Saturday, October 16, 2004
The Martyr Longinos the Centurion
2nd Vespers, Fathers of 7th Council: Deuteronomy 1:8-17 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Gospel: St. Luke 5:27-32
Deuteronomy 1:8-17 RSV, especially vs. 17: "You shall not be partial in
judgment, you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man,
for the judgment is God's; and the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will
hear it." Sadly, even within the Church, the Body of Christ, there are quarrels and disputes. Too
frequently contentions have arisen throughout our two thousand year history, despite the healing
ministry of Christ Who "is our peace" (Eph. 2:14) and despite the outpouring of His Holy Spirit
upon us - from Whom come "the fruit of...love, joy, peace" (Gal. 5:22). This troubling of God's
People by "strife" (Deut. 1:12) is so contrary to our Lord Jesus' will! After all, He came to
"reconcile [us all] to God in one body through the Cross" (Eph. 2:16), and yet disputes occur!
Who does not know that quarreling, altercations, and even all-out war have been a dark,
persistent factor in the life of the human race through all time? We can trace the bitterness of
contentiousness back to the dawn of history, to the slaying of the righteous Abel by his own
brother, Cain (Gen 4:8). Furthermore, we understand that the deep cause of all our human
disputes is our sin and death, for "through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin,
and thus death spread to all men" (Rom. 5:12).
The Prophet Moses, understanding the lurking, universal evil of sin long ago - two millennia
before the Incarnation of Savior - graciously provided us with a basic framework for the settling
of disputes within the community of the Faithful. Moreover, because of what Christ
accomplished in His Passion, and because of active work of the Holy Spirit, Moses' framework
still provides solid hope that disputes among us do not have to degenerate into enmity and strife,
but truly may be resolved through seeking a common mind in the Lord Jesus (Phil. 4:2).
Simply put, the People of God are committed to choosing "wise, understanding, and experienced
men" and to appointing "them as [our] heads" (Deut. 1:13). Within the Church this means we
have a hierarchical body of Pastors to lead us and settle disputes among us - Patriarchs,
Archbishops, Metropolitans, Bishops, Priests, and other elected leaders who are "set...as heads
over [us]" (vs. 15). In every nation and society, we have such worthy men who serve as fathers in
God. Not only at their ordinations do we pray that "the grace of the all-holy Spirit may come
upon them" but we continue praying "for all the clergy and the people" that the peace of Christ
truly may reign among us in a healing and living way.
Because those who are appointed and set over us as heads are fallible men like ourselves, the
Church has a hierarchical ladder of appeal for our clergy, so that should any "case" prove "too
hard" for one of them, he may bring it to those in higher councils of pastoral responsibility to
"hear it" (vs. 17) and provide guidance and light from the Lord.
Such was the Seventh Ecumenical Council, a gathering of the leading hierarchs of the Church
who resolved a conflict in Church and State that had produced numerous martyrs, exiles, and
confessors over a hundred and fifty year period (717-843 AD). These holy Fathers truly were
"luminous stars upon earth, and through them [God] did guide us unto the true Faith" of
representing "painted images in accord with the story of the biblical preaching...for our benefit."
The point Moses makes clear is that in all deliberations concerning quarrels within the Church -
among the People of God - every effort is made to avoid partiality "for the judgment is God's"
(vs. 17). It is under His truth that our holy Fathers seek to resolve disputes.
Let us extol today those mystical trumpets of the Spirit, namely the God-mantled Fathers, who
sang in the midst of the Church a hymn of unified tones, teaching the Triune Godhead.
Sunday, October 17, 2004 (Tone 3)
Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council
3rd Vespers, Fathers of 7th Council: Deuteronomy 10:14-21 Epistle: Titus 3:8-15
Gospel: St. Matthew 5:14-19
Deuteronomy 10:14-21, especially vss. 20, 21: "You shall
fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cleave to Him, and by His Name you shall
swear. He is your praise; He is your God." There are those in this generation who are deeply
intrigued with the idea of "reinventing" themselves, society, and the world. They see few limits
or restraints upon their lives and what they can do. They encourage themselves, and they urge
others, to "be everything you can envision." In point of fact, this ideology of self-defining is as
old as the history of the human race. The illumined Christian, however, sees immediately that it
is the age-old song of the serpent who used the identical ploy to lure our first parents into the idea
that they might "be like God" (Gen. 3:5), which they believed to the havoc of all mankind.
How different is the voice of the Prophet Moses who urges us to "fear the Lord your God...serve
Him...cleave to Him" and "swear by His Name" (Deut. 10:20). Let us not pass over this
admonition through God's Prophet because he spoke these words to the ancient People of God
ages before the Incarnation of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. The words apply to us just as
they did to our forerunners in Faith. Yes, they were Jews and we are Christians, but God is the
same yesterday, today, and forever. The Prophet's words are for us. Let us see how this is so.
Since the God of Whom Moses spoke is the same God to Whom we direct our prayers in the
Divine Liturgy, He has not changed. No matter how different the world of the ancient Near-East
may appear in its tangible and material culture from the technological environment that spins
around us, God is unchanged. The Lord of Whom the Prophet spoke still is the God to Whom
belongs "heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it" (vs. 14).
As Christians, we have a greater certainty that "the Lord set His heart in love upon...[us] above
all peoples, as at this day" (vs. 15). Who can look upon Christ our God in His Extreme Humility
or at His Harrowing of Hades and doubt that God has set His heart in love upon us - and such
love, such extraordinary love, for us above all peoples and yet for all peoples?
Yes, in the age of Christ, Baptism has replaced Circumcision among the People of God, but the
issue of stubborn hearts (vs. 16) is ours as it was for the People of Israel. Thus, we pray God to
expel from our hearts "every evil and impure spirit" that would make a lair within us.
Moses makes much of the connection between the nature of God and the manner in which we are
to respond to the defenseless around us. God is great, mighty, and terrible, yet He is never
"partial and takes no bribe," but rather "executes justice for the widow, and loves the sojourner,
giving him food and clothing" (vss. 17-18). Likewise, as People of God, we are to "love the
sojourner, for [we] were sojourners in the land of Egypt" (vs. 19).
Christ has shown us that, as He is the image of the invisible God, so are we, but though we are
made in God's image, we manifest our true nature only as we act as God does. Hence, the
Apostle John urges us to remember that only he who "loves is born of God and knows God" (1
Jn. 4:7). As God is impartial, so we are not to show "partiality among [ourselves]" (Jas. 2:4).
Moses reminded the ancients that they were to fear the Lord [their] God...serve Him and cleave to
Him" as their praise and God, remembering, especially, all He "has done for you these great and
terrible things which your eyes have seen" (Deut 10: 20,21). How much more has God done for
us in Christ: "the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven,
the Session at the right hand and the second and glorious Advent."
"Come let us worship and fall down before Christ. Save us O Son of God, Who art risen from
the dead, who sing to Thee: Alleluia."
Monday, October 18, 2004
The Holy Apostle Luke the Evangelist
Kellia: Judges 4:4-23 Epistle: Philippians 4:10-23 Gospel: St. Luke 7:36-50
Judges 4:4-23 RSV, especially vss. 15, 16: "Sisera alighted
from his chariot and fled away on foot. And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to
Harosheth-ha-goiim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was
left." Two verses which precede this reading reveal that a certain Jabin, the king of Canaan,
maintained a large army of iron chariots by which he oppressed "the people of Israel cruelly for
twenty years" (Jdg. 4:2,3). Under the command of a general named Sisera, these Canaanite
chariots were equipped with whirling knives on their wheels - for dashing in among infantry and
cutting up opponents on foot while protecting their drivers and warriors. A whole generation of
Israel's populace had been subdued by these deadly mobile squadrons. However, to deliver His
People while they were living under Jabin's hand, God had raised up a Prophetess, Deborah, who
kept an informal court under a palm tree in the northern hills of the Holy Land (Jdg. 4:4-5).
After twenty years, God roused Deborah and "She sent and summoned Barak" from Naphtali,
one of the northernmost tribes of Israel, living immediately under Jabin's repressive control (vs.
6). Let us carefully note why God chose this moment to act. He had a Prophetess whose heart
was open to hear His commands, whose court brought her into close touch with the people and
who was well respected by them. Most of all, however, "the people of Israel cried to the Lord for
help" (Jdg. 4:3). Thus we have a passage that encourages us always to turn to God for help and
mercy, but especially when we are overwhelmed by powers of this life. It also shows us that,
when we seek His help, we must do so in unfettered faith and obedience.
Barak provides a study in faith and obedience. He had the faith to do what God commanded, yet
not an unquestioning faith, nor an unbridled faith ready to obey without "conditions." As a result
the "glory" of victory went to an unarmed woman of faith (vss. 9,21-23). As our cries to God
arise with our need for His help in struggling through life against the bitter powers of this world,
our own sinful desires, and Satan's attractions, they must also be joined by a faith ready to act as
God expects and without "conditions." Faith and obedience will ever be subverted when we
tamper with what the Lord sets plainly before us.
Could God have been more direct and assuring? He gave explicit orders about the number of
troops required for the battle. He declared that He would draw out Sisera's army as a guarantee
that the tactical situation would be safely in Divine control, and, most important, the Lord
promised Barak to give Sisera into his hand (vs. 7). Sadly, Barak's immediate response was to
set conditions in his reply to God. As he said to Deborah, "If you will go with me, I will go" (vs.
8). A readiness was present, but not a robust, unquestioning faith to go and do what was
commanded. Let us note both Barak's trust in God, but also the hobbles that hampered his faith.
Like Barak, Beloved of the Lord, we know God's commandments in our hearts. In His Sermon
on the Mount, the Lord Jesus revealed the full scope of the commandments with the sole purpose
of bringing us safely through the great array of temptations that can limit our victories in obeying
Him. For example, we may be well enough constrained so that we ignore the impulse to murder,
but few of us are always free of anger at others or have never indulged our feelings to cut down
an offender by saying "Raca," that is, "Stupid" or "Fool" to someone (Mt. 5:22).
Let us, like Jael, the wife of Heber, be ready to put to death in our own tent - within ourselves -
those enemies pride and selfishness that obstruct the Holy Spirit from giving us life. O Lord
save Thy People, and bless Thine inheritance, granting to Thy People victory over all their
enemies, and by the power of Thy Cross, preserving Thy kingdom.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The Holy Prophet Joel
Kellia: Judges 5:1-22 Epistle: Colossians 1:1-2, 7-11 Gospel: St. Luke 8:1-3
Judges 5:1-22, especially vss. 1, 2: "Then sang Deborah and
Barak the son of Abino-am on that day: 'That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people
offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord!'" Twenty years under harsh, foreign tyranny print
indelible memories on a people; and release with freedom brings singing and jubilation. The
victory Song of Deborah and Barak is one the oldest pieces of Hebrew literature, passed down to
us from the days immediately following Sisera's defeat. The victory "by the waters of Meggido"
(Jdg. 5:19) ended the despotism of Jabin, the king of Hazor (Jdg. 4:2,3,24). However, the reader
of Scripture should not miss the point in the song: the great blessing came from "the Lord, the
God of Israel" (Jdg. 5:3). Blessing belongs to Him, blessing that leaders led, that people
followed willingly, and that "the kings of Canaan... got no spoils of silver" (vss. 2,19).
The message is the same in all of Holy Scripture and in all the great liturgical hymns of God's
People: to the Lord our God belongs "the pathways leading forth from death" (Ps. 67:21 LXX).
How meet and just it is, "and befitting the majesty of [His] holiness that we should
magnify...praise...bless...[and] worship [Him]...the only truly existing God." Such is the spirit of
this ancient hymn extolling Israel's stunning victory at the river Kishon against Sisera.
