Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 Fast Day
Martyr Pamphilos, Priest of Caesarea in Palestine
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 8:1-22 Epistle: 1 Peter 4:1-11 Gospel: St. Mark 12:28-37
First of All Commandments: 28-37, especially vss. 29, 30: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD
is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength." The Lord Jesus once answered a scribe (Mk. 12:28) by reciting the "Shema," the six words of Deuteronomy
6:4, following it with Deut. 6:5, and adding the Divine Commandment from Leviticus 19:18, as being "like it" (Mk. 12:31).
The scribe appreciated the Lord's answer: "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there
is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the
strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (vss. 32,33).
The Rabbis point out that the six words of the "Shema" are "the best-known words in Judaism's liturgy, the 'watchword' of
Israel's faith." The name, "Shema," is a transliteration of the Hebrew word, "Hear," from the six words. Jews see the
principles in this command "as rays shining forth from the 'Shema,' as from a diamond set into a crown of faith and proven
true and enduring in human history." Christ calls it "the first of all the commandments"(vs. 29), so let us turn our attention
to it as to sacred truth which must be considered and lived.
Seeing that this "first of all the commandments" enjoins upon us the task "to go forward to the perfection of love and to
learn to know Him Who is truly beloved," St. Basil the Great warns us that "it is not the privilege of any chance person" to
attain this goal, but belongs only to "him who has already 'put off the old man, which is being corrupted through its
deceptive lusts, and has put on the new man' (Eph. 4:22), which is being renewed that it may be recognized as an image of
the Creator." The "Shema" is not theory, but a practice to live.
Let us understand that we committed ourselves to this work of "learning to know Him Who is truly beloved" when we
chose to be "buried with [the Lord Jesus] through Baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). God has been very frank with us: He is
ready to transform all who are Baptized into the Mystery of Christ and offers to each the opportunity to "be a partaker of
[His] Resurrection" so long as each one preserves "the gift of Thy Holy Spirit," and increases "the measure of grace
committed unto him." Such "is not the privilege of any chance person," but of those who take the Lord's yoke upon
themselves to labor (Mt. 11:29).
St. Basil emphasizes this same truth but with the caution that "as much love as you shall have squandered on lower objects,
that much will necessarily be lacking to you from the whole." In other words, "he who loves money and is aroused by the
corruptible beauty of the body and esteems exceedingly this little glory here, since he has expended the power of loving on
what is not proper, he is quite blind in regard to the contemplation of Him Who is truly beloved." The Lord insists that we
"shall love [Him] with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] mind, and with all [our] strength" (Mk. 12:30; Deut.
6:5).
Fickle as we are, how can we possibly do this? We cannot love when ordered to do so. St. Basil understands this and
encourages us: "we did not learn to love God as a result of outside instruction. In the very nature of every human being has
been sown the seed of the ability to love. You and I ought to welcome this seed, cultivate it carefully, nourish it attentively,
and foster its growth by going to the school of God's commandments with the help of His grace."
May my prayer draw near to Thee, O Lord. Grant me Thy holy seed, that I might bring Thee a harvest of sheaves
abundant in good fruits and say, "Glory to Thee Who givest me life."
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The Venerable Finan, Bishop of Lindisfarne
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 9:1-14 Epistle: 1 Peter 4:12-5:5 Gospel: St. Mark 12:38-44
St. Mark 12:38-44, especially vs. 43: "So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them,
'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury....'" Today,
inflation has so eroded the value of the little penny, taking away even the poor thing's copper heart, that the majority of
people will not bend down to pick up one that has dropped on a parking lot or sidewalk. Still, in commerce and business,
despite devaluation, one can hear people say that they hope "to get their two cents worth." Well then, Beloved, do you
think the widow got her two cents worth?
St. Jerome observes that though "the widow in the Gospel...was but a poor widow [she] was richer than all the people of
Israel. She had," he notes, "but a grain of mustard seed, but she put her leaven in the measures of flour; and, tempering her
confession of the Father and of the Son with the grace of the Holy Spirit, cast her two pennies into the treasury. All the
substance that she had, all her possessions she offered in the two testaments of her faith. These are like the two Seraphim
which glorify the Trinity with threefold song and are stored among the treasures of the Church. They are like the two legs
of the tongs by which live coal is caught up to cleanse the sinner's lips." By her pure intention she bought heaven with two
small copper coins.
The whole of the matter when we give tithes and offerings, pray to the Lord, worship in His Holy Temple, spend time and
invest energy in any work of the Kingdom of Christ, is built on the foundation of intention - for better or for worse. St.
John Chrysostom says of the widow that "since it was not money but rather her intention that prevailed, that woman
received everything because she demonstrated firm conviction."
However, when it comes to intent, and we examine carefully the vitality of our intentions, how often we find that inwardly
our souls function like poor widows, with little to offer to our All-giving Lord! We declared, "I have united myself to
Christ, believe in Him as King and God and bow down also before Him." But, let each of us admit with the Pilgrim: "I do
not love God. For if I loved God I should be continually thinking about Him with heartfelt joy....On the contrary, I much
more often and much more eagerly think about earthly things, and thinking about God is labor and dryness." Have we only
two cents worth of intention with God?
What then? Shall we not at least give that little bit of love and devotion that we do have to our loving Savior? "Lord, I
believe, help my unbelief" (Mk. 9:24)! Let us offer our paltry love to our King and our God and have joy in it, for even this
one tiny mite - our imperfect love - when offered together with the mite of repentance, will be received with "joy in
heaven" (Lk. 15:7). These are the two mites that our poor widowed souls can offer to God in hope.
Make no mistake about it: He sits "opposite the treasury and [sees] how the people put money into the treasury" (Mk.
12:41). Even our shame at our lackluster love is the beginning of repentance. It is a tiny mite, but it is something. It
represents the first waking breath within us of the knowledge of how very greatly God loves us. Keep this truth in mind!
And, let us reflect on the true Giver, the Lover, the One Who became poor for our sake, that we might be rich (2 Cor 8:9).
Though we have no basis for pride in what we give, let us give, and pray, worship, and invest ourselves to the degree that
His love stirs up even a tiny response in our shrunken hearts. For when the widowed soul "out of her poverty [puts] in all
that she [has], her whole livelihood" (Mk. 12:44), God sees and blesses her with His great love. She surely got her two
cents worth!
O Lord God Almighty, Who alone art Holy; Who dost accept the sacrifice of praise from those who call upon Thee with
their whole heart, Accept also the prayer of us sinners.
Friday, February 18, 2005 Fast Day
The Venerable Colman, Bishop of Lindisfarne
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 9:15-10:1 Epistle: 2 Peter 1:1-10 Gospel: St. Mark 13:1-8
St. Mark 13:1-8, especially vss. 5, 6: "And Jesus, answering them, began to say: 'Take heed that
no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.'" What a treasure we
have, Beloved of the Lord! We have been joined to the only One Who may be followed fearlessly, the True One Himself,
the Source of Life (Jn. 14:6). Therefore, let us "take heed" to His warning not to be deceived, as St. John of Kronstadt also
reminds us: "Having Christ in your heart, fear that you may lose Him, and with Him the peace of your heart. It is hard to
begin again; efforts to attach oneself afresh to Him after falling away will be very grievous, and in many cases will cause
bitter tears. Cling to Christ with all your might, hold fast to Him, and do not lose boldness in approaching Him."
Counterfeit christs abound, and they approach the Faithful in many forms, appearing as friends, wise teachers, renown
authorities, personages of fame and credentials and even of world-wide recognition. "Take heed that no one deceives you"
(Mk. 13:5)! Remember also, deceivers come often with fervent belief in their messages, "deceiving and being deceived" (2
Tim. 3:13). So how do we "take heed" not to lose Christ from our hearts? Let us take strength frequently and regularly as
the Holy Spirit provides, through the Church: from Her Scriptures, Her Liturgy and Holy Mysteries, Her Sacred Icons, and
Her Holy Fathers and Mothers, the Saints.
For two thousand years, the Spirit has never ceased to pour out His blessings upon the Church in abundance, ever making a
way for those who entreat the Savior and Lord with their whole heart (Ps. 118:58 LXX). Carefully, over the centuries, the
Holy Spirit crafted the Divine life into a vibrant grove of fruit-bearing trees, types of those trees which will line the street of
the New Jerusalem, "each yielding its fruit every month....for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2). Therefore, let us
never be counted among the "many" whom the Lord told us would be deceived.
Instead, the Holy Fathers encourage us to read the Scriptures. As St. John Chrysostom says, "Reading the Holy Scriptures
is like a treasure. With a treasure, you see, anyone able to find a tiny nugget gains for himself great wealth; likewise in the
case of Sacred Scripture, you can get from a small phrase a great wealth of thought and immense riches. The Word of God
is not only like a treasure, but is also like a spring gushing with ever flowing waters in a mighty flood."
Also, the healing texts of the Liturgy are satisfying fruits written by the Fathers over many centuries and available for
nourishment. As the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol said: "The influence of the Divine Liturgy can be great and incalculable
if a person makes it a rule to apply in life what he has heard there. Teaching all equally, acting equally on all conditions
and all professions, from the emperor down to the poorest beggar, the Liturgy teaches love which is the bond of all
fellowship, the hidden spring of everything which keeps all life in rhythmic motion." The great scholar of iconography,
Leonid Ouspensky, describes how it is that the Icon, as liturgic art, "does not define itself as an art belonging to one or
another historical epoch, nor as the expression of the national peculiarities of one or another people." Rather, "in its
essence the icon...never served religion, but like the word, has always been and is an integral part of religion, one of the
instruments for the knowledge of God, one of the means of communion with Him." If you would hold fast to Christ,
reverence Him as the Spirit provides through His Holy Icons.
Finally, in the accounts of the lives of the Saints and in the writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers, the Spirit presents
Christ to us as we follow their examples and seek their prayers. O Eternal King, when Thou didst cleanse the substance of
mankind and anointed it with the Spirit, Thou didst destroy the powers of darkness and translate mankind to life immortal.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
The Venerable Martyr Philothea of Athens
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 10:1-16 Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:11-19 Gospel: St. Luke 18:2-8
St. Luke 18:2-8, especially vs. 3, "Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying,
'Get justice for me from my adversary.'" St. Cyril of Alexandria, in commenting on the Lord Jesus' parable of the unjust
judge, challenges all Christians to "examine who it is that offends against them." It is an intriguing question for the Faithful
in Christ to explore in this advanced age. The Patriarch identifies a number of adversaries who troubled the "holy
ministers, teachers....and servants" of the Lord during the fifth century: heretics, those who "smite and scorn us,
even...inflict violence upon us," those who "make merchandise of the word of uprightness and prevail on many to abandon
a sound faith, involving them in inventions of devilish error,"and those who fiercely resist "those who would live well: who
cast into the pitfalls of wickedness whoever slumbers; who plant in us the seeds of every sin."
It does not take much "reading between the lines" to see that we have the same sorts of adversaries today as existed in fifth
century Alexandria. Our present ones function under different banners and with names unknown in St. Cyril's generation,
but they are active to draw away the unwary from the Gospel of life and truth. To the few heretics of St. Cyril's day, let us
point today to a horde of sectarians, self-appointed theologians and experts in matters of faith. Many of these hold forth in
so-called seminaries and universities holding impressive degrees and credentials. There are those today who openly vow to
smite and inflict violence upon us and are diligently seeking ways to do so. The media are filled with a rising tide of those
who hawk religion to the unwary. And who can even begin to account for the numerous purveyors of moral corruption that
are seeking to convince the innocent that evil is good and good evil? Pray for us Holy Father Cyril that Christ will find
abiding faith among His People in this generation!
