{"id":6693,"date":"2019-06-01T20:07:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T00:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/?p=6693"},"modified":"2019-06-01T08:40:16","modified_gmt":"2019-06-01T12:40:16","slug":"orthodoxy-daily-devotional-for-june-2-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/?p=6693","title":{"rendered":"Orthodoxy Daily Devotional for June 2-8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday<\/p>\n

Luke 24: 36\u00a0 (for the upcoming Feast of the Ascension on Thursday)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/sup>Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, \u201cPeace to you.\u201d<\/span> <\/span> 37\u00a0<\/sup>But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. <\/span> 38\u00a0<\/sup>And He said to them, \u201cWhy are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?<\/span> <\/span> 39\u00a0<\/sup>Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.<\/span> Handle Me and see, for a<\/span> spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

40<\/sup>]<\/sup>When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. <\/span> 41\u00a0<\/sup>But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, \u201cHave you any food here?\u201d<\/span> <\/span> 42\u00a0<\/sup>So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. <\/span> 43\u00a0<\/sup>And He took it<\/i> and ate in their presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

44\u00a0<\/sup>Then He said to them, \u201cThese are<\/i> the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the<\/i> Prophets and the<\/i> Psalms concerning Me.\u201d<\/span> <\/span> 45\u00a0<\/sup>And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.<\/span><\/p>\n

46\u00a0<\/sup>Then He said to them, \u201cThus it is written,<\/span> and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,<\/span> <\/span> 47\u00a0<\/sup>and that repentance and<\/span> remission of sins should be preached in His name<\/span> to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.<\/span> <\/span> 48\u00a0<\/sup>And<\/span> you are witnesses of these things.<\/span> <\/span> 49\u00a0<\/sup>Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city<\/span> of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

50\u00a0<\/sup>And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. <\/span> 51\u00a0<\/sup>Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. <\/span> 52\u00a0<\/sup>And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, <\/span> 53\u00a0<\/sup>and were continually in the temple [n<\/a>]<\/sup>praising and blessing God. Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saint Focus: On Tuesday the sisters of Lazarus, Sts Mary and Martha, are commemorated. We see them most closely when Mary sits at Jesus’ feet to listen while Martha asks Jesus to tell her to help in preparation for the food. In this we see the spiritual benefit of both passive (listening) and active work on behalf of the Lord. Monastics have valued a balance of these spiritual traits and we in the secular life should also.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prayer:\u00a0Lord, I have cried to Thee, hearken unto me. Hearken unto me, O Lord. Lord, I have cried to Thee, hearken unto me.\u00a0 Attend to the voice of my prayer, when I cry unto Thee. Hearken unto me, O Lord. Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.\u00a0 Hearken unto me, O Lord.<\/span><\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

**St Nikolai’s ‘Prologue’<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be no rest for those on earth who desire to be saved,\u201d says St. Ephraim the Syrian. The struggle is unceasing, be it external or internal. The adversary acts at times visibly, through men and other things, and at other times invisibly, through thoughts. At times the adversary appears openly and behaves brutally and cruelly like an enemy and, at other times, under the guise of a flattering friend, he seduces by shrewdness. That which occurs in battle between two opposing armies also occurs to every man individually in battle with the passions of this world. Truly, \u201cthere can be no rest for those on earth who desire to be saved.\u201d When salvation comes, rest also comes.<\/p>\n

Prayer:\u00a0O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victory over their enemies to Orthodox Christians, and protect Thy people with Thy Cross.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

In Adam, life is sown in shame; in Christ, life is raised in glory. Sin is from Adam and justice is from Christ. Weakness and death come from Adam, and strength and life come from Christ. Thus, in Adam we all die. And thus, in Christ we shall all be brought to life. That one is the earthly man; this one is the heavenly man. That is the bodily man and this is the spiritual man. Christ did not resurrect for His sake but for our sake, just as He did not die for His sake but for our sake. If His Resurrection does not signify our resurrection, then His Resurrection is bitterness and not sweetness. Where, then, would the love of God be? Where, then, would the meaning of our miserable earthly experience be? What, then, would be the purpose of Christ\u2019s coming to earth? Where Adam ends, Christ begins. Adam ends up in the grave, and Christ begins with\u00a0the Resurrection from the grave. Adam\u2019s generation is the seed underground that rots and decays, that does not see the sun. It does not believe that it can emerge from beneath the earth to blossom into a green plant with leaves, flowers and fruit. Christ\u2019s generation is a green field upon which wheat grows, turns green, puts forth leaves, blossoms and bears much fruit. \u201cIn Adam\u201d does not only mean that we will die one day; rather it means that we are already dead\u2014 dead to the last one. \u201cIn Christ\u201d does not only mean that we will revive one day, but rather that we are already alive\u2014 that the seed in the ground has already begun to germinate and to break through to the light of the sun. The complete expression of death is in the grave, but the complete expression of eternal life is in the Kingdom of God. The mind of the sons of Adam is in accordance with death, reconciled with being in a state of decay, and it sinks even deeper into the ground. The mind of the sons of Christ rebels against death and decay, and strives all the more, so that a man burgeons toward the light, with the help of the grace of God.<\/p>\n

