Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!
Saints of the Day
July 9 / 22. Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily. Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna in Crete. St. Theodore, Bishop of Edessa. Martyrs Patermuthius, Coprius, and Alexander the soldier, in Egypt. Saints Patermuthius and Coprius, ascetics of Egypt. St. Euthymius of Karelia. Blessed Peter, Hieromartyr of Cherevkov (Vologda). (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Andrew and Probus. Saints Dionysius the Rhetorician and Metrophanes of Mt. Athos.) Repose of Hierodeacon Melchizedek of the Roslavl forests (1840). Righteous Patermuphy of Valaam and St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra (1840?).
Photo of the Day
Father Moses, calling the monks to prayer, with the simandron.
Quote of the Day
“Virtue stands in the middle [between excess and defect]. This is the King’s highway of which one of the elders used to say, ‘Walk by the King’s highway and count up the miles.’ The virtues, therefore, as we say, are in the middle between too much and too little. Therefore, it is written, ‘Do not deviate to the right or to the left but walk the King’s highway.’ And as St. Basil says, ‘A man is upright at heart when his estimation of things is not biased towards excess or defect, but goes straight to the middle path of virtue.’ ”
St. Dorotheus of Gaza
Scripture Readings for the Day
1 Corinthians 14:6-19
Tongues Must Be Interpreted
6 But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? 7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? 8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Matthew 20:17-28
Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection
17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
Greatness Is Serving
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.”
23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”