Daily Bread
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
“Let it be understood that those who are not found living as He taught are not Christian- even though they profess with the lips the teaching of Christ.”
+St. Justin Martyr
Daily Scripture Reading
Galatians 2:21-3:7 (Epistle)
21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain – if indeed it was in vain?
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? –
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
Luke 6:37-45 (Gospel)
37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
39 And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?
42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
43 For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The Protection (Pokrov) of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
This miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century.
On Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was overflowing with those at prayer, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew (October 2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. Saint John the Baptist and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven. On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer.
After completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible. The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” Saint Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe.”
The Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond speedily to her intercession, “O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them go away from my icon unheard.”
On Self-Esteem and Self-Knowledge
Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof’.
Self-esteem or self-knowledge? These are two states of human existence which these days are attracting the interest of many people. When the level of self-esteem, that is belief in ourself and our abilities, is low, then we feel guilt, it’s difficult for us to take initiatives, our mood is despondent and we make choices in our personal relationships, as well as our professional expectations and activities which are often catastrophic or belittling for us. On the other hand, if people seek self-knowledge, they’re open to the dangers of either overestimating themselves or of banking only on their positive aspects, while, as regards their negative qualities they may well choose the road of ‘we’ll see to it later’, or ‘if people don’t like it…’. It’s not often you come across people who are balanced, who don’t reject themselves, despite whatever weaknesses they may have, or who don’t overestimate any good qualities they may have, which results in arrogance and pride.
In contrast to this view of the world, faith proposes a balanced approach, which springs from our relationship with Christ. Our self, our existence, is of value because it’s an image of God, which was made by him from the beginning and then re-made with the incarnation of Christ. This is because God recognizes a unique value in us humans, since he loves us personally and particularly. Our worth isn’t dependent on our moral value, on whether we sin or not, whether we err or whether we observe God’s commandments. It doesn’t even depend on whether we believe in God. The sun rises on both the righteous and on the unrighteous, on believers and unbelievers. Salvation from death is offered to everyone, without exception, even to those who for a variety of reasons aren’t Christian (for example, being born or being about to be born in countries where people believed or believe in other gods). They still have hope in salvation, because they have within themselves the gift of the conscience and the law of love. So self-estimation isn’t exclusively self-defined, but comes as a benefit of faith in God
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Moreover, there isn’t anyone without talents, without their gifts. What we mustn’t do is compare ourselves and any talents we may have with others and their gifts. Everybody’s unique and different, in one way or another. This attitude stops us from envying others, as well as from underestimating ourselves, that is, having low self-esteem.
Besides, even if our family and friends, the people we associate with, don’t really accept us and our abilities, don’t give us the love we want and could have, there’s still the possibility to overcome this. You yourself can love, even if they deny you their love. It may seem difficult. But if you want to have any sort of genuine identity, if you want to fight for your own personal freedom, you have to defeat the opposing bad thoughts, you have to resist a – frankly- demonic, self-induced feeling of isolation and self-pity.
This is where the second part of the balance of faith comes in. Self-knowledge isn’t a basis either for us to take pride in or to despair of ourselves. It’s the basis of humility. We see this in the dialogue that took place in Capernaum between Christ and a Roman centurion whose servant was bed-ridden and paralyzed. The pagan said to Christ that he didn’t feel worthy to receive the Lord in his home and asked him to perform the miracle from afar. The man was aware that he couldn’t compare to God. He knew that the authority he himself possessed couldn’t overcome death. He knew that, however much he loved, time and decay pay no heed to human feelings. His self-knowledge involved recognition of his limitations. And then no secular, political or social office could bring him to the point of overstepping his abilities or making him feel a ‘god’. So he fell at the feet of the one God and placed his humble hope in him. He didn’t forget who he was. He’d learned from his servant’s illness how far he could go. He accepted his limits. And he sought the solution from him who loves without limit.
In a world where the self is deified, a world of pride and depression- two sides of the same coin- a world where people have to be capable of anything and everything and where this has to be recognized or else they destroy or are destroyed, the Church shows us the image of God as the basis of genuine self-esteem; and humility as the foundation of true self-knowledge. Do what you can. Leave the last word to God. Don’t despair. Don’t be proud. When we seek Christ, we are healed existentially, overcoming death and experiencing the miracle of love.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 9/30: Matins 8:30 a.m.; Vesperal Liturgy 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 10/1: no services or events
Wednesday 10/2: no services or events
Thursday 10/3: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Friday 10/4: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 10/5: Catechumen Class 4:30 pm; Choir Rehearsal 5:00 pm; Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday 10/6: Divine Liturgy 9: 15 a.m., Life Wires