PRAYER:\u00a0Our Father, Who art in the Heavens, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

The wicked Emperor Constantine Copronymus had a virtuous daughter, the maiden Anthusa, \u201ca beautiful branch on a wicked tree.\u201d Despite all the pressure her father put on her to marry, Anthusa remained adamant, for she was firmly attached, with a sincere love, to Christ the Lord. When her father died, Anthusa distributed her entire estate to the poor, entered a monastery and was tonsured a nun. As much a cause for astonishment as are the many noble men who have left the vanity of this world and followed the narrow path of Christ, the many women who have despised youth, riches and the transitory attractions of this world for the love of Christ are twice as much a cause for astonishment. The Lord Himself said that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Matthew 19: 23). Difficult yes, but not impossible. For him who despises himself, it is easy to despise the riches of the whole world.<\/p>\n

Prayer:\u00a0Holy angel of the Lord by guardian, pray to God for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

Brethren, where are the great cities of Babylon and Nineveh? Today, only lizards lie in the dust of their towers. Memphis and Thebes, were they not the pride of the pharaohs and princes of mankind? Today, it is difficult to find the exact place where these two cities had been located. However, let us leave these cities of stone and brick. Let us look at the cities of blood, flesh and bones. Men fashion the cities of their bodies more slowly and more painstakingly than they fashion fortresses and cathedrals. Men spend about eighty to a hundred years in fashioning the cities of their bodies and, in the end, see that their efforts are in vain. That which took them decades to fashion, with care and constant\u00a0\u00a0fear, collapses into the dust of the grave in the twinkling of an eye. Whose bodily city is not toppled over and turned into dust? No one\u2019s. But let us leave the cities of the body. Let us look at the cities of happiness, which men have built from generation to generation. The materials from which these cities are built are merriment, pleasure, property, authority, honor and glory. Where are these cities? Like a cobweb they are woven around man in an instant, and like a cobweb they break and vanish, making the fortunate more unfortunate than the unfortunate. Truly, we have no city here that will remain. That is why we seek the city that is to come. This is the city built of spirit, life and truth. This is the city whose one and only Architect is the Lord Jesus Christ. This city is called the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal life, the dwelling place of the angels, the haven of saints and the refuge of martyrs. In this city there is no dualism of good and evil, but everything is a harmony of good. Everything that is built in this city is built to last forever. Every brick in this city will remain and endure without end; these bricks are living angels and men. In this city the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is enthroned and reigns.<\/p>\n

Prayer:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 O come, let us worship God our King.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and God.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

When they brought the martyr Crescens (a nobleman of Myra in Lycia) to court, the judge counseled him for a long time, trying to persuade him to worship idols. When he did not succeed, he finally said to Crescens: \u201cBow down only in body, but in spirit bow\u00a0down before your God!\u201d To this the honorable Crescens replied: \u201cThe body cannot do anything independently of the soul, which is its driving force and leader.\u201d For that Crescens was killed\u2014 an obvious lesson that a Christian cannot be duplicitous. Still another lesson: A Christian has an obligation to serve his Creator not only with the soul but also with the body. This refutes the false position of certain Christians, who live physically as pagans, while praising themselves that they believe in God and love God with their souls. They divide themselves in two, placing themselves in the service of two masters, even though the holiest lips proclaimed that to be an impossibility.<\/p>\n

PRAYER: Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is befitting for a monk to love God as a son and to fear Him as a slave,\u201d says Evagrius. Naturally, this is also befitting for every Christian, even though he may not be a monk. It is a great art for anyone to unite love for God with fear of God. Many other Holy Fathers, whenever they speak of love for God, at the same time mention fear of God, and vice versa. In his homily \u201cOn Perfect Love,\u201d St. John Chrysostom discusses suffering and the pains of hell. Why? Because, without fear, a great love of God imperceptibly crosses over into pride; and, without love, a great fear of God leads to despair.<\/p>\n

PRAYER:\u00a0Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunday Luke 24: 36\u00a0 (for the upcoming Feast of the Ascension on Thursday) \u00a0Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthodox-daily-devotional","has_no_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6693"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6695,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693\/revisions\/6695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}