Notice our Lord's warning at the conclusion of the parable: "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge
His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" (vss. 6,7). Christ calls our attention to
the fact that, in time, the persistence of the importunate widow broke through the judge's self-interest, so that he granted
her a settlement against her adversary. Are we to identify God with the judge? Not at all! Rather, let us draw the point the
Lord is trying to reveal: that if a wicked, self-serving, callous human judge can respond to persistent pleas - no matter his
motivation - then be assured that the compassionate, caring, loving God will most definitely "avenge His own elect who cry
out day and night to Him" (vs. 7). That is the exact point where story joins genuine, unremitting prayer.
Hence, the issue for us as Christians is maintaining persistent prayer - shall we be found standing before God unwavering in
prayer for justice before our adversaries (1 Thess. 5:17)? And what keeps us steady at prayer? Principally, it is faith. So
the final question is put to us: "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (vs. 8). Father
Matthew the Poor observes: "Faith and will are intimately related, distinct but indivisible. In meeting the paralytic (Jn.
5:6): "Do you want to be healed?" Christ stressed the primacy of will or desire in faith. It is only when we will something
that we can be counted worthy of God's response." Still, take the Lord's warning into consideration - God sometimes
"bears long" with us, seems to delay. Yet, as St. John of the Ladder assures us: "Do not say, after spending a long time at
prayer, that nothing has been gained; for you have already gained something. What higher good is there than to cling to the
Lord and persevere in unceasing union with Him?"
Accept the prayer of us sinners and make us worthy to find grace in Thy sight, that our prayers may be acceptable unto
Thee, and the good Spirit of Thy grace may dwell upon us.
Sunday of the Publican & the Pharisee Tone 5: Fast Free Week
February 20, 2005
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 10:17-27 Epistle: 2 Timothy 3:10-15 Gospel: St. Luke 18:9-14
St. Luke 18:9-14, especially vs. 14: "...for everyone who exalts himself, will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted." The Holy Fathers commend the cry of repentance, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have
mercy on me a sinner," as the best means for humbling oneself. The prayers of the Liturgy likewise expect us to struggle
for humility before God, for they beseech God that we "...complete the remaining time of our life in peace and
repentance." Is it possible to achieve a constant and pure humility of heart and mind? Obviously not if we adopt the
attitude of the Pharisee, congratulating ourselves on our piety (Lk. 18:11-12). Rather, that which the Lord highlights
concerning the attitude of the Publican is offered as the true way to humility, for "...this man went down to his house
justified" (vs. 14).
First, we learn that the Publican "stood afar off" (vs.13). From whom or what did he distance himself? He saw little good
in himself compared with anyone else in the Temple, such as the pious Pharisee. He saw that he was far from God.
Therefore, he "...would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven..." (vs. 13). Like King David, who was pierced to the heart
by his sins of adultery and murder, the Publican could only bow down before the Lord. His downcast eyes admit exactly
what David said to God: "Against Thee only have I sinned..." (Ps. 50:4 LXX).
Wait! Does King David's statement make sense? Uriah, a good, loyal soldier lay dead. Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, was
violated and pregnant with David's child. What of the sin the king committed against this couple? But King David
understood that, first and foremost, his sin was against God. Beloved of the Lord, the eye of our God is "too pure to behold
evil" (Hab. 1:13 LXX). Hence, let us also confess that sin has separated us from the King of all.
Second, of course, sin also separates us from other Christians. As St. Paul looked into his own soul, he knew himself as
chief of all sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). No matter how others perceived him - as a great, vigorous, strict champion of the Law
or as a righteous man - Christ's revelation of Himself to Paul laid bare to the Apostle the worst in his life, thoughts, and
deeds. May the Holy Spirit disclose our sins to us, and may He show us clearly how our sins have violated the trust we
have with the Church of God. Sin damages communion, compromises our fellow Christians, abandons them in their
struggles, and weakens the entire witness of the Church before the world. Let us "stand afar off" and mourn our sins.
Third, the Publican "beat his breast" (vs. 13). The man had violated his own soul. Every sin wreaks havoc with our own
highest and best. We denigrate and mar the precious image of God within us, to our shame and loss. However, notice the
words of the man whom God deems truly forgiven: "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (vs. 13). We recognize these words.
They are the second portion of the Jesus Prayer, verbatim. They illumine the pathway to reconciliation. In them is the hope
of restoration, a balm that speeds God's healing of His broken image within us.
Let us determine to rouse our conscience and galvanize the shreds of faith still in us. Let us, like the Publican, cry out to
God, "Have mercy upon me a sinner!" Of course not mouthed routinely, but in a cry from pain of heart offered contritely
before the throne of God. It is possible to achieve a healing repentance if we allow God to open our eyes and show us
ourselves as we are before Him. Then we may cry out fruitfully:
O Lord God of my salvation, Savior and Benefactor of my soul, I am truly sorry for all my transgressions. I firmly resolve
to amend my life. Implant in me the fear of Thy blessed commandments, that I may trample down all carnal desire and
lead a godly life, ever pleasing Thee, walking uprightly in Thy statutes unto life eternal with all of Thy Saints.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Eustathios, Archbishop of Antioch
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 11:1-15 Epistle: 2 Peter 1:20-2:9 Gospel: St. Mark 13:9-13
St. Mark 13:9-13, especially vs. 13: "...But he who endures to the end shall be saved." In today's
Gospel the Lord Jesus warn us concerning the possible consequences in one's life and family relationships for professing
Christ. He begins with a blunt caution: "...watch out for yourselves..." (vs. 9). Later in this same chapter, He will again
admonish and urge us to keep alert and watchful for His return (vss. 33,35,37).
If you skim through the passage, notice that the specifics of the Lord's warnings parallel, step by step, what later occurred
to Him in His Passion, events that will be described in the next two chapters (Mk. 14-15). As you glance ahead, notice that
the final teachings of our Lord in this chapter transition directly into the plot against Him in the next (Mk.14:1-2). In love,
the Lord is warning us fairly to count in advance the cost of discipleship and the price of our salvation.
The sufferings of the Lord in His Passion, as well as the afflictions which countless martyrs and confessors have endured,
raise a serious question: "Why follow Christ if arrest, beating, interrogation, public confession, betrayal, hatred, and
execution are possibilities?" Let us be forthright: there are many answers to such a question, but the true answer is
salvation - our eternal life (vs. 13). If we call ourselves Christians, let us heed St. Makarios of Egypt's chilling observation
that "Many are moved by repentance and many become partakers of heavenly grace and are wounded by divine love; but
unable to bear the ensuing tribulations and the wily and versatile assaults of the devil, they submit to the world and are
submerged in its depths." Sadly, some who profess Christ will hear Him say, "I never knew you" (Mt. 7:23).
As the Lord advises, let us count the cost of discipleship in advance, (Lk. 14:28-30). If we do, we shall admit freely that
there are real, tangible benefits in deciding against discipleship. Uninhibited pleasures in this life are the principle reason
for deciding against Christian Faith. However, let us also examine the ineffable benefits of the great salvation to which we
are called. Genuine humanity is found only in Christ. Deliverance from sin and eternal death is of incalculable worth,
beyond all measure. Even union with God becomes a radiant possibility.
The world offers what can be touched, consumed, held, and tasted. Committing to Christ sometimes implies forgoing
momentary pleasures. However, when one looks at the confusion, bitterness, and sterility that so often accompany
unbridled indulgence, the Gospel promises of love, hope, faith, life, light, integrity, and purity shine very brightly.
Having looked at the "why" of being Christ's disciple, let us also look, with the Lord, at what may have to be endured to be
saved. Loyalty to the Lord Jesus may require us to resist social consensus (vs. 9), to advocate for the Gospel (vss. 10-11),
or to deny some family demands (vs. 12). Such resisting, such taking of a stand, may exact a price ranging from loss of life
to the surrender of some mere trifle. Make no mistake: the secular culture we live in constantly presses against loyalty to
Christ, incessantly demanding that we defend our beliefs, values, and practices. These pressures are the essential price of
enduring "to the end," in order to be saved (vs. 13).
Finally, how long may one have to endure? In one respect, the answer is simple. Until the "end." And when is that? The
Apostle teaches that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). In other words, we
have to endure until we are judged. And so we pray for "a Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, peaceful; and a
good defense before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ."
Yea, let my humble heart be lighted by Thy fear lest it rise and fall from Thee, O all compassionate One. Purify me before
Thou raisest me from this place.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
The Martyr Anthusa
1st Vespers of 1st & 2nd Discoveries of the Head of Forerunner: Isaiah 40:1-3, 9; 41:17-18; 45:20-21; 54:1 LXX
Epistle: 2 Peter 2:9-22 Gospel: St. Mark 13:14-23
St. Mark 13:14-23, especially vs. 14: "....let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." In the face of
threatening circumstances, wisdom often dictates rapid departure, or in plain terms, fleeing. In today's reading, the Lord
Jesus says quite plainly that life will occasionally suggest good reasons for taking flight, and He gives an example of an
appropriate time to withdraw. Furthermore, He counsels that, when circumstances dictate a quick retreat, we should not
just leave, but really flee - get away as fast as possible. Most important, the Lord suggests the basic reason for choosing to
flee.
What constitutes a genuinely threatening circumstance according to what the Lord teaches in this passage? To appreciate
His words fully, some background is helpful: first, He uttered His counsel about flight during the final days before his
arrest, while He was teaching in and around the Temple precincts (Mk. 12:35,41; 13:1,3). Also, His mention of the
"abomination of desolation" (Mk. 13:14), made reference to prior events well-known to His first-century listeners, events
with allusions involving the Temple. Subsequent events after the Lord's own Crucifixion and Resurrection add even
greater weight to the Lord Jesus' teaching.
The Lord warned the disciples that they would "see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the Prophet,
standing where it ought not" (vs. 14). In the sixth century BC, the Prophet Daniel had prophesied that a time would come
when "the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up" (Dan. 12:11). Centuries later, during
the time of the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-169 BC) , a desecration of that sort occurred when the king
"erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering" (1 Macc. 1:54) in the Temple and generally sought to
eradicate every trace of Judaism in Judea.
Since those acts of profanation were past history, the Lord was warning of a future act of sacrilege, one so appalling that the
Temple would be abandoned by God. At the beginning of the revolt against the Romans in 66 AD, Jewish forces led by the
Zealots at first were successful against the Twelfth Legion of Rome. Still, many knew that the Romans would return in
force.
The Zealots, in the flush of victory, took over the Temple and permitted outlaws to carry out all sorts of terrible crimes
within the Temple, including murder and dressing up in mockery of the High Priest. A former High Priest said at that time:
"It would have been far better for me to have died before I had seen the house of God laden with such abominations." Most
Jewish members of the Church saw these events as the signs of which the Lord had warned and they fled to Pella across the
Jordan River. Wisdom from the Lord's prophecies taught them to flee. There clearly are times when withdrawal is
indicated, and flight by God's People is fully warranted.
