Saturday, April 16, 2005 Lenten Fast
Laudations of the Akathist to the Theotokos
Kellia: Malachi 4:1-6 Epistle: Hebrews 9:1-7 Gospel: St. Luke 1:39-49, 56
St. Luke 1:39-49, 56, especially vss. 41, 42: "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice...."
The first-ever laudations or praises to the Theotokos are recorded in today's Gospel, which makes this passage particularly
appropriate as the Gospel today when special praises are directed to be chanted to the Mother of God.
The institution of this liturgical remembrance hearkens back to an occasion during a siege of the city of Constantinople by
an overwhelming, hostile, Persian military force in AD 620. Because the contravening prayers of the Theotokos were
sought by the citizenry, the great holy city of Eastern Christianity was saved, for a sudden "violent tempest broke out in
which the ships of the enemy were wrecked, sinking with all on board" and casting the bodies of these Christ-hating
enemies in front of the Church of the Theotokos at Blachernae.
The portion of St. Luke's Gospel we are considering today reveals that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Forerunner,
offered these praises to Mary under inspiration of the Holy Spirit (vs. 41). Thus, her words deserve to be read very closely,
being divinely given and prophetic in nature. Elizabeth spoke of the Virgin's place "among women" (vs. 42). She
discerned both the nature of the Child developing within the womb of the Theotokos (vss. 42-44), and she noted correctly
the reason for the singular honor which God bestowed upon Mary (vs. 45).
Moved by the greeting of her cousin Mary, Elizabeth declared the Theotokos to be "blessed...among women" (vs. 42). But
in what sense should we understand her designation of the Virgin Mary as blessed - merely because she was gifted with a
child and this latent capacity of her womanhood was now being realized - much as we congratulate a woman who shares
her joy because she is "expecting," or was it because of the particular Child she was carrying?
Elizabeth definitely emphasized the blessing of the special Child that Mary was carrying, for she added the phrase, "and
blessed is the fruit of your womb" (vs. 42). She drove home her point further by expanding the comment with a question,
"But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (vs. 43). Thus she announced that the
Child was her Lord, her Kyrios. Among first-century Jews, Kyrios was the word usually spoken in reciting Old Testament
texts with the four letter Name of God, following the use in the synagogues of substituting the Hebrew word "Adonay" for
the four letters. Even in secular usage, kyrios was applied to one's owner, one's superior, one's employer, one's ruler.
These laudations of Elizabeth were further expanded by her report of the quickening of her child within her womb in
response to Mary's greeting (vs. 44). The God-given child of Elizabeth (Lk. 1:13,24) was moved merely at being in the
presence of the Divine Child within the Theotokos. Already there was communication between the Forerunner and his
Messiah. What a blessing! It is the blessing we know in coming to the Holy Chalice. Christ is among us!
Elizabeth adds one final word of praise for the blessedness of her cousin Mary: "Blessed is she who believed, for there will
be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord" (vs. 45). The utter trust in God, the total submission of
self to the will and purpose of God evinced by Mary, was taken up by Elizabeth as her own in the moment in which she
declared "there will be a fulfillment" of what God had told the blessed Virgin. She spoke prophetically what St. Paul
would say later, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Cor 5:19).
O thou lamp in the flesh, O Forerunner of Christ, who didst worship Him leaping in the womb, we implore thee, O Prophet
to intercede with Him to save and deliver us.
Sunday, April 17, 2005 Lenten Fast (Tone 5)
Mary of Egypt; 5th Sunday of Great Lent
Kellia: Nehemiah 12:43-47 Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-14 Gospel: St. Mark 10:32-45
St. Mark 10:32-45, especially vss. 32, 33: "Then He took the twelve aside again and began to
tell them the things that would happen to Him: 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed
to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles.'" The Lord
Jesus once posed a question to His disciples which, eventually, every human being must answer: "Who do you say that I
Am?" (Mk. 8:29). When the Lord first asked this question of His disciples, Peter, as spokesman for the group, confessed
Him to be "the Christ" (Mk. 8:29). After that answer, the Lord stretched the vision of those first disciples concerning "the
Christ." Historically, the Messiah would triumph only through suffering and death prior to rising on the third day. He did
not, and still does not, permit "the Christ" to be identified apart from betrayal, condemnation, death, and Resurrection as
essential realities. This is how the God-Man defines Himself.
This assertion of a suffering Christ was one of three prophecies by the Lord concerning His Passion (8:31; 9:31; 10:32,33).
The present reading is the final and most detailed of these. After this prophecy, James and John asked the Lord: "Grant us
that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory" (Mk. 10:37). How lightly they passed
over the "delivery" to the chief priests and scribes, the condemnation, the surrender to the Romans, the mocking, scourging,
spitting, and the execution! Still, St. John Chrysostom softens the appalling flippancy of these sons of Zebedee: "But let no
man be troubled at the Apostles being in such an imperfect state. For not yet was the Cross accomplished, not yet the grace
of the Spirit given."
Grasp St. John Chrysostom's point: after the Passion and the Glory, the disciples were very different men, humbled in
themselves. We have the privilege of looking back at the Lord's Passion "through" the Resurrection, but still the life-giving Cross must confront us in its double truth: the suffering of our Savior, and ourselves as sinners. The Gospels require
us to "..look into the perfect law of liberty, and continue therein and not be forgetful hearers" (Jas. 1:25).
What a timely reading this passage is! We have arrived at the last Sunday of Great Lent. Soon we will relive the solemn
and saving events of Great and Holy Week. May we, like the first disciples, as we participate again in the Lord's Passion,
see the price He paid to release us from the thrall of death and sin. How wisely the Holy Fathers of the Church crafted this
Sunday with its dual focus on the Life-giving Passion and on the Venerable St. Mary of Egypt!
Why St. Mary? Because she embodies that true repentance which embraces the Passion. When she venerated the Life-giving Cross, she saw herself and chose the life of struggle and repentance in the desert. Listen to the experience of that
blessed former harlot in her own words:
"The holy day of the Exaltation of the Cross dawned while I was still flying about - hunting for youths....When the hour for
the holy elevation [of the Cross] approached, I was trying to make my way in with the crowd....I was stopped by some force
which prevented my entering....Having repeated my attempt three or four times, at last I felt exhausted and...began to
understand the reason why I was prevented....it was my unclean life which barred the entrance to me. I began to weep and
lament." She, however, begged the Theotokos to intercede with Christ for her, and the weeping Mary received the grace to
see the Cross: "I saw too the Mysteries of God and how the Lord accepts repentance." Thus, she spent forty years in the
desert repenting.
Having taken thee, O righteous Mary, as an example of true repentance, we beg thee to implore Christ our God to grant us
the same gift and grace, that in faith and yearning we may sing songs of deliverance unto thee.
Monday, April 18, 2005 Lenten Fast
Cosmas the Confessor, Bishop of Chalcedon
6th Hour: Isaiah 48:17-49:4 1st Vespers: Genesis 27:1-41 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 19:16-25
Genesis 27:1-42 LXX, especially vs. 28: "And may God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the
fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and wine." In this last week of Great Lent, the Genesis readings focus on
Abraham's grandson, Jacob, the younger of fraternal twins begotten to Abraham's son Isaac and his wife Rebekah (Gen
25:21-23). In personality these twins were very different: in Esau, the elder, the Holy Fathers perceived a tendency to
sensual wickedness, but in Jacob they found a man growing in his relationship with God. These two sons provide us with
rich insight into spiritual growth: Esau teaches us to "trample down all carnal desires," and Jacob reveals how to "enter
upon a spiritual manner of living," and to spend "the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance."
Reading the present lesson in isolation from the entire history of Jacob and Esau, one might well conclude that a gross
injustice was worked against Esau because of the plot of Rebekah and Jacob. The Holy Fathers, however, read this passage
in the context of all the historical evidence concerning the two. Hence, Origen observed that "the plot of Esau against
Jacob has its apparent occasion in taking away the blessing. But before this, Esau's soul had 'roots' of his being immoral
and irreligious." Evidence for this assertion of Origen appears in today's reading. Esau brooded angrily, and finally
decided upon murder (Gen. 27:41,42).
The Apostle Paul, referring to Esau, warns the Faithful to look "carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any...profane person like Esau"
(Heb. 12:15,16). After all, our Lord requires us to "trample down all carnal desires." And the Apostle says: "Let all
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice" (Eph. 4:31).
The Holy Fathers, reflecting on Rebekah's and Jacob's plot, found a type of spiritual growth. Just as Esau and Jacob came
from the single womb of Rebekah, so also both evil and good come from the same source - our souls. Hence St. Ambrose
teaches that, like Rebekah, we should repudiate the evil offspring of our hearts and see that "...goodness is fostered and
strengthened." Similarly, two prayers in the Liturgy are like these fraternal twins: in one we pray that we may "trample
down all carnal desires," and positively, in the other, we are to seek growth in the Spirit by "entering upon a spiritual
manner of living." Let us pursue the virtues actively, then, as Nikitas Stithatos says, we shall be "in [God's] likeness if we
possess virtue and understanding; for His virtue covered the heavens" (see Hab. 3:3).
There is a two-sided effort required for spiritual growth: to rid ourselves of the sinful passions, and to acquire the virtues.
In the Great Canon, St. Andrew of Crete teaches us to speak to ourselves: "O my soul, you have given away the birthright
and lost your Father's blessing, and in your wretchedness been twice supplanted in action and knowledge." By our sins we
give away the likeness of God impressed upon us; yet, through God's grace received in the Holy Mysteries of Confession
and Communion, we may regain that inestimable treasure of Divine likeness.
Again, we lose the heritage of our Heavenly Father by our sins: thus, St. Andrew says, "Therefore, repent now." Let us
"spend the remaining time of our life in peace and repentance," and be restored to our original and intended state. After the
blessing was gone, Esau came pleading because he wanted to inherit the blessing; but he was rejected. As the Apostle
teaches, he "found not place for repentance though he sought it with tears" (Heb. 12:17). However, in Christ, genuine
repentance, the cleansing of our sins, and restoration to God are possible again.
O Lord, accept the dust of our repentance, and grant us the heaven of Thy grace.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Lenten Fast
Hieromartyr Paphnoutios of Jerusalem
6th Hour: Isaiah 49:6-10 1st Vespers: Genesis 31:3-16 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 21:3-21
Genesis 31:3-16, especially vs. 13LXX: "...I will be with thee." The life of the Patriarch Jacob sheds much
light on God's providence. In all that happened to Jacob and his family, the Lord shielded them from overwhelming evil,
for the God of all, Who kept Israel and keeps the Church, surely cares for His inheritance: He "shall keep thy coming in and
thy going out, from henceforth and for evermore" (Ps. 120:8 LXX). His providence operates today for the Faithful, for, as
the Prophet David reveals, God has stored away His goodness for those who fear Him and hope in Him "before the sons of
men" (Ps. 30:19 LXX). Still, God's provision for His People is not a simple, one-way, Divine effort toward those whom
He randomly happens to bless. The abundant provision and protection of God flow in and to and through those who honor
Him in all their ways. "Honoring God in all one's ways" requires a heart ready to obey the Lord, unquestioning
submission to what He has ordained, and firm resolution never to act unilaterally.
