Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!
Saints of the Day
June 4 / 17. St. Metrophanes, first Patriarch of Constantinople. Hieromartyr Astius, Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia. Martyr Concordius of Spoleto. Martyrs Frontasius, Severinus, Severian, and Salanus of Gaul. St. Zosimas of Cilicia, Bishop of Babylon in Egypt. St. Methodius, abbot of Peshnosha, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sophia of Thrace. St. John, abbot of Monagria near Cyzicus. St. Alonius of Scete in Egypt. Saints Mary and Martha, sisters of St. Lazarus. Saints Eleazar and Nazarius, wonderworkers of Olonets. New-Martyrs Archbishops. Andronicus of Perm and Basil of Chernigov, and those with them (1918). Repose of Righteous sisters Vera and Lyubov (June 8), foundresses of Shamordino Convent of Elder Ambrose of Optina (1883).
Photo of the Day
This is my monastic cell. (Click photo to enlarge)
Thought for the Day
“But when He said, ‘That the glory of God might be manifested,’ He spake of Himself, not of the Father; His glory was already manifest. For since they had heard that God made man, taking the dust of the earth, so also Christ made clay. To have said, ‘I am He Who took the dust of the earth and made man,’ would have seemed a hard thing to His hearers; but this when shown by actual working, no longer stood in their way. So that He by taking earth, and mixing it with spittal, showed forth His hidden glory; for no small glory was it that He should be deemed the Architect of the creation.”
St. John Chrysostom
Scripture Readings for the Day
Romans 4:13-25
The Promise Granted Through Faith
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Matthew 7:21-23
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. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’