When it is clear that flight is appropriate, one should not hesitate, as the Lord urges (Mk. 13:15,16). By God's mercy, flight
will not be necessary for nursing mothers nor during harsh weather (vss. 17,18). The early Christians who heeded the
Lord's prophecy during the Jewish wars fled Jerusalem without grave difficulties. As Eusebios says in his Ecclesiastical
History: "those who believed in Christ migrated from Jerusalem. Once the holy men had completely left the Jews and all
Judea, the justice of God at last overtook them [the Jews], since they had committed such transgressions against Christ and
His Apostles."
One should flee to hold fast to Christ and to reject "false christs and false prophets" (vs. 22), and many Christians rightly
have fled when social darkness threatened the Faith.
O Thou Light of those lying in darkness, O Christ our Savior, enlighten us with Thy radiance that we may know and serve
none other gods beside Thee.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Fast Free Day
Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna
2nd Vespers 1st & 2nd Discoveries, Head of Forerunner: Malachi 3:1-3, 5-7, 12, 18; 4:4-6 LXX
Epistle: 2 Peter 3:1-18 Gospel: St. Mark 13:24-31
St. Mark 13:24-31, especially vs. 31: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away." Today, in a minimum of words, the Lord Jesus sketches the immense epic of the end of the age. His
words, like a Japanese painting, speak only in a few suggestive strokes to sketch a complete scene. The open heart and
mind is allowed to see the end of all things. Some will perceive the vision in exaltation and joy, and others in terror and
anguish (Rev. 1:7). Let us examine four elements in what the Lord describes.
First: the physical universe will be shut down (vss. 24,25). St. John the Theologian describes this final cosmic
consummation by using the figure of a parchment scroll that is rolled up and closed. All that is visible to the physical eye
will be removed from sight and sense (Rev. 6:14). The mind struggles to understand how this could be. But consider how
it was when there was no world nor the immensity of the galactic universe beyond. Can we answer God's question to Job?
"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its
measurements? Surely you know! Or Who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or Who
laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7).
Indeed, we were not present for creation. We can only imagine the beginning. Similarly, it is difficult to conceive of total,
universal cataclysm. Most survivors of great earthquakes and floods experience terrible disorientation and horrified
disbelief. The Venerable Bede grasps the bewilderment of facing the end of the world: "What wonder is it that human
beings should be troubled at this judgment, the sight of which makes the very angelic powers tremble?" Beloved of the
Lord, none of us will miss the closing of the scroll. All shall understand the events instantaneously. No one will ask,
"What is happening?" Every knee shall bow (Phil. 2:10).
Second, the spiritual realm in which we are immersed even at this moment will also be shaken (vs. 25). What is this
spiritual realm? In the Creed we say that God created the "visible and the invisible," yet because of spiritual dullness,
mostly we respond just to the stimuli of the physical world. Nevertheless, the spiritual realm also impinges upon us
constantly, out of which devils, Saints, and Angels communicate. This realm also will be shaken. Instantly the souls of all
persons will be visible to all other persons! Everyone will see what is within us, and we shall see the thoughts, ideas, and
desires of all (Rom. 2:16). Who is at ease facing such self-disclosure?
Third, Christ will come in His glory (vs. 26). The partial foreshadowing of the Lord's glory revealed on Mt. Tabor caused
the three disciples to fall down on their faces in terror (Mt. 17:6). His second coming will not be a limited Theophany for a
select few. All shall face the incomprehensible majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ our God. At present we speak of His
glory. Then we shall see Him in unimaginable radiance, with no restraints to dim our vision. Think of it: we shall see Him
Who died on the Cross for our salvation. We shall see Him Who stood in the waters of Jordan to cleanse our sins. We
shall see the print of the nails in hands that flame with uncreated light. To speak like this is madness, yet such is the plain
meaning of His words.
Finally, He tells us He will gather His own to Himself (vs. 27). At the same time, irreversibly and instantly there will be
separation, as when "a shepherd divides His sheep from the goats" (Mt.25:32). Alas, there will indeed be weeping and
gnashing of teeth for some. For others, a gentle hand will brush away all tears and remove every sigh that lingers (Is. 25:8).
O Lord, teach me Thy statutes and regard not the charges against me, that I may be established with Thee in Paradise
where the Choirs of the Saints shine like the stars of heaven.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005
1st & 2nd Discoveries of the Honorable Head of the Forerunner
3rd Vespers 1st & 2nd Discoveries of the Head of Forerunner: Wisdom 4:7, 16-17, 19-20; 5:1-7
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:6-15 Gospel: St. Matthew 11:2-15
St. Matthew 11:2-15, especially vss. 2, 3: "And when John had heard in prison about the works of
Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" The whole
life and ministry of the Forerunner prepared others to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the "Coming One," the universal,
saving Messiah foretold by the Prophets of old. Even as a babe in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, John had
"leaped...for joy" (Lk. 1:44) at the presence of the infant Jesus in the womb of His mother, the Virgin Mary. As St.
Theophylact of Bulgaria explains: "John was more than a prophet because the other prophets only foretold Christ, while he
was an eyewitness, indeed a great thing. And the others prophesied after their birth, while he, still in his mother's womb,
recognized Christ and leapt." Later, as an adult, in his preaching and baptizing, John remained urgent to prepare all people
who would listen, knowing that the unrecognized Messiah would soon to appear to "baptize...with the Holy Spirit and fire"
(Mt. 3:11).
When Jesus actually "came...to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him...John tried to prevent Him" (Mt. 3:13),
acknowledging rather his own need to be baptized by the Lord instead. Notice carefully the words of the Lord Jesus that
moved the Forerunner to allow Christ to be baptized by him: "it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Mt. 3:14).
Observe: the Lord Jesus Christ invited John to participate in the Divine ministry of man's salvation, saying "it is fitting for
us," for you and Me together, to carry out this baptism. The whole synergy of human salvation was sustained even as Jesus
was baptized, for John's participation was sought and engaged - as the Evangelist shows us, "Then he allowed Him" (Mt.
3:15). John consistently maintained his God-given ministry of preparing men to receive and believe in Christ, for the day
after the Lord's baptism, "looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God'" (Jn. 1:36), and two of his
disciples heard him "and they followed Jesus" (Jn. 1:37).
In the present passage from the Gospel, the same cooperative commitment is evident in John. In prison, anticipating his
probable execution, the Forerunner sends yet two more disciples to Jesus with a question for them to ask, undoubtedly for
their benefit: "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (Mt. 11:3). As St. Jerome points out: "John asks this
not because he is ignorant but to guide others who are ignorant and to say to them, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes
away the sin of the world.'" Even at the threshold of his own death, the Forerunner maintains his part in the synergy of
salvation. Concerning this final mission by the Forerunner's two disciples, St. Jerome says explicitly: "when John was
about to be killed by Herod, he sent his disciples to Christ, intending that when they met Him, the disciples would observe
His appearance and powers and believe in Him."
Beloved of the Lord, let us confess the truth in the Forerunner's ministry of preparation by sharing in it with him. In the
presence of the Virgin, whether in iconography, Holy Scripture, or in the Church's prayers, "let us commend ourselves and
each other, and all our life unto Christ our God." May our words and actions manifest lives that know Christ Jesus as the
"Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29), so that the action of His grace in our Baptism may violently
tear away whatever sin remains in us to His glory and the salvation of many. Like John, let us live in the spirit of Elijah to
reveal that all things are new!
O Forerunner of Christ, may we, with thee, glorify Christ Who bowed His head to thee sanctifying the nature of man. And
do thou implore Him to grant our souls the Great Mercy.
Friday, February 25, 2005 Fast Free Day
Tarasios, Archbishop of Constantinople
Kellia: 1 Kings 13:1-18 Epistle: 1 John 2:7-17 Gospel: St. Mark 14:3-9
St. Mark 14:3-9, especially vs. 8: "...She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial."
An unnamed woman anointed the Lord at Bethany and offered a devout and loving liturgy, a prayerful work of one of the
People of God. Her action discloses the realities of her heart and soul as motions of the Holy Spirit, not calculations nor
logic. Her appearance at the table strained the limits of propriety, and she exceeded the boundaries of social acceptability
by anointing the Lord's head. Her gesture could not be ignored, being both extravagant and dramatic. She offered worship
and adoration to God Incarnate - God at a dining table, a type of the Divine Liturgy. Understanding this, the Lord brushed
away the offence which others took and united her act to the mystery of His Passion and Resurrection, exposing a depth of
purpose formed beyond her conscious intent.
Similarly, the Divine Liturgy is an act of devotion, when it is offered fervently and with love. Through the Liturgy, we
express holy mysteries within our breasts. Yes, they are hidden, but they are altogether true, for the mind of man cannot
contain the depths of Orthodox worship. Given Christ's revelation to "Do this," the Liturgy moves us beyond ourselves
toward God. We too kiss the Lord as we kiss His Holy ikon. We receive His Immaculate Body with arms crossed over
broken hearts. We partake of His Precious Blood in affection and reverence. While we make the sign of the Cross to
honor Him, she poured precious spikenard on His head.
As Father Alexander Schmemann says, "The eucharistic experience of the Church discloses...her own ascent to the
heavenly reality, which Christ has manifested and granted, once and for all time...for today we are gathered in the same
kingdom, at the same table." The woman's gesture at Bethany was a sacrifice of herself, her ascension to Christ's table and
His kingdom, her adoration of His Body and Blood - yes, Communion with the Lord Jesus Himself! It does not matter that
she did not understand what she did. Beloved, do we understand what we are doing in the Liturgy? It is sufficient that God
understands. That is more than enough. What of the Liturgy? Does our worship go beyond the limits of social propriety
as we are accustomed to observing it? Does it exceed our normal rules of etiquette? It would seem so: who would come
into the home of an employer or a social superior and light candles to him? Who would make solemn prostrations before
an office manager or an "important" official of government? Where do we see the exuberant offering of clouds of incense
raised around a dining table, carried throughout the house, and bestowed upon the guests and family members? What we
say and do in the Liturgy expresses great "social distance," but also respect and affection for God. Our gestures exceed the
ways in which we acknowledge the rank and status of those "above us" in this life. A respectful "Sir," a crisp military
salute, a rigid stance at attention, a modulated greeting - all these gestures pale beside the actions of "ordinary" Orthodox
worship.
Does not your heart understand this woman? Do you not agree that her memory should be eternal (vs. 9)? She had no
hesitation to anoint the Lord out of pure love and adoration. Thus she became a vessel of God to prepare the way for His
burial. Others plotted to destroy Him. A disciple conspired to betray Him. Beloved, let her Liturgy of adoration poured
out upon the Person of the All-compassionate One ever encourage us in the extravagance of worship. Let us lavish Him
with exuberance, for as St. Ambrose points out, "How much where the Church is, and where His Mysteries are, does He
vouchsafe to impart His Presence!"
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. O Son of God, Who art wondrous in Thy Saints, save us who sing unto
Thee, Alleluia!
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005
Great-Martyr Photeini the Samaritan Woman & Companions
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 13:19-14:15 Epistle: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Gospel: St. Luke 20:45-21:4
St. Luke 20:45-21:4, especially vss. 46, 47: "Beware of the scribes...who devour widows' houses,
and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." It is ironic that the scribes were
condemned by the Lord (vss. 46,47). As devout scholars, they were renown for study and teaching of the Divine
Scriptures. They swore never to receive payment from their profession, but to live solely by their own labor, from subsidies
provided by the wealthy, or from hospitality. Because of these ideals, they were highly honored. Their lives had a quality
much like the Lord's own manner of living (Lk.10:4-8).