The Song is a joyful praise of the Lord Who stirred up leaders among His People to act, moving
the heart of Deborah so that she "arose as a mother in Israel" (Jdg. 5:7). It was God Who caused
"the commanders of Israel [to offer] themselves willingly among the people" (vs. 9). He is
praised as the God Who was, and is, and shall be forever - the God Who declared His will in ages
past at Sinai (vs. 5), Who went "forth from Seir [and] didst march from the region of Edom" (vs.
4), and Who again was victorious in "the triumphs of His peasantry" at Meggido (vs. 11). He is
His People's help "against the mighty" (vs.13). Let us also praise Him Who aids us!
The victory of Deborah and Barak, which this ballad recalls, also speaks of the prior extremity of
God's People, when "caravans ceased" (vs. 6), when the transportation of people and goods was
disrupted, and, worse, was halted by cruel enemies, and when the welfare of the land suffered.
The domination of Jabin over Israel forced the people to move about as much as possible out of
sight, and so, "travelers kept to the byways" (vs. 6), far from the main roads of travel where they
might be intercepted by agents from Hazor or by brigands taking advantage of the chaos and
desperation of the times. The phrase, "the peasantry ceased in Israel," conveys a deep bitterness,
an oppression brought on Israel, for "the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin" (Jdg. 4:2). He
did so because they chose "new gods," a brazen idolatry that brought war to their gates and left
them without "shield or spear...among forty thousand in Israel" (Jdg. 5:8). Holy Scripture, most
of all, is a record of God as Savior. In this Song from Judges, the theme of Divine salvation and
deliverance is foremost: "the remnant of the nobles; the people of the Lord marched down for
Him against the mighty" (vs. 13). The Lord stirred them up at the prompting of Deborah and
Barak. The specific tribes who marshaled and joined in the fight are named: Benjamin and
Zebulun (vs. 14), the princes of Issachar who "rushed forth" (vs. 15) and Naphtali (vs. 18).
Those who held back from the victory, Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher were named also (vss.
16,17). But some of the tribes "jeoparded their lives to the death" (vs. 18), and God brought all
the powers of heaven to bear against their enemies (vss. 20,21) and saved them so that even "the
feet of horse were entangled," as the Septuagint version records (vs. 22 LXX).
"Who is like unto the Lord our God? Who dwelleth on high and looketh down on things that are
lowly in heaven and on earth, Who raiseth up the poor man...." (Ps. 112:5,6 LXX)
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
The Great Martyr Artemios at Antioch
Kellia: Judges 6:2, 7, 11-24 Epistle: Colossians 1:18-23 Gospel: St. Luke 8:22-25
Judges 6:2, 7, 11-24 RSV, especially vss. 22, 23: "Then Gideon perceived that he
was the angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, 'Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel
of the Lord face to face.' But the Lord said to him, 'Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not
die.'" In both of the original languages of the Bible, the word translated in our English versions
as "angel" is simply the common Hebrew or Greek word for "courier" or "messenger." In the
present passage, the angel who appeared to Gideon is specifically identified to the reader as "a
messenger of the Lord" (vss. 11,12). He came to Gideon who was threshing wheat down inside a
wine press and gave a friendly greeting, "The Lord is with you...."(vs. 12). He did not
communicate that he was one of the bodiless Powers. In fact, since the greeting was coupled
with the address, "you mighty man of valor," it led Gideon to express his discomfort that "the
hand of Midian"(vs. 2) was heavy upon him, even complicating his harvesting efforts. He could
not thresh out in the open, but had to hide inside the walls of a wine press, so as not to be seen by
marauding Midianites. So, we have, in his retort: "Pray, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has
all this befallen us?" (vs. 13) - a poignant expression of a continuous discomfort.
Gideon had to thresh in hiding. His neighbors had to hide in caves to avoid pillaging. It is
difficult for Gideon to see how the Lord could be "with him," yet an angel of the Lord had in fact
come with a message for him. It was the present complications of life caused by the Midianite
raiders that made Gideon acutely aware of the absence of the Lord in his life. Can you guess how
this applies to us? Much of the time, getting our attention and focusing it must be the chief
struggles for the bodiless Powers. As God's messengers to man, they have a difficult task.
First and foremost, angels are sent as messengers to deliver the word of God to each of us. In
Gideon's case, the angel laid a foundation for the man's acceptance of the message. Notice the
angel's first declaration, "the Lord is with you," and his calling Gideon a "mighty man of valor"
(vs. 12). Consider the messages our guardian angels bring to each of us: warnings, calls to
worship and prayer, helps in sorting among available options, and pointers toward those decisions
that represent God's highest and best for our lives. We are so dull spiritually that the angels have
a multitude of barriers to cross in order just to deliver God's word to our hearts.
Always, the angels face the problem of assuring men that they are truly hearing a bidding or a
message from God. Gideon is told to "go... and deliver Israel from...Midian" (vs. 14), but like so
many who hear the word of the Lord, he can do little else than question its relevance, not trusting
his own capacity to carry out the message. Moses asked, "Who am I?' (Ex. 3:11). Isaiah could
only see his sins (Is. 6:5), and the Forerunner John rightly perceived that he was the one who
needed Baptism, not the Lord (Mt. 3:14). So angels as God's messengers also have to encourage
us that God will enable us to carry out what He asks of us (Jdgs. 6:16). Think what the Lord
Jesus tells us - that not even a hair of our head shall perish (Lk. 21:18).
Finally, when an angel has quieted our minds and hearts and we have received and accepted the
message he brings from God, then agitation and fear often well up in us. Notice that the Lord
Himself spoke to Gideon (Jdg. 6:23) but only after the man had perceived that he was dealing
with an angel from the Lord and was not deluded by some demon or fantasy of his own making
(vs. 22). God speaks peace and dispels fear, enabling us to act. Thus He prepares us to worship
Him and to offer ourselves in His service (vs. 24).
Through the intercession of Thy holy angels and the power of Thy Spirit, lift us to Thy presence,
O Lord, that we may be still, honor Thee as God, and serve Thee with quiet hearts.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
The Venerable Hilarion the Great
Kellia: Judges 6:25-40 Epistle: Colossians 1:24-29 Gospel: St. Luke 9:7-11
Judges 6:25-40, especially vs. 27: "So Gideon took ten men of
his servants, and did as the Lord had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and
the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night." Throughout the accounts concerning
Gideon, one can observe the Lord strengthening the quavering faith of this famous judge. During
Gideon's first encounter with the angel of the Lord, although he was called, "you mighty man of
valor" (Jdgs. 6:12), he reacted not with faith but frank skepticism: "Pray, sir, if the Lord is with
us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all His wonderful deeds which our fathers
recounted to us?" (Jdgs 6:13). When the angel told him to "Go in this might of yours and deliver
Israel" (Jdg. 6:14), he asked, "how can I deliver Israel?" (Jdg. 6:15). Even when God promised to
be with him in accomplishing the deliverance, he sought a corroborative "sign" (Jdg. 6:17).
On the very night following the first appearance of the angel to Gideon, the Lord began the
process of destroying the stranglehold of the Midianites over Israel. As a first step, He directed
Gideon to carry out a public act visibly attacking the underlying reason why "the hand of Midian
prevailed over Israel" (Jdg. 6:2). Gideon was to "pull down the altar of Baal which your father
has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God" (Jdg.
6:25,26). This was to be an affront to the idolatry of the people. Their pagan altar was to be
destroyed, an altar to the Lord constructed, "with stones laid in due order" (vs. 26), and one of his
father's bulls sacrificed there "as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah" (vs. 26). At the
very least, Gideon was a man of some degree of faith, for he obeyed the Lord (vs. 27).
Still, the task was nothing one man could accomplish in single, quick strike, so Gideon used "ten
men of his servants, and did as the Lord had told him" (vs. 27). Notice that the text calls our
attention to his quavering faith. Being too afraid of family and neighbors, "he did it by night"
(vs. 27), a kind of covert action, yet nothing that finally could be hidden from his outraged
neighbors (vs. 29). Notice that Gideon's father displayed more boldness before the angry crowd
than his son had under the cloak of night (vss. 30,31). Much to the point, his father challenged
the neighbors for defending the pagan god, Baal (vs. 31). Gideon's public reputation, however,
was now established with a new "nickname," Jerubbaal, that is, "Baal struggles" (vs. 32).
The Midianites set off the next round of the resistance by invading the best farm land in Israel,
the Valley of Jezreel, the heart of the tribal territory of Manasseh, the tribe of which the clan of
the Abiezrites was part. Having awakened Gideon's faith in Himself, "the Spirit of the Lord
took possession" of him (vs. 34), and his clansmen now were ready to follow this man they
whom perceived as a staunch opponent of pagan encroachment. In fact, so were all the men from
the tribe of Manasseh and their neighbors to the north. Again, we see God giving Gideon the
faith to act by filling him with His own Spirit. Still, the same spiritual hesitancy emerges in
Gideon, and the Lord again patiently meets his reluctance and the double test with fleece (see vss.
36-40).
We who are struggling to grow in faith should reflect thoughtfully on God's persistent efforts at
developing Gideon's faith. The point must not be lost on any of us, His children. God has filled
us with His Spirit in our Baptism and Chrismation. As we seek to obey His commands, we shall
surely know moments of quavering faith within. Let us beseech the Lord to build our faith,
knowing it is His desire for us to overcome the enemies who constantly are invading our spiritual
life to turn us away from Him. Glory to God for all things!
Keep us, O Christ our God, ever as warriors invincible in every attack of those who assail us,
and make us victors, even unto the end, for Thine it is to show mercy and to save us.
Friday, October 22, 2004
The Seven Sleepers Martyred in Ephesos
Kellia: Judges 7:1-18 Epistle: Colossians 2:1-7 Gospel: St. Luke 9:12-18
Judges 7:1-18, especially vs. 2: "The Lord said to Gideon, 'The
people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt
themselves against Me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'" This reading from Judges
describes a process of selecting soldiers to take up the battle against the Midianites; it was a
process carefully managed by God. Viewed from another perspective, the passage portrays a de-selection process in which the majority who "were called out to follow" (Jdg. 6:34,35) Gideon
were not chosen. The majority of us in the Church have not been ordained Deacons and Priests.
Very few of us are Bishops. Most of us are not monastics, missionaries, or those engaged in
other special ministries of the Church. We have not been chosen because of age, gender, prior
choices, training, inclination, or aptitude. Are we less servants of the Lord for not being chosen?
Not at all! Each generation, occasion, and ministry has very specific needs and requirements.
When we place ourselves mentally in the shoes of those who have been "called out" to some
particular ministry within the Church, we may see no precise reason why those who were called
and passed through the selection processes of the Church were chosen while we were not. The
present passage reveals three causes why some are chosen for various ministries and some are
not: 1) the overarching factor in every call is the movement of the Spirit of God upon the entire
People of God, or as the Apostle Paul says, "there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were
called in one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4). 2) After the general call, there are many specific
reasons why one may or may not enter a ministry of the Church, and 3) finally, there is the
operation of God's hand, selecting and deselecting those whose hearts He knows.
At the time of the Midianite invasion, Scripture reports that "the Spirit of the Lord took
possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out" along
with others from nearby tribes in Israel (Jdg. 6:34,35). The movement of the Spirit was not only
upon Gideon, but on many of the men of Israel, thirty-two thousand all told. God's Spirit is
constantly moving His People to fulfill the ministries that accomplish the Church's mission in the
world. While the Spirit creates a sense of urgency about God's work throughout the Church,
still, being called to any specific task is not an inherent function of His general calling.
A major watershed in the de-selection process came because God knew that "the people with
[Gideon were] too many" (Jdg. 7:2). Having too many in the battle would tempt Israel to believe
"they" had won the battle and to lose their dependence on "Him" (vs. 2). God therefore had
Gideon issue a caution: "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home" (vs. 3). Do not
think at this point that those who quit the field were cowards. From the Lord Jesus we learn
many types of "fear and trembling." Among these are concern for property management
(Lk.14:18,19), issues of marriage and family (Lk.14:20), attachment to one's possessions
(Mt.19:21,22), and finding the Lord's demands too hard to accept (Jn. 6:60-66). Perhaps two-thirds or more of us fall in these categories and are not suited for certain specific ministries.
