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Daily Orthodox - January 1st, 2025

Today is Wednesday of the 28th Week after Pentecost.

Fasting Obligations

  • OCA, GOARCH, Antioch: No fasting obligations.

Today, we commemorate...

  1. The Circumcision of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ

On the eighth day following His birth, the Divine Child was presented in the Temple and circumcised according to the Law existing in Israel since the time of Abraham. On this occasion He was given the name Jesus, which the Archangel Gabriel had announced to the Most-holy Virgin Mary. The Old Testament circumcision was the prefiguring of the New Testament baptism. The circumcision of our Lord shows that He truly received upon Himself the body of man and not just seemingly, as was later taught of Him by heretics. Our Lord was also circumcised because He wanted to fulfill the entire Law, which He Himself gave through the prophets and forefathers. In fulfilling the written Law, He replaced it with baptism in His Holy Church, as was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature (Galatians 6:15). (In the liturgical calendar of the Church, this Feast of the Lord's Circumcision has neither a forefeast nor an afterfeast.)

  1. Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, he spent fifteen years in Athens, where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and all the other secular sciences of that time. His colleagues there were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the Jordan River among with Ebulios, his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed his earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of Orthodoxy, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, and a great builder and pillar of the Church of God.

Basil fully deserved the title "Great." In liturgical services he is referred to as the "bee of the Church of Christ, which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics." Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings, as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him. This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times during the year: on the first of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Theophany of our Lord; on all Sundays of Great Lent except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday; and on Great and Holy Saturday. St. Basil reposed peacefully on January 1, 379, and entered into the Kingdom of Christ.

  1. Martyr Basil of Ancyra (ca. 362)

  2. St. Gregory, bishop of Nazianzus (374), father of St. Gregory the Theologian

  3. St. Emilia (375), mother of Sts. Macrina, Basil the Great, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa

  4. St. Eugendus, abbot of Condat in the Jura Mountains (510)

  5. St. Fanchea of Killeany (Ireland) (ca. 520)

  6. St. Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe in North Africa (533)

  7. St. Clarus, abbot of St. Marcellus Monastery in Vienne (Gaul) (ca. 660)

  8. St. Theodosius of Tryglia, abbot

  9. New Martyr Peter of Tripolis in the Peloponnese, at Temisi in Asia Minor (1776)

  10. St. Athanasius, bishop of Mogilev and Potosk (1801)

  11. New Hieromartyrs Platon (Kulbush), bishop of Revel, Estonia, and archpriests Michael Bleive and Nicholas Bezhanitsky (1919), and Alexander (Trapitsyn), archbishop of Samara (1938)

  12. The Holy Martyr Theodotus, who was slain by the sword

  13. The Holy Martyr Telemachus (or Almachius)

For more information on today's saints or commemorations not provided, see https://www.oca.org/saints/lives (Slavic) and/or https://www.goarch.org/chapel (Greek).

Daily Scriptures

Slavic and Greek
  • Epistle (Slavic: for the Circumcision): Colossians 2:8-12

<8> Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. <9> For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; <10> and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. <11> In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, <12> buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

  • Gospel (Slavic: for the Circumcision): Luke 2:20-21, 40-52

<20> Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. <21> And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. <40> And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. <41> His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. <42> And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. <43> When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; <44> but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. <45> So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. <46> Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. <47> And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. <48> So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." <49> And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" <50> But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. <51> Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. <52> And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Slavic
  • Epistle (for St. Basil): Hebrews 7:26-8:2

<26> For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; <27> who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. <28> For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. <1> Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, <2> a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

  • Epistle (Day): 2 Timothy 4:9-22

<9> Be diligent to come to me quickly; <10> for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. <11> Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. <12> And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. <13> Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments. <14> Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. <15> You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. <16> At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. <17> But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. <18> And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! <19> Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. <20> Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. <21> Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. <22> The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

  • Gospel (for St. Basil): Luke 6:17-23

<17> And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, <18> as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. <19> And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. <20> Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. <21> Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. <22> Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. <23> Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

  • Gospel (Day): Mark 12:28-37

<28> Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" <29> Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. <30> And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. <31> And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." <32> So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. <33> And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." <34> Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him. <35> Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? <36> For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' <37> Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly.

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