Old Style
January 27
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Tuesday |
New Style
February 9
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37th Week after Pentecost.
Tone 3.
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Fast-free period.
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Translation of the relics of St. John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (438).
St. Peter of Egypt (v). New Martyr Demetrius, at Constantinople (1784). St. Demetrius Klepinine, priest, of Paris (1944).
Repose of Nun Neonilla of the Farther Davidov Convent (1875) and Schemanun Margarita (Lakhtionova) of Diveyevo (1997).
Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Tuesday. [James 3:1–10; Mark 11:11–23]
The Lord took away His blessing from the fig tree which
was rich with leaves but had no fruit, and it dried up.
This is a lesson in action. The fig tree represents people
who in appearance are proper, but in essence are not
worthy of approval. Who are these people? They are those
who eloquently discourse about the faith, but do not have
that faith—they hold the objects of faith in the
intellect only. They are those whose outward behaviour is
proper but their feelings and dispositions are very
improper, and they manifest proper works only to hide
their impropriety from people; whenever possible, they do
not do these works. For example, such a person gives alms
when someone asks of him in front of people, but ask him
in private and he will berate you. He goes to church to
pray to God, prays in sight of everyone, and prays at home
as well, so as to not bring shame upon himself before his
household. But as soon as he is alone, he does not even
make the sign of the cross over his brow. He does not have
any idea about turning to God with the mind and heart. Let
us pray that God will not allow us to be as these. For
then we will not escape the judgement pronounced over the
fig tree.
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