Take careful note of the Lord's remark to Jacob: "Return to the land of thy father, and to thy family," for to this He added
a promise of providential oversight, "and I will be with thee" (vs. 3). The assurance of God's presence was dependent on
Jacob's obeying the Lord's command ending his ties in Haran, and returning to the land of his birth and to his immediate
family.
St. Theophan the Recluse counsels us that "everything you do should be done according to Divine will and for the sake of
pleasing God, in praise of His Most Holy Name. Thus we should examine each act...to see if it is in compliance with the
Divine will and then perform it...." Jacob considered his life with Laban, and he perceived that Laban's face was "not
toward [him] as before, but the God of my father was with me" (vs. 5). He recalled that God had intervened on his behalf
to defeat the plots of others against him. Thus, when the Lord said, "I Am God that appeared to thee...arise and depart out
of this land, depart into the land of thy nativity, and I will be with thee" (vs. 13 LXX), he resolved in his heart to do what
God commanded.
Leaving the land of the east meant that Jacob would leave his position under the authority of Laban, his father-in-law.
However, his resolve to depart was not some ill-conceived attempt to avoid authority, but a recognition of God's higher
sovereignty. It was the Lord Who directed him to return "where thou anointedst a pillar to Me, and vowedst to Me there a
vow" (vs. 13). For years, as a son-in-law, Jacob had worked unquestioningly under the authority of Laban, the father of his
wives. With all his might he served him, even when Laban deceived him and changed his wages - ten times (vss. 6,7)! If
we will not honor the authorities whom the Lord has ordained over us in the family, the workplace, government, and the
Church, how can we claim we are cooperating with God, and how can we expect the blessings of His providence? St. John
of the Ladder says that "obedience is the tomb of the will and the resurrection of humility." Jacob learned to die to his own
will, and in return saw God's providence work in his life.
Jacob did not act unilaterally in returning to Canaan. When the Lord commanded him to return to Canaan, graciously
sharing His will with him, He told Jacob, "I have seen all things that Laban does to thee" (vs. 12). Furthermore, God
promised him, "I will be with thee" (vs. 13 LXX). In turn, as God had done with him, Jacob counseled with his wives,
listening to their concerns and viewpoints and working out with them the plan to move (vs. 14-16). And they, in their turn,
stood with him in his resolve to obey God: "now then do whatsoever God has said to thee" (vs. 16). As we act "in God's
will," let us respect the needs of others that He may bless us.
In my heart have I hid Thy sayings that I might not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes. (Ps.
118:11,12 LXX).
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 Lenten Fast
Apostle Zaccheos, Bishop of Caesarea
6th Hour: Isaiah 58:1-11 1st Vespers: Genesis 43:26-30; 45:1-16 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 21:23-22:4
Genesis 43:26-32; 45:1-16 LXX, especially vs. 5: "Now then be not grieved, and let it not seem hard to
you that ye sold me hither, for God sent me before you for life." There are a dozen chapters of Genesis between
yesterday's reading and today's reading. They tell of jealous plotting by Jacob's older sons toward Joseph their younger
half-brother, the sale of Joseph into slavery in Egypt, Joseph's growth into spiritual maturity, Pharaoh's discovery of
Joseph's wisdom, and Pharaoh's placement of Joseph in control over all of Egypt. They record Joseph's management of
the country during famine, the history of how Joseph's brothers came to him providentially for food, the story of his
brothers' failure to recognize him, and of Joseph's demand that they bring him his younger brother, Benjamin, on their next
trip from Canaan.
Today's reading describes how Joseph disclosed his identity to his brothers, doing so slowly, one step at a time, preparing
them for reunion. Beloved of the Lord, consider how God reveals Himself to us - a little at a time, as we are able to bear it.
The parallel is most noteworthy when one recalls how the Lord Jesus discloses Himself as God Incarnate to us, His
beloved. As Joseph watched for respect and compliance, so the Lord does with us. Note the restraint both of Joseph and of
the Lord as increasingly they disclose themselves, and note that full disclosure always occurs privately, as an intimate
encounter between loved ones.
Joseph watched to see if his brothers respected and complied with his will (vss. 26-29). They prostrated themselves,
honoring his position. He noted that they had met his demand to bring the youngest brother, Benjamin, with them. Now,
consider the Lord Jesus. During His ministry, He took three years to prepare His disciples. From the multitudes who
flocked to Him, and even from those who followed after Him, the Lord carefully chose those He knew would be reliable
witnesses to His Resurrection (Mk. 3:9,13,14-19). The New Testament records that no more than 600 persons actually ever
"saw" the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:5-8). Even of those 600, not all were ready even to believe what plainly was manifested
before their eyes (Mt. 28:17).
Next, notice how Joseph restrained himself as he provided his brothers with more and more information about himself. He
carefully orchestrated the moment when finally he said, "I am Joseph," even repeating the fact so that what they saw would
make sense to them (vss. 3,4).
One needs to read several earlier chapters to see how Joseph held back his true identity in order to prepare his brothers
when he disclosed himself (Gen. 41:28-44:34). Also, recall the comment of Cleopas and his companion when they
recognized the Lord in the breaking of the bread: "Did not our heart burn within us...?" (Lk. 24:32). Think of the number
of times that the disciples were given pertinent data about the Lord Jesus' Divinity: in healings, in stilling the waves, in
discussing Who the crowds thought He was, at His Transfiguration, in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Let us be
aware: "Christ is among us! He is and He ever shall be!"
Finally, Joseph cried out, "Dismiss all from me" (vs. 1). For his self disclosure, Joseph chose a private, intimate setting.
With only his brothers present, he showed them that "God sent me before you for life" (vs. 5). He repeated this three times
(vss. 5,7,8). Likewise, after the Lord Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared repeatedly to His disciples over forty days, but
always in select, small groups, to bring them into a full knowledge of Himself as Savior, Lord and God - and always in
intimate settings. And so He does today as He comes among His own in intimate gatherings of His Holy People, ever
revealing Himself to us, His own Body, the Church.
O Christ, we have the memorial of Thy death, we have seen the type of Thy Resurrection, we have enjoyed Thine
inexhaustible delight, which also be Thou well-pleased to vouchsafe to us all.
Thursday, April 21, 2005 Lenten Fast
Hieromartyr Januarios, Bishop of Benevento
6th Hour: Isaiah 65:8-16 1st Vespers: Genesis 46:1-7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 23:15-24:5
Genesis 46:1-7, especially vs. 3: "And He says to him, I Am the God of thy fathers; fear not to go
down into Egypt, for I will make thee there a great nation." Repeatedly, the record of Holy Scripture confirms that God's
ways are beyond our human prediction and comprehension. How often the Lord achieves the unexpected, the unlikely, and
the improbable! How improbable that God directed Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac (Gen 22). How unlikely that
Isaac's second-born, Jacob, should come into possession both of his family's birthright and of his father's blessing (Gen
27); and who would expect that Joseph, the son of Jacob, apparently lost forever into chattel slavery, would rule in Egypt
(Gen. 37:28 and 45:8)? God regularly defies human logic, mankind's planning, "the wisdom of the wise, and the
understanding of the prudent" (Is. 29:14 LXX). Today's reading reveals again the improbable, wonderful nature of God:
how He changed people by His grace, how He used unfavorable circumstances to benefit His People, and how He
overcame seemingly impossible circumstances.
During a long exile in Mesopotamia, Jacob matured as a man of God. Then the Lord directed him to return to the land of
Canaan. On the return journey, he came to a ford across the river Jabbok. There he met and wrestled with God, and
prevailed (Gen. 32:22-28). The Holy Fathers understand that Jacob's victory in wrestling was an achievement in prayer.
For his victory, God renamed him "Israel," meaning, "he who wrestles with God." His new name signaled a change in
Jacob, one brought about by God. What was the character of that change? The Scriptures report that when Jacob and Esau
were born, Esau was delivered first. It is also recorded that Jacob followed so immediately that he was born grasping the
heel of his older brother. That grasping gave him his name, Jacob, "heel holder" (Gen. 25:26). Idiomatically, "Jacob" also
means "supplanter" or "deceitful," as Esau bitterly noted when he was supplanted as the first-born by Jacob and his mother
Rebekah (Gen. 27:36). God can change even deceivers and manipulators into devout servants. Saul, the persecutor and
"chief of sinners," became Paul the Apostle. Simon, who denied the Lord three times, became Peter, chief of the Apostles.
This present lesson also teaches us that God transforms unfavorable conditions into divinely appointed circumstances.
Always, the Lord effects such changes to bring about the salvation of His people. Notice: the Lord told Jacob, "fear not to
go down into Egypt" (vs. 3). Consider Israel's quandary: to leave the land and to expect that one's descendants would
inherit the land was contradictory. Still, famine pressed him to leave, while the presence of his son Joseph drew him to
Egypt. Yet, he would be an alien! God, however, understood the fear and repeated the promise, "I will make of thee there
a great nation." Israel, the man of God, had to accept contradiction before he could receive fulfillment. Death always
precedes Resurrection. A final lesson in today's reading reveals that God is One Who overcomes the impossible. What
chances were there for a family to migrate to a foreign land and hope to return to their country of origin as a mighty nation?
The prospect is improbable; but God always is at work. The Lord goes into life's Egypts with us: "I will go down with thee
into Egypt, and I will bring thee up at the end" (vs. 4). He overcomes what we cannot defeat, attains what we cannot
achieve, and provides what we lack. The disciples who fled into the night from the Garden became the victorious Apostles
of the good news of the Resurrection: "...let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, Whom you
crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
By Thy Cross all gifts have shone forth upon us. Wherefore, we all kneel, saying with joy, How great are Thy works, O
Lord! Glory to Thee!
Friday, April 22, 2005 Lenten Fast
Theodore Sykeote, Bishop of Anastasiopolis
6th Hour: Isaiah 66:10-24 1st Vespers: Genesis 49:33-50:26 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 31:8-31
Genesis 49:33-50:26 LXX, especially vss. 19, 20: "And Joseph said to them, Fear not, for I am God's.