However, over the years, these teachers of the Law gained a monopoly in interpreting the Scriptures, turning its plain
meaning into incomprehensible, esoteric teachings. By the first-century most of these elite scholars believed that they were
highly favored by God. They became distant from the populace, disdaining the majority which "knew not this Law" (Jn.
7:49). Worse, they expected honors and a wide range of perks for themselves (Lk. 20:46). Many of the well-to-do turned
over the management of their finances to the scribes. Abuses followed, and, as history shows, many people let them
manage their estates from which they prospered. No doubt, among these who were used by the scribes were widows, as the
Lord states (vs. 20:47).
What were God's ancient commandments that the scribes twisted and should have taught? "You shall not afflict any
widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry, and My
wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword..." (Ex. 22:22-24). Services always are to be administered
impartially. The fatherless and widow must be protected against the greed of any who would deprive them of food or
clothing (Deut.10:18). In the market place, the defenseless are to be assisted, not reduced to convenient sources of profit
(Lev. 25:35-37). At prayer and in fellowship every effort is to be made to include and welcome as equals the disadvantaged
and poor (Deut. 16:11-12).
By contrast, the Lord and His disciples lived in a way that was a tacit reproach to the scribes (Lk. 9:58). He was poor,
without income, and truly depended upon gifts and assistance from friends who maintained Him and His disciples in their
ministry (Mk. 15:40,41). Notice that by calling attention to the widow who made an offering of "all the livelihood that she
had" (Lk. 21:3,4), He holds up the example of one from among the poor who lived the ideals which the scribes professed.
Brethren, He Who commands us to protect the defenseless, having become Incarnate, remains changeless in His truth. Let
us not fall under His denunciation of the scribes. We must not fail to note that the Lord's warning concerning the scribes
is for "His disciples" (Lk. 20:45). It is for us. He would not have us fall under His judgment reserved for those who abuse
the defenseless (Deut. 27:19) or those who say that evil is good (Mal. 2:17).
Predatory religion can stealthily overtake one. The Apostle James illumines the problem: "You lust and do not have. You
murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not
receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures....Do you not know that friendship with the world
is enmity with God?" (Jas. 4:2-4). Let us agree with St. John Chrysostom that the Kingdom is not "bought with
money...but by purpose of mind. There is no need for money, but of the [godly] disposition; if thou hast this thou wilt be
able even by two mites to purchase heaven."
I, the wretched one, have destroyed Thy riches, O Lord, squandering them, and I have submitted myself to evil devils.
Wherefore O most compassionate Savior, have compassion on me, purify me, the polluted one, and restore to me the first
robe of Thy kingdom.
Sunday, February 27, 2005 Tone 6
The Sunday of the Prodigal Son
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 14:16-30 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Gospel: St. Luke 15:11-32
St. Luke 15:11-32, especially vs. 20: "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a
great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." In his homily on this
well-known parable, St. Cyril of Alexandria asks "What then is the object of the parable?" To answer, the blessed Cyril
traces back through the Gospel to "...examine the occasion which led to it; for so we shall learn the truth." Follow St.
Cyril's suggestion to the beginning of the chapter, and there you will find the occasion for the parable as well as the identity
of those to whom the Lord addressed the parable: "Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear
Him" (Lk. 15:1).
All this seems right, for the social pariahs who needed to repent came to the Lord Jesus, a fitting audience for a parable
about forgiveness. But, No! In the next verse there is a surprise. The Lord did not address the parable to these lost souls.
Observe: "And the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" (Lk. 15:2).
He spoke the parable to those who objected to His consorting with the social outcasts (Lk. 15:3).
A second surprise follows. The Lord Jesus did not immediately tell the parable of the Prodigal Son. First He told a parable
about a Shepherd Who leaves His ninety-nine sheep to "...go after one which is lost until He finds it" (vs. 4). This is
followed by yet a second parable, concerning a woman who lost one of her coins, and to recover it, lit a lamp, swept the
house, and sought "...diligently until she [found] it" (vs. 8). Then, and only after the Lord has twice made the point that
"there is great rejoicing" when the lost are found, does He tell the famed parable of the lost, prodigal son. Notice in this
parable that the Father rejoices when his lost son returns.
However, let us first notice the "build-up" to the third parable in the first two teachings. To the complaining teachers of
Israel, the Master Story-Teller speaks about herding. He draws directly from the nation's economy. A shepherd leaves his
gathered flock; one imagines the sheep herded together in a temporary fold. Meanwhile, the shepherd journeys into the
wilderness after His lost sheep. The Lord speaks to men accustomed to the image of God as the "Shepherd of Israel" (Ps
79:1 LXX). They also anticipated that the Messiah would come as a Shepherd for the nation (Jer. 31:10). From the
Prophet David's words, they expected God to shepherd, guard and protect them (Ps. 22:1 LXX). The Lord Jesus' message
is unmistakable and startling. God is personally seeking the strays of His flock. The irony is wonderful!
God Incarnate, standing in the wilderness, with the lost souls gathered around Him, announces to the self-righteous teachers
that God is seeking those who know they are lost (Lk. 15:3-32). The precondition of everyone's repentance lies in the
wonder that God journeyed into the wilderness of this life. The Incarnation infuses true hope into the possibility of
repentance.
Next, the Lord speaks of our need for God's illumination and cleansing (the lamp and the sweeping - Lk.15:8-10). It is
only by the actions of God the Holy Spirit that we reach the point of repentance and change. We do not awake and repent;
rather, we are brought to repentance.
Finally, the Lord repeats His theme of gathering and rejoicing. In the parable of the Prodigal, He does not belabor His
point. He has prepared them and us to understand by anticipation. Still, in verse 24, He briefly touches the theme: "And
'they' began to be merry." Only because God Incarnate illumines us and cleanses us from the dust of life, does the thought
ever come to us to arise and return to our Father. True repentance happens because of God's acts to create our human
awakening, even while we are in our spiritual pig-styes.
Help us; save us; have mercy on us, O Savior, and grant us Thy gift of repentance.
Monday, February 28, 2005
The Venerable John Cassian the Roman
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 14:31-35 Epistle: 1 John 2:18-3:8 Gospel: St. Mark 11:1-11
St. Mark 11:1-11, especially vs. 10: "Blessed is the kingdom of our
father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" The Gospels for the next five days trace St.
Mark's account of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The narrative begins with the Lord's arrival in Jerusalem for what
would be His last pilgrimage to celebrate Passover. Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of the Bulgarian Church at the end
of the 11th Century, observes that on numerous occasions the Lord Jesus had come to the Holy City. His earlier visits
largely had been private, subdued, or unobtrusive (but see Lk. 2:46-47; Jn. 2:13-24; 7:37-52). However, on this occasion,
Christ made His entry a public event.
Blessed Theophylact notes Jesus' reason for being public: "The Lord did this so that they might understand His glory if
they wanted to understand, and so that by seeing in Him the fulfillment of the prophecies, they might know that He is truly
God. But if they did not wish to understand, it would be to their greater condemnation, that not even with such glorious
miracles did they believe." Thus, we also must read and choose: how shall we understand Jesus?
By speaking of "understanding," Blessed Theophylact does not refer to our being "informed" or "not informed." He
focuses our attention on Christ's true nature and purpose in order to separate those who understand and so accept Jesus as
Lord and those who refuse His sovereignty: Will we open our hearts to God, or will we choose to resist Him?
The Saint echoes the universal call of all the Prophets, Apostles, and other Biblical writers. For example, the Prophet
Jeremiah grieves with the Lord that the people of his day, "'...like their bow...have bent their tongues for lies. They are not
valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,' says the Lord" (Jer. 9:3).
Like our original parents, we choose to sin and stultify our understanding - not only of God, but of ourselves as well. St.
Paul says that all men fall under the wrath of God because they "...suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may
be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them" (Rom. 1:18,19). In practice "...although they knew
God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were
darkened" (Rom. 1:21). Willful ignorance leads to confusion and darkness.
No fault may be placed against God for our failure to understand. Even in our legal tradition, the principle of "ignorantia
juris," or "ignorance of the law," admits of no exception. Compassion and common sense allow for "mitigating
circumstances" about facts, but not in cases involving duty. St. Paul says that even those who never have read the Law of
God "...show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness..." (Rom. 2:15).
God has revealed Himself to us in a manner that all mankind can understand - as a fellow human being. He has revealed
His will through all cultures and in all periods of history. Truly the Lord has gone out of His way to help all men
understand His will and purpose: "Has it not been told thee, O man, what is good? or what does the Lord require of thee
but to do justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk with the Lord thy God?" (Mic. 6:8 LXX). We may choose to
"understand" and to pray with the Prophet David, "Let my supplication draw nigh before Thee, O Lord; according to Thine
oracle give me understanding" (Ps. 118:169 LXX). Among those who welcomed the Lord in triumph, there were those
who wanted true knowledge of God. Let us join them and cry "Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord" (Mk.
11:9).
O loving Christ, deliver us from the darkness of ignorance, and fill us with the stream of Thy knowledge, that we may
become sons and daughters of Thine undying Light.
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
The Venerable Bridget of Ireland
3rd Three Hierarchs: Wisdom 3:1-9 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Gospel: St. Mark 3:6-12
St. Mark 3:6-12, especially vs. 10: "For He healed many, so that as many as had
afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him." This short passage from St. Mark's Gospel depicts our Lord Jesus Christ at a
time fairly early in His public ministry as He was responding to a great whirl of excitement and activity surrounding Him -
serious enemies plotting to destroy Him, thronging crowds wanting to see and touch Him, disciples following Him, and, in
the spiritual dimension, demons cringing before Him and screaming. Historically speaking, all this bustle was a long time
ago, but, in fact, the pattern is quite contemporary. The Body of Christ today has enemies plotting its destruction. Great
multitudes are coming into the Church seeking healing, and, as ever, the Church's leadership is taking care to preserve the
integrity of the Faith. Meanwhile, only the godless fail to perceive the noise and opposition of the demons. We do well to
pay attention to the Lord's responses to these actions.
For the first time, the Orthodox Church finds itself upon the stage and in the whirl of world events and history. In the ebb
and flow of peoples and nations, Orthodoxy has suffered terribly in the last one hundred years from malignant enemies who
were and are committed to destroying it. Incalculable numbers of Christians have been killed following the Master in the
way of the Cross. Others of the Faithful went underground and some emigrated to avoid blatant persecution. Yet, the Faith
of the Apostles has been spread world-wide in a manner unknown in previous centuries. Withdrawal is not always the
choice of weakness and fear, as the Lord's choice to leave when His enemies in Capernaum plotted to kill Him reveals
(vss. 6-7).
What of the crowds that followed Him? When genuine Life makes Himself available, multitudes always will flock to the
Lord Jesus for healing, though, perhaps, some will come merely to satisfy curiosity - to see if the reports of miracles are
really true. All the crowds that came wanted to be near enough to Jesus that they might touch Him physically (vss. 7-10), a
phenomenon that the glamorous, media superstars of our day endure as part of their notoriety. But observe how the Lord
responded, having an eye to prevent untimely accidents either to Himself or to others who might be crushed by the crowd:
"He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him" (vs. 9). Yet, ever compassionate, "He healed many,
so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him" (vs. 10).
