Daily Orthodox - November 29th, 2024
Today is Friday of the 23rd Week after Pentecost.
Fasting Obligations
- OCA, GOARCH, Antioch: Strict fast.
Today, we commemorate...
1. The Holy Martyr Paramon and 370 others with him, at Bithynia (250)
In Asian Bithynia, Governor Aquilinus fiercely persecuted Christians. Once, he captured 370 Christians, brought them with him, and bound them at a place where there was an idolatrous temple of the god Poseidon. Here, the wicked governor tried to force them to worship and offer sacrifice to the idol. Even though the governor threatened death for anyone who did not obey his order, not a single Christian submitted. Just then, a respected man by the name of Paramon passed along the road beside the temple. He stopped beside the masses of shackled people and learned what was happening. Then he cried out: "Oh, how many innocent righteous ones does this foul governor desire to slaughter, because they will not worship his dead and mute idols?" Paramon then continued on his way, and the infuriated governor sent his servants to slay him. The servants caught up to Paramon, seized him and pierced his tongue with a thorn, then stripped him naked and stabbed his entire body. Holy Paramon, with prayer in his heart, gave up his soul to God. After that, the 370 martyrs, great as sons of God and innocent as lambs, were beheaded and thus entered into the Immortal Kingdom of Christ the Lord. They suffered in the year 250.
2. The Venerable Acacius of Sinai
In his famous book, The Ladder, St. John Climacus relates the life of this saint. The young Acacius was a novice under an evil elder in the monastery on Sinai. The irascible elder daily reproached and insulted Acacius and often beat, tormented and maltreated him in every possible way. However, Acacius did not complain but endured this all patiently, with the assurance that it was beneficial to his salvation. Whenever anyone asked him how he was doing, he replied: "Well, as before the Lord God!" After nine years of obedience and torment, Acacius died. The elder buried him and then expressed sorrow to another elder saying: "Acacius, my disciple died." "I do not believe it," replied the holy elder, "Acacius did not die." Then both of them went to the grave of the dead man and that holy elder cried out: "Brother Acacius, did you die?" Acacius, obedient even after death replied: "Father, I have not died, for it is impossible for an obedient one to die." Then, the evil elder repented and shut himself in a cell near Acacius' grave where, in repentance and prayer, he spent the remainder of his life.
3. The Holy Hieromartyr Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth
He was an eminent pastor and teacher. He was beheaded for Christ in the year 182.
4. Saint Tiridates, King of Armenia (4th c.)
Tiridates was a contemporary of Diocletian. At first, he furiously persecuted Christians, but God's punishment befell him and he went insane and became like a beast, as had happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Tiridates was miraculously healed of his insanity by St. Gregory of Armenia (September 30). From then until his death, Tiridates spent his life in repentance and devotion. He died peacefully in the fourth century.
5. The Holy Martyr Apollonius
Apollonius was a Roman senator. Accused because of his faith in Christ, he confessed it before the entire senate, for which he was beheaded with the sword in Rome in the year 186.
6. Hieromartyr Saturninus, bishop of Toulouse (ca. 257)
8. St. Pitirim of Egypt (4th c.), disciple of St. Anthony the Great
9. St. Brendan of Birr (571)
10. Hieromartyr Abibus, bishop of Nekresi in Georgia (6th c.
11. St. Radboud, bishop of Utrecht (917)
12. St. Nectarius the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves (12th c.)
13. St. Mardarije of Libertyville and Chicago, missionary and first Serbian bishop in America (1935)
14. New-hieromartyr Philoumenos, of Jacob's Well (1979)
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.
God's punishment often befalls sinners immediately after the sin, that the sinners may fear and the righteous be encouraged. However, sometimes it falls much later, suddenly and unexpectedly, that sinners may know that God forgets nothing. Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up by the earth immediately after their sin, but King Balthazzar saw the hand that wrote his death sentence when he felt most fortunate at a banquet among his friends and admirers.
A gravely ill soldier was brought to St. Stephen the New [ed. note: commemorated yesterday] to be healed by him through prayer. Stephen told him to venerate the icons of Christ and the Holy Theotokos. The soldier did this and was immediately restored to health, and this miracle was spoken of everywhere. Hearing of this, the iconoclastic Emperor Constantine Copronymus summoned this soldier and questioned him. When the soldier confessed that he received healing from the holy icons, the emperor reproached him with fury for venerating them. The frightened soldier repudiated the veneration of icons before the emperor and grew ashamed of his faith in them. When the soldier left the court and mounted his horse, the horse went wild under him, threw him off and trampled him with its hooves until he gave up his soul. Behold: a punishment immediately following sin.
King Tiridates, a persecutor of Christians, threw St. Gregory into a pit and killed thirty-seven holy nuns, but no punishment befell him. Later, when the king and his companions went hunting for pleasure, he and his entourage were seized by sudden madness. The reason for his madness and the means to restore him were revealed to his pious sister in a dream. St. Gregory was taken out of the pit, and by his prayers King Tiridates became healthy, repented and was baptized.
Punishment sometimes quickly follows sin as the day follows the night, yet sometimes slowly, as year follows year. But it never fails to come, except where repentance takes the place of punishment.
Daily Scriptures
Slavic and Greek
- Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 2:14-19 [Greek adds v. 20]
<14> For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, <15> who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, <16> forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. <17> But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. <18> Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. <19> For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? [<20> For you are our glory and joy.]
- Gospel: Luke 20:19-26
<19> And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. <20> So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. <21> Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: <22> Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" <23> But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me? <24> Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "Caesar's." <25> And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." <26> But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.