Ye took counsel against me for evil, but God took counsel for me for good, that the matter might be as it is today, and much
people might be fed." We mortals are bound by time and all the constraints of finitude, and so we yearn to have ourselves,
heart, soul, and body, united with the eternal God - our true destiny. This is the reason why the Patriarchs, Jacob and
Joseph, enjoined their survivors to bury their remains in the land promised to them by the God Who is from before time and
forever. Their request was a gesture that expressed their will to be forever one in purpose with the eternal God and thus
overcome the strictures of time. It is difficult for us who exist in time, who face definite beginnings and certain ends, to
conceive of a relationship with "the Most High Who dwells on high for ever" (Is. 57:15 LXX). Nevertheless, Beloved in
the Lord, let us strive for fellowship with Him Whose "years shall not fail" (Heb. 1:12). After all, "eternal life which was
with the Father...was manifested" and by Him, we have a real fellowship "with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ"
(1 Jn. 1:2,3). The Patriarchs had sure relationship with the eternal God, but we enjoy Holy Communion with Him.
Therefore, we, especially, should rejoice in the Patriarchs' actions, for their deeds express elements of the Mystery of
Christ: eternal accountability, "the light of eternity" in present events, and the knowledge that life and history have an
eternal outcome beyond death.
The Patriarchs lived their lives "before God," in the knowledge that they were accountable to Him for their actions. The
Righteous Joseph fled from the lustful advances of the wife of Potiphar, rather than "sin against God" (Gen. 39:7-12). As
today's reading shows, when his brothers anticipated his wrath and sought to avoid it, "Joseph said to them, Fear not, for I
am God's. Ye took counsel against me for evil, but God took counsel for me for good, that the matter might be as it is
today" (Gen. 50:19-20). He could not indulge his passion of anger against the purpose of the eternal God. Let us also
beseech God: give us grace "to serve Thee in holiness all the days of our life," for we know that one day we shall have to
make a "defense before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ." After all, Christ has taught us plainly "that for every idle word
men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Mt. 12:36).
Knowing and welcoming the eternal God into every moment of life, the Patriarchs thereby allowed the light of eternity to
shine into all that occurred. God's uncreated light illumines the activities of mortal men when we accept the presence of
God no matter the outward circumstances: "I Am He; and until ye shall have grown old, I Am He: I bear you, I have made,
and I will relieve, I will take up and save you" (Is. 46:4 LXX). It was natural for the godly Joseph to reassure his brothers,
"Fear not, I will maintain you and your families: and he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them" (Gen. 50:21). He knew
that God had a plan for their entire posterity. We who are illumined also seek the light of God for the eyes of our hearts,
for faith unashamed, that we may love truly, fulfill all wisdom, and obey God's commandments.
As the end of his life approached, the Patriarch Joseph, "spoke to his brethren, saying, 'I die, and God will surely visit you
and will bring you out of this land to the land concerning which God sware to our fathers'" (Gen. 50:24 LXX).
Relationship with the eternal God orients one's vision toward the destiny of mankind. History and one's own life are
understood and experienced from the viewpoint of their ultimate, eternal culmination: "Grant unto me the home-country of
my heart's desire, making me again a citizen of Paradise."
O Christ, Thou didst make the Thief a citizen of Paradise. Make me worthy of the same.
The Saturday of Lazarus, April 23, 2005 Lenten Fast
Martyr Alexandra the Empress
2nd Vespers - Palm Sunday: Zephaniah 3:14-19 Epistle: Hebrews 12:28-29; 13:1-8 Gospel: St. John 11:1-45
St. John 11:1-45, especially vs. 25: "Jesus said to her, 'I Am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'" Three times in the account of the raising of Lazarus, prior to the
Lord Jesus' command to "Come out," the onlookers expressed regret: first Martha, then Mary, and finally the mourners.
Each sister said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (vss. 21,32). Then, "some" among the
mourners reflect similar thinking by asking, "Could not this Man, Who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this
man from dying?" (vs. 37). Two assumptions lie behind all of these remarks: first, that once death overtook Lazarus, there
was no possible hope of his returning from the grave, and, second, that while the Lord Jesus had some power to restrain
death through healing, His was only a preventive power. If only He had come before Lazarus died! Plainly, the Lord
shattered both of these suppositions when He called Lazarus back to life. A man dead four days walked out of his tomb,
and the Lord Jesus clearly demonstrated His great power over death, paling even the good work of medical preventive
intervention. The Lord's words in verses 25 and 26 demand that we reevaluate even our concepts of death and
Resurrection. Therefore, let us, like those at Bethany, consider the meaning of what the Lord did and said. As we do, we
shall find a blessing, for the raising of Lazarus prepares us to enter into the Lord Jesus' own death and Resurrection during
Great and Holy Week just ahead.
First, observe how the Lord used what Martha said about death and resurrection: "I know that he [Lazarus] will rise again
in the resurrection at the last day" (vs. 24). Without countering her confession of faith, a commonly held belief among
Jews that in the age to come all the dead would be raised from their graves to face God's judgment, the Lord Jesus
declared, "I Am the resurrection and the life" (vs. 25).
Second, the Lord pressed this existing article of Jewish belief one step beyond. While He agrees that the righteous, after
rising from the dead, will live eternally, He links the prospect of eternal life to Himself. "He who believes in Me, though
he may die, he shall live" (vs. 25). Furthermore, the Lord deepened this truth by varying the expected preposition "in," a
fact not apparent in most translations. He replaced "in" with the unusual "into." He literally says, "He who believes 'into'
Me." The usage is rare outside the New Testament. The Lord's "into" emphasized a favorite theme of Apostolic teaching,
that Christians are united with Christ.
What does it mean to be "into" or "with" Christ? Being united "with" or "into" Christ is essential for eternal life (vs. 26).
By union "with" Christ one is "made righteous" (Rom. 5:19), and "raised up with Jesus" (2 Cor. 4:14). In addition, being
"into" Christ changes how one lives now; for the Christian receives, follows, believes in, and obeys Christ Jesus first,
before all other rulers. Christian Faith depends on one's relationship with the Lord Jesus as a Person. Does one invest
himself in Christ Jesus? Maintain his relationship with Christ? If so, He lives into Christ. Third, when the Lord equates
Himself with Resurrection and Life, He reveals the truth that mystical entry into relationship with Him means that the
future Resurrection already has begun to function within those who believe in Christ. This is the point of verse 26. The
age to come, Resurrection, is now operative within the Faithful who die and are raised spiritually in Baptism "into" Christ.
As St. Paul says, "Death hath no more dominion" over the person who truly is committed to and united to the Lord in heart,
soul, body, and mind (Rom. 6:9).
O come, all ye faithful, let us adore Christ's holy Resurrection. For lo, through the Cross is joy come into all the world.
Ever blessing the Lord, let us sing His Resurrection!
Palm Sunday, April 24, 2005 Fish, Wine, & Oil
The Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem
3rd Vespers: Zechariah 9:9-15 Epistle: Philippians 4:4-9 Gospel: St. John 12:1-18
St. John 12:1-18, especially vs. 16: "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when
Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to
Him." Being an Orthodox Christian implies believing and living correct theology, defending the true revelation,
confirming the Gospel (Gal. 1:8), and treasuring Holy Tradition. Being a member of the Church does not mean we always
hit the mark in these efforts. Nevertheless, by calling ourselves Orthodox, we imply that we intend both to uphold the
whole truth of the Faith and to struggle to live and express it rightly. To carry out these purposes is not primarily a matter
of having answers in neat, correct phrases. Rather, being truly Orthodox means inner listening: an attentive heart, a spirit
that seeks illumination and wisdom derived from God, a humility concerning one's personal insight, and a trust in and a
resolve to hold firmly to what the Church always has taught. Today's reading is an account of four persons or groups
which were almost right concerning the mission, Person and teaching of Christ - but not quite. Like us, they were fallible
humans who came near the truth, but missed the whole through serious errors. Their miscalculations are preserved by the
Evangelists to help us strive on toward the fulness of Truth.
First, there was Judas Iscariot. Let us not too readily malign him for asking, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three
hundred denarii and given to the poor?" (vs. 5). The Lord Himself forcefully commends concern for the needy of this
world (Mt. 25:35-40). Judas had learned some things along the way. His words reflect a degree of righteous concern.
On the other hand, the text reveals that wicked motives lay behind Judas' "speaking up." There was a deeper, twisted desire
lurking beneath his expressed care for the poor (vs. 6). Note Jesus' reaction: lest others among the disciples, those of purer
motives and with deeper concern for the poor, should be led astray by Judas, the Lord defended Mary's action (vss. 7,8).
Events soon would prove that she acted most appropriately, for she had "...chosen that good part, which will not be taken
away from her" (Lk. 10:42), sitting at His feet, listening to Him (Lk. 10:39).
Next we learn about "the Jews" who "...knew that He was there; and...came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might
also see Lazarus..." (vs. 9). The spectacular attracts those looking for entertainment. One often hears of people flocking to
religious gatherings just to see the miraculous: "Let's go and see!" There's a certain titillating factor that draws the hungry
to the Faith. The Lord warns against shallowness in His parable of the Sower. The Gospel can fall on stony ground
without much earth and depth. Some people come to the Faith, but "...have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a
time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble" (Mk. 4:17). Be
attentive!
Consider the crowd who greeted the Lord as He rode into Jerusalem. This mass of people were close to the truth, but they
missed the whole. Many who greeted the Lord, soon after were in the mob crying, "Crucify Him!" (Jn. 19:15). Indeed, the
crowds turned against Him, because many who cheered His arrival were motivated by mere curiosity (Jn. 12:18). The Lord
Jesus is intriguing, but, in the end, fascination with the dramatic is no foundation for eternal salvation. Let us turn to Him
because He alone can fill us with true love, humility, and self-sacrifice!
Finally, the Evangelist reports that the future Apostles "did not understand these things at first" (vs. 16). It would take the
direct experience of Jesus' death, Resurrection, and illumination by the Holy Spirit to bring them to full understanding and
commitment. Save us, O Lord!
Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Confess to the Lord; for He is good.
Great and Holy Monday Holy Week Fast
Monday, April 25, 2005
6th Hour: Ezekiel 1:1-20 2nd Vespers: Job 1:1-12 Gospel: St. Matthew 24:3-35
St. Matthew 24:3-35, especially vs. 35: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away." Recognizing that the revelations of the Lord Jesus in this passage are extensive, St. John Chrysostom
addressed these teachings in a series of three homilies. In the midst of preaching his sermons, the great Archbishop
observed a fact about the design of these revelations of Christ that should not be overlooked in reading the text.
