Friday, January 16, 2004
The Precious Chains of Saint Peter
Kellia: 1 Kings 18:30-39 Epistle: James 2:1-13 Gospel: St. Mark 10:23-32
1 Kings 18:30-39 (RSV), especially vs. 37, "Answer
me, O Lord, answer me, that this people many know that Thou, O Lord, art God, and that Thou
hast turned their hearts back." In the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Penance, the aim is, as
Elijah pleads, that God would turn our hearts back to Himself, restoring us, in the depths of our
being, to a wholesome relationship with Himself. Our need in approaching the Mysteries is
cleansing - not simply from the stains of obvious, sinful actions, but also from deeper, subtle,
hidden idolatry, dark attitudes that lurk in our hearts and minds, clinging passions, and
unapparent vanity, pride, and self-will. Oh, that God would turn our hearts back!
Hence, in reading this passage, let us seek, in the description of Elijah's offering before the
assembly of Israel, those life-giving elements which are able to guide our restoration to God: the
necessity to come near to the Holy Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, and Righteous Souls with
whom we are united in the Church (vs. 30), to offer ourselves without reservation along with
God's People (vss. 31-33), and to hold back nothing but to surrender all (vss. 34-36).
The prophets of Baal failed to gain a response from their idol: "there was no voice; no one
answered, no one heeded" (1 K 18:29). Of course there was no action by Baal, because the idol
was a figment of spiritual delusion. Therefore Elijah called the people to himself, even as he
calls us from all idolatry: "Come near to me" (1 K 18:30). His is the message of all the righteous
ones who have preceded us in Faith. Orthodox Tradition brings us very close to the Saints - in
the icons, the Holy Scriptures, the Divine Liturgy, and the treasures of the Holy Fathers.
These Great Ones are very close to us. We might say, "Just an intercession away," but they are
very close, indeed. They pray for us even now, for our healing and restoration, that our hearts be
open to God so that He may turn us back to Himself. As the Apostle Paul told the Christians at
Thessalonica, "So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you...the
Gospel of God" (1 Thess. 2:8). So let us not neglect their call upon our hearts, never!
Observe that Elijah built an altar with twelve stones to be an altar "according to the number of the
tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, 'Israel shall be your
name'" (1 K 18:31). His offering was for the whole People of God. In preparing the offering at
the Divine Liturgy, the Priest similarly includes the whole of the Church in the manner of Elijah:
the Theotokos, the bodiless Powers, the Prophets - yes, even Elijah is specifically named - the
Apostles, the great Hierarchs, martyrs, ascetics, unmercenaries, and all the members of the
Church living and in repose that God may "have mercy on us and on [His} world, and save our
souls." As the Holy Gifts are borne to the Throne of the Altar, let us not fail to offer ourselves
completely to our God: "all that I am, and all that I have, I offer unto Thee, O Lord."
Here is the issue: we must offer ourselves without restraint or reservation, totally. The entire
carcass of the bull was placed on the wood and then completely consumed in a flaming holocaust
(vs. 33). The offering was drenched with water so there would be no doubt that God accepted it
despite the soaking. The drenched offering is akin to those parts of ourselves which we are
unable to offer through ignorance and weakness. God knows our seriousness; and He is ready to
receive what we offer, if only we will make a true effort to join with Elijah's prayer - that God
turn back our hearts to Himself. Remember, it was Christ the Lord Who presented the One True
Offering. What we do upon earth always is offering "Thine own of Thine own."
Do Thou Thyself, O Lord, bless our offerings and receive them upon Thine altar above the
heavens, remembering and preserving us blameless in Thy Holy Mysteries.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
The Venerable Anthony the Great
Kellia: Exodus 15:22-16:1 Epistle: Hebrews 13:17-21 Gospel: St. Luke 6:17-23
Exodus 15:22-16:1, especially vs. 25, "And he cried to the Lord;
and the Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet."
Considering the whole of this account from Exodus within the context of the passage through the
Red Sea into the desert beyond, one should notice how Moses carefully records the progression
of encampments which ancient Israel followed after celebrating their "Baptismal" liberation with
singing and dancing (Ex. 15:1-21). First, they entered the wilderness of Shur going three days
away from the Red Sea until they came to Marah, the spring of bitterness (Ex. 15:22-23). There,
God revealed to Moses the means for sweetening the water, but there the Lord announced that He
would give the People statutes and ordinances to keep diligently (vss. 25-26).
Then they continued on to Elim with its twelve springs and seventy palm trees (vs. 27). Finally,
leaving Elim, they entered the wilderness of Sin (vs. 16:1). There, in the Sinai peninsula, they
would make their long and historic encampment at the foot of the Mountain where they would
receive the whole Law with its burden of sacrifices and regulations (Ex. 19-40).
The noted, ancient Alexandrian teacher, Origen, observes that "If we follow only the simple
record of facts, it does not edify us much to know to what place they came first and to what place
second." Still, let us remember that there are few or no accidents - and certainly no incidental
bits of information - provided in Holy Scripture. Rather, we read that we may be led to inquire,
"What significance, then, is there in Moses' deliberate accounting of the camp sites?"
Origen encourages us to "pry into the mystery lying hidden in these matters [until] we discover
the order of faith." The "order of faith" to which this ancient catechist refers is the Gospel, which
stands in contrast with the Old Covenant as an archetype to a type. Hence, the manna eaten in
the wilderness is a type of the "true Bread" which our Savior gives us (Jn. 6:49-50), and the
passage through the sea is a type of Baptism, as the Apostle Paul notes (1 Cor. 10:2). Marah
received its name because the water source found there was bitter and unpalatable, "marah"
meaning bitterness in Hebrew. The site is the present day Howdra, a pool of bitter, salty water
that the Bedouins consider the worst in the whole region. But prying into this type, we need to
connect the bitter water with the Lord's appeal to the People: "diligently hearken to the voice of
the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give heed to His commandments
and keep all His statutes" (Ex. 15:26). What refreshment is there in drinking the cup of pure law
and commandment, especially in the face of our human sin? Law alone leads to despair,
prompting us to cry out to the Lord, as did Moses (vs. 25). However, at Marah, in the gall of the
water, God shows us "a tree" to be thrown into the bitterness, a tree which will turn the bitter
water of the Law into the sweet fount of the Gospel. Are we not speaking of the Tree of the
Cross by which God Himself has sweetened our sin and bitterness of soul?
After Marah, Israel went on to a place of twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, to Elim
(vs. 27). Following the pattern of the type already suggested, let us now recognize the need to
pass from the bitterness of Old Covenant legalism to the abundant waters of the Twelve
Apostolic springs and to the food of the Apostolic Seventy who preached the saving word of
Christ our God. As Origen expresses it: "So it is not sufficient for the people of God to drink the
water of Marah, even though it has been made sweet, even though all the bitterness of the letter
has been cast out 'by the Tree of Life' and the mystery of the Cross.... They must come also to
the New Testament from which they are given a drink without...any difficulty...."
Glory to Thee, O Christ our God, Who didst sweeten bitter sin by the Life-giving Tree.
Sunday, January 18, 2003
Athanasios and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria
Kellia: Isaiah 49:8-15 Epistle: Hebrews 13:7-16 Gospel: St. Matthew 5:14-19
Isaiah 49:8-15 LXX, especially vs. 8, "Thus
says the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I succored
you: and I have formed you, and given you for a covenant of the nations, to establish the
earth...." The Nativity Canon of the Orthodox Church invites the Faithful to "cry unto the Son,
born of the Father before the ages without change, Christ our God Who hath been Incarnate in
these last days of the Virgin, without seed, shouting, O Thou Who hath elevated our state, Thou
art holy, O Lord."
In this plea, the Church unites her voice with the Prophet Isaiah who spoke centuries before the
Lord Jesus actually was conceived in the Virgin's womb. Both invite us to consider God the
Father and God the Son, "Who hath elevated our state" and "has had mercy on His People" (Is.
49:13 LXX) through the work of God the Holy Spirit. Conversely, the words of our Heavenly
Father spoken through Isaiah bring our hearts back down to earth where, in an acceptable time, a
day of salvation, God the Son was formed in the womb and given to us as a covenant of the
nations to establish the earth within the reign of the Kingdom of God (vs. 8).
What does our Father in Heaven want us to understand through His Prophet's voice? He desires
that we know what the impact on the world will be because its Creator has come and stood in the
streams of the Jordan. Let us rejoice with the heavens and be glad, "for the Lord has
....comforted the lowly ones of His people" (vs. 13). He has not forsaken us nor forgotten us (vs.
14). Rather, an immense construction was begun, what we have learned to call "the Kingdom of
God;" it is a rule and a dominion that truly will "establish the earth" (vs. 8). His Kingdom will
mean freedom, illumination, nourishment, mercy, and the removal of all impediments between
men and God. Let us consider these 'results' that are coming upon the earth.
"To them that are in bonds," God says, "Go forth!" (vs. 9). St. Nikolai of Zica asks us, "Who is
more utterly a captive than he who is bound by sin?" No one! Alas, all of us are bound by the
chains of our sins. Yet, the One Who stands in the waters comes to repeat His Father's word,
"Go forth." He assumed our sins in the Jordan when He received a Baptism of repentance (Lk.
3:3); for He knew no sin, was free of sin, yet shouldered all the sins of all mankind which He
then took to the Cross so that with the thief we might cry "We all have sinned, O Son of God.
Have mercy upon us, O Thou Who hast abolished the might of death and taken hades captive."
Furthermore, the Lord came to enlighten mankind - to bid "them that are in darkness show
themselves" (Is. 49:9). The "true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world"
(Jn. 1:9), came to fill us with Light and make us "the light of the world" (Mt. 5:14).
"The living Bread which came down from Heaven" (Jn. 6:51) nourishes all who eat of it, for
"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life" (Jn. 6: 54). These "shall not
hunger, neither shall they thirst" (Is. 49:10).
The One Who stood in the waters of Jordan comes with mercy for the afflicted: "for the Lord has
had mercy on His people, and has comforted the lowly ones of His people" (vs. 13).
Every impediment that stands between God and every human being has been removed, for God
Himself has come to us. "I will make every mountain a way, and every path a pasture for them.
Behold, these shall come from far: and these from the north and the west" (vss. 11,12).
Despair not, Beloved of God, He has not forgotten us. Frail, fallible, human mothers and fathers
may, on occasion, forget their children, "yet I will not forget you, says the Lord" (vs. 15.)
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever. To Him that
established the earth upon the waters; for His mercy endureth for ever. [Ps.135:1, 6 LXX]
Monday, January 19, 2004
Mark, Metropolitan of Ephesus, Pillar of Orthodoxy
Kellia: 4 Kings 5:9-14 Epistle: James 2:14-26 Gospel: St. Mark 10:46-52
4 Kings 5:9-14 LXX (MT = 2 Kings), especially vs. 14, "So he
went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of
God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." St. Irenaeus
connects the Baptismal Mystery with the cleansing of Naaman the leper as follows: "It was not
for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being
baptized, but it served as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean by
means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord from our old transgressions...."
In the first place, the cleansing of Naaman directs us to the mystical nature of Holy Baptism and
warns us against excessively rational defenses for, or explanations of, what takes place in the
Church's initiatory rite. Certain well-meaning analysts, observe that there are numerous
instances in which persons who are baptized as infants apostatize as adults from the Christian
Faith, and so they condemn the practice of infant Baptism. These critics assert that initiation into
Christ should be reserved for those who fully understand the commitments they are making.
Thus, they say, candidates for the rite should have reached the age of discretion.
There certainly is justification for deploring the numbers of children who grow up to become
apostate adults, and for seeking, in the Church's present practice, whatever happens that leads
some to such an unfortunate choice. Father Alexander Schmemann himself deplores the depth of
"our liturgical decadence" and the "begging for shorter services."
