Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!
Saints of the Day
June 3 / 16. Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium: four youths, Claudius, Hypatius, Paul and Dionysius; and Virgin Paula. Hieromartyr Lucian, and with him Julian and Maximian, at Beauvais in France. Translation of the Relics of the slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow. St. Athanasius, wonderworker of Cilicia. St. Hieria, widow, of Mesopotamia. St. Clotilde Chlotilda), Queen of France. (Greek Calendar: St. Pappos, monk.)
Photo of the Day
This is another photo I took a few days ago during an outing with our holy brotherhood. Hurricane Ridge is in the nearby Olympic Mountains, in the heart of the Olympic National Forest. (Click photo to enlarge)
Thought for the Day
“Beware you do not blindly insist that things must work out according to what you consider to be right and good. God sometimes does permit such blind insistence to be followed by the fulfillment of our ardent desires. This always leads to misery and disaster (intended to open our eyes on our folly), and happens particularly often when our desires are founded on wild passions. Pray to our Lord for guidance, and to His Holy Mother for special protection.”
Staretz Macarius of Optina
Scripture Readings for the Day
Romans 4:4-12
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
David Celebrates the Same Truth
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Abraham Justified Before Circumcision
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Matthew 7:15-21
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.