Daily Orthodox - November 24th, 2024
Today is the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost.
Fasting Obligations
- OCA, GOARCH, Antioch: Fish, wine, and oil permitted.
Today, we commemorate...
1. The Holy Great-martyr Catherine [celebrated on November 25 in Greek Calendar]
Catherine was the daughter of King Constus. After the death of her father, she lived with her mother in Alexandria. Her mother was secretly a Christian who, through her spiritual father, brought Catherine to the Christian Faith. In a vision, St. Catherine received a ring from the Lord Jesus Himself as a sign of her betrothal to Him. This ring remains on her finger even today. Catherine was greatly gifted by God and was well educated in Greek philosophy, medicine, rhetoric and logic. In addition to that, she was of unusual physical beauty. When the iniquitous Emperor Maxentius offered sacrifices to the idols and ordered others to do the same, Catherine boldly confronted the emperor and denounced his idolatrous errors. The emperor, seeing that she was greater than he in wisdom and knowledge, summoned fifty of his wisest men to debate with her on matters of faith and to put her to shame. Catherine outwitted and shamed them. In a rage, the emperor ordered all fifty of those men bured. By St. Catherine's prayers, all fifty confessed the name of Christ and declared themselves Christians before their execution. After Catherine had been put in prison, she converted the emperor's commander, Porphyrius, and two hundred soldiers to the true Faith, as well as Empress Augusta-Vasilissa herself. They all suffered for Christ. During the torture of St. Catherine, an angel of God came to her and destroyed the wheel on which the holy virgin was being tortured. Afterward, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to her and comforted her. After many tortures, Catherine was beheaded at the age of eighteen, on November 24, 310. Milk, instead of blood, flowed from her body. Her miracle-working relics repose on Mount Sinai.
2. The Holy Great-martyr Mercurius of Caesarea in Cappadocia (ca. 259)
When Emperor Decius once waged war against the barbarians, there was in his army the commander of an Armenian regiment called the Martenesians. This commander was named Mercurius. In battle, an angel of the Lord appeared to Mercurius, placed a sword in his hand, and assured him of victory over his enemies. Indeed, Mercurius displayed wonderful courage, mowing down the enemy like grass. Following this glorious victory Emperor Decius made him chief commander of his army, but envious men reported Mercurius to the emperor for being a Christian, a fact which he did not hide but openly acknowledged before the emperor. Mercurius was tortured harshly and at length; he was cut into strips with knives and burned with fire. An angel of God appeared to him in prison and healed him. Finally, the emperor proclaimed that General Mercurius be beheaded in Cappadocia. When they beheaded him, his body became as white as snow and emitted a most wonderful incense-like fragrance. His miracle-working relics healed many of the sick. This most wonderful soldier of Christ suffered for the Faith sometime between the years 251 and 259 and took up his habitation in the Kingdom of his King and God.
3. The Holy Virgin Mastridia
Mastridia lived in Alexandria and led a solitary life of prayer and handiwork. A young man, burning with bodily passion toward her, constantly harassed her. Not wanting to sin before God, and since she could not be easily rid of this unrestrained youth, St. Mastridia once asked him what attracted him most to her. He replied: "Your eyes!" Mastridia then took the needle with which she was sewing and put out her eyes. Thus, Mastridia preserved her peace and the young man's soul. The young man repented deeply, and became a monk.
[footnote: This Mastridia apparently is not the same as the one who is commemorated on February 7. That Mastridia was from Jerusalem, while this one is from Alexandria. The former fled from scandal to the wilderness, while the latter put out her eyes.]
4. St. Hermogenes, bishop of Agrigentum (ca. 260)
5. Martyrs Augusta (Faustina), the Empress, Porphyrius Stratelates, and 200 soldiers, at Alexandria with Great-martyr Catherine (305-313)
6. St. Romanus of Bordeaux (382)
7. St. Gregory, founder of the monastery of the Golden Rock in Pontus
8. St. Portianus of Arthone (Gaul) (527)
9. St. Protasius, hermit, of Auvergne (Gaul) (6th c.)
10. Martyrs Flora and Maria, at Cordoba (851)
11. Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk (1238)
12. St. Luke, steward of the Kiev Caves (13th c.)
13. St. Nicodemus the Younger, of Philokalos Monastery in Thessalonica (ca. 1305)
14. St. Mercurius the Faster, of the Far Caves in Kiev (14th c.)
15. St. Simon, founder of Soiga Monastery (Vologda) (1561)
17. (Greek cal.: Hieromartyr Clement, pope of Rome [101]. Hieromartyr Peter, archbishop of Alexandria [311]. St. Malchus of Chalcis in Syria [4th c.])
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: Galatians 6:11-18
<11> See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! <12> As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. <13> For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. <14> But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. <15> For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. <16> And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. <17> From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. <18> Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Slavic
- Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
<10> Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. <11> And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. <12> But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." <13> And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. <14> But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." <15> The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? <16> So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" <17> And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Greek
- Gospel: Luke 18:18-27
<18> Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" <19> So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. <20> You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,' ‘Do not murder,' ‘Do not steal,' ‘Do not bear false witness,' ‘Honor your father and your mother.' " <21> And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." <22> So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." <23> But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. <24> And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! <25> For 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 those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" <27> But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."