Daily Bread
Friday, November 8, 2024
Daily Scripture Readings
Philippians 3:8-19 (Epistle)
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things.
Luke 13:31-35 (Gospel)
31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
32 And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’
33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!
35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
SYNAXIS OF THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL AND THE OTHER BODILESS POWERS: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jegudiel, and Barachiel.
The Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel was established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. The 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration.
A Feastday was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. After the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him” (Mt. 25:31).
The Angelic Ranks are divided into three Hierarchies: highest, middle, and lowest.
The Highest Hierarchy includes: the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones.
The six-winged SERAPHIM (Flaming, Fiery) (Is 6:2) stand closest of all to the Most Holy Trinity. They blaze with love for God and kindle such love in others.
The many-eyed CHERUBIM (outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment) (Gen 3:24) stand before the Lord after the Seraphim. They are radiant with the light of knowledge of God, and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Through them wisdom is poured forth, and people’s minds are enlightened so they may know God and behold His glory.
The THRONES (Col 1:16) stand after the Cherubim, mysteriously and incomprehensibly bearing God through the grace given them for their service. They are ministers of God’s justice, giving to tribunals, kings, etc. the capacity for righteous judgment.
The Middle Angelic Hierarchy consists of three Ranks: Dominions, Powers, and Authorities:
DOMINIONS (Col 1:16) hold dominion over the angels subject to them. They instruct the earthly authorities, established by God, to rule wisely, and to govern their lands well. The Dominions teach us to subdue sinful impulses, to subject the flesh to the spirit, to master our will, and to conquer temptation.
POWERS (1 Pet 3:22) fulfill the will of God without hesitation. They work great miracles and give the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to saints pleasing to God. The Powers assist people in fulfilling obediences. They also encourage them to be patient, and give them spiritual strength and fortitude.
AUTHORITIES (1 Pet 3:22, Col 1:16) have authority over the devil. They protect people from demonic temptations, and prevent demons from harming people as they would wish. They also uphold ascetics and guard them, helping people in the struggle with evil thoughts.
Angels: Their Role in our Lives and Worship - Part 1
ARCHPRIEST GEORGE SHALHOUB
Part 1: Introduction to angels, and the Archangel Gabriel
Angels are fascinating beings created by God to be of service to God and to be messengers of God to men and women. We read in Psalm 91, that “…the Lord will give His angels charge over you to protect you in all your ways.”
We can feel that they are all around us, but how much do we know about angels? We learn from the scriptures that angels truly do exist. There are over 250 references to them in the Old and New Testament, and they appear regularly from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. When we look around in our churches we see angels in numerous icons; these aren’t added for sentimental decoration, rather they are placed there to remind us that the angels of the Lord are with us. We see the images of angels with the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and also see them in the iconography in the dome surrounding the face of Christ. Again, we view the Angel Gabriel in icons telling the Annunciation story, and we find the most prominent angels, Archangel Michael and Archangel Gabriel, regularly depicted. Gabriel and Michael guard the holy of holies in our church temples.
Yet we might ask, do we encounter angels in our daily life? St. Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews 13:2, says: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so, you have unwittingly entertained angels.” Angels are heavenly beings, yes, yet often they will take a human body, to fulfill an assignment from God. I believe in all of our lives we encounter the angels coming to us with human faces, particularly in times of loss, grief, and immense need. Our nation and the world has assuredly witnessed living angels throughout the pandemic. Whether they have appeared as doctors, nurses, or first responders, angels come and extend a helping hand to us.
When I first came to the United States in 1971, I was in New York and didn’t have enough money to buy a ticket to get to my destination, the city of Albany. The woman at the counter was yelling at me to move and get out of the way, but I did not understand her. I didn’t have enough money and was alone, my family having been left far behind in Syria, and I did not speak English. A man behind me touched my shoulder and offered to pay for my ticket. I never saw him again and have always believed he was a living angel, and that it was my mother’s prayers that sent this man to help me.
The scriptures teach that there is a hierarchy of angels—nine levels including the Seraphim (as the choir sings), the Cherubim, and the Thrones. The second hierarchy contains the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, and the third contains Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
Angels are God’s messengers. When Abraham was living, he saw three men—angelic visitors, in reality—who were coming to his tent, and so he invited them in. As they were strangers he fed them, receiving them with great hospitality. They warned him about the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They also prophesied that Abraham’s wife Sarah would bear a son in a year, and that he was to be called Isaac.
One angel in particular has great significance. On July 12, we honor the great Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel’s name means “Man of God,” which translates to “God is mighty” or “the strength or power of God.”
The first mention in scripture of the Archangel Gabriel is written in the book of the Prophet Daniel. Daniel saw a vision, in which the Archangel Gabriel predicted the coming of Christ, that He would be born, live, and then die at the age of 33 years on the cross.
The most prominent role that the Archangel Gabriel played is recorded in the book of Luke. In Luke 1, verse 11-13, we read:
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
Later in verse 18–21, the story continues:
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
The second encounter with Gabriel is in Luke 1: 26–30:
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Hail Mary, you are full of grace, the LORD is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God and you shall bear a son and name Him Jesus.
If the Angel Gabriel visits us, we can be sure that God has something significant to say to us! Are we listening?
Gabriel was also sent to St. Joseph the Betrothed in a dream, telling him that Mary’s pregnancy was indeed miraculous and of the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph should protect and care for her. (Matthew 1: 20, 21)
On another occasion in Matthew 2, the Archangel Gabriel instructed Joseph to take the child and his mother to flee to Egypt; later, when Joseph was in Egypt, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and told him to return to Nazareth.
Archangel Gabriel was present during the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it was Archangel Gabriel that announced Christ’s Resurrection to the Myrrhbearing Women outside of the tomb.
Still today we pray and intercede with the Archangel Gabriel to take our prayers for forgiveness to God; we ask him to bless our parents and to help protect us during this crisis of coronavirus and world trouble; and we beseech him to guard us during this most uncertain time.
READ: Angels: Their Role in our Lives and Worship, Part 2
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 11/04: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 11/05: no services or events
Wednesday 11/06: no services or events
Thursday 11/07: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Friday 11/08: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 11/09: St. Nektarios Festal Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m., Catechumen class 4:30; Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday 11/10: Divine Liturgy 9: 15 a.m. Great Vespers for St Nektarios 4pm