Then there was "the drinking test" (Jdg. 7:4-7). Read it carefully. Those who lapped up the
water, hands to their mouths, did not kneel down on all fours to get a good drink (vs. 6). Those
who lapped from their hands stood, like soldiers, ready for combat, not on their knees and
defenseless. They were not distracted by slaking their thirst. God gave these three-hundred to
Gideon for the operation. Note: God remains the final arbiter in all choices to enter any ministry.
O Spirit of all power and knowledge, guide Thy Church in choosing suitable persons for the
several ministries of Thy Church that we may all devoutly and truly serve Thee.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
The Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord
Kellia: Judges 7:19-8:12 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 Gospel: St. Luke 6:1-10
Judges 7:19-8:12, especially vs. 8:3: "God has given
into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in
comparison with you?" The Holy Prophet David, confronted by overwhelming enemies, cried
to the Lord: "They are multiplied more than the hairs of my head, and my heart hath failed me."
But to this he adds, "Let them rejoice and be glad in Thee all they that seek after Thee, O Lord;
and let them that love Thy salvation continually say: The Lord be magnified" (Ps. 39:12,16
LXX). Both parts of David's prayer were foreshadowed in the victories which God gave to all
Israel, but especially to Gideon and his three hundred soldiers. Let their victory prompt us to
have trust in the Lord's salvation on our behalf. In the face of overwhelming enemies that seek to
invade and camp within the heartland of our souls, may the Lord be magnified in our hearts!
When Gideon instructed his three hundred companions to shout, he told them to say, "For the
Lord and for Gideon" (Jdg. 7:18). However, in the moment of battle they enlarged that cry to "A
sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" (vs. 20) How right they were! For it was "the sword of the
Lord" that created mass confusion within the 135,000-man encampment of the Midianites and
Amalekites (see Jdg. 8:10). Read the text: while the Israelites "stood" around the camp (Jdg.
7:21), "the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow and against all the army" (Jdg. 7:12).
Although "the people of the East lay along the valley [in their camp] like locusts for multitude,"
yet they were put to flight by three hundred men who stood still, simply blowing trumpets in
obedience to Gideon. When the enemy invades in overwhelming numbers filling our every
thought and daunting our hope with insuperable odds, the most urgent need we have is to obey
God and those He has set over us in the Church. Let us rely on "the sword of the Lord."
Notice that it was the Lord Who enabled the men of Ephraim to intercept "the two princes of
Midian, Oreb and Zeeb" (vs. 7:25). Though the men of the tribe of Ephraim had not been called
to the initial muster for battle (see Jdgs. 6:34,35), yet when they were called upon to cut off the
enemy retreat, they responded immediately, and "seized the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also
the Jordan" (Jdg. 7:24). They held the fords of the river, there capturing the two princes.
The men of Ephraim captured and destroyed those very princes of Midian who had said, "Let us
take to ourselves for an inheritance the sanctuary of God" (Ps. 82:12 LXX), but in truth, these
enemy rulers were pursued by the Lord Himself Who made "them...as stubble before the face of
the wind" (Ps. 82:13 LXX). Notice also that God truly gave Gideon the humility to soothe the
anger of the Ephraimites for not being called to battle initially (see Jdg. 8:1-3). Let God be
magnified in our struggles to cleanse His sanctuary in our hearts and minds.
Finally, observe how the Lord used that exhausted band of three hundred men to continue
scattering the army from the East (vss. 8:10-12). The text plainly tells us that Gideon's band was
"faint yet pursuing" (vs. 8:4). God is greatly magnified when we continue the battle against our
enemies even when we are faint, for then it will be His strength that is manifested and not ours.
As the Psalmist David says, "Our God is refuge and strength, a helper in afflictions which
mightily befall us" (Ps. 45:1 LXX). Once more, a vastly outnumbered band of God's People did
not ease up in their God-given battle against those who would seize the heritage He had given
them, and, as a result, they were victorious. If we will accept our weakness and give no quarter to
the enemies who come to steal the riches of Christ from us, then the Lord shall be magnified.
O Lord, save Thy People and bless Thine inheritance, granting to Thy People victory over all
their enemies; and by the power of Thy Cross, preserving Thine Estate.
Sunday, October 24, 2004 (Tone 4)
Great Martyr Arethas (al-Haarith)
1st Vespers, Martyr Demetrios: Isaiah 63:15-19, 64:1-5, 8-9 Epistle: Galatians 2:16-20
Gospel: St. Luke 8:5-15
Isaiah 63:15-19; 64:1-5, 8-9: In praying for his own generation, the
Prophet Isaiah has given voice to the cries of countless generations of God's suffering People:
"where is the abundance of Thy mercy, and of Thy compassions, that Thou hast withheld Thyself
from us, for Thou art our Father" (vss. 15,16). His words were apt for the captives at Babylon,
the Maccabean martyrs, and for all the Christian martyrs - from the first who died for Christ, to
those killed in the systematic persecution under Diocletian, Maximian, and Licinius, to the
countless who suffered for the Lord Christ under the repression of Iconoclasm, Islam, or
Communism, right up to this very day, whether as slaves, undesirables, or traitors. As the
Hieromonk Damascene said, "The Orthodox Christianity that we have received today was formed
and nurtured....in suffering and persecution, and it remains in that condition even today - when it
is genuine." Isaiah cries out for all of God's Faithful who have suffered.
But wait! Why should we limit the Prophet's words just to those attacked for faith in Christ?
What of the ascetic strugglers, the hungry, poor, and disease ridden, or those with chronic pain,
marriage partners confronted with infidelity and divorce, the abruptly unemployed, the
imprisoned, or families separated by war or military service? In every one of these cases, as well
as with the martyrs and confessors, the issue is the same: to maintain that inner union with Christ
against everything that would separate or would evoke despair and apostasy. Isaiah's prayer is
for us all, to help us transform suffering and make it redemptive when it falls to our lot.
In suffering, we cry to God naturally, begging Him to "turn from heaven, and look" upon us (vs.
15), trusting in His nature as we know Him in Christ - an ineffable God, One far beyond our
meager comprehension, zealous on our behalf, strong to save, abundant in mercy, and
overflowing in compassions (vs. 15). Who would not appeal to such a God! And did not Jesus
our Lord direct us to address Him as "our Father" (Mt. 6:9), exactly in the manner in which Isaiah
addresses Him in these verses (Is. 63:16 and 64:8)? It is that way for us "from the beginning"
since our Baptism and Chrismation, for His Name is signed upon us (vs. 16).
It is also natural in suffering that we look more deeply into our errant ways, into our hard hearts
and our tepid fear of God (vs. 17), and, like Isaiah, we may realize that God's gift of freedom has
been used as a spawning ground in us for sin and indifference to our gracious Creator. We may
even be tempted, like Isaiah himself, to accuse the Lord of being the source of our failings. It is
from such self-realization that we will gladly join the Prophet in begging our God to "return" for
His "servants' sake, for the sake of the tribes of [His] inheritance, that we may inherit a small part
of [His] holy mountain" (vss. 17,18), the Church and Body of Christ. In such times of inner
conversion, we long for God to "open the heavens [so that] trembling will take hold upon the
mountains [of our sins]...and they shall melt as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up
the enemies" (vss. 1,2) lodged in our souls. Who else can save us? "We have not heard, neither
have our eyes seen a god beside" (vs. 4) the Lord of Heaven and earth who can save. By God's
grace may we come into our right minds and admit: "Thou wert angry and we have sinned;
therefore we have erred" (vs. 5). Like the prodigal son, may we say, "Thou art our Father, and
we are clay, all of us the work of Thine hands. Be not very wroth with us, and remember not our
sins for ever; but now look on us, for we are Thy people" (vss. 8,9). There is in suffering, as the
Cross also teaches us, a redemptive path.
Let us purify ourselves of every defilement, and with purity beseech Him, saying, Rise Lord, and
save us; for Thou art the Lover of mankind.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Tabitha the Merciful, Raised by the Apostle Peter
2nd Vespers, Martyr Demetrios: Jeremiah 2:1-13 Epistle: Colossians 2:13-20
Gospel: St. Luke 9:18-22
Jeremiah 2:1-13 LXX, especially vss. 2, 3: "I remember the kindness of
thy youth and the love of thine espousals in following the Holy One of Israel, saith the Lord.
Israel was the holy people to the Lord, and the first-fruits of His increase." In these verses, God
"remembers" the people of Israel as they were in their youth - a nation devoted to Him (vss. 2,3),
to which He contrasts them in their later unfaithful state, after settling in the Promised Land - a
people in revolt, far from Him, and "gone after vanities and become vain" (vs. 5). This prophetic
contrast readily transfers to the famous religious opponents of early fourth century Rome: the
young Military Governor of Thessalonika and true Christian, Demetrios, and his tormentor, the
pagan Emperor, Maximian, "the senseless persecutor" who supposed "that the repose of a saint
could be like that of a sinner, for the death of sinners is evil." The contrast which the Prophet
Jeremiah records for us is a penetrating measure for assessing our own spiritual state.
We may hold Christ, our Creator, Lord, and Savior, in our heart as a young lover newly espoused
to Him, as one who would never cease "in following the Holy One of Israel" (vs. 3), as one who
will always allow Him to guide in every circumstances of life. Such was St. Demetrios, for when
he knew Maximian was approaching Thessalonika to hold him to account for not following his
orders to cleanse "the city in which you were born...of the impious Christians" and to "put to
death all who call upon the Name of the Crucified One," the great Martyr "put into the hands of a
trusted servant named Lupus all his possessions...he had inherited from his parents" to be
distributed "to the poor and needy, saying, 'Give away my earthly riches and let us seek the
wealth of heaven.'" He prepared himself for death out of great love for the Life-Giver.
In contrast, it is possible to put the Lord our God totally out of mind and to pursue the games and
pleasures of this life, to revolt against our Savior and to go "after vanities and become vain" (vs.
5). We do not need to look far to see such apostasy and false values all around us among the
godless who worship at the altars of self-indulgence and feeling good.
The Prophet Jeremiah also records that the apostates of his day lacked any historical memory.
They never thought to ask, "Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who
guided us in the wilderness, in an untried and trackless land, in a land which no man at all went
through, and no man dwelt there?" (vs. 6). It was as if all the great salvation events at the Red
Sea and at Sinai had never happened. They lived only for the moment. Woe to us or to any
people who forget their spiritual planting in the saving acts of God.
Rather, blessed are the People of God when they mean the words of the Psalmist with their whole
heart: "Make me to understand the way of Thy statutes, and I will ponder on Thy wondrous
works" (Ps. 118:27 LXX). God not only saved Israel from slavery in Egypt, but He has more
wondrously saved us from the bitterness of sin and death. "The Cross, the Grave, the
Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Session at the right hand, and the
second and glorious Advent" are life. These are God's own doing and all we can offer to Him.
What marks the Faithful is a fierce holding to God, a cleaving to His Church, and a "life-saving
grip" upon the truths of the Gospel. As Jeremiah records in the Psalms, "Let my tongue cleave to
my throat, if I remember thee not, if I set not Jerusalem above all other, as at the head of my joy"
(Ps. 136:7,8 LXX). Let us not be those who forsake God, "the fountain of the water of life, and
[hew] out...broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water" (Jer. 2:13).
We who have put on Thee, O Christ our God, boweth also our heads unto Thee. Keep us ever as
warriors invincible, even unto the end, through Thy crown incorruptible.