In the midst of the social storm circulating around the Lord Jesus, there were those sad ones who were captured by demons.
Notice that the evil spirits, though in possession of the souls of various tortured human beings, knew Him well even
through the veil of the humanity He assumed; for, we are told, "the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down
before Him and cried out, saying, 'You are the Son of God'" (vs.11). Thus, the God-Man rebuked these evil spirits despite
the fact that they forced their human victims to fall "down before Him" (vs. 11). As St. Augustine notes: "For the devils
also believe and tremble, but do they love? If they had not believed, they would not have said...'You are the Son of God.'
But if they had loved, they would not have said: 'What have we to do with You?' (Mk. 5:7).
It is important to recognize what the Lord said to these demon-possessed men cringing before Him: in the original "polla
epitimao," that is, He "sternly warned" or "ordered sternly," a term men ought to use only when they had judicial, fatherly,
or brotherly authority. Here, as the God-Man, Jesus speaks with authority to repress and cast out the demons (vs. 12).
O our Savior, rebuke all unclean spirits, exerting Thy trenchant might against every foul demon, that having obtained Thy
mercy, we may be made worthy of Thy Heavenly Mysteries.
The Meeting of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
1st Vespers Meeting: Exodus 12:51-13:3, 10-12, 14-16; 22:29; Leviticus 12:1-4, 6-8; Numbers 8:16-17
Epistle: Hebrews 7:7-17 Gospel: St. Luke 2:22-40
St. Luke 2:22-40, especially vs. 26: "And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." The holy man, Simeon, took the Child Jesus in his arms and
blessed God Who revealed to his eyes, in the Child, Light for the nations and glory for God's People (Lk. 2:28-32). His
blessing is the beautiful Hymn of Vespers. It discloses both Simeon's holiness of life and the revelation which God gave
him.
First, the hymn discloses a truly holy man, one who kept constant, close communion with the Lord of the Universe. Notice
how he spoke personally to God: "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart, according to Thy word, for I have seen Thy
salvation which Thou hast prepared, the glory of Thy people." See how joyfully he serves the Divine Master, living solely
to do God's bidding! He realized what a unique privilege he had received from God: to live to a great old age and, at the
last, to see the Lord's Anointed. His prayer completes his life and service: "Now lettest Thou me depart, O Master, as
Thou wentest before and promised me; for I have beheld Thee, O Light before eternity, the Lord and Savior of the Christian
People."
Submission to God is the essential mark of St. Simeon's holiness, being clearly shown in his hymn. Consider: he lived in
Jerusalem (vs. 25). Many, many times he was in the Temple. However, when the Virgin came with the Holy Infant to
make the required sacrifice, St. Simeon "came by the Spirit into the Temple" (vs. 27). Why? Because he listened in his
heart to God. Therefore, he was led to his historic encounter at the right moment and in the exact place.
The Holy Fathers call revelation like this "the gift of discernment," "diorasis," the ability to perceive invisible truths and
happenings, a special ability among the Saints, among those deified after years of ascesis and prayer. St. Simeon's arrival
was precise in timing and in place. He held the Child in his arms. He blessed God, and uttered pure revelation. A deified
man!
Let us also examine St. Simeon's revelation. The Child he held in his arms is God's universal salvation. Simeon looked
beyond a woman with a child coming to make a sacrifice. He perceived the ultimate action of God in history: Incarnation.
The Child was and is Divine Light, One capable of renewing all cultures and peoples and the fulfillment of the People of
God. The statement, "before the face of all people," is a scriptural way of declaring that God has tangibly acted in the
stream of human history. The Almighty Who dwells beyond time and space, Whose works everywhere disclose "His
eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. 1:20), came among us as a concrete, tangible, actual human being. "Salvation, life,
mercy, forgiveness," all the truths we mortals use to speak about God and His work, are removed forever from the mental
abstract, from mere human ideas. He is embodied as a living Person, both man and God.
The phrase, "a light to lighten the Gentiles," prompts us to see with St. Simeon that God has deliberately communicated
His Word to every people within the human family in order to restore and fulfill them. The God-Man, Christ Jesus, alone
overcomes mankind's suppression of truth, our denial of relationship with God, that lie which renders human thinking
futile and leaves our hearts dark and insensate (Rom. 1:21). Truly Jesus is the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12).
To speak of the Lord Jesus as "the glory of Thy people Israel," identifies Him as the capstone of centuries of Divine
revelation given through Abraham, Moses, the Prophets and the wisdom of Israel's great Seers. The Eternal Head of God's
People came and is with us!
The Lord hath made known His salvation; He hath revealed His justice in the sight of the Nations. Save us, O Son of God,
Who wast borne in the arms of Simeon, as we sing to Thee.
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver & Anna the Prophetess
2nd Vespers Meeting: Isaiah 6:1-12 Epistle: Ephesians 1:1-9 Gospel: St. Mark 7:24-30
St. Mark 7:24-30, especially vs. 28: "And she answered and said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little
dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.'" Many years ago, the National Park Service provided an unusual
experience to its visitors at the Carlsbad Caverns. Taking separate groups far underground into the caverns, the guides
accompanying each set of hikers directed the visitors to be seated on a slope beside the trail. At that point, all lights within
the cavern were turned off. One cannot imagine the depth of darkness who has not experienced the total absence of light of
that brief moment. It is common to speak of not being able to see one's hand in front of one's face; but there on that slope,
the adage was realized. By every trick one could try, it was impossible to see any movement of the hand before the eyes.
To appreciate the faith displayed by the Syro-Phoenician woman in today's Gospel, imagine a condition of darkness like
that provided by the former practice of the Park Service guides - but with an added twist: suppose the visitors were asked to
resume their way on the trail out of the caverns but warned that if they stopped, the lights would go out again - light would
remain on only as the visitor moved. To this invented fantasy, let us add some realistic words of St. Isaac the Syrian:
"Those upon whom the light of faith has dawned are no longer so audacious as to pray on behalf of themselves; nor do they
entreat God...nor do they in any wise take care for themselves. For at every moment, by the noetic eyes of faith, they see
the fatherly providence which comes of the true Father to shelter them: He Who in His great and immeasurable love
surpasses all in paternal affection and Who more than all, has the power and might to help us in a measure superabundantly
greater than anything we might ask, think, or conceive." To gain such superabundant help of God, so as to see our way
clearly in this dark world, it is necessary, in the words of Father Matthew the Poor, constantly to submit our "whole being
to God, and therefore to all his commandments." By means of prayer, we have to keep moving with and toward God.
Let us return specifically to the example of the Syro-Phoenician woman. Take careful note of her constant movement
toward God. She "heard" of Him despite His efforts to remain hidden (vss. 24,25), and so "she came and fell at His feet"
(vs. 25). The hearing of faith - which is God's gift - set this woman of faith in motion, turned her to prayerful action. She
came to Him; and more, she "fell at His feet." Is prayer less than this - to come to God and fall at His feet? But please
notice, even then, prostrate before Him, she kept moving toward Him in her prayer: "she kept asking Him to cast the demon
out of her daughter" (vs. 26). Moreover, she persisted even when He tested her, when He questioned the direction of her
faith (vs. 27).
St. Clement of Alexandria notes that it is "forbidden to share holy things with dogs, as long as they remain wild." Christ
was in Tyre and Sidon, a pagan region where the religious impulse inherent in men's souls was terribly misdirected. And
St. Clement adds, "it is never appropriate to dilute the pure stream of divinity, the living water, for interests that are full of
malice, disturbed persons, still without faith, who are unrestrained in barking." But this mother disclosed a true faith, one
that would not stop in its movement toward the true God. The woman countered Jesus' query with an assertion of
persistent faith: "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs" (vs. 28). For continuing
to trust Him despite the surrounding pagan darkness, He assured her: "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out
of your daughter" (vs. 29). Having the true Faith, can we do less than pray to the true God?
Fulfill O Lord, the desires and petitions of Thy servants as may be most expedient for us, granting us in this world the
knowledge of Thy truth, and in the age to come, life everlasting.
Friday, February 4, 2005 Fast Day
The Venerable Nicholas the Confessor of Studion
3rd Vespers of Meeting: Isaiah 19:1-55, 12, 16, 19-21 Epistle: Ephesians 1:7-17 Gospel: St. Mark 8:1-10
St. Mark 8:1-10, especially vs. 2: "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now
continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat." The Evangelist Mark provides two little clues which disclose that
the Lord's feeding of a multitude in Chapter six (Mk. 6:30-44) and this present feeding of another multitude in Chapter
eight (Mk. 8:1-10) took place on opposite sides of the Sea of Galilee - one side predominantly made up of Jewish
settlements (see Mk. 6:1) and the other side mostly home to Gentiles or non-Jews (see Mk. 7:31). To highlight the full
import of the two feedings, the Evangelist, in connection with the healing of a child, carefully records that her mother was
"a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth," (Mk. 7:26). The point is that our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, cares for all
nations and He assumes that His Apostles and Church will likewise serve all peoples (Mt. 28:19).
How is it that Christ our God feeds all nations? In the most simple, even gross and physical terms, He provides an
abundance of food and sustenance for every race and people of His creation. Their diets vary in keeping with the multiple
climates, flora, and fauna throughout the world - from the high Andean or Himalayan reaches, to the polar marshes, to the
world's vast fruited plains, its tropical islands, and even across its seemingly barren deserts. But as the Lord reminds us,
"Man shall not live by bread alone" (Mt. 4:4). Our Lord knows that we need material food, for He became one of us and
endured hunger and thirst (Mt. 4:2 and Jn. 19:28). And He ever has compassion on the hunger of His creatures (Mk. 8:2),
spiritual and physical. Food shortages are most often of man-made origin, results of our greed, indifference, or lust for
power. Bluntly, scarcity of food largely is caused by sin and its corrupting effects on the politics, societies, and economies
of mankind. It was for deliverance from this ubiquitous famine that the Lord shared in our flesh and blood existence that
He might "aid those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Yes, He is interested in our physical needs, but much more He desires
to nourish our souls emaciated by this deeper spiritual problem that creates so much of the world's hunger and thirst. What
does He say? "I Am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never
thirst" (Jn. 6:35).
The Lord our God does not differentiate among men as we are inclined to do. He comes to both sides of the Lake. "He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Mt. 5:45). His compassion is
for all - physically and spiritually. He has the power in His hands to multiply the resources of the world when they are
meager. When we cannot see how one could possibly "satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness" (Mk. 8:4),
He reveals new ways to those who have the courage to offer seven small loaves and a few small fish. He can enlarge the
wastelands of our hearts to provide shelter and commodities for all. We are limited by time, the materials at hand. He
knows no such constraints.
In every instance of giving, Christ Jesus reveals that thanksgiving and blessing are fundamental necessities. "He took the
seven loaves and gave thanks," and as for the "few small fish," He "blessed them" as well (vss. 6,7). Most noteworthy is
the fact recorded by St. Mark that the abundance was so great that they were able to gather up "seven large baskets of
leftover fragments" (vs. 8). Listen to St. Augustine of Hippo: "Be ye hungered; own ye these baskets. For those fragments
were not lost; but seeing that ye too belong to the Church, they have surely profited you." How richly Christ has blessed us
and provided for us - beyond measure!
The poor shall eat and be filled, and they that seek the Lord shall praise Him; their hearts shall live for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!
