Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Martyr Sabinos of Egypt
6th Hour: Isaiah 25:1-9 1st Vespers: Genesis 9:8-17 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 12:8-22
Isaiah 25:1-9 RSV, especially vs. 8: "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will
wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has
spoken." Of the five images of the Kingdom of God that are presented in this week's readings from Isaiah, the one for
today, portraying the ultimate destruction of death, most explicitly prepares us for the Gospel message of Resurrection. It is
not surprising that the Apostle Paul quoted the first portion of the verse given above (1 Cor. 15:54), nor that St. John the
Theologian quoted the second portion of the line in his Revelation (Rev. 21:4). Consider the grace given to Isaiah - to
glimpse at the annihilation of death, only finally revealed in the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus! That God
should give such foresight to Isaiah is a testimony to the great holiness of this prince among the Prophets of God.
There are two traditions concerning verse 8: first, the wording which St. Paul and the common English translations follow,
and, second, a significant variation found in the Septuagint (LXX): "Death has prevailed, and swallowed men up; but again
the Lord God has taken away every tear from every face. He has taken away the reproach of His people from all the earth:
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it" (Is. 25:8 LXX). Despite the variation in meaning caused by the first phrase, the
clear sense of both versions brings one to the same conclusion: death, the destroyer of all men, will ultimately be itself
destroyed by God. Glory to Jesus Christ!
Isaiah discloses three facets of the Divine triumph over death: 1) God uses death, destruction, and desolation to bring glory
to Himself (vss. 1-3); 2) even now, by "stilling the song of the ruthless" (vs. 5), the Lord shelters the poor and needy from
the bitterness of death's powers (vss. 4-5); and 3) while these actions of God impel us to praise and exalt the Name of God
in the present age (vs. 1), they cannot compare with the wonders of the coming age when God "will make for all peoples a
feast of fat things, a feast of wine" (vs. 6) - when He destroys "the covering that is cast over all peoples" (vs. 7).
Looking back at the twentieth century, at what its nihilism and its worship of death produced, we are haunted by powerful
images of death's dread capacity to negate our humanity. Recall the slave labor camps, the Nazi death factories, the
massive extermination of peoples, the decimation of whole populations by starvation, the bombing of cities and cultures
into dust, and the poisonous legacy of radiation and pollution. Still, through Isaiah, God invites us to praise and exalt Him
for the wonderful blessings He has brought our race despite the macabre events we unleash on His earth (vs. 1). Using
death itself, God "hast made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin," forcing "strong peoples" to glorify Him and "ruthless
nations" to fear Him (vss. 2-3).
Let us be in awe of the amazing truth Isaiah places before us. God is in control even of death, as monstrous and ubiquitous
as it appears in all its forms. For, even through the terrors of recent history, God has disclosed His abiding capacity to be "a
stronghold to the poor" - despite the exploitation of "the ruthless" (vs. 4-5). Isaiah's evangel prepares us for Christ's
Gospel.
Because of the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we understand that at the end of history, God "will make
for all peoples a feast" (vs. 6) celebrating the utter destruction of death. St. John the Theologian confirms this in speaking
of the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9), when "God will wipe away all tears from all faces, and the reproach of
His people He will take away from all the earth" (Is. 25:8). He Who embraced death for our sake, reveals Himself as the
Life-Giver to all who trust in Him. Prepare for His feast, and exclaim:
O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, for Thou has done wonderful things! (vs. 1)
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Venerable Alexis, the Man of God
6th Hour: Isaiah 26:21-27:9 1st Vespers: Genesis 9:18-10:1 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 12:23-13:9
Isaiah 26:21-27:9 LXX, especially vs. 9: "Therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be taken away;
and this is his blessing, when I shall have taken away his sin; when they shall have broken to pieces all the stones of the
altars as fine dust, and their trees shall not remain, and their idols shall be cut off, as a thicket afar off." Today's reading,
in vivid imagery, portrays the Last Great Judgment, a third portrait of the Kingdom of God. In this image, the Lord
illumines more fully His teaching that "The Kingdom of God is near" (Lk. 21:31). He says of that day: one beholds "men's
hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven
will be shaken" (Lk. 21:26). Hence, the events which Isaiah describes are for the end times, at history's culmination.
[Please note that this meditation follows the Septuagint text (LXX), as a better window into Isaiah's message.]
The first act of God's judgment will come against the dwellers on the earth (Is. 26:21 LXX). As the blood of the righteous
Abel cried out from the earth when he was slain by his brother (Gen. 4:10), so also, at the day of Divine Judgment, the
earth "shall disclose her blood and shall not cover her slain" (Is. 26:21 LXX). No child of the past century can fail to
understand God's wrath against mankind's brutal fratricide and self-willed violence.
The second act of God's judgment shall be directed against Satan, who here is called "the crooked serpent" or "the dragon"
(vs. 27:1). St. Basil the Great also says that "the sword of God is drawn against the dragon, the crooked serpent, which
makes many twists and turns in its progress," and, the Saint warns, "he who follows the serpent shows that his life is
crooked, uneven, and filled with contrariness." Isaiah's imagery also is consonant with St. John the Theologian who speaks
of God's judgment against Satan: "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the
beast and the false prophet are" (Rev. 20:10).
Having made these brief remarks about the Last Judgment, Isaiah next focuses on the destiny of the People of God. He
returns to an earlier image, the Lord's Vineyard (Is. 5:1-7), and he describes the Church as a "fair vineyard" (Is. 27:2 LXX).
For centuries the Church has stood as "a strong city, a city in a siege" (vs. 3) opposing the forces of the dragon. The
inability of Satan to prevail against the Lord's People inspired Isaiah to sing about the Church (vs. 2).
Still, the song takes an unexpected turn. The Church "shall be taken by night, and by day the wall shall fall" (vs. 3). God's
people will be vulnerable, not to warriors, but to any woman that "takes hold of it"(vs. 4). Its membership will be
decimated like a mown field with only stubble remaining (vs.4). Nevertheless, God shall "set Her aside," sustaining the
Church despite all Her lost and lapsed members (vs. 4). The "gates of hell shall not prevail" (Mt. 16:18).
We learn that being on the rolls of an Orthodox parish is not enough. We are to complete our years "in peace and
repentance," partaking of Christ's Holy Mysteries, struggling spiritually to keep the fulness of the Faith alive in our hearts
and living with our fellows in a God-pleasing manner. All of us shall be smitten and the old man put to death - slain (vs. 7).
If we continue in "fighting and reproaching, He will dismiss" us (vs. 8). God looks into the spirit with which we treat
others. If we "meditate with a harsh spirit, to slay [others] with a wrathful spirit," He will shatter our altars of pride into
fine dust until we cut off our idolatry (vs. 9). None shall escape God's wrath against his sin (vs. 8), yet by His judgment on
us in this life, "the iniquity of Jacob [shall] be taken away; and this is his blessing when [God] shall have taken away his
sins" (vs. 9).
O Christ, Who lovest all men, grant us rest in the land of the living, and open unto us the gates of Paradise, and grant us
remission of those things wherein we have sinned against Thee.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Lenten Fast
Nikolai, Bishop of Zica in Serbia
6th Hour: Isaiah 28:14-22 1st Vespers: Genesis 10:32-11:9 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 13:19-14:6
Isaiah 28:14-22 RSV, especially vs. 16: "Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested
stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'He who believes will not be in haste.'" In the present passage from
Isaiah is the fourth image in a series of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Being written in prophetic words rather
than with an iconographer's palette and brush, the lesson reveals our God and Savior as a Cornerstone - the precious
foundation stone of the Church. As St. Nikolai of Zica declares: "This wonderful stone, my brothers, is the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself. For if the Prophet had thought it an ordinary stone, he would not have spoken of belief in it...." Therefore,
in this verse is another instance of the Holy Spirit providing to the People of God, through His Holy Prophet, a glimpse
forward in time to that eternal legacy which has now been revealed to us fully in Christ Jesus (Col. 1:26).
In this instance, Isaiah places his prophecy vividly against a background of scathing reproof against His own People.
Observe: the Lord makes a dual declaration - 1) of a work of bitterness and wrath (Is. 28:21), and 2) of a work of laying a
precious foundation stone (vs. 16). The contrastive effect highlights the significance of Him Who is the precious
Cornerstone.
In reading this prophecy, we can appreciate the immediate historical conditions which prompted Isaiah to rebuke the men
and princes of his day (vs. 14): during Isaiah's time, the tiny kingdom of Judah lay between two powerful empires, Assyria
to the north, and Egypt to the south. In his youth, Isaiah and all of Judah had watched as their sister state, Israel, was
overrun, plundered, deported, and enslaved by the Assyrians. In an earlier passage (Is. 10:5-14), Isaiah reports how Judah
itself was pauperized by heavy payments of tribute to the Assyrians. Still, in a manifestly Divine intervention, the nation
was spared ultimate destruction (see 2 Kings 17).
Today's prophecy was written much later in Isaiah's life, following a period of national resurgence. During this later
period, Assyria was having problems at home and so left Judah to her own devices. But then the Assyrian threat loomed
again under new Imperial leadership. In response, the leaders of Judah were attracted by the proposal to join in a protective
alliance with Egypt, what Isaiah called "a covenant with death, and with Sheol" (Is. 28:15). God immediately revealed that
this plan was a false hope against the "overwhelming scourge" of Assyria (vs. 15).
The Lord of history consistently warns His People against reliance upon human power and empires. His Kingdom is not of
this world (Jn. 18:36). The Church is to trust in Him alone for hope and salvation. God is very direct about this - under
both the Old and the New Covenants. In the present prophecy of Isaiah, the Lord says, "it will be sheer terror to understand
the message" of dependency on human power (Is. 28:19). Along with His plea against alliances, He also clearly warned: "I
will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will
overwhelm the shelter. Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand"
(vss. 17,18).
What God offered, and continues to offer, in place of all human alliances, is a "tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a
sure foundation" (vs.16) that, clearly, may now be seen by the light of revelation, to be Christ Jesus our Savior. He is the
impregnable, true foundation of Zion - the Church, God's People. Christ our God, at His first coming, asked: "Have you
never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?" (Mt. 21:42). The
Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, continues to declare that Jesus Christ is still the true Corner-stone, "and he that
believeth on Him shall not be confounded" (1 Pet. 2:6).
Be Thou our sure foundation to keep us safe from the man-destroying enemy, O Lord!
Friday, March 19, 2004
Lenten Fast
Martyr Pancharios of Nicomedia
6th Hour: Isaiah 29:13-23 1st Vespers: Genesis 12:1-17 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 14:15-26
Isaiah 29:13-23 RSV, especially vss. 18 and 19: "In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a
book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and
the poor among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel." This reading is another of Isaiah's images foreshadowing the
Kingdom of God that later was revealed clearly in Christ. Notice the correspondence between Isaiah's prophecy (just
quoted above) and another passage from Isaiah read by Jesus in His hometown synagogue at Nazareth (61:1): "The Spirit of
the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are
oppressed." After reading these words, Jesus said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk. 4:21).
Isaiah perceived the common ills of mankind, and foretold that God would "cut off" these evils (Is. 29:20). Christ,
however, ends the evil in the hearts and souls of all who submit to Him. He brought the ruthless plans of many, like Saul of
Tarsus, to naught (Acts 9:1-9). Glory to God that scoffers still are silenced when the Lord Jesus heals (Mk. 5:35-42).
When Jesus was declared to be an offender (Is. 29:21), and snares were laid for Him (Mt. 22:15-22), and when the false
accusations of the authorities (Jn. 19:12) sent Him Who was 'in the right' to the Cross, His glorious Resurrection turned
right-side-up things that were upside-down (Is. 29:16).