Tues. October 26, 2004
Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh Streaming of Thessalonika
3rd Vespers, Martyr Demetrios: Wisdom 4:7-15 Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:1-10
Gospel: St. John 15:17-16:2
Wisdom 4:7-15, especially vs. 13: "Being perfected in a short time, he
fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore He took him quickly from the
midst of wickedness." The Prophet David acquaints us with that which the Lord decrees
concerning ripe old age: "He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High.... With length of days
will I satisfy him, and I will show him My salvation" (Ps. 90:1,16 LXX).
In Scripture generally, old age is held in high honor and perceived as the Lord's reward for those
who fear Him (Pr. 10:27). In this reading from Wisdom, Solomon modifies this affirmation
significantly, but without weakening its truth. He does so by delineating honorable old age as the
equivalent of spiritual maturity: "For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by
number of years; but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe old age"
(Wis. 4:8-9).
Having shifted the measure of honorable maturity away from accumulated years to godly
"understanding" and a "blameless life," Solomon illustrates his point by referring to the person of
Enoch (vss. 10-15). One of the earliest ante-diluvial patriarchs, Enoch was so pleasing to God
that he was taken "quickly from the midst of wickedness" (vs. 14), "lest evil change his
understanding or guile deceive his soul" (vs. 11). Along with Noah, he is the only patriarch after
Adam who "walked with God" (Gen. 5:24). To protect his close communion with God, his life
was shortened, and he was taken directly into heaven (Gen. 5:24).
Enoch's case is especially important because he embodies Solomon's exacting definition of true
old age. Among the antediluvians, Methuselah is remembered as the longest lived at 969 years.
Most of the rest lived nearly nine hundred or more years with the exception of Lamech, Noah's
father, who lived 777 years, and Enoch, who lived a much shorter 365 years (Gen. 5). Let us
note, then, what Solomon tells us about Enoch.
In summary, we learn that Enoch "was one who pleased God and was loved by Him" (Wis. 5:10).
Obviously, he met Solomon's criteria of spiritual "understanding" and a "blameless life," and his
example challenges us to see how "bereft of the life of the righteous" we are, as St. Andrew of
Crete says, and prompts us to strive for closer communion with the God the Lord.
Second, Enoch's abrupt assumption is presented as God's provident solution to his living among
sinners and the attendant danger that the evil all around him might "change his understanding
or...deceive his soul" (vs. 11). We are prompted to beware for our soul's health.
Third, Solomon provides a keen analysis of the seductive nature of evil for the human heart, soul,
and mind, highlighting especially evil's fascinating, obscuring, restless, and perverting power on
the "innocent mind" (vs.12). "Mind" in the original is "nous," the inclusive term for the whole
interior life, and especially for the deepest center of one's heart or spirit.
Next, Solomon rests his case for redefining "true old age" on the fact that Enoch was "perfected
in a short time" (vs. 13), thus fulfilling God's purpose in granting anyone years of life. It is a
point to consider whenever we hear the prayer, "Many Years" sung or chanted. God in His
goodness suffers long with us to lead us "to repentance" (Rom. 2:4), as the Apostle teaches.
Finally, let us recognize that most people - hopefully not ourselves included - "see" but do "not
understand, nor take such a thing to heart, that God's grace and mercy are with His elect" (Wis.
5:15). Our time is short, Beloved of the Lord. Let us strive for God-pleasing perfection.
My soul, arise! Why are you sleeping? The end is drawing near. Awake, then, and be watchful,
that Christ our God may spare you, Who is everywhere present and fillest all things.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Procla, the Wife of Pontius Pilate
Kellia: Judges 11:1-11, 29-40 Epistle: Colossians 3:17-4:1 Gospel: St. Luke 9:44-50
Judges 11:1-11, 29-40, especially vs. 35: "I have opened my mouth to the Lord,
and I cannot take back my vow." Let every Orthodox Christian remember the words of the Third
Antiphon of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in meditating on this passage: "Set, O
Lord, a watch before my mouth, and a door of enclosure round about my lips. Incline not my
heart unto words of evil, to make excuse with excuses in sins" (Ps. 140:3,4 LXX). Today, sound
bytes, glib speech, and off-the-cuff remarks are prized, but let us ponder the seriousness of every
word we loose from our mouth and pray God to keep us from having to excuse ourselves with
excuses couched in greater sins. More so, may the Lord Who has so graciously sealed us with
"the gift of [His] holy, and almighty, and adorable Spirit...keep us in [His] sanctification."
Words and their power dominate the present passage: the words of Jephthah's half brothers who
"thrust him out," declaring that he would "not inherit in our father's house" (Jdg. 11:2), and there
were words exchanged between the elders of Gilead and Jephthah (vss. 6-10), and finally we
have the words of Jephthah's ill-conceived vow to offer as a holocaust offering "whoever comes
forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites" (vs.
31). Let us be attentive to words and their power!
As Jephthah and his brothers reached maturity in the household of Gilead their father, his half-brothers, taking advantage of their status as legitimate heirs, "thrust" Jephthah out of the home to
assure the inheritance to themselves exclusively. Thus, he was exiled into the land of Tob, an
area northeast of Gilead, a region of highlands bitterly disputed in modern Israel as the Golan
Heights (vss. 2,3). Being his father's son by a prostitute - and not even by a concubine such as
was Abimelech's status (Jdg. 8:31) - Jephthah accepted his exile and resorted to living by his
strength and wits as a bandit with a gang of "worthless fellows" (Jdg. 11:3).
However, "when the Ammonites made war against Israel" and conditions became bitter for the
people, "the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob" (vs. 5). They needed
leadership with military skill, daring, and strength. Jephthah was "their man" and his brothers
would have to "eat their words" and receive him back. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord
always "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15).
Observe the negotiations between Jephthah and the elders. Words were used carefully. The
elders asked him to return as "our leader," a word with military connotations (vs. 6). Hesitating,
Jephthah questioned why they wanted him, for they had driven him out earlier (vs. 7). They
admitted that they needed his skill to "fight with the Ammonites"and offered that he "be [their]
head over all the inhabitants of Gilead" (vs. 8). This word, "head," had wider connotations and
implied rulership. Jephthah held them to their words - that he become both "leader" and "head"
(vss. 9,10) - an agreement ratified "before the Lord at Mizpah" (vs. 11). Next we learn that "the
Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah" and "he passed on to the Ammonites" (vs. 29). The Holy
Spirit not being sufficient to him, Jephthah now resorted to a rash "vow to the Lord," exposing a
deep lack of trust in God for the coming battle (vs. 30). Nonetheless, he was victorious and
returned home to be greeted by his daughter (vss. 32-34). The rash words of his vow now
confronted him, and yet, in her love his daughter urged him to keep his vow, first allowing her a
time of mourning (vss. 35-39). As it is said, our "words have a way of coming home to haunt
us!" Let us be careful not to speak rashly, but to pray with David:
"The sayings of my mouth shall be unto Thy good pleasure, and the meditation of my heart shall
be before Thee for ever, O Lord, my helper and redeemer" (Ps. 18:14 LXX).
Thursday, October 28, 2004
The Martyrs Terence and Neonilla and their Children
Kellia: Judges 12:1-7 Epistle: Colossians 4:2-9 Gospel: St. Luke 9:49-56
Judges 12:1-7 RSV, especially vss. 5, 6: "...the men of Gilead said to him, "Are
you an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No," they said to him, "Then say Shibboleth," and he said,
"Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it right; then they seized him and slew him at the fords of
the Jordan." In the record of Jephthah's early life (Jdgs. 10:17-11:40) self-serving words, words
in negotiation, and even words spoken rashly predominated in his affairs. Words and their power
continued to be important throughout Jephthah's career, as this concluding passage shows: the
dangers of belligerent words, the place of forthright words, and the ability of words to reveal true
identity. There is much here for us to learn about our words and their power.
Under the leadership of Jephthah, the Ammonites had been "subdued before the people of Israel"
(Jdg. 11:33), but the victory had turned bitter for him personally (Jdg. 11:34-40). Still, he met the
demand of the moment, and in the power of God's Spirit, with a small band of men from Gilead,
he drove out the invaders and won peace for the whole nation of Israel.
Hence, the belligerence of the largest, west-bank tribe, Ephraim, is perplexing when one
considers the triumph that benefitted all Israel (Jdg. 12:1). They were blatantly hostile, taking to
arms against their own brethren. They forded the Jordan into the areas of their east-bank relatives
and confronted Jephthah concerning his military activities inside his own east-bank region. Why
had he crossed over? Why didn't he enlist aid from them for the fight against the Ammonites?
In fact, he never crossed the Jordan, only some east-bank rivers, and his feud had involved the
Ammonites to the east of the east-bank tribes and not those west of the Jordan. It appears that
Ephraim was spoiling for a fight, or was jealous, or was seeking greater power.
How the Lord Jesus warns us against angry words! We are to love our enemies (Mt. 5:44),
remembering that "whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment" (Mt. 5:22). And between brethren "in the Lord," anger is much worse. We are to
forgive brethren "seventy times seven" ( Mt. 18:22), as the Apostle implores us: "be of the same
mind in the Lord," settle grievances, and let our "gentleness be known to all men" (Phil. 4:2-5).
Faced with militant anger, Jephthah spoke simply, frankly and honestly (Jdgs. 12:2,3), but truth
alone would not prevail, so he defended his people and territory necessarily, against his brethren.
He "gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim" (vs. 4). Further, he smote and
defeated them, and cut off their retreat across the Jordan (vs. 5). A good leader must both tell the
truth and defend his community. The letter of Paul to the Galatians is an example of an Apostle
telling the truth and defending his congregations. Harsh words usually stir up anger, and soft
answers often turn away wrath (Prov. 15:1), yet gentleness may not be enough and, then,
unreasonable wrath may have to be met with straightforward words and even acts. The men of
Ephraim learned painfully that angry words too often rebound on those who use them.
The passage ends with a famous account of the verbal test using the word "shibboleth," meaning
"the current of a stream." Pronunciation of the word identified any retreating Ephraimite quite
reliably (Jdg. 12:5-6). Hence, the event has given us a word for "any custom or usage that
distinguishes members of one group." Words have a way of disclosing who persons are, and not
only because of pronunciation. Often they reveal deeper motives hidden from the speakers
themselves. This surely is the reason the Lord Jesus tells us, "Out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks" (Mt.12:34). Ah, but the pure of heart need not fear what they say!
May all the words of my mouth be righteous, and may there be nothing in them wrong or
perverse, but may they be evident to the understanding, and right to those that find knowledge.
Friday, October 29, 2004
The Venerable Martyr Anastasia the Roman
Kellia: Judges 13:1-15 Epistle: Colossians 4:10-18 Gospel: St. Luke 10:1-18
Judges 13:1-15, especially vs. 5: "For lo, you shall conceive and bear
a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth; and
he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines." The life of the famous strong
man, Samson, is recorded in four chapters of the Book of Judges (13-16). The opening passage
prepares the reader for his miraculous birth and the tumultuous adventures of his life that will
follow. He was born to the hitherto barren wife of Manoah, a man from the tribe of Dan. The
account provides his father's name, but not his mother's. The family home was located in the
biblical town of Zorah, a settlement now called Sara located in the Sorek valley, known today as
Wadi al-Sarar. These sites in the western lowlands of southern Palestine were close to the
Mediterranean Sea and adjacent to the coastal strip inhabited by the pagan Philistine peoples,
quite near their cities of Ekron, Ashkelon, and Ashdod, and immediately north of Gaza.
As seen before in the era of the Judges, the Israelites had become dominated by an idolatrous
people - now the Philistines (vs. 1). In this instance, it was the Danites who lived in settlements
such as Zorah which were very close to the coastal plain and the Philistines. The news of God's
intervention brought by the angel promised two blessings for this couple, as members of the
subjugated ancient People of God: 1) Manoah's wife learned that she would have a son, 2) and
that he would "begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (vs. 5).
