Holy Grand Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr), Equal-to-the-Apostles, Named Basil at Holy Baptism (1015). Holy Martyrs Cyricus and Julitta, His Mother.
All-Night Vigil Feast. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.
Galatians 1:11-19. John 10:1-8.
Read Galatians 1:11-19
Paul’s life, as he recounts in this Epistle reading, provides a blueprint, a broad picture of what life looks like before and after encountering Christ.
The first stage is the life separated from Christ—the life subject to the prince of darkness.
Paul’s experience of this subjecthood was particularly violent. Most people far from Christ don’t live the life distant from Christ with such violence, but all are separated from the lifegiving presence of the Lord. Life separated from the Lord can only lead to darkness and death. We all need to be rescued from this.
This brings us to the second stage—the encounter with Christ. The Lord Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and transformed his life. Likewise, our encounter with Christ brings about our own transformation. Like He did with Paul, Christ calls us through His grace.
The third stage is the call to action and mission. Paul’s encounter with Christ compelled him to dedicate his life to preaching the Gospel to the gentiles. This was Paul’s mission and his response to Christ. We too have a mission to carry out and the Lord gives us the grace and the ability to do it.
What is your mission? What is your mission today? To whom in your life can you be a witness to Christ? Pray to the Lord for wisdom and guidance and, like with Paul, He will empower you to live out your mission.