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Daily Orthodox - January 30th, 2025

Today is Thursday of the 32nd Week after Pentecost.

Fasting Obligations

  • OCA, GOARCH, Antioch: No fasting obligations.

Today, we commemorate...

  1. Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and Saint John Chrysostom

Each of these saints has his own feast day: St. Basil the Great, January 1; St. Gregory the Theologian, January 25; and St. John Chrysostom, January 27. This combined feast day, January 30, was instituted in the eleventh century during the reign of Emperor Alexius Comnenus. Once, a debate arose among the people concerning who among the three was the greatest. Some extolled Basil because of his purity and courage; others extolled Gregory for his unequaled depth and lofty mind in theology; still others extolled Chrysostom because of his eloquence and clarity in expounding the Faith. Thus some were called Basilians, others Gregorians, and the third were called Johannites. This debate was settled by divine providence, to the benefit of the Church and to the even greater glory of the three saints. Bishop John of Euchaita (June 14) had a vision in a dream: At first all three of these saints appeared to him separately in great glory and indescribable beauty, and after that, all three appeared together. They said to him: "As you see, we are one in God and there is nothing contradictory in us; neither is there a first or a second among us." The saints also advised Bishop John to write a common service for them and to order a common feast day of celebration. Following this wonderful vision, the debate was settled in this manner: January 30 would be designated as the common feast of these three hierarchs. The Greeks consider this feast not only an ecclesiastical feast, but also their greatest national and school holiday.

  1. The Hieromartyr Hippolytus, Priest of Rome and with him Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Ares, the virgin Chryse, Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Styracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius, Amandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, the priest Maximus, the deacon Archelaus, and the bishop Cyriacus, at Ostia (3rd c.)

Hippolytus suffered for the Faith during the reign of Claudius. When the virgin Chrysa was mercilessly tortured for Christ in Rome, St. Hippolytus interceded on her behalf before the torturers and denounced them. Because of this protest, Hippolytus also was brought to court and condemnned and, after prolonged tortures, was sentenced to death. They bound his hands and feet and drowned him in the sea. Along with Hippolytus and Chrysa, twenty other martyrs also suffered. St. Hippolytus suffered in the year 269.

  1. The Holy Martyr Theophilus the New

As a commander under the Emperor Constantine and the Empress Irene, Theophilus was enslaved by the Hagarenes and was kept in prison for four years. When he refused all pressures from the Moslems to abandon the Christian Faith, Theophilus was beheaded with the sword, taking up his abode with the Lord in the year 784.

  1. Saint Peter, King of Bulgaria

Peter, the son of Simeon, was a great admirer of St. John of Rila. He gained independence from Constantinople for the Bulgarian Church, and preserved Orthodoxy in Bulgaria from the Bogomils. After an unsuccessful war with the Hungarians and Russians, Peter abdicated and reposed in ca. 670, in the fifty-sixth year of his life.

  1. St. Zeno, hermit, of Antioch (414), disciple of St. Basil the Great

  2. St. Adelgonda, foundress of Maubeuge (Neth.) (680)

  3. St. Bathilde, queen of France (680)

  4. St. Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves (14th c.)

  5. New Martyr Hadji Theodore of Mylitene (Mt. Athos) (1784)

  6. New Martyr Demetrius of Sliven (1841)

  7. St. Theophil, fool-for-Christ, of Svyatogorsk Monastery (1868)

  8. St. Pelagia of Diveyevo, fool-for-Christ (1884)

  9. "Tinos" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos

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).

Reflection

Reflections are added when it includes additional stories from the life of a saint commemorated today.

Here is an example of how emperors seek counsel from the saints, how the saints avoid vanity and riches, and how they counsel emperors. The Orthodox King Peter of Bulgaria set off with his retinue for Rila Mountain, driven by the insatiable desire to see St. John of Rila and to benefit from his instruction. The king sent men ahead to inform the saint of his arrival, but the saint did not agree to meet with the king. The saddened king again sent some men with foodstuffs and an ample amount of gold, as well as a petition requesting the saint to write some counsel for him. John accepted the food but returned the gold, not even wanting to touch it; and he replied to the king: "If you desire the Heavenly Kingdom, be merciful like the Heavenly Father. Do not trust in injustice and do not be covetous; be meek, quiet and accessible to everyonne. Do not accept praises from your noblemen. Let your purple robe radiate with virtues. May the remembrance of death never depart from your soul. Humble yourself before the feet of our Mother Church; bow your head before her chief hierarchs so that the King of kings, seeinng your sincerity, may reward you with goodness such as never entered into the heart of man." Receiving that letter, the king kissed it, and he later read it frequently.

Daily Scriptures

Slavic and Greek
  • Epistle (Slavic: for Three Holy Hierarchs): Hebrews 13:7-16

<7> Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. <8> Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. <9> Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. <10> We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. <11> For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. <12> Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. <13> Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. <14> For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. <15> Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. <16> But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

  • Gospel (Slavic: for Three Holy Hierarchs): Matthew 5:14-19

<14> "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. <15> Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. <16> Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. <17> "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. <18> For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. <19> Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Slavic
  • Epistle (Day): James 4:7-5:9

<7> Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. <8> Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. <9> Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. <10> Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. <11> Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. <12> There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? <13> Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; <14> whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. <15> Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." <16> But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. <17> Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. <1> Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! <2> Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. <3> Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. <4> Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. <5> You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. <6> You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. <7> Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. <8> You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. <9> Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

  • Gospel (Day): Mark 11:27-33

<27> Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. <28> And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" <29> But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: <30> The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." <31> And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' <32> But if we say, 'From men'"—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. <33> So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

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