Daily Orthodox - December 19th, 2024
Today is Thursday of the 26th Week after Pentecost.
Fasting Obligations
- OCA: Wine and oil permitted.
- GOARCH, Antioch: Strict fast.
Today, we commemorate...
- The Holy Martyr Boniface, at Tarsus in Cilicia (290) and Righteous Aglae (Aglaida), of Rome (ca. 303)
Martyrdom for Christ makes a saint out of a sinner. The example of St. Boniface shows this. At first, he was a servant in Rome to a wealthy and immoral woman, Aglaida, and had impure and unlawful relations with her. They were both pagans. Once, Aglaida desired to have the relics of a martyr in her house as an amulet to protect against evil, so she sent her servant to Asia to find and purchase what she desired. Boniface took several slaves with him and a large amount of money. Before parting with Aglaida, he said to her: "If I cannot find a martyr, but instead they bring you back my body martyred for Christ, will you receive it with honor, my lady?" Aglaida laughed and called him a drunkard and a sinner, and then they parted. Coming to the city of Tarsus, Boniface saw many Christians undergoing torture: some with their legs cut off, others with their hands severed, others with their eyes plucked out, still others on the gallows, and so forth. Boniface's heart was changed, and he repented of his sinful life and wept. He cried out among the Christian martyrs: "I too am a Christian!" The judge took him for interrogation and ordered that he be harshly flogged, then that boiling lead be poured into his mouth, and--since this did him no harm--that he be beheaded. The slaves then took his body and carried it to Rome. An angel of God appeared to Aglaida and said: "Receive the one who was once your slave but now is our brother and fellow servant; he is the guardian of your soul and the protector of your life." The awestruck Aglaida came out to meet them, received the body of Boniface, built a church for him, and placed the relics of the martyr in it. She then repented, gave away her goods to the poor, withdrew from the world, and lived for fifteen more years in bitter repentance. St. Boniface suffered in the year 290.
- Saint Gregory (Grigentius), Archbishop of Omir (552)
At first, Gregory was a deacon in a church in Mediolanum [Milan] and had many visions. By God's providence he was taken to Alexandria. There Patriarch Proterius, according to a heavenly revelation, consecrated him bishop of the land of Omir in southern Arabia, which St. Elesbaan the King (October 24) had just freed from the tyranny of Dunaan the Jew. He was a good shepherd and great miracle-worker. He organized the Church in Omir with the help of the Christ-loving King Abramius, built many churches, and baptized many Jews. By his prayers he performed great and awesome miracles, even bringing about a revelation of Christ the Lord before the unbelieving Jews, which led to their baptism. He governed the Church for thirty years and entered peacefully into life eternal in the year 552.
- Saint Boniface the Merciful, Bishop of Ferentino
From his childhood, Boniface was unusually kind, so much so that his mother scolded him for this. However, aided by prayer, Boniface received a hundredfold from the Lord. He died peacefully in Italy in the sixth century.
- The Venerable Elias of Murom, wonderworker, of the Kiev Caves (1188)
Elias was a monk of the Monastery of the Kiev Caves. He died in the year 1188, and his incorrupt relics are miracle-working. Even until now, three fingers on his right hand remain placed together for prayer, showing that he died at prayer. This is a reproach to those who do not make the sign of the Cross with three fingers.
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Martyrs Elias, Probus, and Ares, Egyptians, in Cilicia (308)
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Martyrs Polyeuctus, at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and the deacon Timothy, in Mauretania (309)
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Hieromartyr Capito, bishop of Chersonese (4th c.)
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Sts. George the Scribe and Sabbas, monks of Khakhuli Monastery (11th c.)
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St. Amphilochius, wonderworker, of Pochaev (1970)
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St. Seraphim, schema-archimandrite, of Sukhumi (Abkhazia), elder, of Glinsk Monastery (1975)
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(Greek cal.: Martyrs Eutyches and Thessalonica, and with them 200 men and 70 women)
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.
Can faith move mountains? (Matthew 17:20). Without a doubt it can, and it can do even more than that: by faith, God Himself can be moved to mercy toward us sinners. In the Omirian town of Safar, the majority of the inhabitants were Jews. St. Gregory endeavored to convert them to Christianity. Then the Jews suggested to St. Gregory and King Abramius that they should have a debate about faith with the assurance that if they [the Jews] were defeated then all of them would enter the Christian Faith. This debate lasted several days in the presence of several thousand people, both Jews and Christians. The Jews, seeing that they would be defeated by Gregory's irrefutable reasons and proofs, sought from Gregory that, in some way, he show them Christ alive so that they might see Him with their own eyes and then they would believe. Having great boldness before the Lord because of the purity of his heart, St. Gregory knelt facing east and, before everyone, began to pray to God. When he had finished his prayer, the earth quaked, thunder clapped, and the heavens opened in the east. A cloud, glowing with a flaming fire and shining rays, moved from the east and then slowly descended to the earth toward that place where the assembly of people had gathered. In the midst of the cloud there stood a man of inexpressible beauty, with a face of extraordinary brightness and in a vesutre that appeared to be woven of lightning. He moved upon the cloud until He came over to Bishop Gregory himself. Everyone saw Him in unsurpassable glory and beauty, and in fear fell to the ground on their faces. Gregory cried out: "One is Holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen." [ed. note: this is sung in the liturgy just before the communion hymn] At this, there came a voice to the Jews from the Lord's glory: "For the sake of the bishop's prayers, He Who was crucified by your fathers heals you." And the shining cloud moved away as slowly as it came. After that, the Jews were baptized.
Daily Scriptures
Slavic and Greek
- Epistle: 1 Timothy 3:1-13
<1> This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. <2> A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; <3> not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; <4> one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence <5> (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); <6> not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. <7> Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. <8> Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, <9> holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. <10> But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. <11> Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. <12> Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. <13> For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
- Gospel: Mark 10:17-27
<17> Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" <18> So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. <19> You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " <20> And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." <21> Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." <22> But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. <23> Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" <24> And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! <25> It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." <26> And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" <27> But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."