The accompanying command of the angel required her to "beware, and drink no wine or strong
drink, and eat nothing unclean" (vs. 4). The command also contained an additional injunction:
that no razor should "come upon his head" for the boy was to be "a Nazirite to God from birth"
(vs. 5). The command complied entirely with the Divine law concerning Nazirites as given
through Moses: a Nazirite "shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no
vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes,
fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the
grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins" (Num. 6:3,4). In Samson's case, these Nazirite vows
would apply for his lifetime, "from birth to the day of his death" (Jdgs.13:7).
When Manoah's wife reported the news of the angelic visitation to her husband, she did not
mention the mission God had for her son as a Nazirite - to "begin to deliver Israel" (vs. 5).
Naturally, she was excited at the news that she would soon conceive and bear a son. Manoah, on
the other hand was especially interested to know about his son's future. Therefore, when the
angel returned, Manoah asked, "What is to be the boy's manner of life, and what is he to do?"
(vs. 12). In addition to avoiding anything associated with grapes and to letting "the locks of hair
of his head grow long" (Num. 6:5), a Nazirite was to avoid contact with dead bodies, but above
all, in taking the vow, he was to focus his life on completing a specific mission in God's service.
Notice that the angel stressed the preparation that Manoah's wife must undertake during her
pregnancy, but he did not repeat to Manoah what their son's mission would be. In time, no
doubt, Manoah would learn that special future work from his wife. But, in any case, at this point
in the encounter, Manoah hastened to extend hospitality to their Divine visitor.
Samson, like Isaac, Samuel, John the Forerunner, the Theotokos, and the Lord Jesus, was a child
born by Divine intervention for a life mission in service to God. The Angel's command to
prepare for his birth reminds us to prepare ourselves to fulfill our life's mission before God.
Enable us, O Lord God of truth, to walk in all Thy commandments, and to fulfill those things
which are well pleasing unto Thee, that we may find true life in completing them.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Melutin, King of Serbia
Kellia: Judges 13:15-25 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Gospel: St. Luke 7:1-10
Judges 13:15-25, especially vs. 23: "But his wife said to him, 'If
the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a cereal offering
at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.'" St.
Luke confesses in his Gospel that when he and Cleopas met the risen Lord along the road to
Emmaus "their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him" (Lk. 24:16). Even the very
godly and devout among earth-born mortals are not always swift to hear and know when God is
communicating with them. And so, as the Lord Jesus walked along with those two blessed men,
He gently chided them for not grasping the depths of their encounter with Him: "O foolish ones,
and slow of heart to believe...." (Lk. 24:25).
The present reading describes how two souls came to realize that they were in the presence of the
living God. The passage is instructive, for it discloses how we human beings receive revelation:
in small increments, tiny bits at a time, much like our human vision at night, which slowly
increases with the approach of dawn prior to the full bursting forth of the sun above the horizon.
More and more is disclosed of that which at night is largely obscure and dark. To help Manoah
and his wife past their limitations, God addressed them through an "angel of the Lord" (Jdg.
13:21), but they assumed that he was "a man of God" (Jdg. 13:8,10,11), although in the final
moment of realization, "they fell on their faces to the ground" (Jdg. 13:20). Let us review the
development of God's revelation to Manoah and his wife, to discover how the Lord enlightens
His servants, and, perhaps in His grace, even us. Both husband and wife, after meeting the angel
face to face, perceived that they were dealing with one who was close to God, a person they
identified as a "man of God" (Jdg. 13:8,10,11). Once they both actually accepted the angel with
this understanding, Manoah was quick to extend hospitality to the visitor: "Pray, let us detain
you, and prepare a kid for you" (Jdg. 13:15).
Although the angel declined the hospitality, he immediately prompted them to make an offering
to God directly: "if you make ready a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord" (vs. 16). Notice
that the authentic activity of grace leads from human responses, such as hospitality, to worship,
and to the offering of self to God. Anciently, "a burnt offering" consisted of presenting to God
that which one might set before a human guest, except that the gift was put on a fire and totally
consumed as a holocaust, signifying one's complete self-offering to the Lord. Manoah and his
wife were prepared to serve their guest whom they supposed to be a "man" of God (vs. 15); but at
his suggestion, instead, they made a holocaust to God with the same gifts (vs. 19). Notice next:
before they made the offering, Manoah still needed to have some of his questions answered. So
much must have been "going through his mind." On the assumption that their visitor was "a man
of God," Manoah asked him, "What is your name?" (vs. 17), explaining that he would like to
know the visitor's name so he might honor him. The angel responded to the question with a
question: "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" (vs. 18).
The introduction of the word "wonderful" signaled to Manoah that the visitor might well be more
than an ordinary mortal man, for, in Hebrew, the word connotes both "full of wonder" and
"beyond comprehension," and significantly, it is a word reserved, most of the time, for God
rather than for men. So, Manoah offered to "Him who works wonders" (vs. 19). He was close to
recognizing God's presence, which the angel's ascent in the flames then confirmed undeniably.
Illumine our hearts, O Master Who loveth mankind, with the pure light of Thy Divine knowledge,
that we may enter upon a spiritual manner of living, well pleasing unto Thee.
Sunday, October 31, 2004 (Tone 5)
The Martyr Epimachos of Alexandria
Kellia: Judges 14:1-19 Epistle: Galatians 6:11-18 Gospel: St. Luke 16:19-31
Judges 14:1-19, especially vss. 5, 6: "And behold, a
young lion roared against him; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore
the lion asunder as one tears a kid; and he had nothing in his hand." In reading the chapters
concerning Samson as a Judge in Israel, one must not ignore the recurring notations which appear
repeatedly, such as the line found early in the present reading: "at that time the Philistines had
dominion over Israel" (vs. 4). These reminders are meant to help us recall God's judgment on
Israel which His angel announced at Bochim (i.e., Bethel): "you shall make no covenant with the
inhabitants of this land...But you have not obeyed My command...So now I say, I will not drive
them out before you; but they shall be come adversaries to you" (Jdg. 2:2,3).
God allowed Israel the freedom to corrupt themselves with foreign ways, to be dominated by
alien peoples, and to suffer the consequences of forgetting Him. Still, the Lord never forgot His
People but sent His Spirit upon men like Ehud, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson to throw off the
oppressors and draw the Israelites away from their dabbling in the degrading worship and
practices of the pagans around them. Such is the primary theme of the entire Book of Judges.
Reading from this perspective, one will not disconnect the verse that immediately precedes the
present passage from what follows: "and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him...." (Jdg. 13:25).
Instead, we will see that even though the young Samson himself did not always live by God's
commandments, nevertheless the Lord was accomplishing His work through his decisions and
actions. Hence, when Samson caught sight of an attractive Philistine woman and wanted her for
his wife, for she pleased him well (vss. 1-3), he then demanded her from his parents despite the
injunction of God's law against making "marriages with them...or taking their daughters for your
sons" (Deut. 7:3). Yet, as we read further, we discover that his action "was from the Lord; for
He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines" (Jdg. 14:4).
Observe then how the Lord used even a forbidden marriage to rouse Samson to his life's mission
of delivering "Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (Jdg. 13:5). As an anti-hero on his way to
get acquainted with his prospective bride, Samson went into a vineyard, not a good place for a
Nazirite to visit (Num. 6:3,4). There a lion attacked him, but in the "might of the Spirit" of the
Lord, "he tore the lion asunder" with his bare hands (Jdg. 14:6). On his next trip to Timnah, he
stopped to look at the dead lion, taking honey from its carcass, again violating the Nazirite laws
against touching dead bodies (Nu. 6:6). This unusual sight of a beehive in a lion's carcass
provided him with grist for a riddle for teasing his Philistine wedding companions.
The inscrutable nature of the riddle, however, drove Samson's Philistine friends to pressure his
bride into extracting its answer for them, which she did by "pressing him hard" and weeping
"before him the seven days that their feast lasted," so that "on the seventh day he told her" (Jdg.
14:17). Samson's own bride betrayed the confidence of marriage by bowing in loyalty to her
people, and thus the Philistines "plowed with [his] heifer" (vs. 18).
See how, once again, "the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him" (vs. 19), so that Samson
attacked and "killed thirty men" of the Philistine town of Ashkelon (vs. 19) in order to pay off his
debt to the Philistines, but the experience left him indignant (vs. 19). Despite himself and his lax
ways, he had begun to function as a Judge in Israel, and we shall see subsequently that his
indignation, beginning from this moment, served him well in fulfilling his life's mission.
Keep us who bow our heads to Thee, O Christ our God, ever as warriors invincible in every
attack of those who assail us and make us victors, even unto the end, through Thy Spirit.
Friday, October 1, 2004
The Protection of the Theotokos
Kellia: Jeremiah 31:10-32 Epistle: Ephesians 6:18-24 Gospel: St. Luke 4:22-30
Jeremiah 31:10-22, especially vs. 13: "I
will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow." There
are myriad deaths along the journey of life - the parting of friends, the leaving home of a beloved
child, the laying down of arms by defeated soldiers, trudging into exile, the dying of a loved one.
For these little deaths, it is right to mourn and sorrow, for they are the wages of sin.
Consider the Prophet Jeremiah sitting in the king's guard house, arrested because he had
persisted in declaring, in the royal court, an unwelcome word from God. Still, as the weeks and
months went by, he observed the truth of God's word being fulfilled; and then, at last, he saw the
inexorable end approaching, the bitter defeat, the loss of national identity, exile, death for the
king, and destruction on every side. Then there came from God a strange new word that spoke to
the sorrow: "the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for
him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the
goodness of the Lord...." (vss. 11,12). How incongruous, how out of time! In defeat, a message
of hope and restoration came to this Prophet known only for "doom and gloom."
At this juncture God promised to reverse the pain and affliction that were being endured under
the swarming clouds of defeat. Not only would the famine, eating at the strength and life of the
people of Jerusalem, come to an end, but, God also proclaimed, a time to come when "the grain,
the wine, and the oil, and...the young of the flock and the herd" would flourish again, and "their
life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more" (vs. 12). In a vivid portrait,
Jeremiah declared that the people would enjoy restoration: "the maidens rejoice in the dance, and
the young men and the old shall be merry" (vs. 13). Joy for mourning!
Exile to Babylon and enslavement were certain to follow the breaching of the city's walls and the
overwhelming of the city's defenses. Nebuchadnezzar would requite this little vassal kingdom
that had withstood his great might and dignity. And in this, God promised to reverse what surely
was coming: "they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,
says the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country" (vss. 16,17). To make
His promise clear, the Lord told His People how to prepare for the long, sad march into exile:
"Set up waymarks for yourself, make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by
which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities" (vs. 21).
One of the very worst moments to be endured in the coming defeat would be the destruction of
the Temple of God and the end of Divine worship. There would be nothing for the priests, for
the place of worship would be torn down and all the vessels and furnishing taken by the pagan
idolaters; yet God vowed: "I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people
shall be satisfied with My goodness" (vs. 14). How strange were these prophecies, hard to
believe and wondrous, but the prophecies established Jeremiah as a true Prophet of God.
Finally, there was a mystical promise added to these immediate declarations: "a new thing in the
earth: a woman shall compass a man" (vs. 22 KJV and the Hebrew). As Saint Hippolytos says,
"Concerning her (the Virgin Mary), we read of a great miracle....that a woman should compass a
Man, and the Father of all things should be contained in a virgin's womb." For this promise, the
Church sings at the Nativity, "Showing forth the advent of Christ in the flesh, Jeremiah cried
aloud, 'God hath appeared on earth, Incarnate...being born of His Mother....'"
Let us go before, O nations, and celebrate the Nativity of Christ, lifting our minds to Bethlehem,
for Eden hath verily been opened by the coming forth of God from the Virgin.