Isaiah did more than see the ills that plague humanity; he diagnosed their cause - the foolish belief of men that it is possible
to "hide deep from the Lord their counsel" (vs. 15). The example of the deluded Judas who consulted with the authorities
how he might betray the Lord Jesus fully illustrates what Isaiah had in mind. The betrayer was convinced that he would be
covered by darkness, so he went at night to carry out his dark deed (Jn. 13:27-30). Actually, it was his heart that was dark,
and so, in turn, his thinking became futile (Rom. 1:21). In this world, there are so many who confidently believe that no
one sees and no one knows their inward thoughts and desires (Is. 29:15). Beloved of the Lord, God sees and knows
(Jn.13:21).
What happens when men disregard the Creator of all? Isaiah says they become absurd - as if a clay pot could say, "The
potter did not make me." Such a person "has no understanding" (Is. 29:16). When this attitude underlies people's worship,
as the Lord reveals, they become a community who "draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their
hearts are far from Me" (vs. 13). One can mouth the right words at prayer but inwardly debase worship and transform it
into a cliche - "a commandment of men learned by rote" (vs. 13). Consider the Lord's view of the Publican and the
Pharisee who went up to the Temple to pray (Lk. 18:9-14), or conversely His perception of a widow who made an offering
of her last two mites (Lk. 21:2-4).
However, Isaiah foresaw that there would be a renewed People of God - men and women who would "sanctify the Holy
One of Jacob and...stand in awe of the God of Israel" (Is. 29:23). These he likened to the blind who, "out of their gloom
and darkness" (vs. 18) saw the true Light, and received the heavenly Spirit and found the true Faith in Christ, for in our
Blessed Savior, God has done "marvelous things with this People, wonderful and marvelous" (vs. 14). Devout men "from
every nation under heaven" were "amazed and marveled" on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Apostles received the
Heavenly Spirit and declared "the wonderful works of God" to them in their own languages (Acts 2:5-11).
Let us praise the consubstantial Trinity, the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit; for thus did all the Prophets preach,
and the Apostles, with the Martyrs, too.
Saturday, March 20, 2004
Lenten Fast
Photeini, The Samaritan Woman
Kellia: Isaiah 37:21-29 Epistle: Hebrews 6:9-12 Gospel: St. Mark 7:31-37
Isaiah 37:21-29 RSV, especially vs. 23: "Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised
your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!" St. John Cassian teaches that "when the vice
of pride has become master of our wretched soul, it acts like some harsh tyrant who has gained control of a great city and
destroys it completely, razing it to its foundations." He could have been referring to Sennacherib, King of Assyria (705-681 BC). Let us learn from God and His Prophet Isaiah what the source of pride is, how pride destroys fellowship with
others, and, above all, how pride invites God's rebuke and leads to the ultimate destruction of the proud one.
This reading amply demonstrates that pride begins with a loss of awareness. The king of Assyria could accurately list the
success of his military conquests west to the Mediterranean and south along the coast into Egypt. In mountains, desert, and
across the branches of the Nile at its delta - his armies triumphed (vss. 24,25). He conquered all. However, as St. John of
the Ladder says, "It is shameful to be proud of the adornments that are not your own. Pride in his successes deceived him.
How readily one can forget our utter dependence on God. As John Climacus reminds us: "only such victories as you have
won without the cooperation of the body have been accomplished by your efforts, because the body is not yours, but a work
of God."
The Lord Jesus corrected Pilate for his prideful claim: "I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You," by
pointing out to the august procurator, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from
above" (Jn. 19:10,11). And God said the same to Sennacherib: "I planned from days of old...that you should make fortified
cities crash into heaps of ruins" (Is. 37:26). Beloved of the Lord, let us consider for ourselves the Apostle Paul's question:
"And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not
received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7). Let us extinguish all pride and give thanks to God. May God give us the grace of a constant
remembrance of our dependence.
Pride truly makes one lonely, for the proud person is cut off from the warmth of human companionship. As the Lord spoke
concerning Sennacherib: "She despises you, she scorns you - the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you -
the daughter of Jerusalem" (Is. 37:22). "The daughter of Jerusalem" can be understood in three important ways: first, as the
community of Jerusalem - which certainly despised the proud Assyrian conqueror, for the people of Judah experienced
bitter impoverishment because of the tribute he extracted from them - what today we call "protection money." There was
no fellowship between him and Jerusalem.
Second, if the verse is applied to others and not tied historically to the king of Assyria, the daughter of Zion may be
understood as certain members of the Church. Let us remember that the proud, caught in the clutches of the demon of
pride, certainly "cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons" (1 Cor. 10:21). As the Apostle Paul says, they
drink judgment for not recognizing the Body (1 Cor. 11:29). Third, and finally, the proud cannot expect their pleas for
prayer to be answered by the humble Virgin of the New Jerusalem - the Holy Theotokos.
The mocking, the reviling, the raised imperious voice, and the haughtily lifted eyes which mark the proud, may seem
directed to their fellow human beings, but God says that pride rages against Him, and that men's arrogance comes to His
ears (Is. 37:29). Hence, the destiny of the proud is Divine rebuke and, short of true repentance, certainly is destruction (vs.
29). Let us turn quickly away from pride and not dally with it, lest we be given to the merciless (Pr. 5:9).
My eyes are weighed down by loathsome pride, but do Thou accept me penitent, O Lord.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Lenten Fast (Tone 7)
Sunday of John of the Ladder
Kellia: Wisdom 1:16-2:22 Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20 Gospel: St. Mark 9:17-31
Wisdom 1:16-2:22 RSV, especially vs. 13: "He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls
himself a child of the Lord." As we continue toward the radiance of Pascha, the Church urges us to "honor John, that pride
of ascetics, that angel on earth, that man of God in heaven....[who], planted in the house of God...flourished with justice;
and like a cedar tree in the wilderness...caused the flock of Christ to grow." The monastic community of the Holy
Transfiguration in Brookline, Massachusetts, has given us a superb English translation of St John's Ladder of Divine
Ascent. In the Introduction, the monks summarize the life of our holy father in these words: St. John "lived and struggled
for a whole lifetime on the God-trodden Mountain of Sinai, having entered the monastic struggles while but a youth in his
teens. For forty years he lived as a hermit at Thola, about five miles from the monastery. Later he became the abbot of
Sinai....He lived to the age of eighty, having reposed in the Lord in the year 603."
Today's reading from the Wisdom of Solomon provides a searing profile of the present godless age, an era which stands in
marked contrast to the life of all true Christians such as the righteous John. From it, we may develop a wholly inverse and
luminous portrait of this deified Saint of God and of the true Faith in Christ which he revealed - like a photographic
negative.
The ungodly confront us with the depressing conclusion that this life is only "short and sorrowful" (vs. 1), while St. John
reveals the "bliss of virtues and good deeds," speaking as one who "willingly left the things of the world...for the sake of
the future Kingdom" (Step 1:5).
When one holds a somber view of human life and destiny, such as the secularized world accepts in sad resignation, he is
forced to allege that "there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one has been known to return from Hades"
(vs. 1).
However, John, "that man of God in heaven," disclosed for us "the Heaven of the mind within the heart" (Step 29:2), a
pure dispassion that is "the harbinger of the general resurrection" (Step 29:7). He provides a glimpse into the ultimate
restoration of human life which the Lord Jesus first revealed by His Resurrection, verifying for all men God's true promise
of eternal life.
The poor people of this age, whose only light is godless 'wisdom,' contend that "hereafter we shall be as though we had
never been" (vs. 2); but, Brethren, we are blessed by the prayers of the "righteous John of perpetual memory [who] ceasest
not to intercede for our sakes."
The voices of the men of this age who have "exchanged the truth of God for the lie" (Rom. 1:25), flood us through the
media with invitations to join them: "Come...let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to its full
as in youth" (Wis. 2:6). The wise John, however, "didst turn aside from worldly luxury because it is loathsome; and
emaciating [his] body with abstinence...didst renew the power of [his] soul...with heavenly glory."
Under many ideologies and banners, the ungodly of this age have lived by a common, shared rule: "Let our might be our
law of right for what is weak proves itself to be useless" (vs. 11); but John, that beacon of mystical light, taught us to reap
virtues with fasting and prayer which leave the body weak but "renew the power...of the soul" (Step. 24:10).
Yes, this present evil age is ready to "lie in wait for the righteous Man because He is inconvenient to us and oppresses our
actions." Thus it was that the world tested Christ "with insult and torture," but found Him gentle and forbearing.
Nonetheless, they condemned Him "to a shameful death" (vs. 12). and have done so to all, like St. John, who have followed
in His way.
O Master of labor, let us, like the Blessed John, reap virtues with fasting and prayers; and do Thou also redeem our souls
from the debt of sin, for Thou alone art most compassionate.
Monday, March 22, 2004
Lenten Fast
Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra
6th Hour: Isaiah 37:33-38:6 1st Vespers: Genesis 13:12-18 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Isaiah 37:33-38:6 RSV, especially vs. 35: "For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for
the sake of My servant David." St. Nikolai of Zica encourages us in the trials and afflictions of life with a reminder:
"There is no danger in which God cannot help, and no enemy who could in his own strength and without God's permission,
gain the victory."
Brethren, let us awaken to the constant and unremitting lovingkindness we receive from God, at this moment and at every
turn in our lives. Read and re-read today's passage. Take its message to heart: God sustains His People because He loves
us. His covenant with His Church, including every member of it, never will be withdrawn to the end of time, unto the ages
of ages.
As today's reading shows, Jerusalem was delivered by means of a devastating outbreak of plague in the camp of the
besieging Assyrian army. With no alternative left to him, "Sennacherib, King of Assyria, departed, went home, and dwelt
at Nineveh" (vs. 37). How and why did this happen? Isaiah explains: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you
have prayed to Me" (Is. 37:21), and, God adds this further word, "for My own sake" (Is. 37:35).
Of course, we know that Jerusalem, the physical bastion of the People of the Old Covenant, was later destroyed and that her
citizens were enslaved by the Babylonians. Furthermore, even in the last century when great segments of the Church of the
New Covenant were enslaved, tortured, and killed, God continued to defend His Church and to save Her, by the prayers of
the Faithful and for His own sake. Hell "shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:18).
Listen to the Prophet Moses: "There is none like God, O Jeshurun, Who rides through the heavens to your help and in His
majesty through the skies....Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord!" (Dt. 33:26,29). When,
for His sake, insults, attacks, and death come upon us, or any segment of the Church, let us recall the Lord Jesus' words to
His martyr, St. Theodore the Recruit, "Fear not, Theodore, I Am with thee."
Isaiah shows that God, likewise, is concerned for each particular problem or affliction that may come upon any individual
member of His Church. When "Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, the Lord said to him, 'Thus says the
Lord: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover'" (Is. 38:1). Despite the seemingly irreversible nature
of this message and that it was brought to him personally from God by God's holy Prophet, Isaiah, yet the king "turned his
face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord" (vs. 2).
Counting his covenant relationship with God to be of infinite worth, the king prayed and wept. Knowing in himself that he
had walked "in faithfulness and with a whole heart," he was able to weep bitterly before the Lord at the word of the Lord
(vs. 3). Can we say, then, that God, Who is the same (Ps. 101:27 LXX) and Who does not let the words of His servants
"fall to the ground" (1 Kngs. 3:19 LXX), speaks by a Prophet and does "not make it good?" (Num. 23:19).
Without doubt the Lord tests His sons and daughters. He places hard facts and words before us and shows us likely
outcomes so that we might weep. Terrible diagnoses are declared. Inevitable death looms. Do we rage and rail against the
Lord, or do we "turn our face to the wall and pray" and weep, confessing our sins, acknowledging our frail, dependent
existence?