The problem lies not in Baptizing infants but in the loss of connection with what Father
Schmemann calls "the dimensions of the baptismal mystery, its truly cosmical content and
depth." Truly, Beloved of the Lord, the initiatory rites of the Church are best served when they
are reverentially celebrated as Holy Mysteries, as the Divine means by which one becomes "a
member of the Body of Christ, a consecrated vessel of the Holy Spirit, a fellow citizen with the
Saints." Baptism is not a magical act nor an expression of cultural, social, or ethnic heritage.
What arrests the reader's attention in the account of Naaman's cleansing is his comical rage when
the Prophet Elisha asks him to carry out a simple ritual which his logic tells him could just as
well have been accomplished by bathing in the "Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus"
(vs.12). His demand for reason and practicality are exposed as foolish, a fact which even his
servants are able to see. Human rationality ultimately will never penetrate the workings of God.
No well-catechized and devout adult comes to Baptism and fully understands what God is
accomplishing in his life - neither in this age nor in the age to come. Baptism is a Mystery.
The cleansing of Naaman does emphasize the importance of being willing to comply humbly and
in the fear of God with the requirements of the Church when we approach the Holy Mysteries.
This is true at any point in the life in Christ - whether we are children or adults. The great Syrian
General of the Armies does finally go to the Jordan and baptize himself a full seven times - not
five or six, but seven (vs. 14). Then, and only then, his leprosy was healed.
Why did the Prophet not direct Naaman to bathe in the waters of Damascus when he returned
home? It was to teach us that Baptism is an act of the Church, in which the Church celebrates her
passage through death to life, her holy Pascha in the Lord. The normal practice of the Church is
Baptism in the church, in her precincts, with her waters. Even when lay persons Baptize under
extreme conditions, the act still is the Mystery of incorporation into the Church.
O Christ our God, may all Thy Baptized servants be worthy partakers of Thy death and
resurrection and preserve their Baptismal garment undefiled unto the dread day of Thy coming.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
The Venerable Euthymios the Great
Kellia: Isaiah 55:1-13 Epistle: Hebrews 10:21-33 Gospel: St. Luke 6:17-23
Isaiah 55:1-13, especially vs. 1, "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the
waters...." This passage is all about Christ Jesus. He is the message delivered to us from the
Holy and life-giving Trinity by the Prophet Isaiah, for God the Lord speaks to concerning Christ,
our Incarnate God and Savior, imploring us to come to Him, to "come to the Waters." Christ
speaks here much in the same manner that He spoke to the woman at the well: "If you knew the
gift of God, and Who it is Who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and
He would have given you living water." God's invitation through Isaiah parallels the admonition
of St. Ambrose of Milan: "Buy Christ for yourself, then, not with what few men possess, but with
what all men possess by nature, but few offer on account of fear."
First, the Lord Jesus is Bread without price offered freely, the Bread that truly does satisfy, for
He is "the Bread of life [and] he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me
shall never thirst." (Jn. 6:35).
In addition, those who partake of Him, "eat and drink wine and fat without money or price" (Is.
55:1, 2 LXX). In the sacrifices of ancient Israel, the fat of the animal was considered the best
portion. Therefore the fat was reserved exclusively to God as a holocaust (Lev. 3:16). Christ
Jesus offered Himself entirely to God and is the best portion we may ever offer to God.
Understand from this reading that the soul that comes to the Lord Jesus and hears Him, lives (Is.
55:3), a truth which Christ God Himself reiterates: "come to Me that you may have life" (Jn.
5:40), and "have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10).
The prophecy of Isaiah calls the Lord Jesus "an everlasting covenant" (Is. 55:3). For the Faithful,
baptized and united to Christ, who remain united to Him, He is eternal life: "this is the will of
Him Who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting
life" (Jn. 6:40). Pray that Christ may give you light (Eph. 5:14).
Also, Christ is the fulfillment of the promise to King David (Is. 55:3), for at one time God
promised David "I will not lie; his seed for ever shall abide, and his throne shall be as the sun
before Me, and as the moon that is established for ever" (Ps. 88:34, 35 LXX: Ps. 89:35, 36 MT).
And now this is fulfilled, for Jesus is, indeed, "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33).
Being seated at the right hand of God, the Lord Jesus will one day be blessed as "a Prince and
Commander to the nations" (Is. 55:4). The word used in the Septuagint is "ethne," referring to
peoples and nations other than the Jews. Already today the Lord is the Divine, historical Witness
to the true nature of the Godhead to all nations (vs. 4). As a result, for several of the world's
peoples He has become Prince and Commander (vs. 4). Nations that He did not know have
turned to Him, because "the Holy One of Israel...has glorified [Him]" (vs. 5).
Therefore, we are to seek Christ "while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (vs.
6), that "He may have mercy on [us], and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (vs. 7). Let
us not hesitate to do this for, as Theodoret of Cyrus admonishes: "He will give you a portion in
His mercy and make you a gift of deliverance from your sins."
Above all, let us be confident in all this, for the message from the Father is that Christ our God is
the eternal Word "that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall
accomplish that which I purpose" (vs. 11), a fact beyond all human thought (vss. 8, 9).
The Lord Jesus has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accomplish that for which God the
Father sent Him (vss. 10-11), a fact that should give us great joy and peace (vs.12).
Great art Thou, O Lord, and no word sufficeth to hymn Thy wonders.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
The Venerable Maximos the Confessor
Kellia: Wisdom 3:1-9 Epistle: James 3:11-4:6 Gospel: St. Mark 11:23-26
Wisdom 3:1-9, especially vs. 1, "But the souls of the righteous
are in the hand of God...." For the next three days, we shall reflect on Old Testament readings
appointed for the Vespers of righteous and God-bearing ascetics, worthies such as Theodosios,
Anthony, and Euthymios. The Church remembers three of them this month - on the 11th, the 17th
and the 20th respectively - each one of whom she pleases to call 'the Great.'
How is it that they are 'Great'? First, let us understand that, in our Baptism, all of us are
commanded to "preserve pure and unpolluted the garment of incorruption" with which we were
clothed immediately upon coming out of the cleansing waters. We are expected to strive daily to
be "invincible warriors" against every attack of those corrupt powers who regularly assail all the
Faithful. For the Apostle Paul such struggle means that we are to "stand fast in one Spirit, with
one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel" (Phil. 1:27).
The great ascetics are those who, being "anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, let [their] requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6). They meditate on "whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report" (Phil. 4:8). Their example calls us to remain in God's hand
by developing a strong inner spirit, maintaining peace in the face of death, and accustoming
ourselves to discipline by which God deems one "worthy of Himself" (Wis. 3:5).
Solomon teaches us that the righteous remain in the hand of God since "no torment will ever
touch them" (vs. 1). Obviously, many of God's righteous have been tormented and suffered great
pain. For example, a man who knew Father Arseny as a fellow prisoner in the special Soviet
labor camp reports that "He amazed me during the last trek. I could see that he was an
exceptional man. He had been working like all the others for many years in the same camp. He
was old and exhausted but he was still alive, he hadn't died. He believed in something, he
believed so hard that this was obviously the only reason he did not die, but lived." The Priest
survived despite the mosquitoes which "ate us alive. We were in such a state that people fell
down dead while still holding their spades and axes." No, the righteous often suffer great pains.
What keeps the righteous alive and untouched by torment is their interior life: "he believed so
hard that...he was still alive." Yes, they are tormented and endure pain as do all mortals, but "no
torment" touches them. The word in the original used by Solomon for "touching" connotes
interacting or communicating with pain. Pain and torment carry messages of hate, despair, or
meaninglessness; but since "the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God" (vs. 1), and they
struggle to keep themselves in His hand, they do not receive pain's messages.
Even in death, when "they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an
affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction...they are at peace" (vss. 2, 3), because
in Christ the righteous ascetics perceive death as a delusion of the unwise, of the godless, of those
whom Solomon calls, "the foolish" (vs. 2). Hence, in the face of death, "their hope is full of
immortality" (vs. 4), for they only allow the Spirit of Christ to touch them. Their interaction and
communication is with the life-giving Spirit of God, never with pain and death.
Great inner strength in the face of pain and death is sustained only by discipline: prayer, fasting,
godly reading, and the practice of the virtues. By these, as St. Nikolai of Zica says, it becomes
sweeter to "walk with God without men than to walk with men without God." May God find us
"Like gold in the furnace" and accept us "like a sacrificial burnt offering" (vs. 6).
Through the prayers of Thy righteous ascetics, have mercy upon us and save us, O Lord.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
The Holy Apostle Timothy
Kellia: Wisdom 5:15-6:3 Epistle: James 4:7-5:9 Gospel: St. Mark 11:27-43
Wisdom 5:15-6:3, especially vs. 16, "Therefore they will
receive a glorious crown and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord, because with His
right hand He will cover them, and with His arm He will shield them." In another reading for the
Vespers of Holy Monks (Wisdom 3:1-9), Solomon reveals the source of the strength of all great
monastics for facing pain and death - their disciplined, ascetic lives characterized by prayer,
fasting, godly reading, and the practice of the virtues. This Orthodox manner of living, as St.
Thalassios asserts, calls the righteous to "the forceful practice of self-control and love, patience,
and stillness [to] destroy the passions hidden within us." Moreover, God blesses His Saints who
labor to unite themselves to Him, for He makes them "partakers of the divine nature" (2 P. 1:4) -
despite all that this life may bring against them.
In this present reading for the Feasts of Holy Monks, Solomon shows further that God works
through the social, natural, and political orders of this present age to shield the righteous and
intervene for them in their struggle to obtain "a glorious crown" (Wis. 5:16).
First, Solomon portrays a frequent theme of Holy Scripture - the Lord as a warrior putting on His
armament: "righteousness as a breastplate...impartial justice as a helmet...holiness as an
invincible shield...and stern wrath for a sword (vss. 18-20). The imagery is echoed in Isaiah:
"The Lord saw...that there was no man...then His own arm brought Him victory, and His
righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation
upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped Himself in fury as a
mantle" (Is. 59:15, 16, 17). And St. Paul draws upon this same imagery (Eph. 6:13-17).
Isaiah himself saw the Lord act in this manner, actually forcing the withdrawal of the siege forces
of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, from the fortress walls of Jerusalem (2 K 18:13-19:37). During
the siege, God led Isaiah to counsel the King of Judah: "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning
the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it
with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it" (2 K 19:32); and he saw "the angel of the
Lord...slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men
arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies" (2 K 19:35). God is quite capable
of intervening in the affairs of nations to achieve His will in men's actions.
In addition, Solomon reveals how the Lord may use any of the forces of nature to effect His will
on behalf of His righteous ones; for He can employ "Shafts of lightning...as from a well-drawn
bow of clouds, and hailstones full of wrath...as from a catapult [or] the water of the sea ...and
rivers" to overwhelm, as well as mighty winds and tempests to winnow His mortal enemies (Wis.
5:21, 22, 23). Let us remember that the Lord Jesus "arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the
sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm" (Mk. 4:39).
Solomon pondered on the Lord's capacity to intervene in the affairs of men and nations through
many means, and he concluded this present reading with a warning to the leaders of this world
"that rule over multitudes, and boast of many nations...Your dominion was given you from the
Lord, and your sovereignty from the Most High, Who will search out your works and inquire into
your plans" (Wis. 6:2, 3). Later, the Lord Jesus would say to the Roman Procurator, Pontius
Pilate, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above" (Jn.
19:11). May each of us consider, both for ourselves and our nations, that God guides and directs.
Teach us, O Lord, to treat all that comes to us throughout the day with peace of soul and with the
firm conviction that Thy will governs all.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Hieromartyr Clement of Ancyra
Kellia: Wisdom 4:7-15 Epistle: 1 Peter 1:1-2, 10-12; 2:6-10 Gospel: St. Mark 12:1-12
Wisdom 4:7-15, especially vs. 13, "Being perfected
in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore He took
him quickly from the midst of wickedness." The Prophet David acquaints us with that which the
Lord decrees concerning ripe old age: "He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High.... With
length of days will I satisfy him, and I will show him My salvation" (Ps. 90:1, 16 LXX).