Saturday, October 2, 2004
The Hieromartyr Cyprian the Confessor
Kellia: Jeremiah 32:36-42 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:30-45 Gospel: St. Luke 4:31-36
Jeremiah 32:36-42, especially vs. 40:
"I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to
them; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, that they may not turn from Me." In reading
this passage from Jeremiah, do not overlook the little "turn of speech" which the Lord uses to
reveal His lovingkindness for His People. Before declaring their return from exile (vss. 37-42),
God reminds Jeremiah of the primary message which He Himself has given him repeatedly,
"concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by
sword, by famine, and by pestilence'" (vs. 36).
Then, in the next sentence, He uses the pronoun, them, as the object of the verb: "behold, I will
gather them from all the countries to which I drove them...." (vs. 37). We need not look back to
discern whom God has in mind in this pronoun; but it is this city, by which He means the entire
People of God (see vs. 38). How little God cares for human constructions - for cities and houses.
His love is for His People! When He speaks of "this city," He is speaking of the People whom
He "will bring...back" (vs. 37).
Let every Orthodox Christian remember that we are those People of whom the Lord is speaking.
There is an unbroken continuity between the ancient People of God in Jerusalem and the One,
Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Together, we are one People. We are united in Christ
Jesus through time by our only true Lord, God, and Savior. Our ancient history included exile to
Babylon and a return to Jerusalem. Literally, our holy forefathers went through a specific time of
alienation "for our learning" (Rom. 15:4) and for their correction, as well. Mystically, their exile,
brought about by the sin of "turning away from God" (see Jer. 32:40), is the same alienating sin
of everyone of God's People, including all who name Christ as God and King.
Therefore, it is not surprising that God should use the historic moment of exile to speak of His
great, once-and-for-all, bringing back and gathering of His People. For "all we like sheep have
gone astray" (Is. 53:6), and the Shepherd of us all, anciently and to this very day, is searching - in
cities like Babylon and in all those places we make waste by our sins - to bring back "the one
which is lost until He finds it" (Lk. 15:4). God will always speak to us of His "everlasting
covenant" in Christ Jesus in seasons of "sword, famine, and pestilence" (vs. 36).
What is this wondrous covenant that is "everlasting" but the "New Covenant in My Blood" (Lk.
22:20) - the Covenant renewed at each Divine Liturgy? Who gathers at the Holy Table? Who
cries out, "Save us, O Son of God, Who art risen from the dead?" Who prays for "the precious
gifts now offered?" Who offers "the Holy Oblation in peace?" Who dares to "call upon the
heavenly God, as Father, and to say, 'Our Father'?" Is it not we who "with fear of God, and faith
and love, draw near"? To the Faithful He declares, "I will be their God" (Jer. 32:38).
Our Lord has given us "one heart and one way" (vs. 39), the Life in Christ. He has given us His
Holy and Life-giving Spirit to "put the fear of [Him] in [our] hearts, that [we] may not turn from
[Him]" (vs. 40). No moment comes upon us in which He ceases to "rejoice in doing [us] good"
and in planting us in His Kingdom "in faithfulness" (vs. 41). In times of old, He brought "great
evil upon [His] people," but according to His word given through His true Prophet Jeremiah, He
also has brought upon His People through all time "all the good that [He] promises them" (vs.
42).
Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that we may sing of Thy glory; for Thou hast
permitted us to partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal and life-giving Mysteries. Establish us in
Thy Sanctification, that all the day long we may meditate upon Thy righteousness. Alleluia!
Sunday, October 3, 2004 (Tone 1)
Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite of Athens
Kellia: Jeremiah 33:1-9, 14-22 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Gospel: St. Luke 5:1-11
Jeremiah 33:1-9, 14-22, especially vs.
15: "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and
He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land." The entire "Book of Consolation," was
written during the siege of Jerusalem (589-587 BC). In the midst of that siege (in 588 BC), an
Egyptian army sallied across the border into Judah to challenge the Babylonian forces. The
Chaldeans temporarily broke off their assault against Jerusalem in order to beat Pharaoh's army
back into its own territory, after which they returned to Jerusalem, finally to take the city (587
BC). During the interruption of the siege, Jeremiah set out from the city to go into the land of
Benjamin to receive his portion of his family's estate (Jer. 37:12), but he was intercepted by a
sentry at the gate and mistakenly arrested for "deserting" to the Chaldeans (Jer. 37:13-16).
Jeremiah's imprisonment began in a dungeon. Later, he was transferred to another prison in the
courtyard of the royal guard. Rage against him because of the charge of "treason" was so intense
that a group of palace courtiers threw him into an unused, muddy cistern where he was left to die.
Timely intervention by a eunuch of the royal household - with the permission of King Zedekiah -
restored Jeremiah to the guards' prison until the city finally was taken (see Jer. 38,39). As the
present passage makes clear, God's Prophet continued to stand for the same dire "word of the
Lord" (Jer. 33:1): "The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill [the houses of the city] with
the dead bodies of men Whom I shall smite in My anger and My wrath" (vs. 5).
The hopeful motif, the theme running through the "Book of Consolation," emerges again as God
assures His People that He "will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and
rebuild them as they were at first" (vs. 7). He will cleanse His People "from all the guilt of their
sin against Me" (vs. 8). To this promise, the Lord reiterates a vow He had made earlier (Jer.
23:5-6): "I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and He shall execute justice
and righteousness in the land" (vs. 15). While this particular section (Jer 33:14-22) does not
appear in the Septuagint, it does closely repeat the essence of that earlier prophecy.
As St. Leo the Great says, "David's Lord was made David's Son, and from the fruit of the
promised branch sprang One without fault, the two-fold nature coming into one Person, that by
one and the same conception and birth might spring our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom was present
both true Godhead for the performance of mighty works and true Manhood for the endurance of
sufferings." We can identify seven ways in which the Lord Jesus fulfills the promises made in
this and the earlier, parallel passage.
On the Cross, our Lord Jesus cleansed "all the guilt of [the People's] sin against [God]" (vs. 8).
The Church, arising from a remnant of Judaism, is forgiven by the Lord (Jn. 20:22,23).
The Church, now called Jerusalem, is "a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations"
(Jer. 33:9), for Christ is among us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Since the Lord Jesus began His ministry, He has continued to "execute justice and righteousness
in the land" (vs. 15) - or "the earth," for the word may be translated either way. In Christ the
Church does "dwell securely" (vs. 16) with God, though not with the world.
Being in Christ, the Church rightly is named, "The Lord is our righteousness" (vs.16).
In Christ, David always has "a man to sit on the throne of Israel" (vs. 17) and an eternal Levitical
priesthood is established (vs. 18) - as His grandmother, Anna, was of the house of Levi.
Rejoice ye nations: for behold, the chamber of Light and the Virgin Mother who gave entrance to
the High Priest, hath admitted Christ the King of all into His world for our salvation.
Return to the October Calendar
Monday, October 4, 2004
Hieromartyr Hierotheos, Bishop of Athens
1st at Vespers, Innocent: Proverbs 3:13-16 Epistle: Philippians 1:1-7
Gospel: St. Luke 4:37-44
Proverbs 3:13-16 LXX. Let us ask: in the Church's life, who are the R&D
workers, those concerned with research and development? One may rightly consider scholars or
monastics as R&D workers, but a real case can be made for missionaries as the front line of the
Church's research effort - those men and women who have gone out to establish heart-to-heart
contacts with foreign cultures, languages, peoples, and lifestyles. Missionaries have had to
decipher different ethnic themes, unusual social interests, and life styles unknown in the lands of
their birth. Not only must such research be carried on in the lands to which missionaries go, but
also means must be found to convey the whole Gospel in such settings. Thus, by trial and error,
missionaries bring the unvarying truth of Orthodoxy to new communities.
A shining example of a missionary with a true R&D spirit was John Veniaminov, a native
Russian, born and raised in Western Siberia. After seminary, he heard the call to share the true
Faith versts away to the east in Alaska, that remote, new, and wild Russian colony across the
northern Pacific Ocean in America. He trekked east across Siberia to answer that call, taking his
young wife with him to the coast and to a ship for crossing to the Aleutian Islands.
Father Veniaminov (the Russian form of the name Benjamin), was a man who found true wisdom
early in life. Therefore, he was able to bring Orthodox Christianity prudently to the pagan,
animist peoples of the Aleutians and mainland Alaska (vs. 13). Material support for his ministry
and family, including a tiny salary, was supplied by the Russian-American Company, a fur-trading enterprise that managed the Alaska colony. When the question of accepting gifts of
money or furs from his parishioners arose, although the company manager was willing for the
Priest to receive these, Fr. Veniaminov declined, since to do so "could in some way weaken the
power and sanctity of many decrees in the eyes of the local islanders." For Fr. John it was "better
to traffic for [wisdom], than for treasures of gold and silver" (vs. 14).
The Lord richly blessed Fr. John's work with many converts, and then, in April of 1838, aided his
voyage half-way around the world. He went to seek the support of the Russian Holy Synod in St.
Petersburg for additional helpers for the work in the far eastern colony. As a result, after two
years in European Russia, and with the sad news of his wife's repose in Alaska, he was tonsured
and successively elevated to Archimandrite and made Bishop, with the name Innocent, for a new
Diocese of Kamchatka, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, with his See at Sitka in SE Alaska.
In his refocused ministry, the new Bishop demonstrated, as he traveled by kayak, dog-sled, back-pack, grappling hook, and boots, that "no evil thing shall resist [wisdom]: she [being] well known
to all that approach her' (vs. 15). After ten years of untiring labor and travel, he could report that
"the spiritual condition of the flock in the Diocese, which consists primarily of recently and
newly-converted peoples (of a total number of 23,230 persons only 5,820 are Russians or creoles,
including clergy), is comforting now as in the past."
After ten more years in his vast, two-continent field, he was elevated to Archbishop, given
several assisting Bishops and a residence in Siberia at Yakutsk. From there he strove to
Christianize the Yakut people while managing his far-flung Archdiocese. By the age of 67, as he
was feeling age encroach upon him, he received a telegraph announcing that "the Emperor deigns
to appoint your Eminence Metropolitan of Moscow." His new post gave him opportunity to
found the Russian Missionary Society for furthering righteousness and mercy (vs. 16).
Through the prayers of Bishop Innocent, O Lord, Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and
upon Thy Holy Church throughout all the world and save us. Amen.
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
The Martyr Charitina
2nd at Vespers, Innocent: Proverbs 10:31-11:10 Epistle: Philippians 1:8-14
Gospel: St. Luke 5:12-16
Proverbs 10:31-11:10 LXX, especially vs. 1: "False balances
are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto Him." Even a cursory
reading of this collection of proverbs reveals their underlying form - the contrasting of opposite
types of persons. A great variety of descriptive terms are used for the opposing pairs, yet there is
a commonality that can be stated as "the righteous versus the ungodly." In calling attention to
this 'common denominator,' we note that this pairing of opposites implicitly assumes that
persons can either be acceptable or abominable "before the Lord" (vs. 1). In other words, God's
standards and judgment determines into which of these categories a given person falls.
Another truth concerning the righteous and the ungodly should be noted: by careful observation
of the speech and the actions of men as well as by the outcomes that result from their words and
deeds, one soon discerns what God's judgment is concerning them - whether they are deemed
righteous in His sight and acceptable or found unjust and abominable before Him. So then,
consider our human speech. One has only to listen carefully to what people say to learn soon
enough if a person is dropping wisdom from his mouth (vs. 31) or if perversion and pride
underlie his thinking and desires (vss. 10:32,11:2). The Holy Fathers of Orthodoxy give us a
powerful pair of exercises for monitoring our own speech and desires in this respect. Simply
said, they are watchfulness and prayer. Archimandrite Ioannikios Kotsonis observes: "the final,
ultimate mission of watchfulness and prayer is none other than the theosis of the faithful and the
indwelling of the Holy Trinity in the heart, cleansed of demons and passions. How, then, can
watchfulness not be one of the most fundamental bases of true spiritual life?"