Saturday, February 5, 2005
The Holy Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily
1st Vespers of All Saints: Isaiah 43:9-14 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:23-28 Gospel: St. Matthew 24:34-44
St. Matthew 24:34-44, especially vs. 42: "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord
is coming." Notice as you contemplate this passage that throughout all of this reading our Lord is urging us to be on
lookout. Such is His message - be alert and keep alert! Yes, a number of things will be taking place (vs. 34). In the future,
even heaven and earth will pass away (vs. 35). Still, neither now nor at any time in the future will Christ's words pass
away (vs. 35) - as St. John Chrysostom teaches us: "'Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away'
because heaven and earth were created to serve you, but My words were uttered to govern you." For what then are we to be
on lookout - what is coming that requires our watchfulness? Answer: "the coming of the Son of Man" (vs.37). When?
Answer: "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (vs. 36).
All through history, men have not been on lookout, just busy with wholesome, present activities - eating and drinking,
marriage, working the fields, grinding at the mill (vss. 38,40,41). At the time of the Flood, many poor souls were not on
lookout, and thus "did not know until the flood came and took them all away" (vs. 39). The flood is a warning: "Watch
therefore" (vs. 42). Gear up, be on lookout. Keep your post and "be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do
not expect" (vs. 44). Likewise, the theft of one's precious goods is a warning: "if the master of the house had known what
hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into" (vs. 43). Do you hear our
Master's warning?
"What then shall we do, we men who have come under condemnation by reason of the multitude of our sins? And as we
hear Him call the blessed of His Father to His kingdom, and send the sinners to punishment, who will bear that terrible
verdict? Wherefore, O Savior and Lover of mankind, alone King of the ages, hasten to me before the end with repentance,
and have mercy upon me." Thus the Church teaches us to be on lookout. We know He is coming. We know why He is
coming. We know we are not ready for His coming. For what, then, can we be on lookout now? For His hastening to me
"before the end," and for His gift to my soul of a true and God-pleasing repentance, and that I may invest my heart and soul
in that repentance. Orthodox Christianity presupposes that the deep center of each of our hearts has been severely
disrupted by our sin and is in desperate need of healing. The immediate first-aid which God grants to us by His Life-giving
Spirit is an awakening, a calling from on high to take our post and be on lookout. The Holy Fathers used the term "nous"
to refer to the deep center of the heart. Thus, as Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos teaches us: "It is a basic teaching of our
saints that the nous is healed through guarding the nous; this is called watchfulness."
Being on lookout is merely another way of speaking about watchfulness. Notice what Metropolitan Hierotheos says about
guarding the nous, or being on lookout: "The guarding of the nous is that which by Christ's power can change men from
being sinful, indecent, profane, ignorant, uncomprehending and unjust to being just, responsive, pure, holy and wise."
Thus, being on lookout is to watch what emerges or wells up in our hearts and keeps us from Christ. Those on lookout
rebuke each such alien immediately and firmly. Yet see what St. John of the Ladder promises those on vigil or lookout:
"Vigil is a quenching of lust...a tearful eye, a softened heart, the guarding of thoughts, the smelting furnace of food, the
subduing of passions, the taming of spirits, the chastisement of the tongue, the banishment of phantasies."
O Christ, have pity on us, and make us worthy to be numbered among those who are saved, we who beseech Thee in faith;
for Thou art compassionate.
Sunday, February 6, 2005 Tone 3
Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 1:1-20 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 Gospel: St. Matthew 25:14-20
St. Matthew 25: 14-30, especially vs. 21: "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'" A
profound truth is proclaimed in this verse: God Himself has and knows joy. St. Luke's Gospel reports the same, when the
Lord Jesus declares: "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance" (Lk. 15:7). God not only has and knows joy, but He also invites
certain of His servants to "enter into His joy." Hence, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father that His Disciples might "have
[His] joy fulfilled in themselves," as well as in "those who believe in [Him] through their word" (Jn. 17:13,20).
What is it that gives joy to God, and what is the nature of the Divine joy which He extends to His "good and faithful
servants," allowing them to "enter into" that joy? If earthly, human joy is inducement to cry aloud and chant (Ps. 64:14
LXX), how does joy come into the hearts and voices of those Saints to whom God says, "Enter into the joy of your Lord!"?
It is man's salvation that gives God joy, as the Evangelist Luke suggests: "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents" (Lk. 15:10). It is said of the Lord Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, that "for the joy
that was set before Him [He] endured the Cross, despising the shame," that He might sit "down at the right hand of the
throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). Think what is implied in those words: the salvation of mankind enabled the Lord Jesus to look
beyond the pain and suffering He was to endure in His humanity, beyond the agony of the Passion, and to see joy "before
Him" both in time and in eternity, a joy illumined by the clear and victorious light of the Resurrection.
Sad to say, the joy of the Lord is not for all. There are those who bury the treasures of God in the earth, who, in the words
of St. Leo the Great, "occupy the intelligence God gives us in purely earthly matters, not to seek spiritual profit, never to lift
our heart above worldly considerations." The Lord is very clear about such failure: "If you keep My commandments, you
will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to
you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (Jn. 15:10-11). It is quite simple. As we receive the
gift of God by which we may benefit others, we are to use it. If one does not put the gift of God to use, in St. Theophylact's
words, "God takes the gift away from that wicked and slothful servant...and...[he] forfeits the gift itself." While entering
the joy of the Lord is not for all, it most definitely is for some, perhaps even for many, yet entrance is only by Divine
invitation. God alone has the power to extend the invitation, "Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Mt. 25:21,23).
Nevertheless, we have a clear indication from Him just what His criteria are for summoning men and women into His joy.
He extends His call precisely to those servants whom He deems "good and faithful" (vss. 21,23). In addition, His
conditions are laid down plainly throughout Scripture. For instance, the Prophet Zephaniah (i.e., Sophonias) announces
that now, at this moment, the Lord is saying to us: "let not thy hands be slack. The Lord thy God is in thee; the Mighty One
shall save thee: He shall bring joy upon thee, and shall refresh thee with His love" (Soph. 3:16,17 LXX).
Let us work with the Spirit of God that we may bring forth His fruits of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control" (Gal. 5:22,23).
Assist us, O Lord, that we may accomplish the work to which Thou dost call us, acting in faithfulness and diligence
according to Thy will for the benefit of others and to Thy great glory.
Monday, February 7, 2005
Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsakos
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 1:21-2:11 Epistle: James 2:14-26 Gospel: St. Mark 10:46-52
St. Mark 10:46-52, especially vs. 46: "...As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great
multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging." Beloved of the Lord, like Bartimaeus of
Jericho, we are all blind beggars. Who among us is not working in a place that he believes will be most propitious in life?
After all, each one of us found our way to what seemed a potentially good method for coping with life's demands. We did
so to garner from the passing traffic what we thought we needed to survive. Some of us found very comfortable,
productive places along life's roadway; for others, our spots have not proven so ideal. The son of Timaeus was used to
working the Jerusalem roadway, especially during those special seasons when it was crowded with pilgrims - seasons like
Passover.
Bartimaeus was blind. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemos, he was blind from birth, although none of the
canonical Gospels mention this fact. No matter, without social services, which was the case during the first century, he
depended entirely on begging to earn his living, for blindness had narrowed his available options. Which of us, like this
man, can say that we see clearly all that is coming toward us in life? We do the best we can, discerning what is likely,
learning to survive where we are, using what we have, and "making do" with what we hear. But there is a whole realm or
dimension of life that we miss much of the time, the things of the Spirit and of Divine truth. To much in that all-important
realm we are quite blind.
Like many who are blind, Bartimaeus' other senses were finely tuned to changes occurring around him in life. He not only
sensed that a greater than usual pilgrim crowd was passing, but he "heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth" Who was in the
center, and was the cause of this large group moving past him (vs. 47). As a beggar, he had no shame in calling out to
Jesus. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain (vss 47,48). Let us, likewise, learn to assert ourselves toward the
Savior, to cry out to our Lord Jesus and compassionate God. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain! As each of us
knows, Christ is renown for His lovingkindness, for His healing, and for hearing even the faintest cries of the poor and
needy that others ignore. By all means, let us cry out to Him in faith and longing.
Let us also notice the interaction between Bartimaeus and the Lord. Our cries to the Lord Jesus are apt to cause Him to
"stand still" and command us into His presence (vs. 49). Let us not pray mindlessly, but out of a genuine need for healing.
(And who of Adam's kin does not need healing from sin's blight on his life?) And let us also "be of good cheer," knowing
that "He is calling [us]" (vs. 49). We can freely cast off the layers of personal protection. For a first-century beggar, it was
his "himation," an upper covering or mantle for protection against weather and sun (vs. 50). For us it might be pride, the
desire "to look good" to others, spending money, or fears.
Observe: when the son of Timaeus came before the Lord, His Creator asked him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
(vs. 51). What, indeed! It was simple for the blind man - his sight! Let us be as straightforward: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son
of David, have mercy upon me a sinner, a blind, beggar before Thee," for Jesus healed Bartimaeus' physical and spiritual
sight.
Let us come trusting in the same Lord, yearning to receive His healing for all our blindnesses. The power of the Lord is
extraordinary. He is able to transform beggars into disciples (vs. 52), the disabled into those able to make the hard, uphill
climb to Jerusalem and the Cross. Yes even we, mired down as we are in darkness and in need, can be transformed.
O Christ our God, Who didst lighten the eyes of the beggar Bartimaeus, lighten Thou our souls's eyes, and reveal us as
sons of the day, that we may cry out to Thee in faith!
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Great-Martyr Theodore the General (Stratelates)
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 2:12-26 Epistle: James 3:1-10 Gospel: St. Mark 11:11-23
St. Mark 11:11-23, especially vs. 11: "And Jesus went into Jerusalem, and into the temple. So when He had looked
around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve." Living in the flow of time, we
move as events bear us along. Inexorably, we leave situations that once seemed permanent to confront new demands and
circumstances. This onward sweep infuses urgency into today's decisions and actions. Always there are pressures not to
delay, but to accomplish, achieve, settle, arrange, decide, fix, or forget. From childhood, we learn that delay compounds
difficulties. Homework must not be put off. The exam is tomorrow. As adults we learn that relationships cannot be
neglected or else we collect bitterness and isolation. Dust and disorder quickly overwhelm us. So the flux of life forces us
to ask: "What must be addressed first? What can be delayed? What is most important? Which task, focus, or effort must
be abandoned so that we may attend to another?"
Today's reading speaks to the flow of time, choices, and the cost of delay. In the opening line quoted above, notice the
phrase, "as the hour was already late." Note that it has a double meaning: that it was late on that particular day; at that hour
of the day to find a place for the night that was at hand. In addition, and more important, the hours of the Lord Jesus' time
on earth were growing late; soon it would be His last tangible hours in Jerusalem among His own. In addition, "it was
late" in another sense: in going into the Temple, He "looked around at all things," and, as He did, He knew that the historic
end of Israel's tradition of worship was very near. "Late now being the hour" (the literal word order of the text), the Lord
knew that soon there would come the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. These truths needed to be
impressed on His disciples. Of great importance also, the impending judgment of God needed to be conveyed to the
wayward Jews and their priests. Delay was out of the question.