Throughout Scripture, old age is held in high honor, being perceived as the Lord's reward for
those who fear Him (Pr. 10:27). In the present Old Testament reading, Solomon modifies this
affirmation significantly, yet without weakening its truth. He does so by delineating honorable
old age as the equivalent of spiritual maturity: "For old age is not honored for length of time, nor
measured by number of years; but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe
old age" (Wis. 4:8-9).
Having shifted the true measure of honorable maturity away from accumulated years to godly
"understanding" and a "blameless life," Solomon illustrates using the example of Enoch (vss. 10-15). One of the earliest ante-diluvian patriarchs, Enoch was so pleasing to God that he was taken
"quickly from the midst of wickedness" (vs. 14), "lest evil change his understanding or guile
deceive his soul" (vs. 11). Along with Noah, he is the only patriarch after Adam who "walked
with God" (Gen. 5:24). Furthermore, close communion with God is the reason given that his life
was shortened and that he was assumed directly into heaven (Gen. 5:24).
Enoch's case is especially important because he embodies Solomon's more exacting definition of
true old age. Among the antediluvians, Methuselah is remembered as the longest lived at 969
years. Most of the rest lived nearly nine hundred or more years, with the exception of Lamech,
Noah's father, who lived 777 years, and Enoch, who lived a much shorter 365 years (Gen. 5).
Let us return to what Solomon tells us further about Enoch.
First, in summary, we learn that Enoch "was one who pleased God and was loved by Him" (Wis.
5:10). He met Solomon's criteria of spiritual "understanding" and a "blameless life." His
example challenges us to see how "bereft of the life of the righteous" we are, as St. Andrew of
Crete says, prompting us to strive for closer communion with the Lord.
Second, Enoch's abrupt assumption is presented as God's provident solution to his living among
gross sinners and the attendant danger that the evil all around him might "change his
understanding or...deceive his soul" (vs. 11). We are prompted to beware for our soul's health.
Third, Solomon provides a keen analysis of the seductive nature of evil for the human heart, soul,
and mind, highlighting especially its fascinating, obscuring, restless, and perverting power on the
"innocent mind" (vs.12). "Mind" in the original (LXX) is "nous," the inclusive term for the
whole interior life, and especially for the deepest center of one's heart or spirit.
Next, Solomon rests his case for redefining "true old age" on the fact that Enoch was "perfected
in a short time" (vs. 13), thus fulfilling God's purpose in granting anyone years of life. It is a
point to consider whenever we hear the prayer, "Many Years" sung or chanted. God in His
goodness suffers long with us to lead us "to repentance" (Rom. 2:4), as the Apostle teaches.
Finally, let us recognize that most people, hopefully not including ourselves, 'see' but do "not
understand, nor take such a thing to heart, that God's grace and mercy are with His elect" (Wis.
5:15). The time is short, Beloved of the Lord. Let us strive for God-pleasing perfection.
My soul, arise! Why are you sleeping? The end is drawing near. Awake, then, and be watchful,
that Christ our God may spare you, Who is everywhere present and fillest all things.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Xenia of Petersburg, Fool for Christ
Kellia: Proverbs 3:13-16 Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23 Gospel: St. Luke 17:3-10
Proverbs 3:13-16 LXX, especially vs. 13, "Blessed is the man who has
found wisdom, and the mortal who knows prudence." We begin a series of five meditations on
passages drawn from two lectionary readings for the Vespers of a Theologian (cf. St. Gregory the
Theologian, January 25th). These two readings are, first Prov. 3:13-16, 8:6-10, and second, Wis.
6:12-16, 7:30, 8:2-4,7-9,21, 9:1-4,10-11,13. All the passages are concerned with Wisdom: the
blessings and promises of Wisdom , the discernment and counsel of Wisdom, and a concluding
prayer for Wisdom offered by the Prophet and King, Solomon.
Solomon's observation, that the man who has found Wisdom is blessed (Prov 3:13:LXX), applies
to the true theologian, but, let us add, only through arduous struggle. Yet, once one knows
Wisdom, he understands that "no precious thing is equal to her in value" (Pr. 3:15 LXX); and,
from Wisdom, he knows "righteousness...law and mercy" (vs. 16 LXX).
Truly, the man who has "found Wisdom" is blessed, for he is able, in the words of St. Gregory of
Sinai, to discern "in the essence of created things the presence of the divine Logos, the
substantive Wisdom of God the Father" (cf. 1 Cor. 1:24). In other words, by receiving the Person
of Christ fully within himself, the wise man becomes a true theologian who, as St Gregory
Palamas says, knows that: "...Truth and Wisdom constitute a Logos that befits His Begetter, a
Logos that rejoices with the Father as the Father rejoices in Him" (cf. Pr. 8:30 LXX).
The Holy Fathers teach that the blessed ones who find Wisdom do so because the grace of God
enabled them to take the first, humble, elementary steps in spiritual knowledge, after which they
were then able to proceed to more advanced understanding. This is a warning to us: if any of us
think we would like to find Wisdom, let us recognize that we will not likely learn much of value
unless we have been aided by the grace of God. Still, even the thought or impulse to find
Wisdom may be evidence, to some extent, that one may already possess a small bit of wisdom.
Listen to St. Peter of Damascus: "In the same way, although our first steps in spiritual knowledge
may be very slight, unless we make them we will not acquire any virtue at all."
Let us cry out to Wisdom that He would grant us grace even to undertake the journey whose goal
is Wisdom Himself. However, let us hear the caution in what St. Maximos the Confessor has to
say about this pilgrimage: "...it is impossible for a man to attain wisdom, unless first, through fear
and through the remaining intermediary gifts, he frees himself completely from the mist of
ignorance and the dust of sin."
Today's passage not only encourages us toward Wisdom, but also exposes the false attractions of
this world: "...she is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well
known to all that approach her, and no precious things is equal to her in value" (Pr. 3:13 LXX).
Wisdom's value surpasses all that is held to be valuable in this world: precious stones, gold and
silver, wealth, glory, and years of life (vss. 15,16). Further, in Wisdom we obtain that for which
the Lord taught us to pray - deliverance from evil (Mt. 6:13).
Wisdom's greatest gifts to men are "righteousness...law and mercy" which are "in her mouth" and
"upon her tongue" (Pr. 3:16). St. Gregory of Nyssa affirms that Wisdom is the source of these
great moral and spiritual virtues: "Wisdom...has, as a possession, strength and
prudence...and...walks in the ways of righteousness and has...conversation in the ways of just
judgment." By Wisdom, he declares, "kings reign, and princes write the decree of equity."
Lord, in Thy mercy, grant that the light of understanding, piety, and wisdom may illumine us
through the outpouring of Thy Holy Spirit.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
(Tone Seven) The Sunday of Zacchaeos
Kellia: Proverbs 8:6-10 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Gospel: St. John 10:9-16
Proverbs 8:6-10 LXX, especially vs. 6, "Hearken to me; for I will speak
solemn truths...." In the present passage, Wisdom speaks directly to us, exhorting and appealing
to our hearts. Having already learned that the Lord Jesus Christ is Divine Wisdom Incarnate, let
us to hear Him Whose words must be taken with utmost seriousness. He speaks in statements
which we should best take as promises. His solemn declarations are covenants He makes with
us: He is none other than God Himself telling us to hearken, for what He speaks will come down
upon us as rain from heaven which will not "return...thither but water the earth, making it bring
forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, but it shall accomplish that
which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Is. 55:10, 11).
First, Our Savior, as Life-giving Wisdom, promises to speak "solemn truths" (Pr. 8:6 LXX), not
'sound bytes' nor the catch phrases of advertising which dull the hearing. This is the Bridegroom
speaking to His Bride, making vows of salvation and love to her. God addresses His Church:
"...as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (Is. 62:5). "The
nations shall see your vindication...you shall be called by a new name.... You shall be a crown of
beauty in the hand of the Lord.... You shall no more be termed Forsaken...but you shall be called
My delight is in her" (Is. 62:2-4). Notice that our good God does not ignore our sins against
Him, but instead, through Wisdom, He promises: "I will establish My covenant with you, and
you shall know that I Am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open
your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the
Lord God" (Ezek. 16:62, 63).
Next, Wisdom declares: "I will...produce right sayings from My lips" (Pr. 8:6 LXX). God does
not confront us with inaccuracies nor lies. He is direct and honest. His prophecies are fulfilled.
His analyses penetrate the depths of issues. "For the word of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
The Lord Jesus said of Himself substantially what He utters here as the promise of Wisdom: "For
My throat shall meditate truth" (Pr. 8:7). In the flesh, at Supper with His disciples, He told the
Disciples, "I Am...the truth" (Jn. 14:6). Many times in the Gospel record, He leaves a record of
pronouncements which begin with a linguistic device unique to the Lord Jesus, a statement
preceded by "Amen" (cf. Jn. 1:51, 3:3, 5:19, 6:47; Mt. 6:2, 10:15; Lk. 13:35, et. al). These amens
often are translated as "Verily," "Truly" or "Most Assuredly." They represent a firm promise of
truth on the part of our Lord, a "So-it-will-be!"
Hear a fourth promise which our Incarnate Lord and Holy Wisdom makes in this passage: "All
the words of My mouth are in righteousness" (Pr. 8:8 LXX). Righteousness also is what He
urges for us: "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Mt. 6:33). After His
Resurrection, His Apostles recognized that He had introduced the possibility of true
righteousness: "as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
Finally, Holy Wisdom promises that all His words "are all evident to those that understand" (Pr.
8:9 LXX). The Lord Jesus came not with words only, but also accompanied His pronouncements
with signs and wonders, which agreed with and affirmed His teaching.
O how sweet is Thy voice, O Christ; for Thou has verily made us a true promise to which we
believers hold, that Thou shalt be with us to the end of time, an Anchor for our hopes.
Monday, January 26, 2004
Translation of the Relics of Theodore the Studite
Kellia: Wisdom 6:12-16 Epistle: 1 Peter 2:21-3:9 Gospel: St. Mark 12:13-17
Wisdom 6:12-16, especially vs. 16, "...she goes about seeking those
worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every
thought." In Proverbs 3:13-16, Wisdom is revealed as a treasure unequaled to anything one
might desire. However, as St. Maximos the Confessor observes, this greatest of all possible
attainments lies far beyond the reach of the majority who still are wandering in "the mists of
ignorance," corrupting themselves with "the dust of sin" - Wisdom's possibility is never
discerned. Should we then consider Wisdom beyond us, a hopeless ideal far from our reach
because of our own ignorance and sin? Today's reading counters all such despair with a firm
message of encouragement. Wisdom is revealed as active and gracious, One Who is seeking
"those who love her," and we are assured, she will be "found by those who seek her" (vs. 12).
Let us be encouraged about the possibility of finding Wisdom, for God the Word Who is Wisdom
Incarnate, has permanently joined Himself to us, having taken on our flesh. We seek One Who
has joined forces with us. With the coming of Christ, mankind's healing of has become
"theandric," as Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos says. Salvation now is synergistic, "not the
work of man alone or of God alone. The two must work together.... At first, the grace of Christ
must be given.... But when [one] receives the grace of Christ, he is freed from this old world, the
world of sin.... Only those who live in Christ, are released from the flesh and the lust of the
flesh." For those who "live in Christ," the task is to crucify "the flesh with its passions and
desire. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:24, 25).
"Synergy in the search for Wisdom" is the message of this reading. Notice first: Wisdom
"hastens to make herself known to those who desire her" (Wis. 6:13); "she goes about seeking
those worthy of her...." (vs. 16). Do you hear how this word foreshadows the Gospel? "For
when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom 5:6). The
initiative in the relationship of man and God is taken by God. Incarnate Wisdom hastened to us
and hastens to us still - to stir up our desire for Him, to provide the grace and strength we need to
reach Him, and to walk with us on the path of suffering, which is required for following Him.