In this life, even death is limited, for "the Lord shall keep thee from all evil, the Lord shall guard thy soul" (Ps. 120:7
LXX). Let us cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7); and with the righteous Job, let us say, "Though
the Mighty One should lay hand upon me...as He has begun, verily I will speak, and plead before Him" (Job. 13:15 LXX).
O loving God, help us to discover that which is necessary to our eternal salvation.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Venerable Martyr Nikon of Sicily
6th Hour: Isaiah 40:18-31 1st Vespers: Genesis 15:1-15 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 15:7-19
Isaiah 40:18-31 RSV, especially vs. 27: "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hid from
the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God'?" With this probing question, the Prophet Isaiah took the ancient People
of the Covenant to task for complaining that God was unconcerned about their problems. They believed God was
indifferent to them - to His own People! Could what happened to His People be hidden from God's sight?
Such remarks disclose that they were disconnected from God. Still, for those who speak in this way, God might just as
well not exist. They expect nothing from Him and seek nothing from Him. Does not this view fit remarkably well with the
modern naturalism of Western culture that makes decisions and actions without reference to God, and considers that, since
He is neither measurable nor tangible, He is functionally irrelevant to everyday life?
Isaiah rebuked his fellow countrymen for such pessimism about themselves, life, and God. He knew that, as a People, they
bore the name Israel from their forefather Jacob, a man who had wrestled and prevailed with God, after which God
renamed him, "Israel" - meaning "struggled with God." Thus was Isaiah shocked: how can you say such things as these?
How can you be so negative? Is God an idol (vss. 18-20)? Have you not seen that God is the Lord of men and nations (vss.
21-24)? Look at the creation He fashioned and governs (vss. 25-26). God has not withdrawn; rather, those who wait on
Him shall be renewed (vss. 28-31).
In the first three verses of today's reading, Isaiah targets Israel's idolatry - absorption in things: "Surely by these kinds of
remarks you do not propose to adopt idolatry, do you?" He invites the discouraged to compare the Lord with any god
fashioned by human artisans, even the best idols, made to last for centuries through the use of gold, silver or "wood that
will not rot" (vss.18-20). Isaiah implies, of course, that idols do rot and fall apart over time. Investing one's primary life
energy in created things is madness, a point the Lord Jesus Himself echoed: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mk. 8:36).
Next, Isaiah chides his pessimistic countrymen: "Has it not been told you from the beginning?" (vs. 21). God "sits above
the circle of the earth" (vs. 22). He "makes the rulers of the earth as nothing" (vs. 23), and He blows upon them, and they
wither (vs. 24). If you choose to worship princes, they scarcely are planted before they are carried off "like stubble" (vs.
24).
Isaiah continues: "With whom would you compare 'the Holy One?'" (vs. 25), and he turns to God's work as Creator. Look
at the stars, the sun, the moon, the sky. They follow their appointed courses just as their Creator determines. Prediction of
their times to appear and to set below the horizon are the result of God's active power and might (vs. 26).
See how the verse quoted at the beginning is the key to the whole of Isaiah's Prophecy (vs. 27). Furthermore, see how,
once the challenge is stated, the Prophet returns in the final verses to summarize what he has called his readers to consider
up to this point. But now all is focused on God's nature: the Lord is everlasting (vs. 28). God is the Creator of the ends of
the earth (vs. 28). The everlasting God does not faint as men do; rather, He gives power to the faint (vss. 29,30). Since
"His understanding is unsearchable" by any human means, it is best for men to "wait for the Lord;" for if they do they
"shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary"(vs. 31).
The reason men in Isaiah's time or in the present feel that God is uninterested is because they do not wait upon Him. Let us
give up all weary pessimism, and worship the Lord.
Come let us worship and fall down before Christ. Save us, O Lord, who sing unto Thee!
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Hieromartyr Parthenios
6th Hour: Isaiah 41:4-14 1st Vespers: Genesis 17:1-9 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 15:20-16:9
Isaiah 41:4-14, especially vs. 14: "Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says
the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." During an intense persecution of the newly formed churches in Asia
Minor, the Apostle Peter wrote to encourage the besieged churches, reminding them: "you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people...who once were not a people but are now the people of God" (1 Pet.
2:9,10). Beloved of Christ, as they were, so are we, "the People of God."
Today's reading from Isaiah is much like St. Peter's letter. Both were inspired of God to encourage His people. Both were
written when enemies were contending against them. Both assured God's People that, since they were chosen of God, the
Lord would help and redeem them in every contingency; they were not to fear but to trust in Him. Let us likewise take
courage from the fact that we are true members of the chosen people of God, and let us heed the message of the Holy
Prophet Isaiah: other peoples depend on alliances, we should not, for God is with us. Those who strive against us will be as
nothing, for God Himself shall help and redeem us.
Like his contemporaries, Isaiah knew what was troubling the various nations of the Mediterranean coast lands - fear caused
by the successive invasions and conquests of great empires to the east of them out of Mesopotamia, from the lands between
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Is. 41:5). So as a Prophet, Isaiah posed the Lord's question to the chosen People in the land
of Judah: "Who has performed and accomplished these invasions, calling into existence the successive generations of these
empires from the beginning of history?" (vs. 4). To this question he gave God's answer: "I, the Lord, the first, and with the
last; I Am He" (vs. 4).
Then the Lord examined the means by which the peoples of the coast lands were responding to these threats: "Every one
helps his neighbor, and says to his brother, 'Take courage!'" (vs. 6). They rely upon alliances, calling on their idols to save
them. Their craftsmen and artisans make beautiful idols and temples, "and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be
moved" (vs. 7). They rely, in other words, on human effort and human religion to save them.
However, the source of courage for the chosen People in every circumstance is our God Who has chosen us and made us
heirs of His promises to Abraham (vs. 8). Beloved of God, no matter what befalls us, let us heed the word of the Lord
through His Prophet Isaiah: "You are My servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I Am with you" (vss.
9,10).
Do we feel weak? He says to us, "I Am your God; I will strengthen you" (vs. 10). Let us not run about frantically looking
for help, but let us pray to the Lord Who says, "I will help you" (vs. 10). Events throw us into predicaments that threaten
defeat; but God assures us, "I will uphold you with My victorious right hand" (vs. 10). We have a mighty God Who can
take us through everything in this life. Our worst enemies are our own fears and the whisperings of the evil one who
coaxes us to fear, to give up faith, and to trust in human solutions.
Here is what God promises to His chosen People: the powers of the evil one "who are incensed against you shall be put to
shame" by Him (vs. 11). The so-called invincible forces of life that "strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish"
(vs. 11). Sickness, 'the system,' rising prices, loss of loved ones or income, all that wars "against you shall be as nothing at
all" if you realize that the true battle is in your heart for your allegiance and faith. If we allow God to "hold our right hand,"
even though we feel like a worm (vss. 13,14), He Who has chosen us stands with us always: "I will help you, says the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel."
Help us; save us; have mercy on us; and keep us, O God, by Thy grace.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Fish, Wine & Oil
The Annunciation of the Theotokos
3rd Vespers: Proverbs 9:1-11 Epistle: Hebrews 2:11-18 Gospel: St. Luke 1:24-38
Proverbs 9:1-11 LXX, especially vs. 10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel
of saints is understanding: for to know the law is the character of a sound mind." When the Archangel Gabriel announced
to the Virgin Mary that she was to bear "the Son of the Highest," Who would "reign over the house of Jacob" (the Church)
as monarch of an everlasting kingdom (Lk. 1:32-33), the great Angel addressed a young woman who already had met
God's preconditions for being the Theotokos, the God-bearer or birth-giver.
As a monk of our Church has said, applying the Mystery of the Incarnation of God to us: "Jesus can be born in us, can be
born through us...[to take] real possession of our being." However, as the Virgin Mary was ready to be the Mother of God,
so we too need to labor toward our own readiness. Hence, we must repent from "all things which God hates" (Prov. 6:16)
so that the "seven pillars" of wisdom's palace may become the undergirding of the spiritual temple of our heart (Prov. 9:1).
Holy Wisdom, of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ; for He is everything that God loves (Jn. 17:26) - He is humble, truthful,
life-nurturing, pure of heart, obedient to God, merciful, and conciliatory. There is nothing in Him that God hates, such as
"the eye of the haughty, a tongue unjust, hands shedding the blood of the just, and a heart devising evil thoughts, and feet
hastening to do evil [who]...kindles falsehoods and brings on quarrels between brethren" (Prov. 6:16-19). Ah, that such a
One might be born in us! A worthy goal toward which we strive!
In this reading, a type of Christ our God is revealed, which centuries ago prompted the Church to call him Holy Wisdom.
In this instance, Holy Wisdom is presented as a great Queen who builds a glorious palace supported on seven pillars within
which she prepares a bounteous Feast for anyone who is morally foolish and wants understanding - that he may "turn aside"
to her (Prov. 9:4), "leave folly [and]...reign for ever, and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge" (vs. 6).
As we know, the servants of Wisdom, the Holy Apostles and Fathers of the Church whom Wisdom sent forth, are calling
us even now "with a loud proclamation to the Feast" (vs. 3), "Come eat of My bread, and drink wine which I have mingled
for you" (vs. 5). He reproved evil men and rebuked ungodly men, and they treated Him disgracefully and hated Him (vss.
7,8). However, Beloved of the Lord, we need not be counted among them. Our Savior gives us a grand opportunity to "be
wiser" and to "receive more instruction" (vs. 9).
The very first of all the preconditions He sets for us as invited guests is "the fear of the Lord [which] is the beginning of
wisdom" (vs. 10). Christ our Holy Wisdom does not call us to a craven, cowering fear, but to a healing and wholesome awe
before the magnificent Creator Himself, Who called us into being out of nothing, and is calling us now to eat His bread and
drink His wine at His royal feast.
Let us not disdain the invitation of Holy Wisdom, but cast aside everything in us that is not humble, truthful, life-nurturing,
pure of heart, obedient to God, merciful, and conciliatory. These, at least, are the preconditions that He looks for in us. Let
us begin today to acquire these God-pleasing virtues, so that Jesus may be born in us and through us to take full possession
of our being. The Lord ends this reading with a promise: if we will progress towards His necessary preconditions, we shall
"live long, years...of life...shall be added to" us (vs. 11).
Grant us, O Lord Christ, pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, all things good and profitable for our souls,
and a good defense before Thy dread Judgment seat.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Lenten Fast
Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
6th Hour: Isaiah 45:11-17 1st Vespers: Genesis 22:1-18 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 17:17-18:5
Isaiah 45: 11-17 LXX, especially vs. 17: "Israel is saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation:
you shall not be ashamed nor confounded for evermore." In the Twentieth century, the world lived through the rise and
fall of two aggressive ideologies: Fascism and Communism. Each promised, under its banner, a glorious history for
mankind . Each captured the hearts of millions who fanned out to spread the promise of glory. Through war and
revolutions, each made great territorial gains, and without remorse, each liquidated millions whom their ideologues
identified as 'undesirables.' Thank God, they have been largely defeated.
In today's passage from Isaiah, the Lord God declares the true conclusion of mankind's history: the reign of Jesus Christ in
the final age when God shall have "highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the
Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth"(Phil.
2:9,10).
Isaiah's prophecy differs from these recent, infamous ideologies. Christ's Kingdom is revealed as God's will. It is not a
man-made theory. Further, it will not be achieved by human energy and force. [Note, we will follow the Septuagint (LXX)
translation, because of several critical differences from the common translations that are derived from the Masoretic texts.]
First of all, God makes the raw ingredients of history, including the earth and the human race, and He is leading events
toward "the things that are to come" (vss. 11,12). Most important is an unnamed "King of righteousness" (vs. 13), One
raised up by God but known to us, since He was manifested in the flesh and "revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles"
(Eph. 3:5) - the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus dominates this prophecy, which profiles Him and His kingdom.