Thus, if we pay close attention to our thoughts as well as to our spoken words, we swiftly find
how much corruption or grace indwells us. Furthermore, such attention to our inner and outer
verbal life quickly speeds the earnest disciple to the prayer of the heart: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
God, have mercy upon me, a sinner!
Returning to the verse quoted above (vs. 11:1), the same sort of attentiveness or personal
monitoring may be carried on with respect to one's actions. False balances do not happen in a
random manner; they are put onto scales by those who intend to deceive their customers. Just
weights, on the other hand, are the mark of honest merchants who desire to give a true measure in
return for a fair price. The godly man "traces out blameless paths" in this life (vs. 5); and, quite
the opposite, one senses ungodliness when he encounters unjust dealings in the actions of others
(vs. 5). Citizens of a city, after being snared by the manipulations of certain persons in the
community, often learn to escape from their smooth words and solicitous behavior.
The most instructive verses in this collection remind us that not only audible words and tangible
deeds are clues that disclose the inward spiritual state of ourselves and others, but also are the
outcomes of the words and deeds of just persons or of the basic lack of understanding of the
ungodly (vs. 12). If we are put on alert by certain slips-of-the-tongue and by random,
inappropriate actions, we certainly should not miss the point when we see earthly judges handing
habitual criminals over to the state's correctional facilities. Not that man's justice is perfect, but
criminal records help us understand why so many of the same people enter and leave prisons on a
revolving-door basis. After all, righteous men have a way, as civic leaders, in assisting their
communities to prosper while the boast of the unscrupulous often collapses under its own weight
(vss. 9,7). As our Lord Jesus says, "By their fruits you will know them" (Mt. 7:20).
I shall return to the compassionate Father crying with tears, Receive me as one of Thy servants,
as I kneel to Thy love to mankind, and save me.
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Apostle to America
3rd at Vespers, Innocent: Wisdom 4:7-15 Epistle: Philippians 1:12-20
Gospel: St. Luke 5:33-39
7-15, especially vss. 13, 14 LXX: "He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a
long time: for his soul pleased the Lord." Our Lord Jesus Christ commands all of us who call
ourselves by His Name to "be perfect as [our] heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt. 5:45). Therefore,
not a single one of us will wisely stand detached in the face of this passage from the Wisdom of
Solomon, for this ancient teaching has immediate help with the question of how to become
perfect as the Lord Jesus commands. It tells us in detail what it is to be perfect - what perfection
before God looks like - and how to attain that perfect state in which one's soul pleases the Lord.
Solomon employs four indications or evaluative measures for describing one who is "made
perfect" (vs. 13): he is "righteous" (vs. 7), "wise" (vs. 9), "pleasing to God" (vss. 10, 14), and
"honest" (vs. 12). However, notice that with each of these indications the great teacher reveals
what these indications are by means of a negative statement - by saying what it is not. Hence, the
righteous is not necessarily one who is honored in old age. Being righteous has nothing to do
with the "length of time" one has lived nor may righteousness be "measured by number of years"
(vs. 8). Rather, the righteous is "in rest" (vs. 7), whether in life or in death. Taken in the context
of the entire passage, one can see that the righteous is in rest in God. Nothing sullies or disturbs
his relationship with the Lord.
Similarly, the person who has wisdom has "an unspotted life" (vs. 9). Investigative reporters will
not turn up connections that compromise, forbidden activities, nor any traces of immoral
behavior in the righteous man's life. Wisdom has consistently prevailed in the upright person to
keep his life pure. Again, the standard for purity is that "he pleased God" (vs. 10). He might not
have always pleased people, but God's measure always is what counts.
The Teacher demonstrates how the perfect person remains pleasing to God in a most negative
way. Under the worst of circumstances, "living among sinners" (vs. 10), he still pleases the Lord,
prevailing over the wickedness all around him. He does not "alter his understanding," nor does
"deceit beguile his soul" (vs. 11). He is outstandingly immune, being honest (vs. 12).
Surrounded by disobedience and misbehavior (which are the definition of "naughtiness") and
enveloped as we are today in this society by "the wandering of concupiscence," roving sexual
invitations, the honest person gets things straight, his mind or heart remaining unsullied (vs. 12).
This entire description of a perfect person is well and good, and we can see clearly what one
needs to do to please the Lord. The great power in the passage, however, is the subtle manner in
which the Teacher reveals how one becomes so righteous, wise, and honest as to be pleasing to
God, especially since the standards for being perfect are set by the Lord Himself. Look at what
the passage says! "He, being made perfect" (vs. 13). "He, being made perfect" by Whom? By
God, of course. No member of this fallen race of ours is capable of being at rest in God, having a
perfectly unspotted life, remaining honest when enveloped by wickedness, without the Lord
God's "grace and mercy" (vs. 15).
Let us joyfully exalt, for God Who commands us to "be perfect as [our] Father in heaven" (Mt.
5:45) is none other than our Savior. Christ died to break the grip of sin and death over our lives.
He has defeated death, sin, wickedness, beguiling deceit, disobedience, misbehavior, and the
roving lust of the passions, for He is risen from the dead, and in the power of the Holy Spirit is
"with His Saints and...hath respect unto His chosen" (Wis. 4:15)!
The depth hath encompassed me, O Lord and become my tomb. But I cried unto Thee and Thou
didst save me by Thy right hand, O Lover of mankind.
Thursday, October 7, 2004
The Martyrs Sergios and Bacchos in Syria
Kellia: Jeremiah 38:1-13 Epistle: Philippians 1:20-27 Gospel: St. Luke 6:12-19
Jeremiah 38:1-13, especially vs. 6: "So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the
cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down
by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire."
The truth is: the leaders of Judah were themselves in the mire. The siege of Jerusalem lasted
from January, 588 until July, 587 BC, only briefly interrupted when the Babylonians stopped to
turn back an Egyptian army advancing against them in the summer of 588 BC. In that brief
respite from the conflict, Jeremiah had been arrested and detained. Then the attack resumed.
The courtiers favoring a pro-Egyptian policy continued to prevail: the city must hold out. For
those officials, Jeremiah was no Prophet, but a drain on morale for the troops fighting off the
army surrounding the city: "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the
soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people...." (vs. 4).
The king, being both weak-willed and having little real power, gave the officials leave to do what
they would with Jeremiah (vs. 5). Being summertime, the water in the cistern in the house of
king's son was depleted, so they dropped him down into that cistern to sink in the mire and meet
his death with the insects that live in such reservoirs (vs. 6). Notice: through the whole sequence,
an eyewitness account by all appearances, the Prophet said nothing. Like the Lord Jesus in the
hands of His opponents before Pontius Pilate (Lk. 23), Jeremiah remained silent.
Can the word of God be so easily silenced - by dropping the Prophet into a miry storage basin -
his jarring voice and abrasive disruption of life stifled to be heard no more? Lord, in Thy mercy,
keep us from such self-assured sin! We know in our bones that God's word cannot be simply
swept away nor muzzled and hidden by the fiat of mere mortals. Let us never sit by as did King
Zedekiah (vs. 7) when others scheme to dispatch the word of God. Puny men may think they
have better ideas than God, but woe to those who imagine they can muffle His word! Observe
that it was a foreigner, an outsider, a slave in the king's household, a man who was emasculated
and without power in the realm who was moved in his heart against what was done to Jeremiah.
This marginal man did three simple things that any of us can do in order to bring unpleasant truth
up into the light: he appealed to one capable of reversing what had been done (vss. 8-9); he
proceeded to do what was necessary to raise the Prophet from the cistern (vss. 11-13); and, in
carrying out the rescue, he was careful to do no harm to Jeremiah (vs. 12).
It is always possible to speak up when truth is being dropped down out of sight. Let us tell those
capable of correcting the situation when truth is being smothered. All redress of grievances begin
when someone exposes what is happening to those who can bring about change. Elected
officials, appointed officers, presidents, kings, legislators, rulers, directors, managers and owners
need to hear appeals on behalf of God's truth.
With others helping, the eunuch assembled a few "old rags and worn-out clothes" and rope (vs.
11) and these he let down to the stranded Prophet caught in the mire, and pulled him out. He
acted as he was able. Such action any of us can undertake with whatever God places in our
hands. In making this rescue, Ebed-melech was careful not to add to Jeremiah's discomfort. The
clothes were for padding under his armpits as they tugged him out of the mire and brought him
up to the opening, so as not to injure him further (vs. 12).
O Master, Christ our God, lift up my downcast mind and heart to Thee, and draw them out of the
mire of perdition, lifting me with the sure ropes of repentance and Thy gentle gift of consoling
tears, that I may, by Thine aid, raise others of Thy servants to their true heritage.
Friday, October 8, 2004
The Venerable Pelagia the Penitent
Kellia: Jeremiah 38:14-28 Epistle: Philippians 1:27-2:4 Gospel: St. Luke 6:17-23
Jeremiah 38:14-28, especially vs. 24:
"Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know of these words and you shall not die."
Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov speaks of the soul's learning "the secret of the ways of
salvation: "She fears everything that is contrary to humility." Notice in today's reading the fears
which King Zedekiah admitted were haunting his soul: "I am afraid of the Jews who have
deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they abuse me" (vs. 19). It is also
quite evident that he was afraid even of his own "court officials" (in Hebrew, "saris," which the
RSV translates as "princes"), for he swore Jeremiah to silence regarding their secret meeting lest
what he had said should be revealed (vss. 24-26). This king was afraid of his own officials and
haunted by the prospect of an exile in which he would be "abused" by those who earlier had
deserted to the Babylonians. He does not seem to have feared any things "contrary to humility."
In fact, Zedekiah is a study of one controlled by a wholly secular perspective. Everything he
feared was on the plane of the "world," of men and their immediate relationships and
interactions. Yes, he was intrigued to have a "word" from the Prophet: "I want to ask you for a
word" (vs. 14, NJB, following the Hebrew literally), yet Jeremiah's "word" from the Lord (vss.
17,18) brought no fear into his heart, except the fear of disclosure before men (cf. vss. 14,26).
The spiritual plane or dimension of life, which dominated the consciousness of Jeremiah, was
only a fascinating but shadowy side issue for Zedekiah. He might really have thought that
Jeremiah had a point about surrendering - that the Prophet was correct; but what really counted
for the king was the political world of men, their views, actions, and coalitions.
How the world changes when one's purview includes God within the events of life and history!
Arrest a Prophet of God and beat him up (Jer. 37:13,15), throw him in a cistern, as Josephus
reports - up to his neck in the mire - and he bears these assaults on his life (Jer. 38:1-13), yet he
never varies in speaking of the single reality that consumes his life. Archimandrite Sophrony
characterizes Jeremiah well: "Mind and heart are not attracted to anything extraneous, are
desirous of naught save God." Such is the mark of a genuinely humble man, of a man who fears
only to lose his relationship with God, to have the word of the Lord cease flowing into him.
Jeremiah is a solemn example for every Orthodox Christian. He stands in marked contrast to
King Zedekiah, providing a living embodiment of what it means to know and pursue "the secret
of the ways of salvation." God placed Jeremiah under a weak-willed king whose whole life was
controlled by what others were saying and doing around him. Still, when this king begged him
not to divulge the content of their conversation, he obeyed his monarch as "God's servant" for
good, not bearing "the sword in vain" (Rom. 13:4). He limited his reply to the state officials,
violating neither the truth nor the King's command, for he was accountable above all to God, and
to obey the one whom God allowed to rule over His chosen People.
What a vision of life! How sterile is the secular perspective of human existence! It leaves out
the One Who ordained the mystery of our salvation "before the ages for our glory" (1 Cor. 2:7).