For our part, active response is required. Listen to the Teacher of Wisdom: "He who rises early"
and fixes his "thoughts on her...and he who is vigilant on her account" (Wis. 6:14, 15) is
promised the rewards of finding Wisdom, gaining understanding, and overcoming the cares of
this present life through the power of Wisdom. "Rising early" signals the necessity for discipline
in the life in Christ. A plan for prayer and a jealously guarded time to pray and read must be
developed and maintained. When the Teacher of Wisdom says to "fix one's thoughts" on
Wisdom, he sets the stage for taking up the Jesus prayer as a means for developing, extending,
and deepening a bond with Christ Jesus our Savior. "For no other foundation can anyone lay
than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).
We surely can count on God to do His part, and if we are vigilant in ours, Wisdom will
"graciously appear" to us in our paths, and meet us "in every thought" (Wis. 6:16). In these
phrases Solomon delineates the two results of working with God to find Wisdom: "in our paths"
suggests that we can expect Wisdom to appear in our decisions and actions; "meets in every
thought" refers to the revolution which Wisdom brings about in one's thinking and perception.
As we "tarry [in prayer with the Lord] until [we] are endued with power from on high" (Lk.
24:49), we shall know Wisdom's vision of the world and be able to live and act as befits Him.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and teach us to walk in the ways of true knowledge.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom
Kellia: Wisdom 7:30-8:9 Epistle: 1 Peter 3:10-22 Gospel: St. Mark 12:18-27
Wisdom 7:30-8:9, especially vs. 9, "Therefore I determined to take her to
live with me, knowing that she would give me good counsel...." Among the peoples of the
Middle East, it was the ancient People of God, Israel who uniquely elevated wisdom by
establishing it in commitment to God. Wisdom provided a trustworthy attitude toward life -
including matters of general interest - prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, and moral
sensitivity; but wisdom only does all this when first there is genuine "fear of the Lord" (Pr. 1:7).
Therefore, in the Old Testament, wisdom always was closely associated with God, a vision
illustrated and apparent in statements like those found in today's reading: "She glorifies her noble
birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves her, for she is an initiate in the knowledge of
God, and an associate in His works" (Wis. 8:3-4). Furthermore, because the noun, "hokmah" is
feminine in Hebrew, as is its counterpart, "sophia," in Greek, the personification of wisdom
regularly was cast in feminine imagery, as is amply demonstrated in today's passage. However,
with the Apostle's proclamation of the Lord Jesus as "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn. 14:6),
the Church perceived from earliest times that true Wisdom is fully and finally revealed in the
Person of Christ, the "Agia Sophia," the Holy Wisdom. Naturally, the Holy Fathers of the
Church also discerned that true wisdom derives from and participates in the Logos, in God the
Word, in Holy Wisdom Himself, a theme set up by the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians (1:24).
It followed that the Great Church, the primary Cathedral of Constantinople, in the first
exclusively Christian City, should be named the Church of the Holy Wisdom.
Read in this light, this present passage is a remarkable commentary on the Person of God the
Word, our Lord Jesus Christ as Holy Wisdom. As such, He is revealed as Creator, the first love
of every Christian, and the ultimate Teacher and Counselor of the Faithful.
Wisdom "reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, andorders all things well"
(Wis. 8:1). Christ Jesus our Lord is "Light of Light, Very God of Very God...by Whom all things
were made." As the blessed Apostle teaches us: "God also hath highly exalted...and given a name
which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).
Does not the heart and soul of every true Christian love Him Who first loved us? From our
"youth" in the Faith, He has been our first love, the One with Whom we long to be united, being
"enamored" with His beauty (Wis. 8:2).
Christ Jesus as Wisdom is the great Teacher and Counselor of the Faithful and is so regularly
portrayed for us in the icon to the right of the Royal Doors. Many say, "Money talks," but "what
is richer than Wisdom Who effects all things?" (vs. 5). Granted, "knowledge is power," but Who
is mightier than the Fashioner of all that exists? (vs. 6). "Honesty is the best policy," yet Christ
our Counselor is the best Teacher of "self-control and prudence, justice and courage" (vs. 7). We
agree that "experience teaches," but "if any one longs for wide experience, [Christ our God]
knows the things of old, and infers the things to come" (vs. 8).
What better conclusion can we affirm than the choice that Solomon indicates? Let us declare
with him, "Therefore I determined to take [Him] to live with me, knowing that [He] would give
me good counsel and encouragement in cares and grief" (vs. 9).
Today Thou hast appeared to the universe, O Lord, and Thy light hath been shed upon us, who
praise Thee with knowledge, saying, Thou hast come and appeared, O Holy Wisdom!
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh
Kellia: Wisdom 9:1-13 Epistle: 1 Peter 4:1-11 Gospel: St. Mark 12:28-37
Wisdom 9:1-13, especially vss. 4, 5, "...give me the wisdom that sits by
Thy throne, and do not reject me from among Thy servants, for I am Thy slave and the son of Thy
maidservant." Let each Christian think deeply concerning the Lord our God and of his human
need for "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). Then, each one will
conclude with the Solomon, "I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me - and it was
a mark of insight to know Whose gift she was - so I appealed to the Lord and besought Him, and
with my whole heart"(Wis. 8:21). Thus, let each of the Faithful make Solomon's prayer his own.
By embracing this prayer for himself, the Christian affirms, first of all, that the true Source of
Wisdom is the "Lord of mercy" (Wis. 9:1) Who formed us in His image and gave us dominion
over His creation, a rule to be exercised "in holiness and righteousness"(vs. 3). Hence, let us
agree that we are to "pronounce judgment [only] in uprightness of soul" (vs. 3). The popular
myth that we have been given freedom to make ourselves happy is a complete heresy, for the
True Wisdom Who knows the works of God "and was present when [He made] the world, and
Who understands what is pleasing in [God's] sight and what is right according to [His]
commandments" (vs. 9) is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ before Whom we have bowed
down "at Baptism as our King and God," pleading "Thy will be done" (Mt. 6:10).
Notice that by adopting these words as our own prayer, we confess that we are slaves of God, His
creatures, men who are "weak and short-lived, with little understanding of judgment and laws"
(Wis. 9:5). If this seems a little far-fetched or extreme, simply recall the difficulty that our
human governments have in formulating and putting laws into effect that are useful, helpful, and
beneficial to the welfare of our communities, families, and individual enterprises.
The truth is that we are nothing apart from "the wisdom that comes from [God]" (vs. 6); in fact,
we are worse than nothing without God. For we become depraved unless we draw in to our
hearts and souls the life-giving grace of Christ, the Wisdom of God. As St. Justin Popovich
wrote: "I would choose any monster before man, because even the most terrifying monster is less
terrifying than man...Oh, I am speaking the truth, I am speaking from my heart. For man
invented and made sin, death, and hell. And this is worse than the worst thing, more monstrous
than the most monstrous thing, more terrifying than the most terrifying thing in all my worlds."
Solomon's prayer holds out a wonderful promise: when we take his prayer on our lips, and
acknowledge and commit ourselves to the work of God's "royal priesthood" (1 P. 2:9), the Lord
will anoint us to judge His "sons and daughters" (Wis. 9:7) among the children of men in this
world. In other words, we shall be privileged to assume the task, as did Solomon, to build His
Church, God's "temple on [His] holy mountain, and an altar in the city of [His] habitation, a copy
of the holy tent which [He] didst prepare from the beginning" (vs. 8). We will be helping to
create a living witness to Christ our God, Wisdom Who was Incarnate for the world's salvation.
Beloved of the Lord, let us plead for Divine Wisdom that we "may learn what is pleasing to
[God]. For Wisdom "knows and understands all things, and...will guide [us] wisely in [our]
actions and guard [us] with [His] glory. Then [our] works will be acceptable, and [we] shall judge
[God's] people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne" He promises to His saints (Lk. 22:28-30). In our own strength, which of us "can learn the counsel of God", or "discern what the Lord
wills?" (Wis. 9:13). Truly, without His Wisdom, we know that we are as nothing
O only wise and merciful Physician, I beseech Thy benevolence: heal the wounds of my soul and
enlighten the eyes of my mind that I may understand my place in Thine eternal design.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Translation of the Relics of Ignatios the God-bearer
Kellia: Sirach 51:1-12 Epistle: 1 Peter 4:12-5:5 Gospel: St. Mark 12:38-44
Sirach 51:1-12, especially vss. 11, 12, "I will praise Thy Name continually,
and I will sing praise with thanksgiving. My prayer was heard, for Thou didst rescue me from an
evil plight." While to some readers this passage may seem a strange prayer to place upon the lips
of one of God's holy martyrs, more than likely it would have seemed quite right and natural to
the God-bearer and Hieromartyr, Ignatios of Antioch. When Ignatios knew he was being led to
certain death in the arena at Rome, he solemnly begged the churches all along his route, from
Asia through Thrace and Epiros to Rome and to his final martyrdom, "not to be an 'inopportune
favor' to me. Let me be food for the wild beasts, through which I can attain to God.... Then I
shall be truly a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world will not see my body at all."
Do you see the connection? For a true disciple of Christ, like St. Ignatios, "...near the sword is
near God, with the beasts is with God," for there is a certain kind of death which is far worse than
the biological end of the body. Fr. Alexander Schmemann explains this Christian vision of
death: "death is above all a 'spiritual reality,' of which one can partake while being alive, from
which one can be free while lying in the grave. Death here is man's 'separation from Life,' that
is, from God Who is the only Giver of life, Who Himself is Life."
Even a cursory examination today's reading, shows one immediately that this passage is a prayer
of thanksgiving to God for deliverance. The author of the prayer, Jesus ben Sirach, was a well-schooled, professional teacher of the Old Testament law. He penned this prayer, sometime
before 132 BC. The prayer reflects his gratitude for some unnamed physical salvation. Listen to
his words: God "delivered my body from destruction" (vs. 2).
Nevertheless, the prayer itself, when read from the Christian viewpoint, provides an instructive
model for equipping the Faithful to witness fearlessly in the face of all sort of afflictions -
including physical death. Consider: when the Faithful are caught in circumstances which
demand that they renounce their deepest convictions or the life in Christ, they are faced with real
spiritual death, for they are confronting the possibility of separation from "Christ Who is our life"
(Col. 3:4). If at such a time they send up supplication from the earth, and pray for deliverance
(Sir. 51:9), God does not forsake them in that day of affliction (vs. 10). Rather, they are
delivered "in the greatness of [God's] mercy and of [His] Name" (vs. 3).
Notice that the prayer shows us in detail how God acts to save us from all sorts of spiritual death.
Sirach speaks of "the snare of a slanderous tongue" (vs.2). Those who would draw us from the
truth of Christ often slander God, thinking of Him as a figment of the imagination or a
psychological device to help one under stress. The prayer mentions "the gnashings of teeth" (vs.
3), that is, confrontation with anger. There is the temptation is to return hate for hate, anger for
anger, bitterness for bitterness - but such is death, Beloved in Christ.
To what, then, does the prayer direct us? It directs us to our true strength under duress: "Then I
remembered Thy mercy, O Lord" (vs. 8). "And I sent up my supplication for deliverance, and
prayed for deliverance from death" (vs. 9). Our way is to cry out to Life Himself: "Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner!" He both turns us from those invitations of
the world to die to the truth in us, and, at the same time, He fills us with life: "for Thou didst save
me from destruction and rescue me from an evil plight. Therefore I will give thanks to Thee and
praise Thee, and I will bless the Name of the Lord" (vs. 12).
O Lord save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, granting to Thy People victory over all
their enemies, and by the power of Thy Cross, preserving Thy Kingdom.