"All His ways are right" (Is. 45:13), just as St. John the Theologian teaches: "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"
(Jn. 1:17).
"He shall build My city" (Is. 45:13), the City of God described by St. Augustine of Hippo, a heavenly City, which, "so long
as it is wayfaring on earth, not only makes use of earthly peace but fosters and actively pursues along with other human
beings a common platform in regard to all that concerns our purely human life and does not interfere with faith and
worship. Of course, though, the City of God subordinates this earthly peace to that of heaven. For this is not merely true
peace, but strictly speaking, for any rational creature, the only real peace."
He "shall turn the captivity of My people, not for ransoms, nor for rewards" (Is. 45:13), but, of course, with His own
Precious Blood, and out of great love for all men.
The Lord of hosts tells us that "Egypt has labored for [Him]" (vs. 14). Long the symbol of gross paganism, Egypt, in
submission to Christ, did produce great Saints, such as Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs, and Anthony, Pachomios, and
Macarios, great monastic founders.
"Men of stature" (vs. 14) came from Ethiopia as well, among whom must be counted a eunuch who was the Treasurer of
Candace, the queen of Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-39). There was Moses the Black, the leader of a robber band who repented and
was healed by St. Isidore. He founded a monastery with seventy-five disciples of his own and triumphed as a martyr for
Christ.
All these and many more bound themselves to the Lord Jesus with fetters of love, doing obeisance to Him, for, with the
Prophet Isaiah, they found, "God is in Him; and there is no God beside You, O Lord, For You are God, yet we knew it not"
(vss. 14,15). How many of His opponents have been "ashamed and confounded" (vs. 16), for the Church - the Israel of
God - is "saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation" (vs. 17).
Since Thou art the Savior, O Christ, make me manifest as a child of Thy glorious Day.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Lenten Fast
Paul, Bishop of Corinth
Kellia: Malachi 4:1-6 Epistle: Hebrews 9:24-28 Gospel: St. Mark 8:27-31
Malachi 4:1-6 RSV, especially vs. 2: "But for you who fear My Name, the Sun of righteousness
shall rise with healing in His wings." The Old Testament ends with a prophecy of the Day of Judgment, called "the Day
of the Lord" (e.g., Is. 2:12; 14:3; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 30:3; Joel 2:11; Amos 5:18 and today's passage from Malachi). In the
Prophets' writings, such as in Malachi, the Day is portrayed as one of Divine burning against the "arrogant and all
evildoers" (Mal. 4:1). It also is described as a Day of "healing" and vindication for the righteous, for those who "fear" the
Name of the Lord (vs. 2). Hence, the Prophet Malachi exhorts us to live in accordance with the Law of the Lord, constantly
in expectation of the Day of God's judgment (vs. 4). Malachi promises that Elijah the Prophet will herald the final Day, by
coming to "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (vs. 6).
To grasp God's message through Malachi - a word of fire and burning on the last great Day - hear the Apostle's warning:
"serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb.12:28,29). What does it mean
to say, "God is a consuming fire?" Why does Malachi stir our hearts with an image of a great "burning oven," and have us
visualize the Lord destroying human beings made in His own image, consumed in flames?
Alexandre Kalomiros explains: "Love is fire. Anyone who loves knows this. God is Love, so God is Fire. And fire
consumes all those who are not fire themselves, and renders bright and shining all those who are fire themselves." Those
whom God renders bright and shining have, as St. John of the Ladder says, a soul that "longs and pants for the Lord with
the fire of love." Still, God destroys sin; so Simeon the Translator prays, "O Thou...Who art a fire consuming the
unworthy: Consume me not, O my Creator, but rather pass through all my body parts, into all my joints, my reins, my heart.
Burn Thou the thorns of all my transgressions."
However, the one who turns to the Lord Jesus with all his heart and soul and mind and strength (Mk. 12:30), like St.
Simeon, begs for and labors for the Savior's cleansing in his life. He knows that the "Sun of righteousness" has risen "with
healing in His wings" (Mal. 4:2). He himself has been anointed "unto the healing of body and soul" by "the hearing of
faith," and has had his garment of incorruption preserved pure and unpolluted because the merciful God has shown mercy
to him through the multitude of His mercies. The Gospels are filled with accounts of healing performed by the Lord, and
countless numbers of the Faithful have been restored to their right minds and established in their hearts by His gracious
touch.
The final, great Day of the Lord will be heralded by the return of Elijah the Prophet, he "who was sanctified before he was
conceived, that angelic of body and fiery of intelligence, that heavenly man and forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ,
the glorious Elijah." As John the Forerunner warned his generation "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17), the
coming Messiah would lay the ax "to the root of the trees," and "every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire" (Mt. 3:10). To heighten our appreciation of the Forerunner, the Lord likened the Baptizer John to
Elijah: "But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him" (Mk.
9:13).
Therefore, Beloved of the Lord, let us remember the law of God given through His servant Moses, His ordinances that He
commanded at Horeb for all Israel, both of the People of the Old Covenant and of the New and let us bend our straying
hearts in loving obedience.
Wherefore, having attained privilege with God, intercede, O Holy Prophet Elijah, with Christ our Savior to grant
forgiveness of sins to those who early celebrate thy holy memorial.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Lenten Fast (Tone 8)
Mary of Egypt
Kellia: Nehemiah 12:43-47 Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14 Gospel: St. Mark 10:32-45
Nehemiah 12:43-47 RSV, especially vs. 43: "And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced,
for God had made them rejoice with great joy, the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard
afar off." To grasp the spirit conveyed in today's reading, one might first consider the anguish endured earlier by God's
People, as recorded by Jeremiah the Prophet: "The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; He
marked it off by the line; He restrained not His hand from destroying; He caused rampart and wall to lament, they languish
together. Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the
nations; the law is no more, and her prophets obtain no vision from the Lord. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the
ground in silence; they have cast dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the maidens of Jerusalem have bowed their
heads to the ground. My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the
destruction..." (Lam. 2:8-11).
The lament which Jeremiah expresses and the joy conveyed in Nehemiah speak of Jerusalem, its city wall, and the same
nation of Judah. Between the two memoirs lay seventy years of exile in Babylon for God's People, during which they
labored for their masters and "sat down and wept" as they "remembered Zion" (Ps. 136:1 LXX). In those years, Jerusalem
lay in ruins. Finally, however, supported by the generous policy of the Persian King, Cyrus, the exiles returned to rebuild
the city, its walls, and the Temple. As Nehemiah wrote, that which "the Lord determined to lay in ruins" was rebuilt,
though after the exile there were additional years of hard work, until a day came when they could offer "great sacrifices"
and rejoice (Neh. 12:43).
The entire Mystery of Christ is concerned both with destruction and mourning and with restoration and rejoicing. Hence,
today's reading serves as a type of God's determination, on the one hand, to destroy our pride, to break down the defensive
walls around our sins, to fill our eyes with weeping until our hearts are poured out in grief at the pristine beauty which we
have wasted. On the other hand, in Christ, God has opened the way back to our true City. There, as a People struggling to
be healed and restored, we have the privilege of offering great sacrifices and of gladly rejoicing in the salvation wrought by
our great God and Savior.
The emphasis on rejoicing "with great joy" (vs. 43) of which Nehemiah speaks ought to call us to Divine Liturgy above all,
for what the Lord gave us is supremely 'eucharistic' - an act of joyous praise and thanksgiving for "all things of which we
know and of which we know not."
Likewise, "the joy of Jerusalem [is meant to be] heard afar off" (vs. 43). Men should be drawn to our worship "from afar,"
as were the courtiers of Tsar Vladimir when they visited Byzantium and stood in the Hagia Sophia and were mystically
drawn up into heaven.
Such elevation of the spirit happens when the Faithful ungrudgingly give "daily portions for the singers and the
gatekeepers; and...set apart" support for the Priesthood (vs. 47). The fashioning of workable organizations in each of our
congregations and the generous support of the physical fabric of the temples, the clergy, the choirs, and the congregational
gathering places for fellowship and education are necessities, for we are physical as well as spiritual beings.
Because we are sinners, any of these requirements will fail if we neglect "the service of purification" (vs. 45), which our
God provides for us. Nothing can so divert us from the struggle for renewal in Christ as neglect of the Liturgy, as not
sharing the Faith, as failure to support the Church's physical fabric, and as not keeping cleansed through confession before
the Lord.
O Lord, save Thy People and bless Thine inheritance; grant us victory over our enemies.
Monday, March 29, 2004
Lenten Fast
Mark, Bishop of Arethusa
6th Hour: Isaiah 48:17-49:5 1st Vespers: Genesis 27:1-41 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 19:16-25
Isaiah 48:17-49:4 LXX, especially vs. 21: "And if they shall thirst, He shall lead them through the
desert; He shall bring forth water to them out of the rock...." We are entering the last days of Lent. The Fast has been
long. The Faithful who have labored diligently can measure the demands of the struggle against their physical and spiritual
gains and give thanks to God. If we have not kept the Fast perfectly, if we have flagged at some point, or if we have not
attained the heights to which He called us in the beginning, never mind now. Let us press on. The end is near. We can
choose to finish the struggle well in the time that remains. To this end, the Lord gives us today's reading as food to
strengthen our zeal and to renew our determination.
The same God Who led the Fathers of the Old Covenant, now shows us how to profit, and He sets the course for us. If
earlier in the Fast we missed the peace, the righteousness, and the fruitful benefits of the struggle, even so, the gracious
Lord reminds us there are wondrous blessings in hearkening to His commandments now (vss. 48:17-19). Employing
images from the great desert pilgrimage of the ancient People of God, from the days when they came out of bondage in
Egypt, God assures us that He will not leave us in slavery to our sins. Rather, He exhorts us to flee from the Babylon of our
passions, to hasten away from our self-indulgence and to embrace our redemption and live according to its precepts (vss.
48:20-22).
Finally, God Almighty exhorts us who are His People of the New Covenant, to heed Christ our Redeemer. The chosen
Servant of God, the One Who came forth from the Virgin's womb and embodies in Himself all of Israel, reminds us that,
though His Passion seemed to be a labor in vain, nonetheless the recompense of God is with Him, the Risen One (vss. 49:1-4).
First, God prompts us to recall that our labors, as His pilgrim People, are a planned course: "I Am the Lord your God, Who
teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go" (vs. 17). As we sustain the Fast and struggle for
repentance, and as we enter God's holy house "in faith, reverence and in fear" of God alone, the more shall our "peace [be]
like a river, and [our] righteousness like the waves of the sea" (vs.18). God desires that the Fast make us fruitful in
righteous thoughts and deeds: "your offspring would have been like the sand" (vs. 19). These are fruits which God
promises to those who enter the fray and labor to be faithful.
Think of the peace that flows from the heart when we observe the opportunities of the additional services and the mid-week
Communion with the Lord Himself in the Pre-sanctified gifts. Think of the cleansing which fasting and prayer bring to the
heart. Think of the tiny bits of progress captured in moments of grace during this season. Take heart in the words of St.
John Chrysostom which we shall hear finally at Pascha, but are foreshadowed in these verses: "Let no one mourn that he
hath fallen again and again; for forgiveness hath risen from the grave."
God directs us: "Go forth from Babylon, flee from Chaldea" (vs. 20). Beloved, we labor knowing that Christ is risen. "The
Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!" He is present with us, leading us through the desert (vss. 20-21). Let us put off the
old man and put on the New Man. Only the ungodly who turn away will experience no joy (vs. 22).
