Daily Bread
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Composite 19 - Micah 4:2-3, 5; 6:2-5, 8; 5:4, 5 (Vespers, 1st reading)
1 Thus saith the Lord: “Out of Zion shall go forth a law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge between many peoples, and shall rebuke strong nations afar off. For all people will walk every one in his own way, but we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever.”
2 Thus saith the Lord Almighty: “Hear, O mountains, the complaint of the Lord, and you valleys, even the foundations of the earth; for the Lord will enter into judgment with His people, and will contend with Israel. O My people, what have I done to you? Or in what have I grieved you? Answer me! For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage, I delivered you; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Mariam. O My people, remember now, what the adversaries counseled against you, and who declared against you.”
3 I have declared to you, O man, what is good; or what does the Lord require of you, except to do justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk humbly with the Lord your God? For the Lord shall be exalted in strength, and shall tend His flock in peace, even to the ends of the earth.
Acts 14:6-18 (Epistle)
6 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.
7 And they were preaching the gospel there.
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.
9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.
11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out
15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
16 who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
18 And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
John 7:14-30 (Gospel)
14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel.
22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?
26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?
27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Midfeast of Pentecost
Commemorated on May 6
Today’s celebration is the midpoint of the fifty days between the Feasts of Pascha and Pentecost. Saint John tells us (John 7:14) that “in the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the Temple, and taught.” The Feast in question is the Feast of Tabernacles (celebrated in September), not Pentecost.
The Church has appointed John 7:14-30 to be read for the Midfeast, thereby linking Pascha and Pentecost. In Chapter 8 of Saint John’s Gospel, the Lord came to the Temple again and taught the people who came to Him. After leaving the Temple, he encounters the man born blind. We will hear about him on the Sunday of the Blind Man.
The Troparion of the Midfeast (“In the middle of the Feast, O Savior, fill my thirsting soul with the waters of godliness, as Thou didst cry to all: If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink [John 7:37]. O Christ God, Fountain of our life, glory to Thee!”) hints at the encounter of Christ and the Samaritan Woman in just a few days.
Today we perform the Lesser Blessing of Water, and the Blessing of Fields.
Reflection on the Mid-Feast of Pentecost
Reflections in Christ by Metropolitan Tikhon
Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen!
Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Pascha, and also the name of the period of fifty days between and encompassing these feasts. Hence, this mid-point of the festal period is Mid-Pentecost, the middle of the fifty. “In the middle of the feast,” we are reminded that Christ, the Wisdom of God, is constantly present in the midst of the Church, offering his people the living water. He is the Beginning and the End, yes, but he is also here in the middle. Indeed, as we learn from the so-called Wisdom Books of the Scriptures, this is one way of defining wisdom: wisdom is recognizing creation as the divine handiwork and seeking knowledge of God through the contemplation of his creatures. Wisdom, in short, is encountering God in the midst of things. Or, to affirm the same reality from a different starting point: Christ, the Wisdom of God, is the plan for all things that exist; as St. Nikolai of South Canaan would affirm, all creation is sign and symbol pointing toward the Mystery of Christ. Hence, even at the midpoint, the space between the beginning and end, Christ our God is always present and nourishing his thirsty people with the water of wisdom. Therefore, even as we patiently run our race toward the End, let us treasure this time in-between, making use of time and creation to the glory of God the Creator. After all, it is in the finite, “middle term” of mortal life that we either orient ourselves toward salvation or damnation. May God preserve us from the latter and grant us, despite our sins, to receive the former, through his patient love for mankind.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 5/4: Matins 8:30 am
Tuesday 5/5: No Services
Wednesday 5/6: No Services
Thursday 5/7: Matins 8:30 am
Friday 5/8: Matins 8:30 am
Saturday 5/9: Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday 5/10: Hours and Divine Liturgy 9:15
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Christ the Savior Orthodox Church is located in Southbury, Connecticut, and is part of the New England Diocese of the Orthodox Church of America.
Mailing address: Christ the Savior Church, 1070 Roxbury Road, Southbury, CT 06488
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Fr. Moses Locke can be reached at frmoseslocke@gmail.com