Beloved of the Lord, let us struggle to be free from the dominating secular view of the world
which controlled Zedekiah. Come what may in this life, let us remember that God is involved
and active; and therefore, let us beg Him:
"teach us to treat all that comes to us throughout the day with peace of soul and with the firm
conviction that Thy will governs all. In all our deeds and words, guide our thoughts and
feelings. In unforeseen events, let us not forget that all are sent by Thee."
Saturday, October 9, 2004
The Holy Apostle James, the Son of Alpheos
Kellia: Jeremiah 39:1-10 Epistle: 1st Corinthians 15:58-16:3 Gospel: St. Luke 5:17-26
Jeremiah 39:1-10, especially vss. 6, 7, 8:
"The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes; and the king of Babylon
slew all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters to take
him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the houses of the people, and broke
down the walls of Jerusalem." Without question, the fall of Jerusalem was horrific. With one
stroke the Babylonians ended Judah's national existence, discontinued all social institutions, and
suspended the state cult of Temple worship. Nothing was left but a group of uprooted, exiled,
and beaten people who lacked most of the distinguishing marks of a nation.
As it was the Lord God Who allowed such calamity to fall upon His People, so also it was He
Who would enable them to survive, chastened and humbled, to build a new way of life. The
power of the events that came upon God's People when the "breach was made in the city, when
Jerusalem was taken" (vss. 2,3), is deeply felt when reading Jeremiah's prophetic psalms of
lamentation, for they express the universal pain, lived and felt at the fall of the nation. Much is
pressed into these words: broken down, burned, bound, slain, deported, and left.
"Jerusalem was taken" (vs. 3). Jeremiah cries out, "Her foes have become the head, her enemies
prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions" (Lam. 1:5).
As the Prophet had declared, the Lord was true to His word: He brought defeat, destruction, and
exile as just retribution for the people's many transgressions.
"The princes of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate" between the upper and
lower portions of the city (Jer. 39:3). The Prophet declares, "The Lord has done what He
purposed, has carried out His threat; as He ordained long ago...He has made the enemy rejoice
over you" (Lam. 2:17). The Lord ordained that pagan enemies would rule in the holy city.
"When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled" (Jer. 39:4). They cried:
"Thou hast wrapped Thyself with anger and pursued us, slaying without pity....panic and pitfall
have come upon us...I have been hunted like a bird" (Lam. 3: 43,47,52).
"The Chaldeans...overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and...they brought him up to
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah" (Jer. 39:5). What a horror for God's People: "Her
princes have become like harts....they fled without strength before the pursuer. When her people
fell into the hand of the foe, and....the foe gloated over her" (Lam. 1:6,7).
"The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah and all the nobles of Judah" (Jer. 39:6). The
Prophet and others who survived could only weep: "on the day of the anger of the Lord none
escaped or survived; those whom I dandled and reared my enemy destroyed" (Lam. 2:22). "The
Chaldeans burned the king's house and the houses of the people, and broke down the walls of
Jerusalem" (Jer. 39:8), and, worst of all, God's Temple was destroyed: "As in a forest of trees,
with axes they cut down the doors thereof together....with fire have they burned down Thy
sanctuary, they have profaned...the habitation of Thy Name" (Ps. 73:7,8 LXX).
"Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people
who were left in the city" (Jer. 39:9). They were taken away from ashes: "The Lord Himself has
scattered them, He will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the
elders. Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help" (Lam. 4:16,17). This is just a small taste
of the People's pain. We commend the whole of Lamentations for meditation.
Thy steadfast love, O Lord, never ceases, Thy mercies never come to an end; they are new every
morning.. When Thou hast laid it on, there is hope. (see Lam. 3:22,23,28,29).
Sunday, October 10, 2004 (Tone 2)
The Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia
Kellia: Jeremiah 39:11-14; 40:1-6 Epistle: 2nd Corinthians 11:31-12:9
Gospel: St. Luke 6:31-36
Jeremiah 39:11-14; 40:1-6, especially vss. 2, 5:
"The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him....'If you remain, then return to
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of
the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever you think it right to
go.' So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go."
St. John Chrysostom's observation about God's providence describes with amazing accuracy
how the holy Prophet Jeremiah survived the days of the fall of Jerusalem: "[God] is Master of all
things both on high and below, and extends the exercise of His providence and care everywhere."
Despite the ardent desire of a hostile bloc of officials within the now-defunct government of
Judah who would have put Jeremiah to death, God spared him for a continuing ministry. Yes,
they thrust him into a cistern, and terrors stalked the streets at the fall of Jerusalem, yet he
endured the misery of being "bound in chains along with all the captives...who were being exiled
to Babylon" (vs. 40:1). Overtaken by all this violence, still he was "sheltered in the shelter of
[God's] wings" (Ps. 60:4 LXX). In the words of St. Maximos the Confessor: the Lord cared for
him providentially, "showing...that divine help is stronger than anything else."
Saying that the situation in the city of Jerusalem at the time of the breaching of the walls was
chaotic barely captures the truth that the survivors experienced. The command staff of the king
of Babylon set up their headquarters "in the middle gate" (Jer. 39:3); King Zedekiah and his
soldiers, seeing them, "fled at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two
walls" (Jer. 39:4); a detachment of Chaldeans pursued closely behind them. The populace was
starving (Lam. 1:11); young and old, men and women lay dead in the streets, slaughtered without
mercy (Lam. 2:21); streams of the people were rounded up, put in chains, and led north to the
town of Ramah (Jer. 40:1), from whence convoys of prisoners were being marched over 800
miles into slave settlements in the lower Mesopotamian valley (S. Iraq today); and everywhere
fires were burning while the destruction and looting of the city advanced (Jer. 39:8).
In the midst of all this, providentially, the Prophet of God, Jeremiah, was taken from the court of
the royal guard along with others, including probably even his jailers. Their hands were bound
with chains and they were marched off in a small group to the dispatch center at Ramah; but
there, on orders from the highest Babylonian authority, the captain of the guard recognizing
Jeremiah, released him to "go wherever [he] thought it good and right to go" (Jer. 40:4). No
doubt the Prophet's reputation was well known to Babylonian intelligence, so that God was able
to work through the power of King Nebuchadnezzar to effect the release of His servant.
Divine providence even arranged for Jeremiah to choose either exile with Ezekiel, Daniel, and
others of God's Prophets or to pursue the new life in Judah "among the people who were left in
the land" (vs. 40:6). Discerning that the Lord had provided for witnesses among the exiles, he
chose to remain with "those of the poorest of the land, who had not been taken into exile" (Jer
40:7). As always, God's heart went out to the poor and lost of His People. In this instance, the
Lord gave them his Prophet to help them sort out the choices facing them in their new life. In
the person of the Babylonian-appointed Jewish governor, Gedaliah, God also provided an
agreeable authority under whom Jeremiah could minister (Gedaliah's father, Ahikam, earlier had
saved Jeremiah's life (Jer. 26:24)). May the Lord provide for us so in all our necessities!
Almighty God, our Help and Refuge, without Whom I can do nothing, assist, direct and provide
for me that I may live faithfully, according to Thy will and to the glory of Thy Name.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Apostle Philip the Deacon, of the Seventy
Kellia: Jeremiah 40:13-41:10 Epistle: Philippians 2:12-16 Gospel: St. Luke 6:24-30
Jeremiah 40:14-41:10, especially vs.
41:1,2: "As they ate bread together there at Mizpah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten
men with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the
sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor in the land." Listen to
St. Isaiah the Solitary who counsels us to guard well our conscience: "In the fear of God let us
keep our attention fixed within ourselves, until our conscience achieves its freedom. Then there
will be a union between it and us, and thereafter it will be our guardian, showing us each thing
that we must uproot. But if we do not obey our conscience, it will abandon us and we shall fall
into the hands of our enemies, who will never let us go."
In today's reading, Jeremiah provides a record of two men: Gedaliah, a trustworthy servant of
God who guarded well his conscience, and, Ishmael who disdained all fear of God, disobeyed the
promptings of his conscience, and thereby surely fell into the hands of Satan, becoming a master
of treachery under eternal darkness. The lives of these two men warn us of the importance of
heeding our conscience; for, as Abbot Nazarius reminds us, there shall "come a time when we
shall be judged not according to the book of knowledge and understanding, but according to the
book of conscience." We shall stand before the dread judgment Seat of Christ. The Babylonians
placed a great trust in Gedaliah as governor of Judah, committing "to him men, women, and
children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile" (Jer. 40:7), a
confidence he consistently fulfilled. Jeremiah, who was free to go where he would in the land of
Judah (Jer. 40:4), without hesitation chose to live at Mizpah under Gedaliah's oversight (Jer.
40:6). So greatly was this man trusted that "all the captains of the forces in the open country and
their men" came to him confidently, and he swore to them that he would "stand for [them] before
the Chaldeans" (Jer. 40:7-10). These were officers from the army of Judah, whose units ranged
freely over the country as guerrillas during the time the Chaldeans tried to subdue the land. Even
Jews who had fled for refuge into neighboring kingdoms during the war so trusted Gedaliah that
they returned to Judah and their farming (Jer. 40:11,12).
People do not extend great trust to every man they meet in life. To receive trust, one must show
that he is worthy of trust from others, that he is a man of conscience, that his word is reliable, and
that his moral judgment balanced and fair. All the evidence reveals that Gedaliah's conscience
led him to keep the commandments scrupulously. Notice: although he was warned of Ishmael's
plan to murder him, still he could only forbid preemptive murder (Jer. 40:16). Being of a pure
conscience himself, how could he imagine treachery on the part of a brother in faith? Rather, he
extended hospitality to his neighbor (vs. 41:1). In the words of St. Maximos the Confessor, "a
clear conscience cannot be charged with the breaking of a commandment."
Ishmael, on the other hand, reveals a complete lack of conscience. Without compunction he
violated the sacred covenant of hospitality, murdering his host (vs. 41:2). He slew all others
present at the same dinner (vs. 41:3). He feigned grief at the loss of the Temple in welcoming
pilgrims in the name of the murdered Gedaliah (vs. 41:6). He slaughtered seventy pilgrims (vs.
41:7) while allowing ten of their fellows to live out of sheer greed, to gain their supplies (vs.
41:8). He took captives, including Jeremiah, apparently to sell them all into slavery (vs. 41:10).
When intercepted, he ran from justice (vs. 41:15). God save us from such death of soul!
O Christ our Savior, help us always to guard our conscience while we are in the world, that we
may live worthily with all men, never despising nor trampling upon ourselves or others.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Cosmas the Hymnographer, Bishop of Maiuma
Kellia: Jeremiah 41:11-42:17 Epistle: Philippians 2:17-23 Gospel: St. Luke 6:37-45
Jeremiah 41:11-42:17, especially
vss. 2, 3: "Let our supplication come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us.... that the
Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do." The
records of the Prophet Jeremiah, written during the collapse of Judah's national life, present a
vivid picture of lawless chaos. The remnant of God's people struggled to pick up their lives
while being assaulted by violence, fear, and uncertainty. The desire for peace and for an end to
the sound of the trumpet, hunger, fear, and the sword consumed their thoughts and actions.
The People of God settled in refugee camps near the appointed governor, Gedaliah, but he was
murdered. Then, they were taken captive, probably to be sold as slaves, but soldiers from their
own army appeared and freed them (vs. 41:12-14). The whole group then fled, "intending to go
to Egypt because of the Chaldeans," fearing reprisal for Gedaliah's murder (vss. 41:17,18).
While at a rest stop, a caravan station near Bethlehem (vs. 41:17), the whole group came to
Jeremiah with a request. Since he himself had shared all the shocks and forced marches with
them, they were not hesitant to ask if he would seek a word from the Lord for them: "were they
on the right track? Should they go into Egypt? Would Jeremiah ask God to show them 'the thing
that [they] should do'" (vs. 42:2,3)? Today's reading provides a simple, profound study in how
to seek a word from the Lord, and in searching out His will and