Daily Bread
Monday, October 7, 2024
When there is a respect for small things, there will be an even greater respect towards the bigger things. When there is no respect for small things, then neither will there be for the bigger ones. This is how the Fathers maintained Tradition.
— Elder Paisios of Mount Athos
Daily Scripture Reading
Galatians 4:28-5:10 (Epistle)
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
Luke 7:36-50 (Gospel)
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.
37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,
38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus
Saint Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord.
Emperor Diocletian’s heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia, was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage.
Pelagia’s reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy bishop told her to be baptized. Saint Pelagia traveled in a chariot to visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole retinue of servants, as her mother wished.
Along the way Saint Pelagia, by the grace of God, met Bishop Linus. Pelagia immediately recognized the bishop who had appeared to her in the dream. She fell at his feet, requesting Baptism. At the bishop’s prayer a spring of water flowed from the ground.
Love Endures When All Else Fails
The word of the day is “endures.” People these days do not value things that last. But when the trials of life come, they realize that they have taken the good things of life for granted, and what is valuable has slipped away from them. Then, they begin to seek something that endures.
In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 13:4-14, Paul answers that quest. It is love. The apostle writes that love “…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (vs. 7).cted.
The Love God Has For Us and the Love We Share
The love that Paul refers to is not the love of romance, friendship, or family. It is the everlasting love that God has for us and the longsuffering love that He gives us to share (1 Thessalonian 3:12).
Note that Paul did not write his soaring hymn to divine love when things were going well. But he wrote his tribute to love amidst the distressing conflicts in the church at Corinth. In this beloved passage, the apostle proclaimed that love is the answer to the pride, envy, and contempt tearing the church apart.
All the Heavenly Gifts Are Useless Without Love
Paul wrote previously about the miraculous supernatural gifts that the Corinthians were vying with one another to possess. He proclaimed that they were nothing without love. He noted that mystical knowledge, weighty prophecy, remarkable faith, generous charity, and even selfless martyrdom were useless without love. All these things and everything that believers may possess in this world will not last.
We learn from our reading that love alone endures. It perseveres through good times or bad. It lives on from one generation to the next. It continues from age to age. The “more excellent way” of love’s mercy, compassion, kindness, longsuffering, goodness, and selflessness reigns in heaven and persists on earth (vs. 12:31).
For Reflection
Yes, love endures. That word means literally “remains behind” (Strong’s #5278 and #5281, 259). That is to say that when love suffers wrongs, it bears all things” (vs. 7). When love is accused and attacked, “it is not easily provoked” (vs. 5). When love sees injustice and dishonesty, it stands for justice and truth. When evil approaches, love does not run the other way but faces wickedness with goodness. In summary, in all things, “love never fails” (vs. 8). It prevails—and endures forever.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 10/7: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday 10/8: no services or events
Wednesday 10/9: no services or events
Thursday 10/10: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Friday 10/11: Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 10/12: Catechumen Class 4:30 pm; Great Vespers 6 pm
Sunday 10/13: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy 9: 15 a.m.
