Our venerable father Athanasius of Mt. Athos, hegumen, humble and peaceful, who founded the cenobitic way of living in the Great Lavra. Despite many trials, he was father to many monks who followed his ascetic model. He lived during the end of the 10th century.
The angels in heaven marveled at your life on earth, for you occupied your flesh as a spirit from on high. You disarmed legions of demons, O glorious saint, and Christ rewarded you with bountiful gifts. Because of this, O Father, we ask you now to pray for the salvation of all.
Your flock invokes you as a man of special sight and a zealous preacher of God, O inspired saint. Do not cease praying for your servants that they may be delivered from attacks and assaults. We cry to you: Rejoice, O father Athanasius.
Galatians 5:22 – 6:2
Brothers and sisters: The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity. Against such there is no law! Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the spirit, let us follow the spirit’s lead. Let us never be boastful, or challenging, or jealous toward one another.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is detected in sin, you who live by the spirit should gently set him right, each of you trying to avoid falling into temptation himself. Help carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Luke 6: 17-23
The Lord said to his disciples: “everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father but the Son– and anyone whom the Son wished to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
1 Corinthians 7:35 – 8:7
Brothers and sisters: I am going into this [advice] for your own good. I have no desire to place restrictions on you, but I want to promote what is good, what will help you devote yourselves entirely to the Lord.
If anyone thinks he is behaving dishonorably toward his virgin because a certain critical moment has come and it seems that something should be done, let him do as he wishes. He commits no sin if there is a marriage. The man, however, who stands firm in his resolve, who while without constraint and free to carry out his will, makes up his mind to keep his virgin, also acts rightly. To sum up: the man who marries his virgin acts fittingly; the one who does not, will do better.
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies she is free to marry, but on one condition, that it be in the Lord. She will be happier, though, in my opinion, if she stays unmarried. I am persuaded that in this I have the Spirit of God.
Now about meats that have been offered to idols. Of course we all “know” about that. But whereas “knowledge” inflates, love upbuilds. If a man thinks he knows something, that means he has never really known it as he ought. But if anyone loves God, that man is known by him. So then, about this matter of eating meats that have been offered to idols: we know that an idol is really nothing, and that there is no God but one. Even though there are so-called gods in the heavens and on the earth – there are, to be sure, many such “gods” and “lords” – for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live.
Not all, of course, possess this “knowledge.” Because some were so recently devoted to idols, they eat meat, fully aware that it has been sacrificed, and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled by the eating.
Matthew 15: 29-31
At that time Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up onto the mountainside and sat down there. Large crowds of people came to him bringing with them cripples, the deformed, the blind, the mute, and many others besides. They laid them at his feet and he cured them. The result was great astonishment in the crowds as they beheld the mute speaking, the deformed made sound, cripples walking about, and the blind seeing. They glorified the God of Israel.
Icon courtesy of Jack Figel, Eastern Christian Publications – ecpubs.com
Thursday, July 4 –
