Orthodox Daily Devotional
- Orthodox Daily Devotional
Orthodox Daily Devotional
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Saturday of Cheesefare — Commemoration of All Departed Righteous Monastics
🕯️ Today’s Commemorations
- Saturday of Cheesefare — Commemoration of All Departed Righteous Monastics
- Saint Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage (19th c.)
- Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia (9th c.)
- St. Eustathius (Eustace), Archbishop of Antioch (377)
- St. George, Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea (802–811)
- “Kozel’shchansk” Icon of the Mother of God (1881)
On this Cheesefare Saturday, the Church remembers all monks and nuns who have fallen asleep in the Lord — those who bore His yoke in the monastic life and whose prayers continue to intercede for us. We stand at the threshold of the Fast, looking both backward in gratitude and forward in repentance.
📖 Scripture Readings
(From the Orthodox Study Bible, NKJV)
I. Galatians 5:22 – 6:2
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
6:¹ Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
II. Matthew 11:27–30
²⁷ All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
III. Romans 14:19–23; 16:25–27
¹⁹ Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. ²¹ It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. ²² Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
16:²⁵ Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— ²⁷ to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
IV. Matthew 6:1–13
¹ “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
📚 Orthodox Study Bible Commentary
On the Three Disciplines — Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting (Matthew 6)
The Orthodox Study Bible notes that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus assumes His disciples will follow three foundational disciplines that help them attain true righteousness:
Giving alms should be done secretly, before God and not before men (6:1–4). Prayer should follow the model of the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus here reveals to His Church (6:5–15). Fasting should likewise be done to please God, not men (6:16–18).
These disciplines are not optional practices but vital parts of Christian tradition. The motive matters above all. As St. Maximos the Confessor teaches:
Many human activities, good in themselves, are not good because of the motive for which they are done. For example, fasting, vigils, prayer, psalmody, acts of charity and hospitality are by nature good. But when performed for the sake of self-esteem [vainglory] they are not good. In everything we do, God searches out our purpose to see whether we do it for Him or for some other motive.
The Lord’s Prayer itself is the Church’s model of prayer — comprehensive in scope, yet brief in form. It is prayed at every Divine Liturgy, and the Fathers teach it encompasses all human need: worship of God, alignment with His will, provision, forgiveness, and deliverance.
On the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–26)
The ninefold fruit — love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — are not achievements of the will but the natural outgrowth of a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. They stand in contrast to the “works of the flesh” (5:19–21), which spring from self-will.
St. Paul’s teaching flows directly into community life: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (6:2). The fruit of the Spirit is not cultivated in isolation; it is proven in how we treat one another, especially those who are struggling or have fallen.
On Rest in Christ (Matthew 11:27–30)
This passage stands at the heart of the Lord’s self-revelation. No one knows the Father except the Son — and the Son chooses to reveal the Father to us. The invitation that follows is personal and urgent: “Come to Me.”
The monastic saints remembered today answered this call in the most radical way — trading the heavy yokes of the world for the “easy yoke” of Christ’s discipline in prayer, fasting, and charity. Yet Christ’s promise is for all the faithful: rest for your souls. The Orthodox Study Bible connects this directly to the heart of the Christian life: “Knowing the heavy yoke we bear, Jesus promised, ‘My yoke is easy.’”
On Pursuing Peace (Romans 14:19–23; 16:25–27)
Paul’s closing doxology to Romans is a fitting summary for this pre-Lenten Saturday: God alone is wise; glory belongs to Him alone, through Jesus Christ, forever. Our task — to pursue peace and mutual edification, not to stumble one another — is set within this larger cosmic frame. Lent will ask us to lay down many things. Paul reminds us the purpose is not self-mortification as an end, but the building up of one another in love.
🕯️ For Reflection
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The monastics we commemorate today lived the three disciplines of Matthew 6 as their daily rule. How do you practice these disciplines this week as we approach the Great Fast?
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The fruit of the Spirit is singular — “fruit,” not “fruits.” It is one reality with nine expressions. Which aspect of the fruit do you most need to cultivate? Where does it meet resistance in your life?
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“Come to Me, all you who labor.” What burden are you carrying into this Cheesefare Saturday? Bring it to the Lord in prayer today.
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“Bear one another’s burdens.” Who in your community needs restoration in a spirit of gentleness? The threshold of Lent is a good time to reach out.
🙏 Troparion for the Departed
Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Your departed servants, the monastics, where there is neither pain, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting.
Sources: OCA Daily Readings (oca.org), The Orthodox Study Bible (NKJV), St. Maximos the Confessor
Generated: February 21, 2026 — Saturday of Cheesefare
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