"Late now being the hour," the Lord came upon a fig tree. There, for the sake of His disciples, the Lord Jesus expressed the
Divine "hunger" for God's people to repent and to bear fruit. However, there was abundant evidence that the majority of
the Jews were not ready to accept their true Messiah. He was among them, but it was "not the season" (Mk. 11:13). They
would not bear fruit for Him, and neither man nor God would find much fruit of the Spirit within the community of the Old
Covenant. Ancient Israel was bound to reject the Messiah and the Temple would be destroyed. All this the Lord saw as He
looked at a barren fig tree.
A deep urgency filled the Lord. "Late now was the hour." Who could be awakened? In judgment, He went into the
Temple and drove out the moneychangers. The two passages concerning the fig tree, with the intervening account of the
cleansing of the Temple, must be read within the context of the Lord's urgency, for the end of the Old Covenant and the
inauguration of the New Covenant were certain and soon. Especially, He is reminding us not to delay with God.
The present demands of this life and world press for action. At the same time, God's Word calls us to face His claim on
our lives, to seek Him now, to cleanse our lives, to "bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance" (Lk. 3:8). Let us not
delay and make excuses to God. May we have "a good defense before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ," not the claim to
be Orthodox, not the note that we contribute regularly, nor even that we help the needy. Listen to St. Seraphim of Sarov:
"All that is not done for Christ's sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of God
in this." Let us not delay to serve Christ!
O Lord, grant us the grace of a right faith in Thee, that without delay we may apply our hearts to acquire the grace of Thy
Spirit and thereby to receive the blessings of the future age.
Wednesday, February 9, 2005 Fast Day
The Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel)2:27-36 Epistle: James 3:11-4:6 Gospel: St. Mark 11:22-26
St. Mark 11:22-26, especially vs. 23: "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done,
he will have whatever he says." Secular man looks out on life and says confidently: "I have achieved a great deal, and I
need no help from God." The man of the world reads the verse quoted above, and being sleek, fed well on self-reliance,
and fully self-confident, believes that he is ready by good honest efforts to "move mountains," tear down his old barns, put
up bigger ones, stuff them full of his achievements, and "take his ease for years to come" (Lk. 12:17-19) - with a good
pension plan.
As Christians, let us read the same verse, pray (Mk. 11:24,25), trust God to provide (vs. 24), forgive (vs. 25), and call God,
"our Father in heaven" (vss. 25,26). Yes, the Lord requires us to work upon the fabric of this world, but He desires that we
rely on Him. Self-confidence is unnatural. Therefore, let us assume that "Our help is in the Name of the Lord" (Ps. 123:8
LXX).
Beloved of the Lord, we are they who pray to "our Father in heaven." Therefore, let us look to Him to provide what we
require. Above all, let us consider well Who this Father of ours is of Whom we say, He is in heaven. Search the Scriptures
and you will find the record of His self-disclosure. The God known in Holy Scriptures is ultimately seen to be "our Father
in heaven." He has thoroughly documented His character and disclosed what He expects of us. What is that? What do the
Scriptures teach us about Him and His expectations of us?
In summary, they reveal that "our Father in heaven" is He Who created us, He in Whom we live and move and have our
being (Acts 17:28), He Who outlines how we are to live, act, speak, think, and feel, and they show that He provides
everything we need to obey Him.
Consider, therefore, our earthly fathers: children depend on their fathers, seek to respect them, and to do their will.
Likewise, we declare to our heavenly Father, "Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy Will be done on earth as
it is in heaven" (Mt. 6:9-10).
Hence, to live with God year-in-and-year-out, means to "be diligent to present [our self] approved to God, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). The child of God who genuinely cares
about the will of "our Father in heaven" earnestly seeks to discern and to do the will of God as his Father (Jn. 14:15).
The continuing study of Scripture and an honest effort to do the will of God lead the Faithful in Christ to worship the Lord
among His People, to pray as He instructs. There, in the bosom of the family of "our Father in heaven," we learn that we
need the healing of our Father to be transformed into what He means us to be, to be restored to His original design for us.
Therefore, let us apply our Father's many basic lessons: to forgive that we may receive His forgiveness, to love that we
may receive His love, to rid ourselves of hate because He has no hate in Him. Let us learn never to murder, not even in
thought. Let us learn not to steal, lie, corrupt others, nor misuse our bodies that He has given us.
The greatest obstacle before God's children is pride, the secular delusion of self-reliance. Of this Blessed Theophylact
says: "a proud man should rebuke this mountain, this passion of pride which besets him and strives to drive him away from
God's protection and providence, for it is pride that makes a proud man say that he can accomplish all things by himself
without God's help. Such a man ought to say to his pride, 'Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea....'"
Our Father in heaven, make us worthy to pass this new year with a seemly disposition and virtuous life, guiding us by Thy
righteousness and providing for us the path of salvation.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Hieromartyr Haralampos of Magnesia
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 3:1-4:1 Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:1-10 Gospel: St. John 15:17-16:2
St. John 15:17-16:2, especially vs. 19: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Here is a reminder from our
Lord Jesus Christ: if you count yourself as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus Christ, it is primarily because Christ Himself
chose you out of the world. What does that mean? Do you recall in school when two captains were appointed by the
teacher and, in turn, they chose up sides? At first, you stood in the midst of all the other children. Which one would pick
you? Who would choose you to be on his or her team? You waited and waited until one of the selecting captains pointed
to you and called your name. At that point, you left the group and you became a member of the team. You had been
chosen out of the undifferentiated body of candidates and turned into a team member.
Apply that experience to your membership in Christ. He chose you; and though you were still in the world - at your same
job, part of your same natural family, a citizen of your same native land, the same gender as the day you were born - but
now there is something distinctive about you. You are a member of Christ. Recall St. Paul's words: "For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:27-28). Hereafter, your actions and responses will be
determined by your being someone who was chosen out from all other identities to belong to Christ first and foremost.
Being chosen out by Christ comes with definite consequences. These are what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, speaks of
in this Gospel. There are five results of being chosen by Christ: 1) We are to love our fellow Christians. 2) Whenever we
experience hatred, it is because our Lord is the primary target, and the same is true when we find fellow supporters. 3) It is
among our fellow members in the Church that we find the Holy Spirit as our Helper. 5) As one chosen out by Christ, you
will find many opportunities to act and speak for Him, come what may.
See how our Lord begins? "These things I command you, that you love one another" (Jn. 15:17). It may be difficult to
love some of them, but they are striving to live up to being chosen out, just as we are. Let us remember always to let other
Christians know that we love them.
You may very well experience hatred because Christ chose you out; but be reassured. Those who hate you, hate Him more
than you. He is the primary target (vss. 18-20).
However, when we find people who are keeping Jesus' commandments (vs. 20), they also will be keeping the Church's
teaching; for Church is the name of those who have been chosen out by Christ to the be Body of Christ.
In the Church, we find "the Helper" (vs. 26), the Spirit of Truth Who proceeds from our Father in Heaven. He helps those
who are chosen out to make the critical choices by testifying to us about Christ our Savior and Lord.
As those who have been chosen out, we may always expect to find many opportunities to stand up for Christ our God, to
"bear witness" (vs. 27) to Him Who chose us out to be His own. Remember, He chose us out because He does not want us
to stumble, to sin, and to make serious mistakes. He is putting trust in us by explaining all of this to us in advance. "Yes,
the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (vs. 16:2), but no matter how rough it gets,
remember that most important of all, you were chosen out by Christ Himself!
Ye who have trod the narrow way most sad; all ye who in life have taken upon you the Cross as a yoke, and have followed
Me: enjoy ye the honors which I have prepared for you.
Friday, February 11, 2005 Fast Day
Hieromartyr Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 4:1-11 Epistle: 1 Peter 1:1-2, 10-12; 2:6-10 Gospel: St. Mark 12:1-12
St. Mark 12:1-12, especially vs. 9: "...the owner of the vineyard...will come and destroy the vinedressers,
and give the vineyard to others." This parable is a prophecy from the mouth of the Son of God, the One sent to win "the
respect" of the ancient People of God, Whom their "chief priests...scribes, and...elders" (Mk. 11:27) "took...and killed...and
cast...out of the vineyard" (Mk. 12:8). Thereafter, as Blessed Theophylact observes: the Lord gave "His people to other
husbandmen, that is, to the Apostles." Thus, the People of God have continued to bear fruit to Him, "the sacrifice of
praise...that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name" (Heb. 13:15). Furthermore, having the example of ancient
Israel, we know that God does not change. Therefore, anyone who does not abide in Him, "is cast out as a branch and is
withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn. 15:6).
Because sin, with its alluring attractions, is all around us, we rarely look ahead to the consequences of failing to "abide in
Him." We readily miss the point that our "petty" resistance to "paying our dues" simply deepens and widens the gulf
between us and the Giver of Life. We read of Adam and Eve, fail to see how rapidly death and troubles follow the
departure from Life, and still wonder: "It was only a tiny bite of forbidden fruit. What was the real harm?" However,
Paradise was taken away and foul murder still prevails (Gen. 4:8). We need only look at the 20th Century, the century of
death now past, in order to see a small sample of mankind's sordid record: mass executions, genocide, firestorms
consuming whole cities - sheer terror.
Beloved, we are so close to Life! We are united to Him in Holy Baptism, sealed with the gift of His Spirit, partakers of His
Life-bearing Body and Blood. "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of
Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11). Let us not squander the Vineyard that He
gives us. Rather let us render to our Lord and God "some of the fruit of the vineyard" (Mk. 12:2).
First, let us honor the servants whom the Lord sends to us, our Pastors and Bishops. Let us kiss their hands and set before
their eyes fruits of honest struggle and labor in the Lord's Vineyard. What are those fruits? Our God loves truth and is
ready to make us whiter than snow and turn His face away from our sins if we will but simply offer Him "a broken spirit, a
heart that is broken and humbled" (Ps. 50:17 LXX). Listen to St. Makarios of Egypt: "Being bountiful and full of love,
God awaits with great patience the repentance of every sinner. How He celebrates the return of the sinner with celestial
rejoicing, as He Himself says, 'There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents' (Lk. 15:7,10)!"
Next, let us note every subtle movement in our heart as we refuse God, resist Him, or feel condemned by Him. Further, let
us learn from Archimandrite Sophrony: "At first I was all bitter shame for my mad pride....Shame led to abject self-condemnation. Then joy took over - not only had the Lord not condemned me for my audacity, but He even poured rich
blessing on my head." Beloved, He brings us from "non-existence into being, and when we had fallen away didst raise us
up again, and didst not cease to do all things until [He] hadst brought us back to heaven."
Therefore, when the Son comes to us in His Holy Mysteries and looks for our respect, when He comes to us in the garb of
the poor, let us look at all that He has given us. What else may we offer but thanksgiving to the Life-Giver? "We praise
Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, and we pray unto Thee, O our God."
"Serve ye the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling. Lay hold of instruction [for] blessed are all that have put
their trust in Him." (Ps. 2:11,12,13 LXX)
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Melitios, Archbishop of Antioch
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 4:12-22 Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23 Gospel: St. Luke 17:3-10
St. Luke 17:3-10, especially vs. 10: "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty
to do." St. Paul glimpsed the truth deep within the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus: that He is an "anadochos," One
Who assumes burdens (comp. Lk. 9:41 and 2 Cor. 11:1-10). Thus, the Apostle says that we should "bear one another's
burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). Still, how may we apply this truth so fully demonstrated by Christ and
commanded of us by His Apostle? In today's Gospel, the Lord gives us a list of four specific duties, which, if we will carry
them out in Him, will make us "burden bearers" together with the Lord: like Him to rebuke, to repent, to forgive and to
persist in carrying out these duties. First: the Lord encourages us to rebuke one another (Lk. 17:3). Do you recoil from
this command and ask, "Are we not supposed to be kind to one another?" Rebuking a fellow Christian may be a kindness.
