Our venerable father Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. His mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years old. Transported by the manner and example of St. Simeon, Daniel stood on a column, not subdued by force of cold or heat or wind, for thirty-three years and three months. St. Daniel also possessed the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives as a priest of Constantinople. The monk reposed in his eightieth year in 489.
You became a column of endurance and rivaled the forefathers, O venerable one, becoming like Job in your sufferings and like Joseph in your trials, and like the bodiless angels though you lived in the flesh. O Daniel our father, intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.
Having ascended the pillar like a radiant star, O blessed One, you illumined the world with your venerable deeds, and dispelled the darkness of deception, O Father, therefore we pray you: shine forth even now the never setting light of understanding into the hearts of your servants.
Hebrews 10:1-18
Brothers and sisters: Since the law had only a shadow of the good things to come, and no real image of them, it was never able to perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices offered continually year after year. Were matters otherwise, the priests would have stopped offering them, for the worshipers, once cleansed, would have had no sin on their conscience. But through those sacrifices there came only a yearly recalling of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take sins away. Wherefore, on coming into the world, Jesus said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me; holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the book, I have come to do your will, O God.’” First Jesus says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” (These are offered according to the prescription of the law.) Then he says, “I have come to do your will.” In other words, Jesus takes away the first covenant to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Every other priest stands ministering day by day, and offering again and again those same sacrifices for sins and can never take away sins. But Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are placed beneath his feet. By one offering he has forever perfected those who are being sanctified. The Holy Spirit attests this to us, for after saying, “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days says the Lord: I will out my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds,” he also says, “Their sins and their transgressions I will remember no more.” Once these have been forgiven, there is no further offering for sin.
Mark 8: 30-34
At that time Jesus gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer much, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, but put to death, and ride three days later. He said these things quite openly. Peter then took Jesus aside to remonstrate him. At this Jesus turned around and, eyeing the disciple, reprimanded Peter. “Get out of my sight, you satan! You are not judging by God’s standards but by man’s!” Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them: “If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps.”
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Tuesday, December 10 –