Friday, January 30, 2004
The Three Great Hierarchs
Kellia: Deuteronomy 1:8-17 Epistle: Hebrews 13:7-16 Gospel: St. Matthew 5:14-19
Deuteronomy 1:8-17, especially vs. 13, "Choose wise, understanding, and
experienced men...." At the Vespers which opens the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, the
Church reminds us how the words and divine teaching of Basil the Great, Gregory the
Theologian, and John Chrysostom have been broadcast "in all the earth and sea...Wherefore, the
regions are well organized by their divine laws, and are united in one Orthodox opinion." These
were leaders who laid down wise guidelines, clear expositions, and basic foundations for the
Church's subsequent life. They were truly "wise, understanding, and experienced men" led of
God to establish basic patterns for the governing and management of His Holy Church - not just
in the fourth century, but through all the centuries of its history even to the present.
The two readings for the Feast are taken from what might be called the "farewell address and
final testament" of another of God's "great, organizational leaders," the Prophet Moses. In this
first of the two lections, the Prophet defines foundational principles for leadership that have
remained effective and current during all the vicissitudes that have befallen the People of God
through four millennia of history, including the ultimate revelation of God in our Lord Jesus
Christ. Quite simply, Moses outlines the basic standards for leaders in the Church, guidelines for
their appointment, and a description of the tasks common to all who are called upon to govern.
Leaders of God's People should be "wise, understanding and experienced" (vs. 13). The
importance of these standards is emphasized by their later repetition (vs. 15). By speaking of
wisdom, the Prophet points beyond the sort of intelligence that is required in merely human
enterprises. In the Scriptures, wisdom always is traceable to God, Who, in the second Person of
the Holy Trinity, is Himself known as Holy Wisdom.
We may be sure of finding wisdom in a man who exhibits basic fear of the Lord (Pr. 9:10) and
who seeks God's mind in all his ways. Furthermore, true wisdom, when mediated through a
godly leader, produces understanding of the needs, pains, hopes, and struggles of one's fellow
men. God's leaders must understand those they govern. And finally, godly wisdom and
understanding come generally to those who prove themselves through long, extensive training.
David, the exemplary King of Israel, began his development as a teenager serving in Saul's court,
but did not assume overt leadership even in his own tribe of Judah until he was thirty years old.
He was nearly forty when he began to reign over all Israel (2 Kngs. 5:5 LXX = 2 Sam).
Leadership among the People of God always has been hierarchical, no doubt because all rule in
the Church derives from a single Head, the Lord, Jesus Christ. So Moses appoints "as
heads...commanders of thousands...hundreds...fifties, [and] commanders of tens" (Dt. 1:15).
Yet, he involved the people through a "nominating" process, having them "Choose...men
according to your tribes" (vs.13), and from these he then appointed the actual leaders.
No one man, nor leader of men, can govern single-handedly, as Moses knew (vs. 9). Hence,
subordinates are required to help cope with the full "weight and burden of [men] and [their]
strife" (vs. 12). The tasks of leaders of God's people were and continue to be righteous judgment
(vs. 16), impartiality (vs. 17), and hearing "the small and the great alike" (vs. 17) without the fear
of men hampering or limiting their decisions. Woe to any Church leader who succumbs to
decision-making and action by popularity poll, for all leaders in the Church are able to refer
difficult decisions to superiors or colleagues (vs. 17).
O Master, fill Thy servants, the ministers of the Church, with all faith, love, power, and holiness
through the inspiration and rich bounties of Thy holy and life-giving Spirit.
Saturday, January 31, 2004
The Holy Unmercenaries Cyros and John
Kellia: Deuteronomy 10:14-21 Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:11-19 Gospel: St. Luke 18:2-8
Deuteronomy 10:14-21, especially vs. 21, "He is your praise; He is your God,
Who has done for you these great and terrible things which your eyes have seen." We Orthodox
are above all a People of praise and worship: "Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord,
that we may sing of Thy glory.... Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia." Especially we are indebted to the
Three Holy Hierarchs, Basil, Gregory, and John, for the rich and wondrous words they have
given us to fill our mouths with the praise of God.
The most frequent Liturgy of the Church, which resounds in our hearts and issues forth so easily
in song on our lips, comes from the hand of St. John Chrysostom. The Liturgy of St. Basil the
Great sustains us in the struggle with our wounds and sins through days of Great Lent, reviving
us again and again with his challenge, "And who is sufficient to speak of Thy mighty acts, to
make all Thy praises to be heard, or to tell of all Thy wonders at every season?"
And let all remember, as we delight in the Paschal Glory, that these words are drawn from the
two Resurrection orations of St. Gregory Nazianzus: "It is the day of Resurrection, be illumined
for the Feast, and embrace one another. Let us speak brothers, even unto those who hate us, and
forgive all for the sake of the Resurrection, and so together let us cry out: Christ is risen from the
dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life."
Today's reading consists of two exhortations pronounced to the Church in the gleaming light of
the august God to Whom belongs the heavens and "the earth with all that is in it" (vs. 14). The
entire passage is marked by contrasts: at the beginning Moses proclaims the majesty of God, after
which he urges us to "serve Him and cleave to Him," and swear by His Name (vs. 20)
First, the Prophet orders us: "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of
heavens, the earth with all that is in it" (vs.14). Who can meditate upon the immensity, delicacy,
and complexity of the universe which modern science has illumined for us and not be moved to
adoration? We observe a cosmos that reaches out in light years and downward to mesons and
particles and joins our lives with all other living creatures. This is from Thy hand, O Lord of the
heavens and of the heaven of heavens! Truly, O Lord, "there are no bounds to the majesty of Thy
holiness, and just art Thou in all Thy works!"
Then, Moses heightens the contrast: "yet the Lord set His heart in love upon your fathers and
chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as at this day" (vs. 15). His words
foreshadow the condescension of God the Word: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that
He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 Jn. 4:10). The indescribably
infinite God loves us with a love ineffable and beyond imagination.
Hence, says Moses, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn"
(Dt. 10:16). Submit yourselves to God; open your hearts to Him! And thus, having brought us to
our knees before the Lord, the Prophet once again lifts our eyes to the supreme majesty of God,
"the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, Who is not partial and takes no bribe" (vs. 17). He
proclaims Him as the God Who "executes justice for the widow, and loves the sojourner" (vs.
18). The great Prophet uses this proclamation to exhort us to justice and love for our fellow men
who are dependent and needy: "Love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt"
(vs. 19).
Beloved of the Lord, the fear of God is a holy fear that lifts us to His presence and reveals Him as
our true praise (vss. 20-21).
Blessed be the Name of the Lord, henceforth and for ever more!
Thursday, January 1, 2004
The Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ; Basil the Great
Kellia: Genesis 17:1-7, 9-12, 14
Epistle: Colossians 2:8-12
Gospel: St. Luke 2:20-21, 40-52
Genesis 17:1-7,9-12, 14 LXX, especially vs. 7, "And I will establish My covenant between thee and thy seed after thee, to their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee."
The Exaposteilarion of today's Feast declares: "Verily, the Creator of ages Who fulfilled the law is circumcised in the flesh as an eight-day old child, is wrapped in swaddling clothes like a man and is fed with milk, He Who is the All-Controller through His boundless might, since He is God, and the Maker of the law in flesh."
Observe the wording of declaration: "the Creator of the ages...fulfilled the law." The statements that follow concerning His circumcision, clothing as a man, and being fed milk, appear to specify ways in which He fulfills the law in concrete terms. How are we to understand these actions as fulfillment? What is filled full, put into effect, brought to an end, satisfied, converted into reality or brought to its potential?
The "laws" of the created order require infants to be fed and clothed for survival, yet the Lord Who is unbounded and is eternally free from any need for protection has chosen to take our flesh upon Himself, for He is God the Word assuming the limitations and demands of the natural law. Therefore, He was diapered and nursed. Observe that His satisfaction of the natural law is expressed in many of the icons of the Nativity for they regularly show Him being washed and cared for as well as being "wrapped...in swaddling cloths" (Lk. 2:7).
These most mundane, human actions direct us to the Apostle Paul's point: when the Lord was "found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself," lowered Himself in every respect (Phil. 2:7). In other words, He came into the world and joined Himself to us an actual man in order to address the terrible side of being human: separation from God and our wedding to death.
Note: for mankind's salvation, God requires a perfect man to reestablish our fallen race. There must be an actual flesh-and-blood man who also is sinless. In our history, we have had many flesh-and-blood men, but in our union with Adam our race lost the potential to produce a perfect man. So to speak, "we keep turning out sinners." None of us can respond to that which God asked of Abraham: "be well-pleasing before Me, and be blameless" (Gen. 17:1 LXX). Who is blameless?
However, we know that through the action of the Holy Spirit overshadowing a pure virgin, God did produce a Man, One Who lived perfectly and blamelessly , Who by death trampled down death, and as God bestows life upon all in the tombs and upon all who are destined for the tombs.
Continuing on, let us also note that the Lord's circumcision fulfills another level of "law," which the passage in Genesis 17 illumines. Observe: God told Abraham, "I will establish My covenant between Me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly.... [therefore] thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for I have made thee a father of many nations" (vss. 2, 5). This covenant required that all males who were inheritors of these promises be circumcised on the eighth day after birth (vss. 9-12). Obviously, the Virgin Mary and Joseph fulfilled this requirement so that Jesus became an inheritor of the promises made to Abraham.
Abraham did become the father of several nations (see Gen. 25). In time, through a natural descendant of Abraham, the Lord Jesus, there came a Savior for all the peoples of the world. All nations, languages, and cultures may now choose to unite themselves to Christ, and through Him, to receive the blessing promised to Abraham. The Lord Jesus' circumcision permanently reminds us that God has fulfilled His promise to Abraham - all for our sake.
O Thou, Who art ever above the law, Thou hast submitted to it, granting us blessing from on high. Wherefore we extol Thee, praising Thy condescension of transcendent goodness!
Friday, January 2, 2004
Repose of Seraphim of Sarov
Kellia: Proverbs 8:22-30 Epistle: Hebrews 7:18-25 Gospel: St. Mark 12:1-12
Proverbs 8:22-30 LXX, especially vss. 23-25, "He established Me before time
was in the beginning, before He made the earth: even before He made the depths; before the
fountains of water came forth; before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, He begets
Me." The wisdom of God is the Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom all that was made, was
brought into being. In time, the wisdom of God was heralded ultimately and clearly in Jesus
Christ Himself. As St. Nikolai of Zica declares, "In His Person, the wisdom of God was
proclaimed in the flesh and shown forth to men in its wonderful strength and beauty."
The miracle of Wisdom Incarnate, which the Church has proclaimed since Pentecost (see Acts
2:24-28), defends against all heresies. More important, He came so that "all who believe in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16). The passage from Proverbs illumines
three facets of the miracle of the Incarnation: that the Lord Jesus, being the Wisdom of God, is
the creative Word of God "by Whom all things were made," that He is "begotten not made,"as the
Creed affirms, and that He is ever, as man and God, one will with God the Father (Jn. 5:30).
Today's passage serves as a commentary on the various scriptures that treat of God's creation out
of nothing: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1 LXX). "The earth is
the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and all that dwell therein. He hath founded it..."
(Ps. 23:1, 2 LXX). "Who appointeth the clouds for His ascent, Who walketh upon the wings of
the winds" ( Ps. 103:4 LXX). These passages harmonize with the language of Proverbs 8:26-30
LXX, but with one major omission: Wisdom "accompanied" God as He made the world and
"when He prepared the heaven" (Pr. 8:27 LXX). For this one easily substitutes the words of St.
John the Theologian: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made" (Jn. 1:1-3).
The preexistence of Wisdom is both assumed and taught in this passage: "He established Me
before time was in the beginning, before He made the earth" (Pr. 8:23 LXX). The Arians, of
course, sought to turn this phrase to prove their heresy that the Word was a created being Who
assisted God in making the rest of creation. As is well known, St. Athanasios rightly rejected all
such speculation as theirs, pointing out that the God the Son, as our Creator, placed His image in
mankind so that the world of men might recognize Him in all His works and acknowledge Him,
and through Him the Father.