The admonition to rebuke is from the Lord Who also says, "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye" (Mt. 7:5). Being called to attain theosis and to help one
another, shall we not rebuke when it would help? Indeed, we must when rebuke is needed.
Rebuke is essential. It can bring one back to the right course. Hence, God admonishes us as a duty, as a gift, to rebuke our
companions in the life in Christ. Help for one another among the wounded is a blessing. Rebuke need not be entrapment
to catch others in weakness. Let it have an honored place in the economy of love, for even the Lord rebukes those whom
He loves. "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Heb. 12:6).
Second, let us remember that rebuke is mutual. If the Lord prompts us to rebuke, He also prompts us to receive rebuke.
We are to bear one other's burdens, even as others bear ours. Rebuke is not an end-point; it has a purpose - repentance and
correction. Hence, the second Christian duty is repentance. So let us receive rebuke as a joy, a gift, a grace from God; and
when we rebuke, let us do so in such a manner that others are likely to awaken and repent.
Third, when we rebuke and should the other repent, do we then forgive? We must forgive or quit the Faith. Forgiveness is
a basic duty. How else can we ask God to "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?" In the
Community of sinners, the struggle goes on and on. To forgive repeatedly may stir up irritation or impatience in us. Let us
confess these sins! After all, fighting the same cursed sin over and over is tedious for the sinner. Who does not know this?
As we know God's compassion, let us forgive and without measure.
These three activities, beloved, describe the scope of Christian duty. Let us reflect on these duties, and how little we
achieve them in fact! Is it not appalling? Let us look to our own darkness and sin. Let us cry out with St. Peter in shame:
"Depart from me, I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Lk. 5:8). The Apostles understood how far they were from being able to
carry out these duties apart from God's grace, and so they begged the Lord, "Increase our faith" (Lk. 17:5). The Lord's
reply to the request "to increase our faith" returns us to our own sin, and so He speaks of pulling a tree up by the roots and
planting it in the ocean, a task impossible in its conception (see vs. 6). The Lord Jesus uses hyperbole to drive us to
dependency upon God. Exactly His purpose! Now we are ready for the last and fourth duty: to persist. Since we cannot
plant the Tree of life, neither shall we receive rest (vs. 7). Labor is the life-long burden of accepting discipleship. It is God
Who gives the profit, and He is faithful to help us attain the impossible. We have only to persist in the effort. He will give
the growth, and He will plant.
Grant, O Lord that we may complete the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance.
Sunday, February 13, 2005 Tone 4
The Sunday of the Canaanite Woman
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 5:1-12 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 Gospel: St. Matthew 15:21-28
St. Matthew 15:21-28, especially vs. 25: "Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, help
me!'" How many prayers offered up to God seem to fall upon deaf ears! People ask, exactly like the "woman of Canaan"
(vs. 22), and nothing happens. Who has not had the experience? One makes a petition, and there is no result, nothing, as if
God chooses to remain aloof; there is no hint that God has heard anything. All that one receives for praying is silence, not
even "a word" (vs. 23) of discouragement, refusal, or an order to wait.
When this happens to us, Beloved of the Lord, let us return to this portion of the Gospel, meditate on it once again and
learn from the Lord how to petition Him on His terms. It is fair to say that in this instance of a mother crying in prayer, one
in which God first appears to "turn a deaf ear," He is, in fact, giving a detailed, step-by-step instruction in how to pray so
that one's petition is answered. After all, the Lord did answer that which was desired at the beginning. Let us note that the
Lord here revealed Himself entirely faithful to His promise: "whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son" (Jn. 14:13).
We may learn from this transaction between the One Whom we call our "compassionate God" and the other whom we
observe praying to Him, but mostly we should learn to direct our attention to that which He achieved within this mother
during the exchange. He was leading her to a new, fruitful inner state that would glorify Him and gain her the answer to
that which she desired. At each step in the process, two questions press: "What is the state of her spirit?" and, "What does
the Lord achieve by His response?" These unlock the mystery of this encounter.
At first the Canaanite woman cries "out to Him, saying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is
severely demon-possessed'" (Mt. 15:22). As we know, "He answered her not a word" (vs. 23). God does not respond
simply because we cry in front of Him, if we are merely whimpering at some plight in this life. The pain generated by our
need is not enough. God knows pain, as His Passion proves. He also understands that people cry when confronted with
serious dilemmas, as when Judas cried to the Temple authorities to stop the Crucifixion. God looks for more: to move us
from crying about situations to being in His presence genuinely. Being oblique with the Lord clearly is inadequate. The
woman begins to cry after His disciples when she receives no reply from the Lord Jesus (vs. 23). She still is not willing to
be present before Him. Therefore, in her hearing, He says to the disciples: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel" (vs. 24). To awaken her to the One to Whom she has come, He makes a remark that appears to have
implications concerning her status as a pagan idolater. The effect within her snaps her out of self-pity. Here is the
Messiah, He Who is able not only to heal Jews, but also the ills of all peoples of whatever culture or religion, a universal
Savior.
The answer of the Canaanite woman reflects the change that Christ accomplished within her. The Lord promises to answer
if we ask in His Name, submit to His power and authority, recognize His status as Lord, and acknowledge our dependency
on Him. With a change of heart, she becomes direct, enters His presence, worships Him, and says, "Lord, help me!" (vs.
25).
Here was progress, but the Lord was not finished healing her spirit. He cleansed her heart with one more reference to the
social gulf between them (vs. 26), at which she casts away her cultural heritage and pride in favor of humility, the queen of
virtues (vs. 27). She evinces "great faith" (vs. 28), and so He pronounces her daughter cured, granting the mother's desire
(vs. 28).
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who in Thy lovingkindness dost regard the prayers of all who call upon Thee with their
whole heart, hear our prayers now humbly offered unto Thee.
Monday, February 14, 2005
The Venerable Cyril, Isapostolos, Teacher of the Slavs
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 6:1-16 Epistle: 1 Peter 2:21-3:9 Gospel: St. Mark 12:13-17
St. Mark 12:13-17, especially vss. 14, 15: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or
not? Shall we pay, or not?" Today's reading begins a series of accounts that describe the efforts of His enemies to destroy
the Lord Jesus (see Mk. 11:18; 12:12-13). Their methods were to pose "trick" questions to lure Him into treasonous,
blasphemous, or libelous remarks which they could then use to have Him tried and executed. In this account, the Pharisees
and the Herodians, the religious puritans and the political officials, challenged Him (Mk. 12:13). They framed their
question in the context of the sovereignty of God, observing that the Lord Jesus did "not regard the person of men, but
[taught] the way of God in truth" (vs. 14). This said, they then asked if God's people should or not pay taxes to an
idolatrous government. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians appears to be about Caesar and taxes, but in actual
fact it sought to pit loyalty to God against obedience to the Imperial government. Christ showed the error of thinking of
God as an alternative to Caesar. Comparing the infinite God to a human ruler is to apply over-simplified, human
categories, and to force the knowledge of God into manageable human concepts. Impossible! As Vladimir Lossky learned
from St. Gregory of Nyssa: "...every concept relative to God is a simulacrum, a false likeness, an idol."
The Pharisees and Herodians were engaging in "reductionism"- simplifying complex ideas or issues to the point of
minimizing, obscuring, or distorting reality. As rational creatures, we finite humans are incapable of speaking definitively
about the essence of God except in negative or superlative statements - uncontainable, incomprehensible, all-wise,
almighty. As St. Gregory the Theologian says, "...to define Him in words is impossible." God is not some "thing" to be
compared to other things, such as governments. He exists beyond all thought categories.
Therefore, one may learn what to render to God only as God reveals Himself and His will. Otherwise, God and His will
remain incomprehensible. On the other hand, it is quite possible to comprehend what a Caesar expects. Emperors mint
coins with their own images. They issue decrees "...that all the world should be registered" for taxation (Lk. 2:1). They
tax.
The motive behind reductionism is always a vain attempt to manage God. If one could reduce God to ideas and principles
comprehensible to humans, then the essential unknowability of God would be eliminated. Simplistic thinking has "god"
conveniently in hand, and adapts "god" however it will. The Saints who know the Lord are unalterably opposed to such
theology. Isaiah, for instance, says, "...as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and
My thoughts than your thoughts" (Is.55:9).
In his Gospel, St. Mark faces us with a choice between reductionism or celebrating the incomprehensibility of God. Let us
stand with the true Prophets of God and reject self-serving theologizing: "They have belied the Lord, and said, 'It is not He;
neither shall evil come upon us'"(Jer. 5:12). True faith always says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job
13:15). In teaching us about hope in God, Solomon said: "The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation
of the wicked shall perish" (Pr. 10:28). The wicked do not expect God to interfere, but He frustrates their ways. The
Prophet Malachi said frankly: "You have wearied the Lord with your words; yet you say, 'In what way have we wearied
Him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them'" (Mal. 2:17).
Our ways are not hid from God, for "His understanding is unsearchable" (Is. 40:27-28).
For Thou art God ineffable, inconceivable, invisible, incomprehensible, ever-existing and eternally the same, Thou and
Thine Only-begotten Son and Thy Holy Spirit. Glory to Thee!
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Holy Apostle Onesimos of the Seventy
Kellia: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 7:2-17 Epistle: Philemon 1-25 Gospel: St. Mark 12:18-27
St. Mark 12:18-27, especially vs. 27: "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the
living." In today's Gospel, the Lord Jesus addresses not only the reality of death, but also the greater coming reality, the
defeat of death in the resurrection promised for our mortal bodies. Undeniably, it is the common lot of mankind that all
die, that everybody shall fall in time, that every single body to whom God gives life also shall languish and go down into
the grave. Yet, straight in the teeth of universal death, the Lord Jesus draws our attention to the witness of Holy Scripture
in opposition to the "Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection" (vs. 18). Centuries before Christ, the Prophet Isaiah,
moved by the Holy Spirit, confessed to God, "Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake
and sing for joy! For Thy dew is a dew of light, and on the land of the shades Thou wilt let it fall" (Is. 26:19 RSV).
In refuting the Sadducees and their fanciful tale of a woman married in serial fashion to seven brothers, the Lord Jesus
teaches three truths about resurrection of the body: 1) that the promise of resurrection for our bodies arises from the nature
of God as Life and Life-Giver, 2) that resurrection shall occur in the future, sometime after each of us dies, and 3) that each
of our mortal bodies shall be raised, although, as the Apostle says, they will be raised to "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4, 5) in
a "spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44) - something Christ already has manifested.
Anciently, the People of God already had learned to look to God as the Source of life, a truth we ourselves hear regularly in
the Vesperal Psalm: "Thou wilt take their spirit, and they shall cease, and unto dust they shall return. Thou wilt send forth
Thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth" (Ps. 103:31 32 LXX). Thus the Lord has
ordained life and death for all flesh. He gives life and takes away our breath. We live and die - the great mystery of life
and death. However, the dramatic announcement of the Lord Jesus in this passage "concerning the dead [is] that they rise"
again (vs. 26).
The Lord Jesus reminds us of what He had said to Moses from the burning bush: "I Am the