Monday, 8 January 2024

Monday of the 32nd week after Pentecost

267 days after Pascha · Tone 6 · Liturgy · No Fast

Saints commemorated

Our Venerable Mother Domnica

c. 474

She was born in Rome and reared in the love of Christ. She secretly left her parents’ house and traveled by ship to Alexandria, where she found lodging with four virtuous pagan maidens. By her example and counsel these four were in time led to abandon idolatry and embrace Domnica’s faith. The five then sailed to Constantinople, where it is said that the Patriarch Nectarius (October 11) was notified of their coming by an angel and met them at the dock. The Patriarch baptized the four maidens himself, giving them the names Dorothea, Evanthia, Nonna and Timothea, then settled them and Domnica in a monastery. Soon the fame of Domnica’s pure life, wise teaching, and wondrous healings spread throughout the city, and even the Emperor Theodosius, with the Empress and his court, came to see her. Soon the crowds made it impossible for her and her sisters to live the heavenly life for which they had entered the monastery; so they relocated the monastery to a remote, demon-haunted location where executions had once commonly been performed, since everyone avoided the area. Here a new monastery was built by order of the Emperor, and the sisters found peace. Saint Domnica’s fame continued, and she became not only a healer but an oracle for the city of Constantinople, prophesying the death of the Emperor Theodosius and the unrest which followed it. She reposed in peace, having first entrusted the care of the monastery to Dorothea. At the moment of her death, the whole monastery was shaken, and those present saw Saint Domnica dressed as a bride, being borne heavenward escorted by a company of white-clad monks and nuns.

Righteous Domnica

Righteous Domnica was a pious woman venerated in the Orthodox Church for her virtue and spiritual devotion. Limited historical records survive regarding her life, but she is commemorated on 8 January as a righteous soul who lived in holiness and served the Church. She is included among the saints celebrated on this feast day in the Orthodox liturgical calendar.

Saint George the Chozebite

Saint George of Chozeba was a Cypriot monk who spent his monastic life at the Choziba monastery in the Wadi Qelt near Jericho in Palestine. After residing for many years within the monastic community, he withdrew from the monastery and lived as a hermit in the surrounding desert, maintaining the monastic discipline of prayer and fasting. He came out from his hermitage only on Sundays to attend the liturgical services with the community and to engage in spiritual counsel with his brother monks. Through his ascetic labour and prayer, Saint George became known as a holy man whose intercession was sought by the faithful. He reposed in peace and is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on this feast day.

Saint Theophilos

Saint Theophilos is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on 8 January. Information about this particular saint is limited in widely available sources, but he is venerated as a faithful servant of Christ. Saint Theophilos appears in the Orthodox liturgical calendar as one of the saints celebrated on this feast day.

Saint Atticus, Patriarch of Constantinople

425

Born in Sebaste in Armenia, he was reared by monks who held to the heresy of Macedonius, which denied the uncreated divinity of the Holy Spirit; but when he came of age he rejected this error and embraced the Orthodox faith. He settled in Constantinople and became a priest in the Great Church. Though he had little formal education, his amazing memory, his zeal for Christ, and his powerful sermons recommended him to all, and he was elected Patriarch in 406, during the reign of the Emperor Arcadius. He served as shepherd to the Church for twenty years, ruling always with wisdom and moderation. Though he was unbending in upholding the Faith exactly, he took a conciliatory, persuasive approach to heretics and schismatics; in this way he was able to restore many to the Church rather than driving them away. His best-known single act is his restoration of the name of St John Chrysostom to the diptychs. Saint John had been unjustly denied commemoration in the Patriarchate since his exile, which had led to a schism; restoration of his commemoration not only corrected a grave injustice but healed a schism. Saint Atticus also presided over the rededication of the Agia Sophia, which had been burned in 404 in the rioting that followed St John Chrysostom’s exile. He reposed in peace in 425.

Saint Severinus

482

St. Severinus came to the borderland of present-day Gemany and Austria from the east — possibly the Egyptian desert — to care for the Roman Christians who were endangered by invading barbarians during the collapse of the Roman Empire. He remained there until the end of his life. While he was there he advised both common people and kings to put eternal life first, and taught them to be generous to one another and to lead a true Christian life. He built a monastery and protected from harm those who gathered around him. As he foretold, the monks and other Christians who had followed him escaped to safety in Italy, taking St. Severinus’ incorrupt relics with them. His relics are still honored in Frattamaggiore, Italy (near Naples). —from the 2006 Saint Herman Calendar

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

James — James 2.14-26

¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him? ¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, ¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁶And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. ¹⁸Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. ¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ¹⁹Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? ²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²²Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; ²²Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ²³And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ²³and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. ²⁴Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁴Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. ²⁵And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? ²⁵Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? ²⁶For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 17.20-25

²⁰And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

²⁰And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: ²¹Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ²¹neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. ²²And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

²²And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. ²³And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. ²³And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them: ²⁴For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. ²⁴for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day. ²⁵But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. ²⁵But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.