Furthermore, to defend the truth of the preexistence of God the Word, the Creed speaks of the
Lord Jesus as "begotten not made," using the same verb that appears in Pr. 8:25 LXX: "before the
mountains were settled, and before all hills, He begets Me."
This passage also affirms the indissoluble unity of the will of God the Father and of God the
Word, Incarnate Wisdom: "I was by Him, suiting Myself to Him, I was that wherein He took
delight; and daily I rejoiced in His presence continually" (vs. 30). The accounts of the
Crucifixion are used by the Holy Fathers frequently to underscore the unity of Christ's will with
the Father. St. Hilary of Poitiers says, "Wherefore, as Man he prays for men tht the cup may pass
away, but as God from God, His will is in unison with the Father's effectual will." He fulfills
David's words, "I am come (in the heading of the book it is written concerning Me) to do Thy
will, O my God, and Thy law is in the midst of My bowels" (Ps. 39:11 LXX).
The Master of all endureth humiliation for the iniquities of mankind; for He is good, and
granteth salvation to the world. O Lord, Thou Wisdom from on High, Glory to Thee.
Saturday, January 3, 2004
Genevieve of Paris
Kellia: Proverbs 10:31-11:12 Epistle: 1 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Gospel: St. Mark 3:1-11
Proverbs 10:31-11:12 LXX, especially vs. 5, "Righteousness traces out
blameless paths: but ungodliness encounters unjust dealing." An earlier passage in Proverbs
(8:22-30) provides rich insight into the miracle of Wisdom's Incarnation and illumines the Lord
Jesus as the eternal Wisdom of God. As the Divine, eternal Word, He upholds "all things by the
word of His power," as the Apostle states (Heb. 1:3). His present and active power are of great
importance to the Faithful, for, as we draw into union with Him, through the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit and the good will of the Father, He will keep us from every word and deed which can
mar the soul, and will give us godly understanding and enlightenment. Wisdom, in giving
Himself, imparts a wisdom far superior to the knowledge or so-called 'wisdom' of this world (1
Cor. 1:30). He transforms us into persons that today's reading calls righteous, just, and sensible.
In fact, today's reading from Proverbs is a portrait of what those look like who strive to receive
wisdom from Incarnate Wisdom. The reading is a string of contrasts which compare those
blessed ones who receive wisdom from God with the ungodly, unjust, and senseless ones who
seek wisdom from this world and through their own effort. These two sorts of people are polar
opposites of each other in speech, business dealings, self-valuation, their estimation of others, in
coping with troubles, before God, with respect to their public worth, and in terms of what they
contribute to their nations' security.
We can expect the righteous who receive Wisdom into their lives to "drop wisdom and grace
from their mouths" (Pr. 10:31, 32) and to be sensibly quiet when speaking to others (vs. 11:12).
In the world today, what strikes one's vision on every side? Those who pervert language, abuse
speech, and sneer at their fellow men. They are ubiquitous, numerous, and influential. The
fashion of one-up-man-ship and quick, off-color comebacks prevails.
The reading reminds us that the difference between the godly and the perverse in business
dealings will be clear and marked as well. Behind the abusive speech and sneering, are the
crooked deals, shoddy workmanship covered with glitz and "false balances" (vs. 11:1). Let us
thank God that there still are those doing business and providing services who are honest, fair,
and eager to provide "a just weight" (vs. 11:1).
Centuries before Wisdom became Incarnate He taught the humble and meek the dangers of pride
and arrogance (vs. 11:2). As the Prophet David said: "the sinner praiseth himself in the lusts of
his soul....but the desire of the poor hast Thou heard, O Lord" (Ps. 9:23, 37 LXX).
In contrast with the humility which the godly holds of himself, he is held in high estimation by
those around him who are open to the truth which Wisdom imparts. Therefore, "When a just
man dies he leaves regret"(Pr. 11:3), being appreciated for his manner of living.
How different are the actions of the godly from the unjust as they face troubles and afflictions!
Having received wisdom from the Lord, the righteous "man escapes from a snare" frequently
because the Holy Spirit reveals truth and every right path to him, whereas "the ungodly man
[often] is delivered" into the pitfalls of his own making (vs. 11:7).
In the public arena, the difference between the godly and the perverse is also evident. Even
national prosperity and security are seriously threatened by those who "snare" their fellow men
with clever words and proposals but lack godly wisdom. Blessed the nation which is led by wise
and Spirit-filled leaders, for the people shall "prosper" (vs.11:10).
O Lord, our true Wisdom, open the eyes of our hearts to receive Thy wisdom as a lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our paths. (see Ps. 118:105 LXX)
Sunday, January 4, 2004
(Tone 4) Sunday before Theophany
Kellia: Isaiah 35:1-10 Epistle: 2 Timothy 4:5-8 Gospel: St. Mark 1:1-8
Isaiah 35:1-10, especially vs. 4, "Comfort one another, you fainthearted; be
strong, fear not; behold our God renders judgment, and He will render it; He will come and save
us." St. Gregory of Nyssa instructs the children of the New Covenant to explore the riches of the
words of the Old Covenant; for, he observes, "I find that not only do the Gospels, written after
the crucifixion, proclaim the grace of Baptism, but even before the Incarnation of the Lord, the
ancient Scripture everywhere prefigured the likeness of our regeneration; not clearly manifesting
its form, but foreshowing, in dark saying, the love of God to man." Today's reading from the
Prophet Isaiah surely and superbly illustrates St. Gregory's point.
The salvation which the Lord won in the flesh provides abundant reasons to comfort one another,
for God has saved us by coming in the flesh. Each one, having passed through the waters of
Holy Baptism, now has his feet upon "a pure way" that he might "not go astray" (vs. 8). As the
redeemed of the Lord, the Christian is gathered to Him that he may "come to Zion with joy," that
is, to the Church of Christ, where "joy shall take possession" of us (vs. 10).
This experience of joy in the Church contrasts sharply with the aridity which the child of God
discerns in the fabric of this present life. In St. Gregory of Nyssa's words, all water now serves
to refresh "the soul that is parched and unadorned," the soul that cries out with David: "My soul
thirsteth after Thee like a waterless land" (Ps. 142:6 LXX). When water is blessed at Theophany,
the Priest says, "Thou art our God Who didst cleave the rock in the wilderness, so that the waters
gushed out and the valleys overflowed, thus satisfying Thy thirsty people."
How is this so? When the Lord entered the waters of Jordan, He sanctified every drop of water
on the face of the whole earth. For the Faithful, water no longer is a mere object to be used or
abused, as a lifeless thing. Rather, now, water is a sanctified medium for spiritual cleansing, for
blessing, and for healing - because it has touched the sacred flesh of the Lord Christ.
In being baptized, the Lord Jesus not only gave us an example to follow - to be Baptized
ourselves, but also prepared all the waters of the earth that they might be used of God to give us
His thirst-quenching Holy Spirit Who "doth overflow with streams and passages of grace."
Today's reading also speaks to us in our weakness, infirmity, grief, and despair: "Be strong, fear
not; behold our God renders judgment, and He will render it; He will come and save us" (Is. 35:4
LXX). God promised, and has acted through the Only Begotten. What did the Lord Jesus do
when He came to save us? He opened the eyes of the physically blind, but greater than that, He
opened eyes that were spiritually closed, and this He still does.
As one who was healed physically said, "Since the world began it has been unheard of that
anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do
nothing" (Jn. 9:32-33). All was desert before, now is a "fountain of water poured into the thirsty
land" (Is. 35:6). God is saving us, opening our blind eyes, unstopping our deaf ears,
strengthening our walk before Him, and putting praise on our stammering lips (see vss. 4-6).
Finally, let us note that we are taught a new and living Way which the Lord has established, the
way of the Orthodox Church, of Zion, the Temple of the living God. The Lord disclosed to
Isaiah that this Way would be holy and pure and unassailable by the devouring lion, Satan (1 Pet.
5:8), because for us Christ defeated the ancient enemy and his "evil beasts" (Is. 35:9) on the life-bearing Tree. Now we may walk on the Way, and we "shall not go astray" (vs. 8), but shall be
gathered with the Lord, and everlasting joy shall be on our heads (see vs. 10).
Grant us O Lord to draw water in faith and receive thereby the grace of Thy Holy Spirit.
Monday, January 5, 2004
Strict Fast Day
Eve of Theophany
Kellia: Isaiah 12:3-6 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 Gospel: St. Luke 3:1-18
Isaiah 12:3-6 LXX, especially vss. 4, 5, "Sing to the Lord, call aloud
upon His Name, proclaim His glorious deeds among the Gentiles; make mention that His Name
is exalted. Sing praise to the Name of the Lord." St. Peter of Damascus observes that "in both
the Old and the New Testament, the names given are appropriate. Thus Adam was named from
the four cardinal points; for the four letters of his name are the initial letters of the Greek words
for East, West, North and South." Of course, in Hebrew, Adam simply means "man."
Often a name was changed when God gave one's life a new direction, as in the case of Jacob
being renamed Israel. Born clutching the heel of his twin brother Esau, his parents named him
Jacob, "he who clutches" (Gen. 25:26 LXX). However, after he wrestled with a 'man' at a ford
of the river Jabbok, and prevailed, Jacob asked a blessing from his Opponent. The answer was:
"Thy name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; for thou hast prevailed
with God, and shalt be mighty with men" (Gen. 32:28 LXX).
Of course, the most significant Name in Scripture, "the Name above every name" (Phil. 2:9), is
the Name of God the Lord. Moses, desiring support for his leadership from the people of Israel,
asked God to tell him His Name, to which God answered, "I AM, the One Who Is." (Ex. 3:14).
The form of this name in Hebrew follows the present tense, first and/or third person, singular of
the verb "to be," forms not normally used in Hebrew, being understood: "The tree tall," for
example, instead of "The tree is tall." In the Septuagint version of Ex. 3:14, the Name of God is
"O ON," the One Who Is, which appears in icons of the Lord Jesus in the letters on the Cross
within the halo behind His head. It is also heard in the blessing at the end of Vespers, "Christ our
God, the Existing One, is blessed, always; now and ever and unto ages of ages."
St. Maximos reminds us that "the Father's Name is not something...He has acquired.... He does
not have a beginning, so that at a certain moment He begins to be Father or King, but He is
eternal and so is eternally Father and King." However, "the Name of God the Father exists in
substantial form in the eternal, only-begotten Son," Who teaches us to call God, 'Our Father.'
Therefore, when the Prophet directs us to "call aloud upon His Name" (Is. 12:4 LXX), he shows
us our dependency on God, our incapacity and inability to save ourselves. We are to call on Him
Who saves, on Jesus our Lord, Whose Name means, "Savior" (Mt. 1:21). We do this pre-eminently in the Jesus Prayer as St. Theophan the Recluse says, "because it unites the soul with
our Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus is the only door to union with God." And, after all, union
with Him is the aim of the prayer and of its continual usage among Orthodox Christians.
Isaiah also tells us to "make mention that His Name is exalted" (Is. 12:4 LXX), and never to take
the name of God in vain (Ex. 20:7). It should remain as prayer, worship, or confession of faith
upon our lips: "thank God, God knows, leave it to God, God forbid, glory to God" and such.
How blessed to "Sing praise to the Name of the Lord" (Is. 12:5 LXX), to worship and adore His
Holy Name. It is no wonder that Orthodoxy has such a great musical tradition of 'a capella'
singing, of lifting the voice in praise to our Creator and Savior. It is not important that any one of
us be a great musician, but that singing remains honored among us - even for the tone deaf. St.