Christ our God, Himself, speaks to us in the verses of chapter 49: "Listen to Me," says He Whom the "Lord called...from
the [virginal] womb, from the body of My mother" (vs. 1). God made His "mouth like a sharp sword... a polished arrow, in
His quiver" (vs. 2). As suffering man, the Lord Jesus, the faithful Servant of the Lord, fulfilled Israel's task. Christ is risen!
O Life-giver, my soul goeth early to the temple of Thy Holiness, because Thou art compassionate. Purify me by the
compassion of Thy mercies.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Lenten Fast
Venerable John of Sinai, Author of the Ladder
6th Hour: Isaiah 49:6-10 1st Vespers: Genesis 31:3-16 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 21:3-21
Isaiah 49:6-11 RSV, especially vs. 10: "He Who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs
of water will guide them." Lent is a spiritual pilgrimage taken in the fellowship of the Church and led by Our Shepherd
(vss. 9,10). As the Lord Himself tells us: "I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be raised
up"(vs.11). As a trek taken with the Shepherd, Lent follows a well-planned path, like a graded superhighway. Hence, as
we draw close to the end of the Fast, let us be encouraged to stay on the designated roadway under the guidance of our
Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He journeys with us, caring for our needs.
To understand our Shepherd and the journey we are taking with Him more deeply, observe what Isaiah tells us about our
Shepherd (vss. 6,7), this season in which we are journeying together (vs. 8), and what we may expect along the way (vss. 9-11).
Notice that God the Father addresses Christ in His humanity: "It is too light a thing that You should be My Servant to raise
up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel" (vs. 6). The plan of God embraces all human history, for the
Lord provides for the salvation of all men. Deliverance will not be limited to the tribes of Jacob nor even for a remnant of
ancient Israel. "God so loved the world that He have His only-begotten Son" (Jn. 3:16). He "desires all men to be saved"
(1 Tim. 2:4). Salvation is not narrowed by race, ethnicity, or nationality: "I will give You as a light to the nations, that My
salvation may reach to the end of the earth" (Is. 49:6) - for what St. Augustine called "a remedy for mankind of a power
beyond our imagining."
As God the Father continues His address to the One Who would become Incarnate, He speaks to Him as "One deeply
despised, abhorred by the nations" (vs. 7). Herein, God provides a pre-shadowing of the Passion of the Lord Jesus,
especially of those who later "spat in His face and beat Him; [while] others struck Him with the palms of their hands" (Mt.
26:67).
These forecasts of the Passion, however, are matched against a prophecy that has proven to be equally true, but of an
opposite message. God the Father says, "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves because the
Lord...has chosen You" (Is. 49:7). Let us remember the numerous Holy Monarchs who have humbled themselves before
Christ and made Him King above themselves in their realms. The despised One also is King of Kings.
We are blessed to know that when Christ came from the Father, He came for all men. The record of His rejection, Passion
and Resurrection is authentic. We have objective evidence from two thousand years of subsequent history proving that God
did not leave the Light of the nations "under a basket" (Mt. 5:15). Rather, in "a time of favor I have answered You, in a
day of salvation I have helped You" (Is. 49:8). Our Shepherd continues as "a covenant to the People" called by His Name -
to His Church - and reaches out still to all "the desolate heritages" (vs. 8).
Jesus Christ is the Lenten Shepherd Who accompanies us, so let us choose to finish Lent well. To prisoners of sin, the
Shepherd of the Sheep says, "'Come forth,' to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.'" (vs. 9). The Good Shepherd frees us.
He gives us light. He feeds us and slakes our thirst, protects and comforts us (vss. 9,10). Do you see? We are being led all
the days of our life, and at this moment in a Lenten pilgrimage, by a merciful and caring Lord, God and Savior, a true
Shepherd. We "shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite [us], for He Who has pity on [us] will
lead [us], and by springs of water will guide [us]" (vs. 10). Let us finish the course set before us with confidence. He has
sufficient strength for all.
Thy Covenant O Christ is not meat and drink, but righteousness and asceticism with holiness: have mercy on us, comfort
us and lead us by fountains of water for Thy Name's sake.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Lenten Fast
Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow
6th Hour: Isaiah 58:1-11 1st Vespers: Genesis 43:26-31 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 21:23-22:4
Isaiah 58:1-12 RSV, especially vss. 1, 2: " My People....seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God." We stand in a long
tradition within which fasting has been an important form of piety, devotion, and spiritual growth. When our Lord took
flesh and came among us, the practice of fasting was already well-established among God's People.
Today's lesson shows us how much God had already revealed prior to the Lord's direct teaching about fasting (Mt. 6:16-18; 9:14-17; Lk. 18:9-14). The Prophesies are both Tradition and history. We may observe the harmony between the word
of the Lord in Isaiah and Jesus' teachings. Thus, today's passage is an authentic, God-given "measuring rod" for evaluating
our own fasting. Let us consider these verses as a help for finishing well the Fast we have begun. It is not too late to mend
our ways, as His words touch our hearts. The Good Thief found Paradise in one moment as he, on an adjoining cross, was
dying beside the Lord. Read a verse from Isaiah, consider its meaning, and then ask the questions below to correct,
support, and guide you.
Verse One: In self-examination which do I use: my standards or God's - as in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12), the Ten
Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17), the Lord's sermons (Mt. 5-7), or the Apostles' teachings (Rom. 12; Eph. 4-6; 1 Pet. 2-4;
James).
Verse Two: What in me is resisting God's teaching, His guidance, or His correction?
Verse Three A: What do I believe pleases God in my fasting: limiting food, added prayers, or using these means to grow in
love and obedience to Him and in His ways?
Verse Three B: How does my fasting serve my ego, my goals, my needs rather than the Lord's desires and goals? What of
God's graces do I miss in my self-serving?
Verse Three C: Do I justify being cross, curt, or mean when I fast?
Verse Four: How have I increased or decreased quarreling during the Fast?
Verse Five: What are the ways that I make my fasting visible to others rather than hiding my devotion to the Lord as He
commands (Mt. 6:16-18)?
Verse Six: What efforts have I made to remove circumstances or conditions that lead others to sin? How have I made life
more difficult for others? How have I eased the pain of others? What wrongs have I corrected to lighten the struggle of
others?
Verse Seven: What am I doing personally to relieve someone's hunger, to provide shelter to some homeless person, or to
assure that others receive needed clothing?
Verse Eight: To what extent have I asked God to enlighten me in practical ways so that I might provide aid, comfort, or
assistance to some needy person or families?
Verse Nine: In what ways have I asked God to free me, to notice my problems, or to hear me, but have neglected the
dignity, freedom, needs or cries of others?
Verse Ten: To what degree do I 'help' others - as a duty rather than giving, sharing, and helping from my heart, in
thanksgiving to God Who has so richly provided for me?
Verse Eleven: To what extent do I fast to please myself or to please my fellow Christians rather than fasting in order to
become more aware of the presence of God?
Verse Twelve: What about the Lenten Fast is a waste of time or energy for me? What about fasting do I find spiritually
empty? What about it makes the Fast one more thing to get through? How is the Fast adding or detracting from my
personal growth in faith, hope, and love? Am I drawing nearer to God and finding His peace in my heart?
O Lord, help me to sever with the sword of abstinence the snares of the soul and the flesh.
Monday, March 1, 2004
Lenten Fast
Venerable Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis
6th Hour: Isaiah 4:2-5:7 1ST Vespers: Genesis 3:21-4:7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 3:34-4:21
Isaiah 4:2-5:7 RSV, especially vs. 4:2:"In that day the branch of the Lord shall be
beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel." The writings of
Isaiah concerning God's People frequently alternate between declarations of bitter judgment and assurances of Divine
exaltation. Today's reading is a classic example of such a complete shift in mood. The initial portion of the reading (vss.
4:2-6) begins with a promise that "the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel" (vs. 4:2). The
second portion (5:1-7 ) shifts to the counter-theme of Divine judgment: "And now I will tell you what I will do to My
vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down" (vs.
5:5).
The point to observe is the juxtaposing of mercy and judgment: first, God promises, that following times of bitter
judgment, there will be an exaltation of a remnant of His People. For example, in the late seventh century and early sixth
century BC, the majority of the population of the kingdom of Judah went into exile, and Jerusalem "fell into the hand of the
foe, and there was none to help her, the foe gloated over her, mocking her downfall" (Lam. 1:7). It was a time of harsh
judgment, for "Jerusalem sinned grievously" (Lam. 1:8). Hence, "All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade
their treasures for food to revive their strength" (Lam. 1:11).
Then, in 536 BC, a few of those who had been exiled in the seventh century, together with their descendants born in
captivity, were able to return to Judah and Jerusalem from Babylon. These survivors understood that the Lord had "washed
away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and
by a spirit of burning" (Is. 4:4). They knew the pain of judgment, yet, in returning, they experienced the exaltation of being
God's chosen remnant. This pattern has repeated many times in history.
The returning exiles who began the construction of the second Temple under Zerubbabel, also built homes, restored the
wall around the city, reestablished the worship of God in the new Temple and sought to live righteously, knowing that they
"were recorded for life in Jerusalem" (Is. 4:3). They determined to live in godly purity so that they might "...be called holy"
(e.g., Neh. 9:1-3; Zech. 8:11), and that they might know the presence of God's glory over them as "a refuge and a shelter
from the storm and rain" (Is. 4:6).
Similarly, the Holy Fathers of the Church in the fourth century AD read Isaiah's prophecy of devastation and restoration in
relation to the events of history following the time of the Lord's ministry in the flesh. Jerusalem had been ravaged by the
pagan Roman armies under Titus, and the Jewish Temple had been destroyed; but the Church, united to the true Messiah,
became "Mount Zion and over her assemblies [was] a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night;
for over all the glory there [was] a canopy and a pavilion" (Is. 4:5).
The Christians who survived the years of Imperial Roman persecution saw the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the destruction
of the Temple, and the decimation of the Jewish communities as the fulfillment of the predicted time of bitter judgment for
the ancient People of God. Indeed, the Lord made "it a waste; it [was] not...pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns [grew]
up" (vs. 5:6). Yet for themselves, through the Christian Mystery, they knew the fulfillment of Isaiah's words: God had
washed away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion (the Church) - through the Mystery of the Holy Laver and
Anointing (Is. 4:4).
I was glad because of them that said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet have stood in thy courts, O
Jerusalem. (Ps. 121:1,2 LXX)
Tuesday, March 2, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Martyr Hesychios the Senator
6th Hour: Isaiah 5:7-16 1st Vespers: Genesis 4:8-15 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 5:1-15
Isaiah 5:7-16 RSV, especially vs. 7: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of
Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for
righteousness, but behold, a cry!" Before considering the reading for today, it is well to review the whole of the fifth
chapter of Isaiah, which divides into four parts. First, the Lord sings a song concerning His vineyard, which was the second
half of yesterday's reading (5:1-7), in which God complains against Judah and Jerusalem: "When I looked for it to yield
grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?" (vs. 4).
Second, the reading today advances into a lyric parable with a catalog of six woes, each specifying a sin of the people
against which the Lord issues judgment. The subject of today's passage (vss. 8-16) is two of these woes. Third, the other
four woes (vss.16-26) will be addressed tomorrow. Fourth, the final section of the chapter is not assigned. It describes the
coming conquest of the nation by foreign armies as instruments of God's judgment (vss. 26-30).
In the today's reading, God pronounces His first woe against the covetous who are forcing their neighbors off their family
property. Driven by the passion to "join house to house" and to "add field to field" (vs. 8), wealthy landowners squeezed
their poorer neighbors from their hereditary lands, until "there [was] no more room...in the midst of the land" (vs. 8).