The first portion of the Lord's teaching (vss. 3-22) was given as a warning to first century Christians "of wars in
Jerusalem....of the Jewish wars coming upon them at no great distance, for henceforth the Roman arms were a matter of
anxiety." From verse 23 onward, the Lord "having passed over all the intermediate time from the taking of Jerusalem unto
the preludes of the consummation...speaketh of the time just before the consummation." This division places us between
two historical moments - a calamitous war of the first century, and the Lord's "second coming [which] shall be also more
grievous than the former" event, bringing history to an end. Throughout His revelations, the Lord's primary concern is for
His beloved, the Church. To the Faithful of the first century, He provided an ample description of what would [and did]
take place to bring on the Jewish rebellion and the full retaliation of Rome and her legions. To our brethren of that
generation, the Lord added this key warning, "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (vs. 16). With respect
to His second coming, He cautions us as every generation, "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ! or
'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect....For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the
Son of Man be" (vss 23,24,27). To all, the Lord's assurance is ever the same: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My
words will by no means pass away" (vs. 35). Therefore, let us give close attention to the words of Christ our God! Most
of all our Master cautions us that when deceivers come along to present us with other christs, "do not believe it" (vs. 23).
As the Apostle Paul reminds every Orthodox Christian: "as there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and
through whom we live. However, there is not in everyone that knowledge" (1 Cor. 8:5-7). Look at the icons of the Lord in
our temples. He alone is our Sovereign and our God. Be good servants and wait for Him. Second, if anyone tries to lure
us away from the peace which the Orthodox Church gives in every Liturgy by announcing exciting news that "'He is in the
desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and
flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Mt. 24:26,27). It seems that not just in every generation
now, but decade by decade - if not year by year - people are making the news with solid programs for deepening your
spiritual life. What! They speak as if the Holy Tradition handed on to us is not alive and available today, this very
moment, in the Church of God. He is known, taught, served, received, and worshiped as ever! Until He returns for every
eye to see, let us be at peace in the safety of the Church.
We have fair warnings in what the Holy Fathers teach us: the cleansing of our souls, the preparation of our hearts for the
Bridal Chamber, the attainment of a worthy wedding garment. Yea, I the Creator, rich in Godhead, came Myself to serve
poor Adam, whose likeness I took willingly, and to give Myself as a Redemption for him, Who Am without suffering as to
My Godhead....for God granteth His servants incorruptible crowns.
Great and Holy Tuesday Holy Week Fast
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
6th Hour: Ezekiel 1:21-2:1 2nd Vespers: Job 1:13-22 Gospel: St. Matthew 24:36-26:2
St. Matthew 24:36-26:2, especially vs.25:13: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour
in which the Son of Man is coming." Today's Gospel ends with the Lord Jesus' announcement that in two days "the Son
of Man will be delivered up to be crucified" (vs. 26:2). This concluding declaration of our Savior serves as end-point to the
recurring watchword of this extended Pre-Passion teaching - which is "Watch." Since Christ was going to leave His
disciples they were to be ready for the Master's return, guard against the thief, have their lamps filled with oil, ever tend to
the Lord's business, and care for those in need whom He might place in their path.
The Lord Jesus' message is stated explicitly - as in the verse quoted above at the start - but it is implicit throughout the
passage. In some instances, "watch" could be rephrased as a command of a similar kind: "Be attentive" or "Be prepared."
But watchfulness, attentiveness, or readiness - whatever one calls the mindset - was to be the constant; for throughout, with
His departure imminent, the return of the Son of Man was to take central position in the awareness of any who called
themselves by His Name. Yes, and we too are to be watchful to the ages of ages.
First of all, then, Christ our God would have us accept the uselessness of trying to figure out when He will return. "No one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (vs. 24:36). If we had the date down as an exact appointment,
we would be tempted like so many students who wait until the last minute to cram for an exam or get a project completed.
Why would that be so terrible? Because, knowing the date would invite inattention, causing us to think like those in
Noah's day - or those today - that "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" are what are really important.
No, our eternal life is primary!
Hence, a healthy dread of His return is essential. Jesus Christ does not want us to be evil servants and say in our hearts,
"My master is delaying his coming" (vs. 24:48), and take up vicious habits. If we should fall into that trap, as He reminds
us, He will come and cut us in two and appoint our portion with the hypocrites, with "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vs.
24:51). Let us heed St. Isaac the Syrian: "Establish, O man, in your heart the thought that instant departure confronts you,
and constantly say to yourself: 'There, already, at the door is the messenger come for me. Why am I idle? My removal is
for ever; there will be no return.'"
The choice which our Lord gives us is following the diligent example of the wise virgins or being like the foolish ones (vss.
25:1-13). We are to garner blessed oil for the return of the Bridegroom. Listen to St. Seraphim of Sarov: "God's all-saving
will consists in doing good solely to acquire the Holy Spirit, as an eternal, inexhaustible treasure which cannot be rightly
valued. The acquisition of the Holy Spirit is, so to say, the oil which the foolish virgins lacked. They were called foolish
just because they had forgotten that necessary fruit of virtue, the grace of the Holy Spirit, without which no one is or can be
saved."
What is to be done? Invest the talent that you have; do not bury it (vss. 25:14-30). Never think that you have too little! It
is a deception of the enemy. And, where should we invest our talents? Seek the Lord among those in need and minister to
them in His Name, for "all nations will be gathered before Him when He comes"(vs. 25:32) and we shall be judged for our
mercy. Never doubt! How wonderful to hear Him say, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world.... inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me"
(vs. 25:40).
O Christ the Bridegroom, number us with the wise virgins and have mercy upon us.
Great and Holy Wednesday Holy Week Fast
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
6th Hour: Ezekiel 2:2-3:3 2nd Vespers: Job 2:1-10 Gospel: St. Matthew 26:6-16
St. Matthew 26:6-16, especially vss. 13, 14, 15: "'What this woman has done will also be
told as a memorial to her.' Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you
willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?'" The Gospel today portrays two opposites - the overflowing of generosity, and
the corrupting of covetousness. In only one sense can these two be compared - both are conditions of the heart. Otherwise,
in all respects, they are polar opposites. The first is natural and health-producing, while the second is unnatural, yielding
only aberrant distortions of God's creation.
Of all of the Ten Commandments, only the one which directs us not to covet (Ex. 20:17) addresses a state of heart. The
rest, at face value, are commands to act or to refrain from specific acts. However, the Lord Jesus, in His Sermon on the
Mount (Mt. 5:21-6:34), transformed this surface distinction among the Ten Commandments, by revealing that they all are
matters of the heart for men. We are not animals who simply act and react, but creatures made in the image of God with
the ability to choose - to give love, to honor, and to worship. It is just this unique inner capacity which makes it possible,
as we read this account of the Lord at Bethany, to soar to the heights of generosity and then to plunge down into the murky
pit of covetousness.
Most of all, let us ascend the heights to blessed generosity. The display of Divine generosity strikes us before all else, as
we observe the Lord Jesus visiting Simon, a leper (Mt. 26:6). We may thank St. John Chrysostom for having us notice that
"not without purpose did the evangelist mention the leprosy of Simon....For inasmuch as the leprosy seemed a most unclean
disease, and to be abhorred, and yet...Jesus had both healed the man (for else He would not have chosen to have tarried
with a leper), and had gone into his house." The generosity of God excels even our best unselfishness, for He comes into
our very worst of conditions with love.
Notice that the generosity of our Lord does not end with His visiting and healing Simon, but is poured out also upon the
woman who came to honor Him by anointing His head with "very costly fragrant oil" (vs. 7). Sadly, in reaction to her act
of worship, she was made the brunt of the disciples' indignation: "Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been
sold for much and given to the poor" (vss. 8,9). Still, Christ our God rises to her defense, liberally reframing the vision of
the disciples to see the generosity underlying her actions: "she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with
you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial" (vss. 10-12). Do not miss how carefully Christ Jesus prepares us to see His boundless, overflowing generosity, both in assuming a
body and becoming one of us, and in munificently embracing death and burial for our salvation!
Surely, let us also remember the woman's generosity. As St. John says, "For in truth the deed came of a reverential mind,
and fervent faith, and a contrite soul....For if she hath wrought a good work, it is quite evident she shall receive a due
reward." And this she does, for "in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (vs.
13).
Against the beauty of all this generosity, let us also tremble at the ugliness of coveting. "Then one of the twelve, called
Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?'" (vss. 14,15).
Do we not know perfectly well that the commandment against coveting, "directed as it is to the heart, is primarily a
warning that greed unchecked will likely lead to actual transgression"? It set Judas on the path to betrayal! O my God,
keep me from envy, jealousy, stinginess, and longing for anything that is another's; rather grant me a gracious, generous
heart toward all, even as Thou hast toward me.
Great and Holy Thursday Holy Week Fast
Thursday, April 28, 2005
6th Hour: Isaiah 50:4-11 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
St. Matthew 26:21-39; St. Luke 22:43-45; St. Matthew 26:40-27:2, especially vss. 26-29: (What follows are
excerpts from Homily 82 of St. John Chrysostom, from his "Homilies on St. Matthew's Gospel," Nicene & Post Nicene
Fathers, First Series, Volume 10, pp. 491-493.)
"And as they were eating, He took bread, and brake it." Why can it have been that He ordained this Sacrament then, at
the time of the Passover? That thou mightest learn from everything, both that He is the lawgiver of the Old Testament, and
that the things therein are foreshadowed because of these things. Therefore, I say, where the type is, there He puts the truth.
But the evening is a sure sign of the fullness of times, and that the things were now come to the very end. And He gives
thanks, to teach us how we ought to celebrate this Sacrament, and to show that not unwillingly doth He come to the
Passion, and to teach us whatever we may suffer to bear it thankfully, thence also suggesting good hopes. For if the type
was a deliverance from such bondage, how much more will the truth set free the world, and will He be delivered up for the
benefit of our race....And thus the very chief of the feasts He brings to an end, removing them to another most awful
table....
"Take, eat, This is my Body, Which is broken for many." ....He speaks of the cause of His Passion, namely, the taking away
of sins....And like as the Old Testament had sheep and bullocks, so this has the Lord's blood. Hence also He shows that He
is soon to die, wherefore also He made mention of a Testament, and He reminds them also of the former Testament, for that
also was dedicated with blood. And again He tells the cause of His death,
"Which is shed for many for the remission of sins:" and He saith, "Do this in remembrance of Me." Seest thou how He
removes and draws them off from Jewish customs....But this He said, indicating thereby, that His passion and His cross are
a mystery, by this too again comforting His disciples. And like as Moses saith, "This shall be to you for an everlasting
memorial" (Ex 12:14), so He too, "in remembrance of Me," until I come. Therefore also He saith, "With desire I have
desired to eat this Passover" (Lk. 22:15), that is to deliver you this new rite, and to give a Passover, by which I Am to
make you spiritual.
And He Himself drank of it. For lest on hearing this, they should say, What then? do we drink blood, and eat flesh? and
then be perplexed (for when He began to discourse concerning these things, even at the very saying many were offended -
Jn. 6:60,61,66), therefore lest they should be troubled then likewise, He first did this Himself, leading them to the calm
participation of the mysteries....For on this account He said, "Do this," that He might withdraw them from the other. For if
this worketh remission of sins, as it surely doth work it, the other is now superfluous....
