered by some to have lived in the eighth century, and by others in the
twelfth. This difference of opinion arises from there having been two Peters Damascene. The one
about whom we are speaking was a great ascetic. Utterly selfless, he had not one single book of
his own, but borrowed them to read. And he read untiringly, gathering wisdom as a bee does honey.
He was at some time bishop in Damascus, but spoke out so strongly against Islam and the Manichean
heresy that the Arabs cut out his tongue and sent him into exile deep in Arabia. But God gave him
the power of speech, so that there in exile he preached the Gospel and brought many to the
Christian Faith. He wrote and left to his descendants a precious book on the spiritual life. He
died a confessor and a martyr, and entered into the kingdom of Christ.
FOR CONSIDERATION
St. Peter of Damascus writes thus of the general and the particular gifts of God: ‘The
general gifts are the four elements, and all that come from them, all the wonderful and terrible
works of God revealed in the holy Scriptures. But the particular gifts are those which God gives
to a man individually; be it wealth for acts of mercy, or poverty for patience with thanksgiving;
be it power for right judgement and the strengthening of virtue, or subjugation and slavery for
the swift salvation of the soul; be it health for the helping of the infirm or weakness for the
crown of patience; be it understanding and skill in gathering wealth for the sake of the virtues,
or feebleness and clumsiness for submissive humility. All these, and though they may seem in
contrast to one another, they are all, as they are apportioned, very good.’ He says in
conclusion that we owe God gratitude for all His gifts, and must bear all infirmities and
tribulations with patience and hope, for all that God gives us or brings upon us is for our
salvation.
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.