When one member of God's people takes another's land, he disenfranchises a brother from what God has given him. Such
acquisitions could be accomplished by excessive debt and interest or by judicial force, as in the case of Ahab and Jezebel
against their neighbor, Naboth (1 K 21:1-16). However, the removal of others from their lands was not only a violation of
the tenth commandment (Ex. 20:17), but also a breach of fellowship and a rejection of communion.
In uttering the first woe, in addition to specifying the sin, the Lord also declares the sure judgment which will follow:
desolation and depopulation (Is. 5:9), as well as crop failure (vs. 10). Historically, the sequence of greed, land
appropriation, and depopulation have repeatedly led, all over the world, to rural poverty, starvation, and the hindering of
food production. This happened during Isaiah's time in Judah, during the time of the Lord's ministry in Galilee and Judea
because of Roman Imperial policies, and during collectivization under Soviet policies. It is a sin every people must
actively prevent or else they will endure God's ordained consequences.
God then proclaims His second woe against those who are wasting their lives in drinking and carousing. "Woe to those
who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening till wine inflames them,"
enjoying "lyre and harp, timbrel and flute...at their feasts" (vss. 11,12). Observe that the indictment against "feasting" is
coupled with a second charge of failure to "regard the deeds of the Lord," to "see the works of His hands" (vs. 12).
Sinners, preoccupied with self-indulgence, do not see the hand of God at work in the affairs of their lives or communities.
Then and now, such people are secularists, people we know well.
In the end, predictably, both for secular man and for godless societies, there will be captivity, death, hunger, and
humiliation (vss.13-15). These same declarations of consequence appear in the Magnificat, the Song of the Theotokos: "He
hath filled the empty with good things and the rich hath He sent empty away" (Lk. 1:53). In all generations, God opposes
greed, aggrandizement, self-indulgence, and the spurning of His will for His people.
Spare us, O Lord, according to the multitude of Thy mercy, for our days have passed away in vanity. Wrest us out of the
hand of the adversary and forgive us our sins that we may put off the old man and be clothed upon with the new man and
may live unto Thee in all things.
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Lenten Fast
Hieromartyr Theodoretos
6th Hour: Isaiah 5:16-26 1st Vespers: Genesis 4:16-26 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 5:15-6:3
Self Destruction: Isaiah 5:16-26 LXX, especially vss. 22, 24: "the mighty ones...shall be as chaff, and their flower shall go up as dust; for they rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and insulted the word of the Holy One of Israel." In Isaiah 5:7-16 one finds a scriptural pattern of Divine indictment for a specific sin followed by a Divine imposition of a sentence or punishment. The earlier passage contains two indictments and judgments. In the present verses from Isaiah, the pattern continues. Four woes are pronounced - against 1) disdaining God (vss. 18-19), 2) reprobate consciousness (vs. 20), 3) pride (vs. 21) and 4) self-serving (vss. 22-24).
Following the four woes, today's reading concludes with a decree of judgment against God's sinful people, which begins: "Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust" (vs. 24). Observe that Isaiah's understanding of sin and its consequences in this passage closely agrees with St. Paul's views concerning sin as expressed in Romans 1:18-23.
Disaster begins spiritually, within men's hearts, as we "draw iniquity with cords of falsehood" (Is. 5:18). We sin by asserting our own lusts. We put our hands to the rope of desire and pull, drawing the act of sin to ourselves. Isaiah highlights this truth by framing the common statement of every sinner's heart: "let [God] speed His work that we may see it"(vs. 19). By our inner agreement with our corrupted passions, we start the journey toward visible sins, and, in that interior moment, we effectively ignore the truth of God by questioning whether He acts in our lives. This affront adds to our sin, and so we are "without excuse" before God (Rom. 1:20).
We 'do ourselves in' by a disastrous inner consent in the heart, denying and destroying the image of God within us. In our sinful hearts, we dare God to write out visibly, as on a billboard, what already is written within each of us. The arrogance of sin manifests itself in the appalling demand of the creature for God to prove Himself, to meet our criteria for trusting Him.
From our sinful arrogance, there follows an inversion of truth. As Isaiah declares: men "call evil good and good evil...put darkness for light and light for darkness and...put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" The Prophet provides a portrait of what the Apostle Paul calls "the reprobate mind" (Rom 1:28). As we flaunt God and choose not to "glorify Him as God, nor [to be] thankful," it is we who become "futile" in our thoughts, whose foolish hearts are "darkened" (Rom. 1:21). Listen to all the arguments supporting abortion, homosexuality, same-sex 'marriages,' euthanasia, sexual indulgence apart from marriage, gang marauding, or the use of drugs. Arguments favoring these sins display a common darkness of heart; for in our spiritual centers, mirrors of God's image, we "...suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18).
Isaiah pronounces God's "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes" (Is. 5:21). St. Paul echoes him in Romans, "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:22). A "fool" in Holy Scripture is one who scoffs at the fear of the Lord and despises godly wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7). However, the root cause of such conceit is pride, a vaunted confidence in one's own ability to determine the truth of life's issues and purpose.
When "foolishness," or pride, is translated into visible behavior, the result is self-serving which inevitably perverts justice, as Isaiah says: acquitting "the guilty for a bribe" (Is. 5:23). Note that the end of all who persist in sins, who do not think to repent, "will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts" (vs. 24).
From my youth up many passions have warred against me. But do Thou help and save me, O my Savior, and quicken and exalt me in purity made resplendent by the Triune Unity.
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Lenten Fast
Venerable Gerasimos of the Jordan
6th Hour: Isaiah 6:1-12 1st Vespers: Genesis 5:1-24 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 6:3-20
Isaiah 6:1-12 RSV, especially vs. 5: "And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'" St.
John Chrysostom asks, "How then can Isaiah claim to have seen the Lord?" Is not this a contradiction of realities, that
finite man should look upon the Infinite Himself? It is inconceivable! As Vladimir Lossky states, "One cannot fix God
with a concept. Such is 'learned ignorance.' God therefore remains transcendent, radically transcendent by His nature....It is
He about Whom we have no knowledge unless it be to know how we do not know Him." Similarly, St. John the
Theologian declares, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him." (Jn. 1:18). At Sinai, God told Moses explicitly, "for man shall not see Me, and live" (Ex. 33:20).
What then shall we make of Isaiah 'seeing' God? Here is St. John Chrysostom's answer to his own question about Isaiah's
encounter with God: "the Prophet speaks of that which was possible for him to see...the vision was an act of
condescension." God deigned to meet Isaiah, and, in the meeting, He disclosed as much of Himself as the man Isaiah was
capable of knowing and seeing. We are left with Isaiah's 'report,' and what he tells us reveals six facets of God's
character: God is indeed beyond human knowing, supremely holy, able to cleanse of all sin, desirous that we serve Him, the
Overlord of all nations, and He Who watches over His people.
As Isaiah describes his vision of God, he observes that "above Him stood the seraphim," each with six wings, and that
every one of them, by means of two of his wings "covered his face" (vs. 2). Not even those most pure, heavenly creatures
who stand next to the presence of God, are able to behold the Lord in His essence. Let us also affirm the impossibility of
'seeing' God, uphold His utter unknowability, and humbly accept the Mystery of His Being as the starting point and
continuing quality of our relationship with Him unto all ages.
Further, Isaiah reports that the seraphim who lead the heavenly worship of God, cry to one another in a thrice Holy anthem,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (vs. 3). Here we have the Thrice Holy Hymn
which we offer up to the Lord our God in the Divine Liturgy. Let us assert that God is The Holiest, and that 'He alone is
Holy.' Let us also note in wonder what the Fathers observed: Isaiah's triple acclamation foreshadowed the revelation of the
Trinity only finally disclosed by the Incarnation of God the Word.
In addition, one of the seraphim healed Isaiah, touching his mouth with a flaming coal and saying, "your guilt is taken
away" (vs. 7). St. Ambrose bids us notice that the seraph did not say, "I will take away, but that fire from the altar of God,
that is, the grace of the Spirit. For what else can we piously understand to be on the altar of God but the grace of the
Spirit?" God heals!
After his cleansing, the Prophet heard the voice of God calling him into service. An authentic encounter with God results
in a summons to do His will. The Lord does not force anyone to Himself, but sets forward opportunity - "Whom shall I
send?..." (vs. 8). Let us answer!
God gave Isaiah His message (vss. 9-13), a word of both judgment and restoration: the Prophet was to warn repeatedly that
the People would not receive God's word, because "the heart of this people [is] fat, and their ears [are] heavy" (vss. 9-10).
Therefore, the nation soon would go into exile to Babylon. Utter desolation would come (vs. 11)
Still, God watches over His People for renewal: "the holy seed is in the stump" (vs. 13).
Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant; and teach me Thy statutes. Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that
I may praise Thy glory all the day long.
Friday, March 5, 2004
Lenten Fast
The New Martyr John the Bulgarian
6th Hour: Isaiah 7:1-15 1st Vespers: Genesis 5:32-6:8 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 6:20-7:1
Isaiah 7:1-15 RSV, especially vss. 10-12: "Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the Lord your
God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test."
Who has not seen otherwise intelligent people 'fly in the face' of wise counsel and wreak havoc on themselves and others?
Take a man dominated by alcohol: he refuses the pleas of his wife and children, scoffs at the warnings of his employer,
argues with his Pastor and friends, and ignores the counsel of his physician. Then he gets his paycheck and heads off to the
bar, opposing all the loving warnings he has been given.
Do not think that opposition to loving advice is a problem solely of alcoholics. Almost all of us, at one time or another,
have 'flown in the face' of a 'mountain' of truly good advice. Only because of the lovingkindness of God, (usually) we
have survived the results of our foolish choices, and often only 'a little the worse for the wear.' Later, we think back with
regret at our obstinacy - a little older, sadder, and hopefully, wiser than before.
The worst type of refusing wisdom given in love is to reject the counsel of God and His Church. Today's reading is about
such resistance, about opposition to God in the ranks of His ancient People. However, God provided a surprise ending in
the example shared here by Isaiah.
Isaiah cautions us to beware whenever we feel pressure to hurry into a decision. Sales promotions rely on 'now or never'
devices: 'You have just five days to respond to this amazing offer!' 'I can't guarantee you this price another time!' 'We
have just two of these left!'
Observe how king Ahaz of Judah and his people were thunderstruck when they learned of the military coalition attacking
them: "his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind" (vs. 2). In panic, under
pressure to decide, let us embrace the counsel of the Lord: "Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be
faint" (vs. 4). May the Lord Who governs all things well, give us the grace to be attentive to this word.
Also in this passage, the Lord teaches us to be wary of easy, obvious, nice, and 'workable' solutions. Examine each
element in an answer that immediately presents itself. Ask, 'Does it brush past the wisdom of Orthodox Tradition?'
Consider, 'In what ways does the easy answer not square with the teachings of the Holy Fathers?' Isaiah warned the King
against the plans of his opponents - the king of Syria and the king of Ephraim: they have "devised evil against you" (vs. 5),
but far more important, "it shall not come to pass" (vs. 7). We know from the Second book of Kings that King Ahaz went
against the godly counsel of Isaiah. He invited the king of the Assyrian Empire to come to his aid - a choice with terrible
consequences both for the king and for his nation, Judah (2 Kngs. 16). Let us pray and listen carefully to the Lord.
Just before King Ahaz made his bitter choice, God sent Isaiah to him a second time (vss. 10-17). The Lord gave the king a
fair opportunity to bolster his confidence in God's power to 'solve' his impossible problem: "Ask a sign of the Lord your
God" (vs.11). Note well that the King refused. It is true that he couched his refusal in pious language, but he opposed God
(vs. 12). Beware never to reject a clear commandment or offering of help from God. The outcome of King Ahaz' decision
allowed the Assyrians to weaken the kingdom of Judah which set the stage for conquest by the Babylonians a little over a
hundred years later.
