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Daily Orthodox - November 25th, 2024

Today is Monday of the 23rd Week after Pentecost.

Fasting Obligations

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

Today, we commemorate...

1. The Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (101)

Clement was born in Rome of royal lineage and was a contemporary of the holy apostles. His mother and two brothers, traveling on the sea, were carried by a storm to different places. His father then went to find his wife and two sons and he, too, became lost. Clement, being twenty-four years old, then set out for the east to seek his parents and brothers. In Alexandria, he made the acquaintance of the Apostle Barnabas and, afterward, joined the Apostle Peter whom his two brothers, Faustinus and Faustinian, were already following. By God's providence, the Apostle Peter came upon Clement's mother as an aged beggar woman, and then found his father as well. Thus, the whole family was united, and all returned to Rome as Christians. Clement did not separate himself from the great apostle, who appointed him as bishop before his death. After Peter's martyrdom, Linus was Bishop of Rome, then Cletus—both of them for a short time—and then Clement. Clement governed the Church of God with flaming zeal, and from day to day brought a great number of unbelievers to the Christian Faith. In addition, he ordered seven scribes to write the lives of the Christian martyrs who were suffering at that time for their Lord. The Emperor Trajan banished him to Cherson, where Clement found about two thousand exiled Christians. All were occupied with the difficult job of hewing stones in a waterless land. The Christians received Clement with great joy and he was a living source of comfort to them. By his prayer, he brought forth water from the ground and converted so many of the unbelieving natives to Christianity that, in one year, seventy-five churches were built there. To prevent his spreading the Christian Faith even more, the authorities condemned Clement to death, and drowned him in the sea with a stone around his neck in the year 101. His miracle-working relics were removed from the sea only in the time of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

2. The Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria (311)

Peter was a disciple and successor of St. Theonas, Archbishop of Alexandria, and was for a time a teacher at Origen's famous school of philosophy. He ascended the archiepiscopal throne in the year 299, and died a martyr's death in 311, beside the grave of the Holy Apostle Mark. He governed the Church in a most difficult era, when assaults were being made against the faithful by unbelievers from without, and by heretics from within. During his time, 670 Christians suffered in Alexandria. Often, whole families were led to the scaffold and executed. At the same time, the ungodly Arius was confusing the faithful with his false teaching. St. Peter cut him off from the Church and anathematized him, both in this world and in the next. The Lord Himself visited this great and wonderful saint in person.

3. The Venerable Paphnutius

Paphnutius never drank wine. Once, bandits seized him, and their leader forced him to drink a cup of wine. Seeing Paphnutius' kind nature, the chief of the bandits repented, and abandoned his brigandage.

4. St. Peter of Galatia, hermit, near Antioch in Syria (ca. 403)
5. New Hieromartyr Seraphim, archbishop of Smolensk (1937)
6. (Greek cal.: Great-martyr Catherine of Alexandria, and Martyrs Augusta (Faustina) the Empress, Porphyrius Stratelates, and 200 soldiers [305-313])
7. (Bulgarian cal.: St. Clement of Ochrid, bishop of Greater Macedonia [916])

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.

It is said of St. Peter of Alexandria that he never climbed the steps and sat on the patriarchal throne in church, but rather stood or sat before the steps of the throne. When the faithful complained that their hierarch did not sit in his place, he replied: "Whenever I approach the throne, I see a heavenly light and power upon it, and that is why I do not dare climb and sit on it." Beside this vision, St. Peter had another, yet more wondrous vision. While he was in prison, the impious heretic Arius hypocritically pretended that he had repented of his heresy, and sent word to the captive Peter that he had renounced his heresy, with an appeal to Peter to receive him into the Church again. Arius did this only because he thought that Peter would be martyred, and he could then acquire the patriarchal throne and disseminate and strengthen his heresy. Before he gave any reply, Peter prayed to God in the prison. During prayer, a mystical light illumined the prison, and the Lord Jesus appeared to him as a twelve-year-old boy, shining brighter than the sun, so that it was not possible to look at Him directly. The Lord was clothed in a white tunic, rent down the front from top to bottom. He clutched the garment around Himself with His hands, as though to hide His nakedness. At this, St. Peter was in great fear and horror. He cried out: "Who, O Savior, has torn Thy garment?" The Lord replied: "The madman Arius. He tore it, for he alienated My people from Me, whom I acquired by My Blood. Be careful not to receive him in communion with the Church, for he has cunning and diabolical thoughts against Me and My people." At this, St. Peter sent word to his priests, Achilles and Alexander, that he could not receive Arius' petition, for it was false and cunning; and the saint pronounced a curse on Arius in both worlds. He also prophesied that Achilles, and then Alexander, would succeed him as patriarch, and so it was.

Daily Scriptures

Slavic
  • Epistle (for the Leavetaking of the Entrance): Hebrews 9:1-7 

<1> Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. <2> For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; <3> and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, <4> which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; <5> and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. <6> Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. <7> But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

  • Epistle (Day): 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

<1> Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. <2> We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, <3> remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, <4> knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. <5> For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

  • Gospel (for the Leavetaking of the Entrance): Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28 

<38> Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. <39> And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. <40> But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." <41> And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. <42> But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." <27> And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" <28> But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

  • Gospel (Day): Luke 19:37-44

<37> Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, <38> saying: " ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" <39> And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." <40> But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." <41> Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, <42> saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. <43> For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, <44> and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Greek
  • Epistle: Galatians 3:23-4:5

<23> But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. <24> Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. <25> But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. <26> For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. <27> For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. <28> There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. <29> And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. <1> Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, <2> but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. <3> Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. <4> But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, <5> to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

  • Gospel: Mark 5:24-34

<24> So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. <25> Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, <26> and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. <27> When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. <28> For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." <29> Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. <30> And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" <31> But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?' " <32> And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. <33> But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. <34> And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

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