....Then, when He had delivered it, He saith "I will not drink of the fruit of this wine [sic], until that day when I drink it
new with you in my Father's Kingdom." For because He had discoursed with them concerning Passion and Cross, He
again introduces what He has to say of His Resurrection, having made mention of a Kingdom before them, and so calling
His own Resurrection. And wherefore did He drink after He was risen again? Lest the grosser sort might suppose the
Resurrection was an appearance. For the common sort made this an infallible test of His having risen again. Wherefore
also the Apostles...say, "We who did eat and drink with Him" (Acts 10:41)....It was not for want that He ate...but for the
full assurance of His Resurrection.
Receive me today, O Son of God, as a partaker of Thy sacramental Supper; for I shall not divulge Thy mystery to Thine
enemies, nor give Thee a kiss like Judas.
Great and Holy Friday Strict Fast
Friday, April 29, 2005
6th Hour: Isaiah 52:13-54:1 Vesperal Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:2 Vesperal Gospel:
St. Matthew 27:1-38; St. Luke 23:39-43; St. Matthew 27:39-54; St. John 19:31-37; St. Matthew
27:55-61, especially vss. 59-61 of St. Matthew: "When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb,
and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb." The Lover of Mankind
cries out to each one of His brethren of every race and clan: "Set Me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for
love is strong as death...Much water will not be able to quench love, and rivers shall not drown it" (SOS 8:6,7 LXX), even
though "jealousy is cruel as the grave" (SOS 8:6 LXX).
In disregard of truth and in jealousy "all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death
and...delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor" (Mt. 27:1,2), for only Pilate had the power to issue a warrant for
execution. Poor Judas, in remorse, saw that the Lord Jesus was sure to be condemned, and yet vainly "brought back the
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders" (vs. 3). Of course, he was unable to stop the shedding of innocent
blood and so, in utter frustration, "threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged
himself" (vs. 5). We fallen, mortal men cannot call back the furies of hate once they are unleashed. Thus, Barabbas was
released and Jesus turned over to the Roman execution squad, for mocking, crucifixion, and the death of the Cross. And
we, Beloved of the Lord, like Simon of Cyrene, are compelled to bear His cross to Golgotha and watch.
One of the others who was condemned, one who would die along with the Lord, heard the voice of the Lover through the
din of jealousy that day. It was he who begged Him, "remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Lk. 23:42). If
we are given the grace, then we too may hear the Lover silently calling to us, and even we may take the thief's words upon
our lips. Behold, the torrent of jealousy, hate, and indifference cannot quench love. Among those in whom Love evoked
the response of love were "many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him...looking on from afar" (Mt.
27:55). Rivers of jealousy cannot quench Love. As we remember their names, let us stand with them and look on as Love
defeats death: "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons" (vs. 27:56).
Among the lovers who heard the Lover's voice "was a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also
become a disciple of Jesus" (vs. 57). St. John Chrysostom points out that "he had become very bold after the death of
Christ...For he exposed himself to death, taking upon him enmity with all by his affection for Jesus." He "not only dared to
ask for the body," he even laid "it in his own new tomb" thereby showing "both his love and his courage." See what Love
can evoke: a loss of fear in the face of death, courage, and love! Truly, "love is strong as death." There is no remorse here,
no flinging of silver away from one's soiled hands, vainly to be rid of the stain of sin, "for it is the Blood that makes
atonement for the soul" (Lev. 17:11). How tenderly love answers Love: "When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it
in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock" (Mt. 27:59,60). Notice what St.
Jerome observes about the entombment: "His body was placed in a new tomb lest it be imagined after the Resurrection that
one of the other interred bodies had arisen." And the women sit "opposite the tomb" (vs. 61) watching. Ah, but hear St.
John Chrysostom: "Let us men imitate these women. Let us not forsake Jesus in times of trial."
How then shall I array Thee, my God? How shall I wrap Thee with linen? Or what dirges shall I chant for Thy funeral?
Wherefore, O compassionate Lord, I magnify Thy Passion, and praise Thy Burial with Thy Resurrection, crying, Lord,
glory to Thee!
Great and Holy Saturday Holy Week Fast
Saturday, April 30, 2005
9th Vigil Pascha: Isaiah 61:10-62:5 Epistle: Romans 6:3-11 Gospel: St. Matthew 28:1-20
St. Matthew 28:1-20, especially vs. 9: "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them,
saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him." Ultimately, the dynamis - the power of the
Most High God that raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead - will be poured out by the same God upon those whom He
meets as they go on their way. Clearly, He blesses all who come to Him and take Him by the feet, worship Him, and obey
Him (vss. 9-11). He numbers them among those who will know the joy and power of His Resurrection. Still, this was the
experience of the Apostle Paul who willingly "suffered the loss of all things" to gain Christ and know Him "and the power
of His Resurrection" (Phil. 3:8,10). Like the women and the Apostle, those who meet the risen Christ encounter Him
unexpectedly but always "with fear and great joy" (Mt. 28:8).
Yes, such was true even for Paul the Apostle, first known as Saul of Tarsus. In the end, he reacted much as did the women
at the tomb. Without doubt, he met Christ in a very different spirit than did the women; for he was on his way to Damascus
"still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1), while the women came in loving grief and
devotion. The angel revealed the Resurrection to them, drawing them beyond mere dread into great joy by showing them
"the place where the Lord lay" in the now empty tomb and by directing them to "go quickly and tell His disciples that He is
risen from the dead" (Mt. 28:7). In reading the account of St. Paul's conversion while "on his way," we find that when at
last he knew the Lord Jesus, he responded, like the women, in submission and obedience: "So he trembling and astonished,
said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?'" (Acts 9:6).
As one reads this concluding passage of St. Matthew's Gospel, many facets of the Resurrection appear before us. The
Evangelist gives us these that we too may rejoice, come to the Lord, hold Him by the feet, worship Him, and obey Him.
For all who meet the risen Lord and become His servants, the end-point is always the same - obedience. The power of the
Resurrection, when it dawns upon hearts and souls, evokes the desire to obey as an outcome.
To Saul of Tarsus, the command was to "go into the city (of Damascus) and you will be told what you must do" (Acts. 9:6).
To the women, a single, basic command came twice - from the angel and then from the Lord Himself - "Go and tell My
brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me" (Mt. 28:10, but see vs. 7 also). Saul obeyed and became a "chosen
vessel of [Christ's] to bear [His] Name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). The women obeyed,
and the news they carried led "the eleven disciples [to go] away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for
them" (Mt. 28:16).
The dynamis underlying the Resurrection is passed on - transmitted to the Church - first, by the risen Lord through those
chief leaders of the Church, the eleven of His own choosing, who met Him on the appointed mountain. Observe: Christ our
God was vested "all authority...in heaven and on earth" (vs. 18), and by that authority, which included the unlimited power
of God, He empowered the entire Church, starting with its first leaders, with the Great Commission.
The Great Commission is but one command, to "make disciples of all the nations" (vs. 19). "Going, baptizing, and
teaching" are assumed activities within "discipling" (vss. 19,20). Most accurately the original reads: "Going, therefore,
disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you." The power of the Resurrection is the Lord's command to us all!
Do Thou bestow the power of Thy Resurrection upon Thy Church to disciple the nations.
Friday, April 1, 2005 Lenten Fast
The Venerable Mary of Egypt
6th Hour: Isaiah 13:2-13 1st Vespers: Genesis 8:4-22 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 10:31-11:12
Genesis 8:4-22 (LXX), especially vs. 22: "All the days of the earth,
seed and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring, shall not cease by day or night." Those who emerge from the waters
of the Baptismal Mystery, like those who came out of the ark after the Great Flood of waters, enter upon a new life, a life
sheltered under God's promises. Feet and hooves, claws and wings emerged to a cleansed earth assured that life would
"not cease by day or night." Similarly, God promises those who come up from the waters of Baptism "a life of
regeneration," a life illumined by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
How do we realize and obtain the blessings of this reborn life? The experience of the righteous Noah provides the
example: with the eye of a servant, he watched to discern God's will. He waited upon God's direction to come out of the
ark. When he emerged, his first action was to worship. Similarly the new life in Christ is lived by watching, waiting, and
worshiping.
As the last of the furious rains ended and the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat, Noah watched that he might
continue to move in the will of God. He observed the order of things and their natural interaction that he might see God's
hand at work. He opened a window in the ark to the new life beyond and observed. Just as then, the way we watch makes a
difference.
St. Nikiphoros the Hesychast tells of St. Antony seated at prayer on a desert mountain. Suddenly and urgently, St. Antony
sent two monks with water "along the road leading to Egypt," to find two men there, one who had died and another about
to die because of thirst. When St. Nikiphoros was asked why St. Antony did not dispatch relief sooner, he answered that
the decision about death rested with God, not Antony. That the miracle happened was because the Saint "kept his heart
watchful, and so the Lord showed him what was happening a long way off."
Great shifts and changes happen around us continually in all aspects of life: physical, social, and spiritual. Most of these,
being beyond our control, begin and end with God. The first work of a servant of Christ for realizing the fullness of
regeneration is to "look unto the hands of our Master" (Ps. 122:2 LXX), to discern what God is doing, how He is calling us
to act. Such watchfulness must be continuous; otherwise, the heart may be wounded and our birth into the new life in
Christ will be disrupted, injured, and possibly still-born.
As Noah watched, he tested the conditions. He sent out a raven and then a dove. Each of these brought him signs that "the
water had ceased from off the earth" (Gen. 8:8). Still Noah waited (vss. 10,12), and as he waited, in the words of the
Baptismal Liturgy, God "didst send unto them that were in the ark of Noah [His] dove, bearing in its beak a twig of olive,
the token of reconciliation and of salvation from the flood, the foreshadowing of the mystery of grace."
Observe: Noah waited for God, and only when the Lord spoke did the Patriarch leave the ark. The combination of waiting,
watching, and testing is essential to discern God's will fully, for the enemy constantly sows both good and evil thoughts to
distract us from God's highest and best. Let us wait for God, for He alone leads us in truth and teaches us (Ps. 24:5 LXX).
And when God directed Noah to leave the ark, the first thing the Patriarch did was to make a "holocaust offering" to the
Lord, a sacrifice in which the entire animal was consumed by fire, to signify the total surrender of self to God.
Regeneration in Christ requires total worship and full surrender of the self. The heart must say: "Thine own of Thine own
we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all," by which we give self totally to the will of God in all our ways.
We have put Thee on, O Christ our God. Teach us to watch and wait for Thee alone, O merciful One, that we may be
victors even unto the end, through Thy crown incorruptible.