Still, God loves His People. He had His surprise, a miracle for all nations: "a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel." (vs. 14). O Son of God, save us!
Holding steadfastly the foresayings of the Prophet, let us shout with a loud voice with Isaiah, saying: Behold the Virgin
shall conceive in the womb and give birth to a Son, Immanuel.
Saturday, March 6, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Forty-two Martyrs of Amoria
Kellia: Genesis 28:10-17 Epistle: Hebrews 3:2-16 Gospel: St. Mark 1:35-44
Genesis 28: 10-17LXX, especially vs. 12: "...behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to
heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it...." At the Great Vespers of
Annunciation (eve of March 25th), in the first sticheron intoned during the Psalm, "Lord I have cried..." (Ps. 140 LXX), the
Church exclaims to the Theotokos: "Rejoice, O lofty ladder whom Jacob did behold!" Hereby, we learn to recognize the
Mother of God in the type of the Ladder which Jacob saw; for in her birth-giving, she became the link between heaven and
earth, by which God descended to our mortal, human existence. In a similar way, a Catechism of the Church points out that
"elsewhere, she is called the 'Gate of heaven,' for it is through her that God makes His entrance among men in the person
of Jesus."
Earlier, this same Catechism observes that the identification of the Virgin as the "Ladder of Jacob" and the "Gate of
heaven" is "the first manifestation of Jacob's dream." Indeed, the great Manifestation of the Patriarch's vision descended
from heaven through her, and before men. He manifestly has united our race to God. He Himself declares to us: "Most
assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son
of Man" (Jn. 1:51). Hence, the Theotokos is the antitype of Jesus, Who is the Archetype of the Ladder, the One by Whom
the Lord has fixed upon earth the Way leading "to the Holy of Holies, [making] manifest the God of love."
See what we learn from Jacob's vision: "behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven" (Gen. 28:12
LXX). The Catechism reminds us that "When God becomes Incarnate, taking human flesh, heaven and earth become
reunited." In Christ, the gate to Paradise which was shut against Adam and Eve now is reopened for all men and women.
God provides us with a means of ascent - the Archetypal Ladder. The conjunction of God and Man lead St. Andrew of
Crete to prompt us: "You know, my soul, of the Ladder shown to Jacob reaching from earth to Heaven. Why have you not
clung to the sure step of piety?"
In his dream, Jacob saw "the angels of God" ascending and descending on the Ladder (vs. 12). Christ Jesus is "the Way,
the Truth, and the Life" by His own testimony (Jn. 14:6). God has fashioned an eternal means of communication between
the finite world and Himself, giving us knowledge of the Unknowable, allowing us to handle the Word of Life (1 Jn. 1:1).
Again, St. Andrew of Crete prompts us: "the great Patriarch...mystically set up for you my soul, a ladder of active ascent."
St. John of the Ladder adds: "Let him who has mounted it not turn back."
God promised to give the land on which Jacob lay and the ladder was "fixed" to his "seed" (Gen. 28:13 LXX). From the
Apostle Paul we learn that this "seed" which God mentions "is Christ" (Gal. 3:16). Through this Seed which is Christ,
multitudes of people who live on earth will receive strength to struggle up the Ladder to "reach the ineffable beauty of that
Countenance." Hence "shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 28:14).
Jacob's response to the dream is to awake in awe before a new potential for eternity in this life. He continued his life-journey with hope and great expectation, because he knew the Ladder existed, and so may we! On the one hand,
Metropolitan Philaret reminds us: "not [to] forget that, unless we employ our efforts in correcting ourselves and our lives,
we shall cease our ascent, and, most assuredly, we shall begin to fall." Conversely, St. Andrew of Crete encourages us:
"The ladder...my soul is a model of mounting by action and ascent by knowledge."
O Word of the Father, through Thine exceeding compassion Thou didst descend to us who fall here below, putting on our
humility: help us to ascend by the true Way to eternal Life.
Sunday, March 7, 2004
Lenten Fast (Tone 5)
The Sunday of Gregory Palamas
Kellia: Ezekiel 43:27-44:4 Epistle: Hebrews 1:10-2:13 Gospel: St. Mark 2:1-12
Ezekiel 43:27-44:4, especially vs. 2: "This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one
shall enter by it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut." The Church magnifies
the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Lord, as "Ever-Virgin," "Aeiparthenos," upholding, thereby, the mystery of God the
Eternal Word becoming Man in the Person of Jesus our Savior. In the Nicene Creed, we say of the Lord: "Who...was
incarnate of the Holy Spirit 'and' the Virgin Mary and was made man." We emphasize the conjunction, 'and,' to draw
attention specifically to what St. Nicholas Cabasilas called "the will and the work of the Virgin." St. Nicholas reminds us
that, "Just as God became Incarnate voluntarily, so He wished that His Mother should bear Him freely and with her full
consent." The Incarnation of God the Son is fully synergistic, an entirely cooperative work of God and man. The Virgin's
assent overcomes the disobedience of Eve, the mother of us all, and Mary is revealed as the New Eve, so that "in Christ"
she becomes Mother of the Faithful.
Today's reading, which serves as the second reading at Vespers at the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, presents
the same truth in typological form. Ezekiel received a prophetic vision from the Lord revealing the ultimate Temple that
God will give on the Eighth Day (vs. 27), in the age to come of the eternal Kingdom. There, the Lord declares, "your burnt
offerings...I will accept" (vs. 27). In that Temple "only the Prince may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord" (vs. 3), and
that Temple will be filled with "the glory of the Lord" (vs. 4). By God's declaration that He will accept our "burnt
offerings" on the heavenly altar in the age to come, He also illumines the intercessory role of the Virgin.
Note: when the Virgin was faced with the choice which God placed before her by the Archangel Gabriel, she turned over to
the Lord her entire self including her will: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word"
(Lk. 1:38).
In her "overshadowing" by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35), which followed her submission, the Church recognizes that she was
cleansed of all taint of original sin because of the depth of her self-surrender and the cleansing grace of God. Thereby, she
was established as an eternal intercessor "for the sake of those who praise and worship [the Lord's] birth giving." Notice in
Ezekiel's prophecy that God promises us that our surrender, too, will be honored as an acceptable "burnt offering," as a
total self-giving - "I will accept you says the Lord God" (Ezek 43:27).
The Church, taught by the Prophet's words, hails the Virgin, "Rejoice O tabernacle and table!" She became the sanctuary
where the Bread which comes from above was set out before God and for men. The Prince who entered the world through
her may now "eat bread before the Lord" with His people in the Communion of the Divine Liturgy.
Finally, Mary was "filled with the glory of the Lord" (vs. 44:4), a glory which transformed her entire being. Hence, we are
able to greet her: "Rejoice, O uncrossed gate...and protection of those who hasten unto thee!" The Church recognizes her,
who being filled with the glory of God, became "Ever Virgin," because, in St. John of Damascus' words, "How, indeed,
would she have given birth to God and have known the miracle from the experience of subsequent events and then have
allowed intercourse with a husband? Far be it! The thinking of such things is beyond the bounds of prudent thought, let
alone the doing of them." Following this reasoning, the Fifth Ecumenical Council declared as a dogma the Lord's "being
made flesh of the holy and glorious Mary, Mother of God and always a virgin, and born of her."
O All praised one, thou hast attained maternal privilege: intercede for our salvation.
Monday, March 8, 2004
Lenten Fast
Theophylaktos, Bishop of Nicomedia
6th Hour: Isaiah 8:13-9:7 1st Vespers: Genesis 6:9-22 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 8:1-21
Isaiah 8:13-9:7 LXX, especially vs. 2: "O people walking in darkness, behold a great light:
you that dwell in the region and shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you." The old holy man, Simeon, took the child
in his arms and gazed upon Him. Then the Holy Spirit confirmed in his heart that he was, indeed, holding and looking upon
the Salvation of the world, just as God had promised him. Of course Simeon cried: "a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the
Glory of Thy People Israel" (Lk. 2:32). He knew Isaiah's revelation, that a great Prince, a Light for all nations, would be
born, "the Consolation of Israel" (Lk. 2:25). Today's reading is that initial revelation to Isaiah, but is also very much a
word for us.
At first, God admonished Isaiah "not to walk in the way of this people" (Is. 8:11) - meaning the ancient People of God and
their fear and dread of the ever expanding Assyrian Empire. Rather, the Prophet was to regard the holiness of the Lord of
hosts and "let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread" (Is. 8:13). Wise advice for God's People in all ages!
The whole of the revelation has two facets, one directed to Isaiah and the Faithful gathered around him, the other spoken
against the ancient, apostate people of Israel. For Isaiah and the others who feared God, the Lord would become a
"sanctuary"(vs. 14) - through His testimony and teaching "among My disciples" (vs. 16.). The godly Isaiah affirms that
which the Faithful always have said: "I will wait for the Lord...and I will hope in Him" (vs. 17). Their witness to "the
teaching and to the testimony" of the Lord served as negative "signs and portents" (vs.18), a vivid contrast to the apostasy
of the majority.
Both "houses of Israel" (vs. 14), the northern and the southern kingdoms, were not finally destined to know God as a
sanctuary but as "a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling...a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (vs. 14),
upon which the majority "[should] stumble...fall and be broken" (vs. 15). Thus, they would be snared and taken because
they were urging one another to, "Consult the mediums and the wizards....and...consult the dead on behalf of the living"
(vs. 19). In doing this, they were relying upon the occult, the demonic - the evil powers behind such practices. The
consequences of such behavior would assure inevitably that they would "pass through the land, greatly distressed and
hungry" (vs. 21), and that they would "be thrust into thick darkness" (vs. 22). The irony of the prophecy becomes explicit
when one considers "the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali," the northern and eastern most tribal lands of the ancient
People of Israel, for God already had brought these territories "into contempt" for apostasy (vs. 1). The peoples of the
region had been deported by the Assyrians and that territory "beyond Jordan," also known as Galilee, had been repopulated
with Gentile pagans. But for that benighted land, whose people had "walked in darkness...and dwelt in a land of deep
darkness" (vs. 2), there "will be no gloom" (vs. 1). Instead, they "have seen a great light...on them has light shined" (vs. 2).
Beloved of the Lord, we know the Light of Whom Isaiah was given foresight. Like Simeon, "we have seen the true
Light...we have found the true faith...for He hath saved us!" "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the
government [is] upon His shoulder, and His Name [is] 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace.' Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end....The zeal of the Lord of hosts [has done]
this" (vss. 6,7), beginning in Galilee, the land of contempt that He made "glorious" (vs.1).
Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath given rise to the light of knowledge in the world, for they that worshiped the stars did
learn therefrom to worship Thee, O Sun of justice!
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Lenten Fast
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
6th Hour: Isaiah 9:9-10:4 1st Vespers: Genesis 7:1-5 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 8:32-9:11
Isaiah 9:9-10:4 RSV, especially vss. 12, 17, 21, and 4: "For all this His anger is not turned away and
His hand is stretched out still." A reality which we accept as Orthodox Christians is God's reign over life and death, a
truth that will be manifest to us unmistakably when we "stand before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ." A prophetic
reminder of this universal destiny is repeated four times in today's reading, each time concluding a description of sin
among the People of God: 1) arrogance of heart, 2) godless evil doing, 3) cruelty, and 4) exploitation. St. Nikolai of Zica
says bluntly, "If men, unto seventy times seven, refuse the salvation of God, then He will not save them." St. Nikolai's
point in this assertion is that God does not desire the death of sinners, but seeks our repentance that He may save us.