Romanos the Melodist was illiterate, with no musical training, and was despised by certain
educated clergy, but through the intercessions of the Theotokos he composed more than a
thousand of our Kontakia as a Deacon of the Great Church in Constantinople.
Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name; proclaim from day to day the good tidings of His salvation.
Declare among the nations His glory." (Ps. 95:2, 3 LXX)
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
The Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ
Kellia: Genesis 1:1-13 Epistle: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Gospel: St. Matthew 3:13-17
Genesis 1:1-13 LXX, especially vss. 3, 4, 5, "And God said, Let there be
light, and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the
light and the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night...."
Our Illumination is He Who doth illumine every man (Jn. 1:9), Christ our God. He is the Creator
of the world "Who didst appear in the world, to lighten them that sit in darkness." He Who is
Light began this existence by bringing forth light, dividing it from darkness, and calling these
two creations "Day" and "Night." Thus, because of two acts, creation and His Divine Theophany
in this created world, we know two kinds of light - uncreated, or Divine Light and created light
which He made in many forms. Created light now serves our physical need to see but also
provides a means for understanding uncreated Light as well as the other energies of God.
St. Nikolai of Zica identifies four revelations of God imbedded in the creation account, with
which we may associate light: 1) God is a changeless Creator, a Light "with Whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning" (Jas. 1:17). 2) He is a God wise and most merciful, a Light to
our paths (see Ps. 118:105 LXX) Who is guiding us towards our intended goal in Light. 3) He is
a God Who created physical light and will therefore bring such light to an end along with the rest
of His creation. 4) God is the Creator of "two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly, the material
and the immaterial." Hence, in His "Light shall we see light" (see Ps. 35:10 LXX).
Mankind is a changeable creation, always in flux and mutating, which disrupts our ability to
establish a renewing relationship with God. However, as Vladimir Lossky says, the "uncreated,
eternal, divine, and deifying light is grace...[the] divine energies as they are given to us and
accomplish the work of our deification....Being the light of the divinity, grace cannot remain
hidden or unnoticed, acting in man, changing his nature, entering into a more and more intimate
union with him...revealing to man the face of the living God, and....those who are worthy of it
attain the sight of the 'kingdom of God come with power' in this life, as the three apostles saw it
on Mount Tabor." While the Light of God does not change, His grace or energies change us,
moving us toward illumination and stability in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our task is to purify ourselves by faith through ascetic labors, as St. Makarios of Egypt says, "If
through faith and effort we are enabled to become partakers of the Holy Spirit, then to a
corresponding degree our bodies also will be glorified on the last day. For what is now treasured
up within the soul will then be revealed outwardly in the body." As God guides us toward our
intended goal in Light, it is His Light that He uses to guide us toward the Light.
The most difficult obstacle facing us in our efforts to become glorified through God's ineffable
light is the allure of the immediate and distracting pleasures of the flesh and our inner instability
and restlessness. God, however, reminds us repeatedly in Scripture that He has called us to be
children of the Light and heirs of eternal good things and that at present we are 'on the Way.'
However, in the words of the Baptismal service, we have to "prove ourselves as children of the
Light." Let us not take our eyes off the end toward which we are striving.
The Theophany of our Lord is a gracious reminder from God that we are not merely material
beings, but creatures also able to participate in the immaterial world all around us. The Saints
teach us to open our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies to the uncreated Light, for as St. Gregory of
Thessalonika says, He who participates in this Light "...is united to the Light and with the Light
he sees in full consciousness all that remains hidden for those who have not this grace." Illumine
us, O Master Who lovest mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge.
Wednesday, January 7, 2003
Synaxis of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist, John
Kellia: 4 Kings 2:6-14 LXX Apostle: Acts 19:1-8 Gospel: St. John 1:29-34
4 Kings 2:6-14 LXX (2 K 2:6-14 MT), especially vs. 6, "And Elijah said to
him, Stay here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Jordan...." Akin to the sentiment of
Alfred Lord Tennyson's famous poetic line, "And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I
put out to sea," is the African-American Spiritual that sings of "Goin' over Jordan," both using
similes of crossing water for dying. "Goin' over Jordan" also has a kinship with the subject of
today's reading as well as the account of Israel's crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land
(Jos. 3, 4). A similar crossing imagery is found in the Orthodox Funeral Service: "As I behold
the sea of life surging high with the tempest of temptations, I set my course toward Thy tranquil
haven and cry aloud to Thee: lead Thou my life forth from corruption, O Most Merciful One."
The association of death with passing through or across water to a better life has, of course, also
attached itself to the waters of Holy Baptism, as when the Priest says, "But do Thou, Master of
all, show this water to be the water of redemption, the water of sanctification, the purification of
flesh and spirit, the loosing of bonds, the remission of sins, the illumination of the soul, the laver
of regeneration, the renewal of the spirit, the gift of adoption to sonship, the garment of
incorruption, the fountain of life."
As a type of Holy Baptism, the crossing the Jordan by the Prophets Elijah and Elisha at the time
of Elijah's assumption, ought to awaken us to the experience of death and new life in our own
Baptism. The Lord Jesus explicitly connected Baptism and death when He responded to the
request of the mother of the disciples James and John, that her sons be granted the privilege of
sitting, "one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom" (Mt. 20:21). On this
occasion, the Lord challenged the ability of the sons of Zebedee to be "baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with" (Mt. 20:22). They, in innocence, not recalling what He had just said
about His Passion (Mt. 20:17-19), assert, "We are able" (Mt. 20:22).
This reference by the Lord to His Passion as a Baptism reveals the intimate relationship between
His Baptism and His Death. First, by receiving a Baptism of repentance from the Prophet John
(Mt. 3), the Lord assumed the burden of mankind's sins. However, being Himself without sin,
He was able to fulfill that which God had required of Israel, to be a light to the nations (Is. 42:6),
for in His Passion, the sins which He assumed were nailed to the Tree and died with Him, the
sins of all people through all time.
The naive request of James and John through their mother's request, even though the Lord Jesus
just had mentioned His Passion, suggests that, when the Lord asked whether they could be
baptized with His baptism, they were hearkening back in their minds to the Baptism of
Forerunner John. Tradition holds that John the son of Zebedee was one of the two disciples (the
other being Andrew) who first followed the Lord at the behest of the Holy Baptizer (Jn. 1:35-37).
Finally, let us note that the crossing of Elijah and Elisha participate in the pattern of all disciples -
including James and John - a pattern that the Lord Jesus requires of all His followers. Even
though Elisha was warned of Elijah's death, he asserted that he would not leave his master (see 4
K 2:3, 5). Similarly each true disciple of Christ follows the Lord even in bearing a cross (see Mt.
16:24). Elisha desired to share in Elijah's spirit (4 K 2:6), as each Christian desires to be united
to Christ and to receive His gift of the Holy Spirit. Elijah's mantle fell upon Elisha (4 K 2:13),
even as the ministry of Christ falls upon every member of the Church (Mt. 28:19-20).
O Maker of heaven and earth, Thou didst come to the Jordan in the flesh and seek baptism,
though Thou art sinless, to purify the world and grant cleansing: Glory to Thee!
Thursday, January 8, 2004
The Venerable George the Chosebite
Kellia: 4 Kings 2:19-22 Epistle: Hebrews 10:35-11:7 Gospel: St. Mark 12:38-44
4 Kings 2:19-22 LXX (2 K 2:19-22 MT), especially vs. 21, "Thus saith the
Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be any longer death thence or barren land."
The Great Blessing of the Water is appointed twice at the Feast of Theophany. The first takes
place on the paramon (the day of preparation for the Feast), and the other takes place on the day
of the Feast itself. There is no difference between the two services. Where both Blessings are
celebrated, some among the Faithful have adopted the pious custom of drinking the waters of the
first blessing for health and spiritual refreshment (since the Fifth is a strict fast day), and then of
sprinkling their homes with the water from the second blessing. However, the distinction between
these blessed waters is purely customary and not a canonical requirement. The water from either
service may just as well be used for both purposes.
The present Old Testament reading draws our hearts to a consideration of the Great Blessing of
the Water and of its meaning, as do also the three Old Testament lessons appointed for reading at
the blessing: Is. 35:1-10 (see Jan. 4), Is. 55:1-13 (see Jan. 20), and Is. 12:3-6 (see Jan. 5). The
present passage focuses on the importance of water spiritually and physically, its place in hearts
and souls and as a medium for God's cleansing, renewing, and healing work.
Much could be said about the general necessity of water for human communities and for all other
living creatures who share the earth with us. When the Prophet Elisha cleansed the springs which
served as Jericho's water supply, he pronounced the will of God: that all water should be health-giving and never the cause of any "death thence or barren land" (4K 2:21). This explicit
declaration of the will of God surely remains as a motivation compelling us to cooperate with the
goals of public legislation such as the United States Clean Water Act of 1972.
As stewards of the earth's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, Orthodox Christians anywhere in the
world have an obligation to bend our energies to assure the future of the world's water resources
for drinking, fishing, and swimming. Yes, we are not free to turn on the water tap, mindless of
our stake in all efforts to clean up pollution and to pass on a heritage of clean, potable, life-supporting water to the human generations and all the other life forms after us.
The men of Jericho approached the Prophet Elisha for his help with the city's springs, for they
realized that their water supply problems were not merely an issue of physical contamination but
were a difficulty having a spiritual dimension as well (vs. 19). There will be no instant solutions
to the rapid degradation of the world's waters so long as human hearts and souls are not healed.
Until we approach the basic elements of earth with reverence, we labor in vain to heal the springs
of our cities and lands. The Great Blessing calls water "a gift of sanctification, a deliverance
from sins unto healing of soul and body and unto every expedient purpose."
Let us realize our relationship with water as a fellow 'creature' upon which we depend both
physically and spiritually. May God also open the eyes of our hearts to the sacramental role of
water. In the great mystery of His infinite love, God cleansed the water of Jericho in a rite of
blessing for life in that city and for the whole ecosystem within which it was situated. So let us
also drink the Divinely blessed waters of Theophany and sprinkle them upon our homes,
rejoicing as the Priests bless our homes. God, the Holy and Life-giving Trinity is among us
giving "redemption, the blessing of Jordan," providing for the "remission of sins...protection
against disease...destruction of demons" unto the cleansing of our hearts and souls.
Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works and no words sufficeth to hymn Thy
wonders. Glory to Thee O Lord. Glory to Thee.
Friday, January 9, 2004
Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow
Kellia: 3 Kings 12:16-24 Epistle: Hebrews 11:8, 11-16 Gospel: St. Mark 13:1-8
3 Kings 12:16-24 LXX (1 K 12:16-24 MT), especially vss. 22-24,
"And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam the
son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant
of the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, neither shall ye fight with your
brethren the sons of Israel: return each man to his own home; for this thing is from Me...." God
called forth His Prophet Shemaiah during a major crisis in the history of the ancient People of
God. First, the Lord sent Shemaiah, as well as the Prophet Ahijah, to precipitate the separation of
the twelve tribes into two nations, Judah and Israel. Then, after the ten northern tribes had
separated from Judah and Benjamin, the Lord again sent His word to Shemaiah to stop a
fratricidal war just as it was beginning - by a proclamation of restraint to the people of Judah.
Relations among the descendants of the twelve sons of the Patriarch Israel had a long, unsettled
history. The present reading clearly reveals that the rebellion of the northern tribes from the
Davidic monarchy was precipitated by the brash actions of Rehoboam, the newly crowned King
over the twelve tribes (and see 3 K 12:1-15 LXX). The reading also reveals that the northern
tribes were ready to rebel because of forced labor and taxation imposed by Rehoboam's father,
King Solomon (3 K. 11:28; 12:3 LXX). But Scripture also show the true determining factor in
the break up: the judgment of God against the idolatry instituted by King Solomon (3 K 11:9-13).
God allows consequences to come when we sin against Him.