Saturday, April 2, 2005 Lenten Fast
Venerable Titos the Wonderworker
Kellia: Isaiah 43:9-14 Epistle: Hebrews 10:32-38 Gospel: St. Mark 2:14-17
St. Mark 2:14-17, especially vs. 15: "Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house,
that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed
Him." Tomorrow, at Mid-Lent, we will bow down before the life-giving Cross, that ensign which looms above the whole
of the Great Fast. In tomorrow's Gospel (Mk 8:34-9:1), the Lord lays down the essential requirement demanded of all who
would think to follow Him, the One Who was Crucified (Mk. 8:34). Today's Gospel asks if we have met even His entry-level requirements. What are they? The Lord requires that we be called by Him, that we follow Him, and, as sinners, be
truly willing to struggle in repentance.
Notice: the desire to be a disciple of Christ does not arise first of all from us. The call of the Lord is prior. When He calls,
we are free to say "yes" or "no," but He calls first. The Lord even calls infants? Yes! The first action of the Baptismal
Mystery refers to the call of every candidate. The Priest lays his hand upon the one to be Baptized and says, "In Thy Name,
O Lord God of truth, and in the Name of Thine Only-begotten Son, and of Thy Holy Spirit, I lay my hand upon Thy
servant, who hath been found worthy to flee unto Thy Holy Name."
Acting in the Lord's Name, the Priest declares that the one on whom he lays his hand has "been found worthy." By whom?
By the Lord Who calls all candidates to the waters of Baptism. Mediated by the Holy Spirit, the Church has the mind of
Christ Who is its Head (1 Cor 2:16). Therefore, the Church knows those whom the Lord has called, those worthy to flee
the world and to follow Christ. Children of Orthodox families are apt to mature in the Church and are worthy of the grace
of Baptism, by which they should come to hear the Shepherd's voice (Jn. 10:4, ).
Following Christ is the second, entry-level requirement for Christians. To be Christian means to follow. It is an action,
not a label. Neither saying one is, nor being called a Christian, makes one a follower of Christ. To follow Him, one has to
do something, not just speak pious words. As Shakespeare said, "...'tis a kind of good deed to say well: and yet words are
not deeds." Beloved, our Lord contends that "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Mt. 7:21).
Hence, disciples are those who act when the Lord Jesus calls (Jn. 14:15). Look at today's reading: the Lord said to Levi,
"Follow me" (Mk. 2:14). How do we know Levi obeyed? Because St. Mark adds that "He arose and followed Him" (Mk.
2:14). What is more, Levi continued to follow Him, for the first Gospel was written by Levi using his other name,
"Matthew." Listen to St. John of the Ladder: "By true servants of God we mean all those who tirelessly and unremittingly
do and have done His will." Persistent action is necessary!
Finally, it is a given: God loves sinners, for He drew His disciples from their ranks. Look at the last verse of today's
reading: "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mk. 2:17). There is room for us!
The wonder of Christ our God is manifested in this, that He is forgiving of all the failures and sins of mankind: our fraud,
intimidation, fear, failure to trust Him, falling asleep, running away, losing hope, petty jealousy, adultery, theft, murder,
every sort of trespasses. But reread verse 17. Although He loves sinners and forgives, His call specifically directs us to the
life of repentance. Godly sorrow produces diligence to clear oneself (2 Cor 7:11). Speaking of repentance, St. John of the
Ladder says, "The falls that occur after our call are hard to bear [but] certainly we do not return by the way we went astray,
but by another shorter route."
O Christ our God, grant us the gift of true repentance that we may follow Thee worthily
Sunday, April 3, 2005 Lenten Fast ( Tone 3)
The Adoration of the Precious Cross
Kellia: Jeremiah 5:20-25 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Gospel: St. Mark 8:34-9:1
St. Mark. 8:34-9:1, especially vs. 34: "...Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." In Christ, God reveals that He is searching for sinners who will obey the
Lord Jesus, freely admit their sins, and struggle for purity. Very kindly, the Lord Jesus foretells His rejection, death, and
Resurrection (Mk. 8:31), and, from His Passion, enlarges the vision of what is essential for the Christian struggle: self-denial, taking up one's own cross, and following Him in whatever suffering (Mk. 8:34).
First then, consider self-denial. The Lord does not restrict self-denial merely to ascetic practices - "askesis" meaning
"exercise." The serious Christian undertakes ascetic exercises - fasting, vigils, prayer, and almsgiving with a very specific
end in mind. In St. Paul's words, one denies one self "that I may gain Christ and be found in Him" (Phil. 3:8,9). However,
what one faces in such an undertaking is self-will, my rebellious soul that wants its own way. Our inner life is akin to a
2,500 pound Spanish fighting bull, and no one is about to ride such a self nor to lead it.
Still, we have committed ourselves to being "thrown" by the rebellious self a thousand times "for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus [our] Lord" (Phil. 3:8). And God in His mercy has set before us this superior opportunity to
address our rebellious self in this life - an effort aimed at gaining Christ's will as our own will. As the Elder Joseph the
Hesychast says, "For if you endure the daily ascesis, every time you coerce your soul to bear a cold word, a derision, a
reproach, you become a confessor. Every time you have patience, you receive a crown, and it is considered by God to be a
daily martyrdom for you." Such is self denial.
Closely related to self-denial is "taking up one's cross," not the Lord's Cross, but one's own cross, the one with my name
on the placard. This cross is to embrace with the love of the Lord Jesus all who surround us. Most especially our cross is
everyone who "waves red flags" to provoke the "fighting bull" within us. God brings into our lives those who aggravate,
irritate, and inflame our passions to provide us with opportunities for suffering love. We do not need to seek in strange
places for suffering. He gives them in the accidents of our residence, financial agreements, social contacts, professional
relationships, spiritual fellowships, and parish life.
The Lord Jesus shapes each cross to develop the commitment of those He loves, so that they will carry out His will, die to
their own desires and exhibit His will through their words and deeds. Nothing is forced in this, but the Lord is quite direct
about the choice: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's
will save it" (Mk. 8:35). Salvation lies in trying again and again to tame the "raging bull."
How do we know we really are denying self and taking up our cross? The Lord indicates the way: when we follow Him
and His words and have no shame (vs. 38). In what circumstance, what challenge, and what choice is He not leading us in
a very specific direction? Every decision is a "Yes" or a "No" for Christ, no matter how small or inconsequential I may
deem it.
St. John Chrysostom reveals Christ's meaning: "'If any man will come after Me.' I do not force, I do not compel, but each
one I make lord of his own choice. For to good things do I call you, not to things evil or burdensome; not to punishment
and vengeance, that I should have to compel. No, the nature of the thing alone is sufficient to attract you....For although it
be in My power, as Son of God, to hinder you from having any trial at all of those hardships, yet such is not My will for
your sake, that you may yourself contribute something, and be more approved." To Thee, O Savior of the world, do we
travel early, praising Thee, having found safety in Thy Cross, through which Thou didst renew mankind and led us to the
never-setting light.
Monday, April 4, 2005 Lenten Fast
Venerable Theonas, Archbishop of Thessalonika
6th Hour: Isaiah 13:24-32 1st Vespers: Genesis 8:21-9:7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 11:19-12:6
Genesis 8:21-9:7, especially vs. 1: "And God blessed Noah and his sons...."
Following the Flood, the Lord God blessed all who survived with Noah in the ark. To all forms of life He promised that,
despite the evil inclinations in men's hearts, He would "not...any more smite all living flesh" (vs. 21). Rather, He promised
that the natural cycles that sustain all plants and animals would continue (vs. 22). He pronounced a particular blessing of
fruitfulness on the remnant of mankind, in the persons of Noah and his family (vss. 1,7). To nourish our race, God blessed
our kind with dominion over earth's food resources (vss. 2,3), condemned homicide, and reaffirmed that man is the sole
creature made in His image (vs. 6).
For the survivors of the Great Flood, the period following their disembarkation was like the first days of Creation. The
world lay before both man and beast. All was fresh, open, and undefined. St. Gregory the Theologian urges us to "marvel
at the natural knowledge even of irrational creatures, and if you can explain its cause. How is it that birds have for nests
rocks and trees and roofs, and adapt them both for safety and beauty, and suitably for the comfort of their nurslings?
Whence do bees and spiders get their love of work and art?....Look too at the variety and lavish abundance of fruits, and
most of all at the wondrous beauty of such as are most necessary....Since nature has set before you all things as in an
abundant banquet free to all, both the necessaries and the luxuries of life, in order that, if nothing else, you may at any rate
know God by His benefits, and, by your own sense of want be made wiser than you were....For this is what we were
laboring to show, that even the secondary natures surpass the power of our intellect; much more then the First...which is
above all, the only Nature."
The greatest wonder in the newly scrubbed earth was the manner in which God addressed mankind. Compare the first part
of the passage (vss. 8:21-22), with the second half (vss. 9:1-7). God declares at first how it will be for the physical creation
- the plants and the animals, seed and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring - shall not cease. But in the succeeding
verses, the unique, personal Being speaks to the unique persons He has created and saved from destruction: "God blessed
Noah and his sons, and said to them, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth" (vs. 1). And He says, "on all things moving
upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea, I have placed them under your power" (vs. 2), and at the end He exhorts
us, "do ye increase and multiply, and fill the earth" (vs. 7). As St. John Chrysostom says, "God....hath spread out so
sumptuous and exquisite a table for us, and provided us...such abundant gladness." In speaking to Noah, the Lord
reaffirms His gift of "dominion" to mankind, first stated at the beginning, at creation (Gen. 1:28): "fill the earth and have
dominion over it....I have placed them [fish, fowl, beasts] under your power" (Gen. 9:1,2,7). As Gregory of Nyssa explains,
"That is why humankind was introduced last, after the rest of creation, not as some unimportant afterthought, but as a
suitable sovereign over all that God had made." But while the whole creation has been put at our disposal, so also are we
accountable to God for it. Dominion was given to us that all, rich and poor alike, "shall eat and be filled" (Ps. 21:26 LXX).
Why this special attention to the human race? Because we are fashioned in the image of our Creator (Gen. 9:6)! And this
God-like stamp placed upon us is the underlying cause for the lavishly provident world set before us, made for our use, and
placed under our dominion. God's image in us is the reason humans are withdrawn from the "food chain," and who ever
takes the lifeblood of man answers to God (vss. 5,6). These promises remain in effect to this day.
O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:8 LXX).
Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Lenten Fast
Venerable Theodora of Thessalonika
6th Hour: Isaiah 25:1-9 1st Vespers: Genesis 9:8-17 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 12:8-22
Genesis 9:8-17 LXX, especially vss. 13,16: "I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be
for a sign of covenant between Me and the earth." In the Genesis account, "bow" is used metaphorically for "rainbow,"
while most commonly in the Septuagint the term refers to the archer's weapon. Neither Hebrew nor Greek has an exclusive
word for rainbow. How ironic that a weapon became "a sign of covenant" between God and His creation! In the annals of
history, the bow most often has represented war, power, and death. The longbow empowered the English to dominate
western Europe for several hundred years during the late Middle Ages. In Old Testament times, the reign of kings and even
of dynasties often were ended by the bow (1 Kngs 22:34-37; 2 Kngs 9:24). How shall we understand the bow as a covenant
from God that "all flesh shall not any more die by the water of the flood" (Gen. 9:11)? Actually, today's reading reveals
the bow as a sign having many dimensions: Divine judgment, God's peace, and the spiritual warfare of those Baptized into
Christ's death and Resurrection.
God declared to Noah, "I set My bow in the cloud" (vs. 13). Notice, God has placed His war bow above our heads to
remind us, first of all, of Divine Judgment. Noah and his family had just emerged alive from a massive, worldwide
cleansing of all species in the Great Flood. The bow was, and remains, a poignant symbol to remind all men, even the
Faithful in Christ, that God eternally opposes human wickedness. This may be seen throughout Holy Scripture where the
bow is used to signify God's judgment, will, and ability to defeat His enemies.
In Jeremiah, for example, the Lord says, "Summon many against Babylon, even every one that bends the bow: camp against
her round about; let no one of her people escape: render to her according to her works" (Jer. 27:29, LXX; see Jer. 50:29
NKJ). May the Faithful praise God for making wars "...to cease unto the ends of the earth. He will crush the bow and will
shatter the weapon, and shields will He utterly burn with fire" (Ps. 45:8,9 LXX).
Now, in today's passage, God deliberately makes the war bow a sign of peace with all flesh. The Lord's declaration that "I
set up My bow in the cloud" is God's sign that He has stored His weapon of destruction in plain view before all men. He
has ended total annihilation and genocide against our race. The war bow is now a peace memorial of many colors. "I will
remember My covenant, which is between Me and you, and between every living soul in all flesh, and there shall no longer
be water for a deluge, so as to blot out all flesh" (Gen. 9:15). We regularly receive the blessing of peace in the Divine
Liturgy as St. John Chrysostom points out: "...the priests, when about to consecrate, first make this prayer [of peace] for
you, and so begin with the blessing [of peace]....in a word, we may not say or do any thing without this peace."
God has made the rainbow an antitype of Holy Baptism. Water is no longer "for a deluge, so as to blot out all flesh" (vs.
15). Under the rainbow, water becomes a covenant of peace between God "and all flesh, which is upon the earth" (vs. 17).
"...Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Rom. 6:3).
Like the antediluvians, we died in the waters of Baptism. As we were graciously buried with the Lord "through baptism
into death..." (Rom. 6:4), so now, like Noah, we "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). At the conclusion of Romans 6, St.
Paul uses the word for "weapons" (unfortunately translated as "instruments") to teach us to yield our members no longer as
weapons "of unrighteousness to sin," but now to present ourselves to God as alive from the dead like Noah, and our
members as weapons "of righteousness to God" (Rom. 6:13).
Being buried in Thy death, O Savior, increase Thy Life in us as a weapon of peace.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 Lenten Fast
Venerable Gregory Byzantios of the Great Lavra
6th Hour: Isaiah 26:21-27:9 1st Vespers: Genesis 9:18-10:1 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 12:23-13:9
Genesis 9:18-10:1, especially vss. 25, 26: "And [Noah] said,
Cursed be the servant Canaan, a slave shall he be to his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and
Canaan shall be his bond-servant." Holy Scripture records that Noah's blessings and curses did fall upon his descendants.
To many, Noah's pronouncements upon Ham and his son, Canaan, appear quite harsh and arbitrary. Yet, because the
Patriarch essentially "was a just man; being perfect in his generation...[and]...well-pleasing to God" (Gen. 6:10 LXX), he
knew what ought to be the life goals of his children.
Doubtless, Noah demonstrated the right path which Ham and Canaan should follow by the grace of God. The events
recorded in this passage revealed to Noah that the desire to walk this way was lacking in these two and that their souls,
drawn to the passions, stubbornly repulsed both parental wisdom and the call of God upon them. Noah's blessings and
curses were not some magical cant but a prophetic declaration of fact. Hence, today's lesson raises the issues of what
constitutes parental blessings and curses. Are parents able to pass the blessings of the Faith to their descendants? What
part do parents play in transmitting sin to their children?
First, note the infinite difference between blessings and curses that come from God's mouth and those that are spoken by
men: what God declares, happens: "...whatever shall proceed out of My mouth, it shall by no means turn back, until all the
things which I willed shall have been accomplished" (Is. 55:11 LXX). Human beings may call down blessings and curses
on others, but the application and fulfillment of these depend on powers beyond them. Pharaoh had material power, and he
cursed Moses. But, by God's grace, he was not able to apply his force to Israel (see Ex. 10). Joshua, however, cursed any
one who tried to rebuild Jericho (Jos. 6:26). Since he was a Prophet of God, his curse, in fact, befell Hiel of Bethel, a man
who undertook the reconstruction of the city (1 Kngs. 16:34). At most, our human blessings and curses are only prayerful
requests. Ultimately, they depend on the agency of God (see Ps. 68:27-30 LXX).
Still, let no one deny the reality of powerful spiritual bonds between parents and children! There is much support in
Scripture for believing that the blessings and curses of God-fearing parents on children are effective. To prove this, take
note of Noah's prayer: he blessed God as he prayed for Shem and Japheth, and these blessings did, in fact, follow their
descendants.
Unquestionably, blessings flow from God "through" the prayers and example of parents. The Orthodox marriage prayer
teaches this: "...for the prayers of parents make firm the foundations of houses." Notice especially the point made by St.
Theophan the Recluse: "A man is not born a Christian, but becomes such after birth. The seed of Christ falls on the soil of
a heart that is already beating." And, therefore, as St. Ambrose adds, "The formation of the children is...the prerogative of
the parents," blessings and curses alike. The parental task is most fearsome, and parents will have to answer "before the
dread Judgment Seat of Christ."
The curse upon Canaan reveals a tragic side to the experience of human parents. Too often we live to see our sins visited
upon our children. There is potency both in the blessings and in the curses which we knowingly or unwittingly pronounce
upon our children. The sin of Ham, the father of Canaan, mightily befell Canaan and his descendants. The present reading
implicates both Noah and his youngest son, Ham, as parents. Noah's drunkenness and Ham's immodesty were sins which
were passed on to the Canaanites (see Gen. 15:16-21). Therefore, as parents, let us pursue godly purity and pray for the
righteousness of our children.
Direct our children, O Lord, in the way of salvation, and grant them Thy grace always.
Thursday, April 7, 2005 Lenten Fast
Patriarch Tikhon, Enlightener of North America
6th Hour: Isaiah 28:14-22 1st Vespers: Genesis 10:32-11:9 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 13:19-14:6
Genesis 10:32-11:9 LXX, especially vs. 4: "And they said, Come, let us build
to ourselves a city and tower, whose top shall be to heaven, and let us make to ourselves a name...." Here is an example of
human pride run riot. The elements of human vanity are blatantly manifested: a group migrates from the east and finds a
plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwell there (vs. 2). Without considering their debt to God, they think to exalt
themselves and proceed to build a way of life of their own devising. Divine intervention disrupts their scheme. It is ever
an act of grace that awakens men to their need for God, and teaches humility and the inestimable value of the Lord's
wisdom, which exceeds human thought. A man says to his neighbor, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire"
(vs. 3). The neighbor is stimulated by the vision. He joins in the endeavor. They say to one another, "Come, let us build to
ourselves a city and tower" (vs. 4). Where is God in all of this? These men are descendants of Noah. They should realize
that their very life and breath comes from God. In fact, they act as if God does not even exist. They build a city on "God-less-ness." Such is elementary humanism: to act as if God were not, to give Him no place in life as one plans, sets goals,
and carries out projects. "The sinner praiseth himself in the lusts of his soul, and the unrighteous man likewise blesseth
himself therein....God is not before him" (Ps. 9:23,24 LXX).
The Lord perceives that "now nothing shall fail from them of all that they may have undertaken to do" (Gen. 11:6 LXX).
Where is the inborn imperative for the creature to accept boundaries? Life apart from God is delusion and confusion. Let
us heed St. Theophan: "we should feel with our whole heart that we have no one to rely on except God, and that from Him
and Him alone can we expect every kind of good, every manner of help, and victory."
Observe: out of pride our forebears on the plain of Shinar presumed, not just to build a city and a tower, but to erect a city
and a tower "whose top shall be to heaven" (vs. 4). It is the devil's lie to Eve all over again: "ye would be as gods" (Gen.
3:6 LXX). Lucifer's prompting to exalt oneself lurks at the doorstep of us all: "I will go up to heaven, I will set my throne
above the stars of heaven....I will go up above the clouds; I will be like the Most High" (Is. 14:13,14).
Notice what God answers Satan through His Prophet: "But now thou shalt go down to hell, even to the foundations of the
earth" (Is. 14:15). And likewise, the Lord confounded the tongues of the Godless men on the plain of Shinar and scattered
them "over the face of all the earth" (Gen. 11:8). The Lord Jesus plainly warns us against self-exaltation: "For whoever
exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 14:11).
In Hebrew, the place where the tower was built is called "Babel," which means "Gate of God;" but it is noteworthy that the
word also is a homonym of the Hebrew verb to produce confusion, "balal." Whenever we rely on our own wisdom, ignore
the word of God, and fail to apply His wisdom, even initial success will certainly be followed by confusion and scattering.
The Lord gives us dominion: "Thou hast set [us] over the works of Thy hands" (Ps. 8:5 LXX), yet so often we prefer our
own wisdom: "Let us make to ourselves a name" (Gen. 11:4).
Beloved, "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor. 1:25). May He
deliver us from simple, Godless, proud, self-confident human reasoning! "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the counsel of the saints is understanding: for to know the law is the character of a sound mind." (Prov. 9:10 LXX).
Illumine our hearts, O Master Who loveth mankind, with the pure light of Thy divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our
mind to the understanding of Thy gospel teachings.
Friday, April 8, 2005 Lenten Fast
Celestine, Bishop of Rome
6th Hour: Isaiah 29:13-23 1st Vespers: Genesis 12:1-7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 14:15-26
Genesis 12:1-7 LXX, especially vss. 1, 2: "And the Lord said to Abram,
Go forth out of thy land and out of thy kindred, and out of the house of thy father, and come into the land which I shall
shew thee. And I will make thee a great nation." With today's reading from Genesis, we begin a series of five weekday
lessons concerning the Patriarch Abraham, the classic example of faith. In these readings we shall observe the faith of
Abraham, a faith that obeys God without knowing the outcome, a faith that is open to whatever God wills, a faith that
discovers God's faithfulness, a faith willing to make personal change, and a faith that trusts God without reservation.