Recall the thrust of the Lord Jesus' teaching found in the Beatitudes: God shall bestow blessing upon those who forswear
their sins in favor of poverty of spirit, mourning for their sins, and seeking righteousness in all their living. "Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 5:3). Still, let us make no mistake: God will not turn His anger
away unless we follow the path of the Beatitudes: first, to plead for mercy from Him and then immediately to say,
"Remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom."
However, when any of the People of God "say in pride and arrogance of heart" (Is. 9:9) that they will overcome their
adversities rather than saying, "I know, O Lord, that I justly deserve any punishment Thou mayest inflict upon me for I have
so often offended Thee and sinned against Thee in thought, word, and deed," we may be certain that the Lord's hand "is
stretched out still" (vs.12) against such persons. A modest prayer, offered honestly, more nearly reflects poverty of spirit
and mourning for sin. Such, the Lord says, will lead to the Kingdom of Heaven and to comfort from God. All around us
we are encouraged in godless self-reliance rather than in meek dependence on God. How much better to say: "The bricks
have fallen" (vs. 10), and by the grace and forgiveness of God we shall endeavor to rebuild as the Lord directs us.
The spirit of contemporary culture, which too many Christians foolishly adopt, is "not to turn to Him Who smote them, not
to seek the Lord of hosts" (vs.13). What better definition will we find for "godlessness"? And the nicest people are guilty
of this, elders and honored men as well as those who teach lies (vs.15), but they "lead this people...astray" (vs.16), even
those whom the Lord normally defends, the "fatherless and the widows; for every one is godless and an evildoer" (vs.17).
This is why "The Lord of all taught us by a parable to run away from the haughtiness of the Pharisees," promising instead
that "the pure in heart...shall see God" (Mt. 5:8).
The godless failure to "seek the Lord of hosts" (vs.13) is bound to manifest itself in a wickedness which "kindles the
thickets of the forest....and the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother. They snatch on the right, but are
still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied" (vss. 18,19,20). Such is not God's way. He offers us the
Beatitudes instead: "Blessed are the merciful" (Mt. 5:7) and "Blessed are the peace makers" (Mt. 5:9).
Those who suffer most when godless wickedness is the norm in society are the "needy," the "poor of My people," the
"widows" and the "fatherless" who are turned into the prey of the social predators. "For all this His anger is not turned
away" (Is. 10:4). Better, Beloved of the Lord, that we "hunger and thirst for righteousness sake" (Mt. 5:6) now in all our
ways than find the Lord's hand stretched out against us for eternity when we shall appear before Him.
O Christ our God, Who didst compassionately ordain for us forgiveness with kingly authority; forsake us not in our danger
of estrangement from Thee, but arise and save us!
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Lenten Fast
Anastasia, Patrician of Alexandria
6th Hour: Isaiah 10:12-20 1st Vespers: Genesis 7:6-9 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 9:12-18
Isaiah 10:12-20 RSV, especially vs. 12: "When the Lord has finished all His work on Mount
Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride." The Old
Testament Prophets, guided by the Holy Spirit, described vividly and accurately the immediate social and political world
around them. By the same Spirit, they received knowledge of the future, of events beyond their time. Of course, these
visions were colored by the Prophets' own cultural and historical experiences.
For the next three days, we will meditate on three different aspects of prophecy as written by Isaiah, the master-craftsman
of prophetic writing: 1) "forth-telling," speaking the word of God concerning current events; 2) "foretelling," predicting the
inevitable consequences resulting from current circumstances and actions; and 3) "foreseeing," looking far forward in time
to describe how God's hand will shape the great sweep of all human history.
Today's reading is an example of Isaiah's capacity to "forth-tell," to speak of God's judgment concerning current events.
The contemporary politics which Isaiah addressed were dominated by the expansionist empire of Assyria (in the area now
called Iraq). In 732 BC, in a series of swift military campaigns, Assyria captured Damascus in Syria and forced Israel, the
northern kingdom of God's People, into vassalage. How did God view these menacing events?
Isaiah declared: God "will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride," but not until the Lord
had "finished all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem" (vs.12). That "work" was to carry out God's proclamation of
"woe" against His People for their pride and their arrogance, a pronouncement we read yesterday (Is. 9:9-10:4). That long
passage is very direct in "forth-telling" why God's "anger is not turned away and His hand is stretched out still" (Is.10:4).
Recall the condemnation of godlessness and evil doing (Is. 9:17) and of the People's insistence to "keep writing
oppression" (Is.10:1).
Lest the People should imagine that the invasions by Assyria and their ruthless subjugation of the neighboring kingdom of
Israel were accidental and that God would save them, the Lord declared through Isaiah that Assyria is "the rod of My anger,
the staff of My fury against a godless nation" (Is.10:5,6). Invincible Assyria was merely a tool in God's hands: "I send him,
and against the people of My wrath I command him" (Is.10:6). However, God also found serious wickedness in Assyria's
king. The greedy Assyrian monarch was not satisfied merely to carry out God's limited objectives; he believed he should
have more. Hence, in today's reading, the Lord declares, I "will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria"
(Is.10:12).
Observe Isaiah's "forth-telling." He makes a penetrating analysis of the psyche of the conquering Assyrian monarch
(vss.13,14). The king had unquestioning confidence in his human power: "I have done it" (vs.13), and in his personal
wisdom: "I have understanding" (vs.13). He saw no reason to restrain his greed and his theft of the products and wealth of
others (vss.13,14). God's view was quite opposite. He saw this monarch as a puny mortal, subject to Divine will. Tools,
such as axes, saws, rods, and staffs, do the bidding of the Master Who wields them. Therefore this king would soon
discover his vulnerability. Plague crippled his army when a wasting disease took the lives of 180,000 of his soldiers during
a siege of Jerusalem (2 K.18,19). Shortly thereafter, the Assyrian king was assassinated by his own sons (2 K. 19:37).
Then God, "the light of Israel [became] a fire," and He burned the kingdom of Assyria (Is. 10:17,18).
O Christ, our King and our God, guide the nations of the world into Thy justice and truth, and establish among them that
peace which cometh from Thee and is the fruit of righteousness.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Lenten Fast
Sophronios, Patriarch of Jerusalem
6th Hour: Isaiah 11:10-12:2 1st Vespers: Genesis 7:11-8:3 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 10:1-22
Isaiah 11:10-12:2 RSV, especially vs. 12:2: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will
not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." Since the day of Pentecost,
the Church has proclaimed the Lord Jesus as the "root of Jesse" foretold by Isaiah (Is. 11:10): "In that day the root of Jesse
shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; Him shall the nations seek, and His dwellings shall be glorious."
In the phrase, "the root of Jesse," the Holy Fathers perceived Christ's Incarnation. St. John of Damascus, in explaining Is.
11:1, a verse employing imagery similar to 11:10, says: "the holy and much-lauded ever-virgin one, Mary, the Mother of
God,...being pre-ordained by the eternal, prescient counsel of God and imaged forth and proclaimed in diverse images and
discourses of the prophets through the Holy Spirit, sprang from the root of David, according to the promises that were made
to him. 'For the Lord has sworn, He says in truth to David, He will not turn from it: of the fruit of your body I will set upon
your throne' "(Ps. 131:11 LXX).
From Mary, then, came the Lord Jesus Himself. St. Nikolai of Zica asks, "Who else is this rod from the stem of Jesse but
the Lord Christ?" Since Jesse was the father of King David, it follows that the Lord Jesus, from the root of Jesse, was also
from the House of David through the lineage of His Mother, even to the extent of being born in the city of David,
Bethlehem.
In the Septuagint, the next two phrases of the Is.11:10 read, "He that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles," and "His rest
shall be glorious." In these, the Church perceives the Lord's Resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God the
Father. St. Eusebios assigned the first phrase to the Resurrection, applying "His rest" to Christ's regal and heavenly
session, from which He rules over the nations. St. Jerome, however, understood the imagery of "His rest" to refer to the
Holy Sepulcher: "As often as we enter it we see the Savior in His grave clothes, and if we linger we see again the angel
sitting at His feet, and the napkin folded at His head." Long before the Sepulcher was hewn out, St. Jerome says, "Isaiah
foretold its glory: 'His rest shall be glorious,' meaning that the place of the Lord's burial should be held in universal
honor."
In addition, Isaiah's prophecy foretold the ever-expanding reign of Christ over all the nations of earth begun at Pentecost
(vs. 11). The language foreshadows the Christian description of those who gathered on Pentecost: "Parthians and Medes
and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the part of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs - we hear them
speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." (Acts 2:9,10,11).
Notice also, the Apostolic message included the proclamation of the Cross of Christ, "...to those who are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor.1:24). Theodoret of Cyrus, speaking of verse 12 of
Isaiah, says: "To what other standard could this relate, except the symbol of the cross?"
In verses 13-16, Isaiah received a glimpse of the Lord's final, great reign. He foretold the end of ancient jealousies such as
existed between the ten northern tribes who called themselves Israel, and the two southern tribes, known as Judah (vs. 13).
And how much more jealousy there is around the world! The Fathers noted how the Gospel already had spread in their
times into all the lands named in verses 14-15. Finally, concluding in Chapter 12, Isaiah foretold how, in His mercy, God
would turn aside His wrath and become our Savior (vss.1,2).
Thy Prophet Isaiah foretold the way of salvation, O Savior, by the grace of Thy Spirit. Grant that we too may follow in the
way which Thou hast shown us. O Lord, Glory to Thee.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Lenten Fast
Gregory the Dialogist. Pope of Rome
6th Hour: Isaiah 13:2-13 1st Vespers: Genesis 8:3-21 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 10:31-11:12
Isaiah 13:2-13 LXX, especially vs. 5: "To come from a land afar off, from the utmost foundation
of heaven; the Lord and His warriors are coming to destroy all the world." In Hiroshima, on the ground near the epicenter
of the infamous atomic blast, there remains, burned into a portion of the former sidewalk, the shadow of a man who was
walking there at the time of the detonation. He was evaporated, but his shadow, a lasting memorial of an unknown man
seared into the surface of the cement, still reminds us of his presence on earth.
Today's reading is a prophetic vision of the future which Isaiah foresaw long ago, of a grim Day akin to that day which
burned the shadow of a hapless man into concrete. However, the Day which Isaiah foresaw will shatter the entire world.
Isaiah's vision spurs us to "wail" from the heart (vs. 6) and consider the terrible destruction that is coming on the Day of
the Lord.
On the Day of the Lord, God will send noble warriors, angelic beings (not as in the RSV, "mighty men") to execute His
"wrath and fierce anger" (vss. 3,9). These apostles of Divine wrath will "destroy the whole earth" (vs. 5) "exulting" as they
mete out the justice of God (vs. 3). All nations will know tumult (vs. 4), indignation (vs. 5), impotence and fear (vs. 7),
dismay (vs. 8), agony and horror (vs. 8), and the shock will flame up on every face (vs. 8). All who formerly were proud
and honored will be utterly laid low for their iniquity and ruthlessness (vs. 11).
Even to speak of such things disturbs the mind and heart. The images evoke a realization of an aspect of God's nature and
of human sordidness which disturbs us. We tend to avoid thinking and speaking of such final, dread times. It is for this
reason that the Lord specifically says, "On a bare hill raise a signal, cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them...." Better
each man should look honestly at this reality now and cry out like the thief on the cross while, by the grace of God, the
possibility remains to us of mercy and deliverance from such judgment.
Consider the implication of Isaiah's vision: the Day of the Lord will engulf the entire universe - the stars of heaven, "the
sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light." (vs. 10). Beloved, the Lord warns us through His
Prophets, and He sent His Apostles to save all men from the coming dread universal judgment (Mt. 28:19). Yet, the
borders of many lands still are closed to the Gospel by ignorance, fear, and darkness. In some places even to speak of