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Daily Orthodox - December 7th, 2024

Today is Saturday of the 24th Week after Pentecost.

Fasting Obligations

  • OCA, GOARCH, Antioch: Fish, wine, and oil permitted.

Today, we commemorate...

  1. Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan) (397)

This great holy father of the Orthodox Church was of eminent birth. His father was the imperial deputy of Gaul and Spain and was a pagan by faith, but his mother was a Christian. While he was still in the cradle, a swarm of bees settled on him, poured honey onto his lips, and flew away. And while still a child, he extended his hand and spoke prophetically: "Kiss it, for I will be a bishop." After his father's death, the emperor appointed him as his representative in the province of Liguria, of which Milan was the chief city. When the bishop of Milan died, a great dispute arose between the Orthodox Christians and the Arian heretics concerning the election of a new bishop. Ambrose entered the church to maintain order, this being his duty. At that moment, a child at its mother's bosom exclaimed: "Ambrose for bishop!" All the people took this as the voice of God, and unanimously elected Ambrose as their bishop, contrary to his will. Ambrose was baptized, passed through all the necessary ranks and was consecrated to the episcopacy, all within a week. As bishop, Ambrose strengthened the Orthodox Faith, suppressed the heretics, adorned churches, spread the Faith among the pagans, wrote many instructive books, and served as an example of a true Christian and a true Christian shepherd. He composed the famous hymn "We Praise Thee, O God." This glorious hierarch, whom men visited from distant lands for his wisdom and sweetness of words, was very restrained, diligent and vigilant. He slept very little, labored and prayed constantly, and fasted every day except Saturday and Sunday. Therefore, God allowed him to witness many of His miracles and to perform miracles himself. He discovered the relics of the Holy Martyrs Protasius, Gervasius, Nazarius and Celsus (October 14). Meek toward lesser men, he was fearless before the great. He reproached Empress Justina as a heretic, cursed Maximus the tyrant and murderer, and forbade Emperor Theodosius to enter a church until he had repented of his sin. He also refused to meet with Eugenius, the tyrannical and self-styled emperor. God granted this man, so pleasing to Him, such grace that he even raised the dead, drove out demons from men, healed the sick of every infirmity, and foresaw the future. Ambrose died peacefully on the morning of Pascha in the year 397.

  1. The Venerable Gregory the Hesychast of Serbia (1406)

Gregory was a Serb by birth. He was the founder of the Monastery of St. Nicholas on the Holy Mountain, known as "Gregoriou" after him. His cell, where he prayed in silence and repented, can be found about a quarter of an hour distance from the monastery. In the year 1761, there was a great fire in the monastery, and on this occasion some of the monks took his relics and translated them to Serbia. This man of God entered peacefully into rest in the year 1406.

  1. The Venerable Nilus of Stolobny (1554)

Nilus was a farmer and was born in Novgorod. Withdrawing into the wilderness, he fed on plants. At the instruction of a voice from on high, he settled on the island of Stolobny. Once, some robbers entered his cell in order to plunder it, and they were immediately blinded. He dug a grave for himself close to his cell and wept over it every day. Nilus entered into rest peacefully and took up his habitation in the Kingdom of Christ in the year 1554. His miracle-working relics rest in the place where he fasted.

  1. Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia (304)

  2. St. Bassa of Jerusalem, abbess (5th c.)

  3. St. Philothea of Turnovo (1060), whose relics are in Arges, Romania

  4. St. John the Faster, of the Kiev Caves (12th c.)

  5. St. Paul the Obedient, of Cyprus

  6. St. Anthony, founder of Siya Monastery (Novgorod) (1556)

  7. New Hieromartyrs Sergius, hieromonk, and Andronicus, hierodeacon, of the Nosov Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Tambov) (1917)

  8. New Hiero-confessor Ambrose, bishop of Kamenets-Podol (1932)

  9. New Hieromartyrs Gurias, hieromonk of Optina Monastery, and Galacteon, hieromonk of Valaam Monastery (1937)

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: 2 Corinthians 11:1-6

<1> Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. <2> For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. <3> But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. <4> For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! <5> For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. <6> Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

  • Gospel: Luke 13:18-29
    [ed. note: The Greek lectionary claims that the reading starts at v. 19, but the reading doesn't exactly make sense without v. 18 (which the Slavic includes). As such I haven't bracketed the verse indicating the variant.]

<18> Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? <19> It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." <20> And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? <21> It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." <22> And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. <23> Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, <24> "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. <25> When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,' <26> then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' <27> But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' <28> There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. <29> They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.

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