Spiritual Reading

In addition to the Scriptures and lives of the saints, the reading of spiritual books is extremely important for our lives as Christians.

Constantly inundated by false ideas and suggestive advertising, it is critical that we nourish our souls with Godly material on a daily basis. Spiritual reading is most effective as part of our daily prayer rule, when our hearts are warm and receptive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

 

Scriptures of the Day

Below are the daily readings prescribed for Orthodox Christians both for liturgical and personal use. Typically there is an epistle and gospel reading each day, however during special seasons and on feast days there may be many more readings.

Saints Remembered Today

In the Orthodox Church there are saints commemorated every day.

The Prologue of Ohrid

One of the most accessible collections of these daily lives of saints is called the Prologue of Ohrid. Each day holds a few brief accounts of the saints remembered, a hymn, a homily, and a spiritual reflection. The Prologue is available in the following formats:

Here is the reading from The Prologue for today:

Daily Saints

The 42 Martyrs of Ammorion (845)

They were taken captive when Amorion in Phrygia fell to the Muslims in 838, during the reign of Emperor Theophilus. Many of them were officers, and because of their status and reputation, their captors, rather than kill them, attempted to convert them to Islam. The forty-two were kept in a miserable dungeon in Syria, where they were alternately promised the highest honors and privileges if they would convert and threatened with the most horrible consequences if they refused. This continued for seven full years, but none would deny his faith in Christ. Finally, unable to shake their faith, their captors beheaded them all in 845.