In this instance, it is important to note carefully why the Lord created a crisis among the tribes
through two of His Prophets, Ahijah (3 K 11:29-39 LXX) and Shemaiah (only 3 K 12:24 LXX):
because Solomon "turned away his heart from the Lord God of Israel" (3 K. 11:9). Also do not
overlook the fact that God caused the break through His Prophets' words and actions.
Begin with the exclusive Septuagint (LXX) account of the first of Shemaiah's actions during the
inter-tribal crisis: he prompted Jeroboam to rebel against the Davidic dynasty and to assume the
throne of the northern tribes of Israel. "And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah son of
Enlami, saying, Take to thyself a new garment which has not gone into the water, and rend it into
twelve pieces; and thou shalt give some to Jeroboam, and shalt say to him, Thus saith the Lord,
Take to thyself ten pieces to cover thee: and Jeroboam took them; and Shemaiah said, Thus saith
the Lord concerning the ten tribes of Israel" (3 K12:24 LXX, paragraph 6).
Do you see a pattern in God's activity among His People? He uses a specific individual who
speaks His word, but then, He causes His Prophet to dramatize His message, to clarify and assert
His word fully. Recall the action of the Lord Jesus in withering the fig tree (Mt. 21:19-21), and
you will see another instance of God dramatically reinforcing His verbal word with actions.
The second action of Shemaiah in the crisis between the two Kingdoms came after the actual split
between the tribes (read 3 K 12:1-24 LXX). Rehoboam was fully determined to go to war with
Jeroboam, break the coalition of northern tribes, and prevent the defection of Israel from his rule.
First, he ineptly sends Adoram, the chief of conscription for forced labor, to gain the submission
of the northern tribes. The people of the north, however, "stoned him with stones, and he died" (3
K.12:18 LXX). Therefore, King Rehoboam mustered an army to prevent the secession (3 K.
11:11 LXX). Finally, the Lord sent the Prophet Shemaiah to proclaim the will of the Lord
against fratricide. The commandments of God abide for all people.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and
truth, and establish among them peace which is the fruit of righteousness.
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa
Kellia: Exodus 14:15-29 Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-17 Gospel: St. Matthew 4:1-11
Exodus 14:15-29 LXX (Ex. 14:15-29 MT), especially vs. 25,
"...and the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them...." The
Feast of Theophany is the greatest of the Holy Days of the Church after Pascha and Pentecost.
The Gospel read this day at the Divine Liturgy (Mt. 3:13-17) is the account of the first,
undisguised, historical manifestation of the God the Holy Trinity: God the Son, the Incarnate
Word, is baptized by the Forerunner in the waters of Jordan. God the Father audibly voices His
infinite pleasure in His Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit confirms the Father's word in His descent
upon the Lord Jesus in the form of a dove.
Anciently, in preparation for the Feast, the Church kept an all night Vigil. Holy Baptism was
administered during this service. The Vigil began with the full assembly - Catechumens and the
Faithful - sharing in a Solemn Catechesis of fifteen Lessons from the Old Testament, after which
those to be Baptized were led to a separate building called a "Baptisterion" while the Faithful
continued with Little Compline, Great Vespers, Litiya and Artoklasia. Finally, the newly
Baptized came in procession and joined the Faithful for Orthros and the Divine Liturgy.
The ten Old Testament lessons which we begin reading today are from the Catechesis. They
describe events that were foreshadowings or antitypes of the greater reality of Holy Baptism
revealed in the Mystery of Christ. Like all antitypes, they actually participate in the eternal truths
of the reality they herald. As each Christian partakes in the Lord's Baptism through his own
Baptism, in a similar manner, each of these events, as antitype, conveys something of the
Mystery of Christ's Baptism and ours: Israel's escape at the Red Sea, the entrance into the Holy
Land at the Jordan, Isaiah's call to repentance, Jacob's experience at Mahanaim, Moses' rescue
from the Nile, Gideon's fleece, Elijah's sacrifice on Mount Carmel, the sweetening of the bitter
waters of Marah, Isaiah's vision of the great Day of Salvation, Naaman's cleansing from leprosy.
To be Baptized, therefore, is to proclaim our deliverance at the Red Sea: that the Lord fights for
us, that God Himself delivers us from our enemy - the old slave master - and that the Lord
Himself blesses us by the hand of His servants. We not only proclaim these truths as rational
knowledge but also as an act of God that has transformed us because we share in the Mystery of
Christ through Holy Baptism. The truth is we are defended, delivered, and blessed by the one
God, for "A helper and protector [is God] unto me for salvation (Ex. 15:2 LXX).
Who has not tasted defeat by sin, the overwhelming, crushing power of sin to enslave and
dehumanize us? Who could fail to assent with St. John of the Ladder in his struggle as one
passion gives place to another and the "spirit of despair rejoices at the sight of increasing vice."
Yet, as the Lord's own, we stand amazed as He takes up on our behalf our battle against sin, and
the Holy Spirit, like a pillar of glory, stands between us and our sin and prevents its advance.
The Lord yokes Himself to us, and delivers us from our enemy the slave master, vanquishing in
and through our flesh that which has held us. Death comes with chariot, spear, and sword, and we
find no escape from his tyranny, yet we see Moses "trace the Cross, thus symbolizing that
invincible weapon" as his hands are stretched over the sea.
When the Lord's Priest plunged us beneath the waters we knew the blessing of the Master Who
"couldst not endure to behold mankind oppressed by the Devil" and "didst come and save us."
The Priest's hands that baptized, lifted us up, and anointed us, were Christ's own hands.
We confess Thy grace. We proclaim Thy mercy. We conceal not Thy gracious acts. Thou hast
delivered the generations of our mortal nature. All creation magnifieth Thee.
Sunday after Theophany, January 11, 2004
(Tone Five) Theodosios the Great
Kellia: Joshua 3:7-8, 15-17 Epistle: Ephesians 4:7-13 Gospel: St. Matthew 4:12-17
Joshua 3:7-8, 15-17 LXX, especially vs. 17, "And the
priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry land in the midst of Jordan; and
all the children of Israel went through on dry land...." What a contrast there is between the
crossing of the Jordan and the earlier passage through the Red Sea! Forty years apart, the two
events were markedly different for the ancient People of Israel. At Jordan, Joshua led the people
instead of Moses. Israel was not fleeing but advancing to receive the land promised to them as an
inheritance. They came to the shores of Jordan with neither fear nor threat driving them. They
came with expectation, a free people, not fugitive slaves, stepping into a dry watercourse. This
was no mob, but an army with its divisions, leaders, chain of command, a seasoned force.
Let us look upon our Baptism through the lens of this triumphant crossing of the Jordan. Let us
learn from our ancient forefathers in the Spirit to press forward toward the goal that God has
achieved, to advance toward the 'land,' the Kingdom He has set before us. Let us reflect on the
example of ancient Israel as a reminder that we depend wholly on the power of 'Joshua,' the One
Who saves, for He is with us to restrain the floods of this life. Finally, let our consideration of
this crossing of the ancient People of God make us ever mindful of the need to maintain our place
within the ranks of the Saints, so that we and all the Faithful may pass over dry shod.
"All the children of Israel went through on dry land" (vs. 17). Take note of how that happened:
God directed Joshua to have the Priests march forward; and they lifted the Ark of the Covenant,
stepped into the rushing waters of Jordan, up well over its banks (vs. 15), and they never
hesitated to obey. How readily the flesh wants to hold back when there is 'objective evidence' of
a threatening flood of events! Logic screams at us not to go forward against the insurmountable,
to settle for second best, and to forego our claim on the "heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). How
tragic to let the "persuasive words of human wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:4) defeat us! We were Baptized
into Him Who rose from the dead, Beloved, and united to Him Who stilled the raging of the
winds and waves. Let us not define defeat, loss, and shame as this world does. Let us step into
certain difficulties knowing that God has commanded us, for God is with us.
It may not be evident in reading this account of the great son of Nun, that Joshua, his given name,
is the same name which was given to our Lord Jesus Christ by angelic command (Mt. 1:21; Lk.
1:31). Observe: the name Joshua would transliterate precisely from Hebrew into English as
Yeshua. In Greek, however, the name transliterated as Iesous. In turn, this name transliterated
into English as Jesus. Both the son of Nun and the son of the Theotokos have the same name in
Hebrew! Most of all note: the name means, the One Who Saves, Savior.
How is it that in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition God can urge us, as Baptized members of
Christ, to step without hesitation into impossible circumstances in this life? It is simply because
He knows that we cannot be defeated in Him except by our sin, fear, and despair. As God said to
Joshua, "This day do I begin to exalt thee before all the children of Israel" (Jos. 3:7). The world
may call us "losers, stupid, narrow-minded," but in Baptism God promised to exalt us in Jesus
our Savior before the Angels, the Church on earth and in heaven, and the world. Baptism was
our initiation; let us advance that God may save us through Jesus our Savior.
Finally, let us ever remember that "all the children of Israel" went forward. Our yielding to
worldly wisdom will break ranks and weaken the resolve of others. "The Church is revealed to all
as a brilliantly lit heaven, leading the Faithful in the way of light. Standing therein, we cry:
Make firm the foundation of this Thy household, O Lord!"
Monday, January 12, 2004
The Venerable Sabbas of Serbia
Kellia: Isaiah 1:16-20 Epistle: Hebrews 11:17-23, 27-31 Gospel: St. Mark 9:42-10:1
Isaiah 1:16-20 LXX, especially vs. 19, "if ye...hearken to
Me, ye shall eat the good of the land." St. Paul refers to the passing of Israel through the Red Sea
so that we should recall our Baptism "to the intent that we...not lust after evil things as they also
lusted" (1 Cor. 10:6). Both the Apostle and the Prophet Isaiah warn us that it is possible, despite
union with Christ, to fall into sin after receiving the Christian Mystery.
Notice, in the Isaiah reading, that God delivers both commands (vss. 16-18) and promises (vss.
18-20). Baptism and membership into the Church do not guarantee salvation. As members of
Christ, we receive the promise that "in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Cor 15:22), but as the
Prophet and the Apostle both teach, we are joined to the Lord so that we should "work out [our]
own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Baptism guarantees that "it is God Who
works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). However, salvation also
requires our effort, for God blesses those who strive to keep His commands. So let us consider
the eight commands and two promises which we have received from God through Isaiah.
First, we are to wash (Is. 1:16). Baptism is not optional. The risen Lord reiterated this command
in specific form to the Apostles on the mountain in Galilee, promising to be with the Church to
the end of the age (Mt. 28:19-20). His presence is the important assurance in Baptism.
Second, we must cleanse not just what is visible, but "remove [our] iniquities from [our] souls
before Mine eyes" (Is. 1:16). God looks within where the eye of man does not penetrate. As the
Lord says, "first cleanse the inside of the cup" (Mt. 23:26). St. John Cassian urges us to "establish
purity of heart...it is for this that we should do everything."
Third, with purification must come the acquisition of virtues. The Lord says, "learn to do well"
(Is. 1:17 LXX). The verb is "mathete," which is the root in Greek for the word 'disciple'. It
implies training in what is good, including practice, reflection, correction, and re-practice. The
good developed within must be woven into our outward relationships and actions with others.
Fourth, the Lord says, "diligently seek judgment" (vs. 17). The verb in the original can refer to
that which we decide objectively, even to judicial findings; but also it may refer to
discrimination, the kind of inner discernment needed to make God-pleasing decisions.
Fifth, therefore, we are to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit before all else.
Sixth all the internal work of the Christian life is worth nothing if it does not lead us to "deliver
him that is suffering wrong" (vs. 17). In St. Paul's words, "though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:2). Good feelings, thoughts, and
intentions must be put to work lovingly on behalf of those who are suffering.
Seventh, loving care in action must be extended to the most defenseless: the orphans and widows.
God requires that we "plead for the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow" (Is. 1:17).
Eighth, having stated clearly what He expects of us after Baptism, our Lord Jesus Christ invites
us to consider the heart