All Saints of America Church
- DeQueen, Arkansas -
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Lives of the Saints & Reading Scripture
Lives of Saints are the Key to understanding scripture

In the United States alone, there are over 45,000 recorded “Christian” denominations as of 2025. The rejection or misguided use of the Lives of the Saints—which continue the Acts of the Holy Apostles—by those guided by individual philosophical beliefs among the heterodox, should serve as a grave warning to any Orthodox Christian who believes it unnecessary to read the Lives of the Saints alongside daily Scripture readings.

To believe that we are capable of interpreting Scripture according to our own faculty is spiritually dangerous and delusional. We must heed the words of the Lord: “Come and see.” Through the Lives of the Saints, we bear witness to what the path of salvation truly looks like. The faith is living—once delivered and unchanged throughout the centuries—just as its Author and One Shepherd is.

The Holy Apostle Peter warns in his second epistle: "...even as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom which was given to him, wrote to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the rest of Scriptures, to their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, since ye know these things beforehand, be on your guard lest, having been led away by the error of the lawless, ye should fall from your own steadfastness, but keep on increasing in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (2 Peter 3:15-18).

“Read diligently the Lives of the Saints, for they are a living Gospel. In them Christ lives in different persons and circumstances, and you will find in them the path to salvation made plain” from St. John of Kronstadt. And wisdom fromSt. Ephraim the Syrian (4th century) “When you remember the Saints, be eager to emulate their faith, their life, their patience in suffering, their love, their humility, that you may also share in their crowns of glory.”

The reading of the lives of the Orthodox Saints safe guards our hearts and minds from twisting the meaning of the rule of our life (Holy Scriptures), because in their lives the Scriptures are manifested in the Spirit of Truth. We are to emulate their life, so we also can have life. 

 

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Below is a chart for daily readings of Scripture that was popularized by the Optina Elders. It consists of one chapter from the Gospels, two chapters from the Epistles, and one Kathisma from the Psalter, following a cycle of 89 days. This reading plan should be undertaken with a blessing and the spiritual guidance of your priest. 
Directions: Click on the image to view the whole document or choose the down arrow to download. 

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Daily Reading: Gospel, Epistles, Psalter
Scripture and Commentary