Let us ever honor this man who obeyed God with the barest grasp of what was implied in the call he received. Abram was
simply obedient. He left the well-known life for the vaguely defined outcome, for a result stated in generalities. Be
mindful: open-ended obedience to God's call is the nature of real faith. First, one obeys, and then, only later, does one
grasp what God had intended all along. Faith is stepping into the unknown in order to learn and experience directly the
mind of God. True faith, of the sort that Abram reveals, continues to believe in God through the years, even when faced
with contradictions. It trusts Him for the promised outcome. Without doubt, God makes impressive promises to all those
whom He calls to serve Him. In Abram's case, the Lord said, "I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and
magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed. And I will bless those that bless thee, and curse those that curse thee, and in
thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed" (vss. 2,3). These promises are magnificent in their words and in their scope,
but notice, the content of the words is not at all specific, tangible, or fully defined. Faith is acting with open-ended trust in
God.
God's call confronts each Orthodox Christian in a similar manner. His call is grandly stated to each of the Faithful in the
magnificent promises of the Baptismal Mystery. God assures each one who presents himself for Holy Baptism that he shall
"find life," be inscribed in God's "Book of Life," be united to the "flock of [God's] inheritance," be regarded by God "with
mercy," be heard in "his supplication," and enabled "to rejoice in the works of his hands and in all his generation." Note,
however, that these words and phrases are neither precise nor specific. A Christian obeys in faith and only later discovers
the specifics of God's promises.
The life in Christ is a series of choices and actions undertaken after the manner of Abram, as a "journey" away from what is
measurable and familiar toward new "life." One learns this life through sustained obedience through the years. God
establishes His priorities, and these detach the Faithful from elevating family, property, friends, career, or pleasure into
absolutes for living.
The Baptismal Liturgy outlines both what to expect as outcomes as well as the route to our "inheritance." We anticipate
increasing illumination by the Holy Spirit. We expect to defeat "every snare of enemies...visible and invisible;" but we
know that we have to prove ourselves as children of the Light, to "partake of the death and resurrection" of Christ through
choices, to accept God's direction at every turn along the way, always obeying His commandments.
From the call of God to the fulfillment of His promises, Abram's experience teaches one to expect contradictions. Arriving
in the Promised Land, "Abram traversed the land" (vs. 6), but only to discover that it was occupied. The "life" we are
promised in Baptism is only partially realized in this present existence. "This life" is inhabited with cares and riches ready
to snare us and to choke out God's "life." Expect contradictions but keep trusting God - this is true life!
May we live the remainder of our life undefiled before Thy face, and worthily hymn Thee.
Saturday, April 9, 2005 Lenten Fast
The Martyr Eupsychios of Cappadocia
Kellia: Isaiah 35:3-10 Epistle: Hebrews 6:9-12 Gospel: St. Mark 7:31-37
St. Mark 7:31-37, especially vs. 34: "Then, looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed, and said to him,
'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.'" Ah, Beloved of the Lord, here's the question: "Will we allow Christ to open the
spiritual senses of our hearts? Will we obey Him?" Read here of a man who could neither hear nor use his ordinary
physical organs of speech. However, the man heard the command, "Ephphatha!," and "...he spoke plainly" (vs. 35). After
that, there was no silencing the man nor his friends. The voice of the Incarnate Lord of the Creation overturned the order
of nature by which the man was closed off. After his healing, the man and all present proclaimed widely "...He has done all
things well" (vs. 37).
Thus, we consider the spiritual senses, for we humans have two sets of every sensory organ. That is the teaching of the
Apostles and the Holy Fathers. As physical beings, humans have organs of sight, speech, and hearing which register
impressions of the physical world. In addition, all men have inward sensory organs, capacities of the heart. The Gospel
teaches that, in most people, these spiritual senses are largely potential, being closed or asleep, yet even those who, by the
accidents of life, are without physical sight or hearing, have these spiritual senses. At our supernatural birth, in Holy
Baptism, God commands these inner faculties to "Be Opened!" In the Baptismal Mystery the Christian takes "refuge under
the shelter of [God's] wings, "and the Priest asks God to heal and open these inner senses - "to open the eyes of his soul" -
so that with spiritual sight each of the Faithful might see the fullness of Truth. The Priest also prays for the awakening of
the spiritual ears, "Unto the hearing of faith."
Each time we come to the Mysteries of Christ and receive the Holy Gifts of His most wondrous Body and Blood, let us
also seek His gracious healing for our dumb spiritual senses. Even more, let us ask that He unify our spiritual and physical
senses, so that all our eyes and ears, the inward and the outward, may work together as one. In the words of St. Simeon
Metaphrastes, let us beg our Lord to put His hand upon us and "enlighten as one [our] five senses...."
Who has not encountered terrible seasons when the spiritual senses are closed off to God? The Prophet David knew such
inner silence and darkness: "And now, what is my patient endurance? Is it not the Lord? Yea, my hope is from Thee.
From all mine iniquities deliver me; Thou hast made me a reproach to the foolish. I was dumb and opened not my mouth,
for Thou hast made me. Take away from me Thy scourges..." (Ps. 39:10-13 LXX). Are the spiritual senses removed? Is
God not present? No! Trace the problem to our sin.
Definitely, our sin renders us spiritually blind, dumb, and speechless. Apparently, earlier in his life, the man whom the
Lord healed in the Decapolis had been able to speak and to hear physically, for customarily the Evangelists report when one
was born deaf or dumb and was then healed (Jn. 9:1). How did this closing off occur? Perhaps by demonic power, by his
own sins, as a result of the sins of others, or even from a physical accident. Whatever the cause, he was reduced to total
silence. But note: the Lord touched more than his physical organs of speech and hearing. Necessarily, Christ touched the
man's spiritual ears, for the results show that the unfortunate one heard his Creator (Mk. 7:34, 35). The Lord "enlightened
as one his five senses." Of course the man declared with both his tongues, "He has done all things well" (vs. 37).
Beloved, in repentance, let us cry out to God with the words of the Prophet David:
"...lo, my lips I shall not restrain; Lord, Thou knowest it. Thy righteousness have I not hid in my heart; Thy truth from the
great assemblage. But Thou, O Lord, remove not Thy compassions far from me; let Thy mercy and Thy truth continually
help me." (Ps. 39:12-15 LXX)
Sunday, April 10, 2005 Lenten Fast (Tone 4)
John of the Ladder; Fourth of Great Lent
Kellia: Wisdom 1:16-2:23 Epistle: Hebrews 6:13-20 Gospel: St. Mark 9:17-31
St. Mark 9:17-31, especially vss. 28, 29: "...His disciples asked Him privately, 'Why could we not cast it
out?' So He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.'" Today's reading is not simply
another account of a healing by the Lord. It is an instructive "action report" from the battlefield of spiritual warfare. A
father and his son are being overrun by the enemy (vss. 17,18). The disciples skirmish with an unclean spirit but cannot
dislodge it (vs. 18). Then, Jesus, the Lord, enters what is becoming a rout. He defeats the foe (vss. 19-27). Afterwards, the
victorious Commander uses the events of the day to teach His initiates how certain crucial weapons must be used in
spiritual battle (vss. 28-29). As the lesson closes, the Lord announces His own approaching spiritual battle and victory
(vss. 30-31). This reading is for every one of the Faithful, because we are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare.
The Christian warrior should pair this reading from St. Mark with a passage from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians
(Eph. 6:10-18), for both contain the primary rules of engaging in spiritual combat. The Epistle reveals that our strength
will come solely from the Lord (Eph 6:10), that we must use all the armor that God provides (Eph 6:11,13), that we should
never be without the essential defensive armor of spiritual warfare (Eph 6:14-16), and that we have at our disposal the basic
weapons of spiritual warfare: Holy Scripture, prayer, the Holy Mysteries and watchfulness (Eph. 6:10,17-18). The only
offensive weapon St. Paul happens not to mention in Ephesians is fasting, but the Lord reminds us of that in today's
Gospel.
Blessed Theophylact speaks of the relationship between fasting and prayer: "Both are necessary. Good sense dictates
that...one...must not only fast, but also pray; and he must not only pray, but also fast, for true prayer is rendered when it is
yoked to fasting." Why? It is as St. John Chrysostom observes: "He that fasts is light, and winged, and prays with
wakefulness, and quenches his wicked lusts, and propitiates God, and humbles his soul when lifted up." Let us, then,
review the five basic weapons essential for the spiritual attacks we face constantly.
Holy Scriptures, the life-giving words of God, are essential for discerning the Lord's will and truth in the myriad of
conflicts we face. As the inner core of Orthodox Tradition, Scripture provides God's Light for cutting through the "smoke-screen" of lies from the enemy.
Prayer is the Christian's second essential weapon and ought always to be drawn from Holy Scripture. In fact, disciples
should become adept at using the language of Scripture to form the words of prayer. The Divine Liturgy, "soaked" in
Scripture, richly demonstrates this method.
The Holy Mysteries are the third weapon of all embattled disciples, moving us, as St. Basil the Great says, to
"boldness...increase of virtue...[and] keeping of [God's} commandments," for they mold and shape our live to make them
firm in Christ.
Fasting, as the Church designs, sharpens one's spiritual awareness in the world and heightens the perception of what is
happening within us. Let us observe the days, seasons, and times of fasting along with the detailed directions which
Orthodox practice gives for fasting.
Watchfulness is the hallmark of the Christian warrior at all times and in all circumstances. Orthodox Christians are
blessed in this, having the Jesus Prayer to aid us in the struggle against "the evil imaginations, wicked deeds and work of
the devil" that oppose us.
O Lord of mercies, enlighten the eyes of our understanding by Thy Holy Scriptures, enable us by Thy Spirit to pray as we
ought to pray, strengthen our wretched souls and bodies as we partake of Thy Holy Gifts, help us to subject our flesh by
abstinence and blameless fasting, and awaken us to cultivate watchfulness zealously that we may be victors in the invisible
battle.
Monday, April 11, 2005 Lenten Fast
Callinikos of Cernica, Bishop of Rimnicu
6th Hour: Isaiah 37:33-38:6 1st Vespers: Genesis 13:12-18 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Genesis 13:12-18 LXX, especially vs. 18: "And Abram having
removed his tent, came and dwelt by the oak of Mamre, which was in Hebron, and he there built an altar to the Lord."
Starting with Genesis 12:1-7, we begin a series of readings concerned with Abram's faith. In this passage, Genesis, 13:12-18, we discover three ways by which Abram remained open to God's will during his sojourn in Canaan: 1) he arranged to
separate from his nephew, Lot; 2) he migrated the length of Canaan from Bethel to Hebron to resettle; and 3) he built an
altar to God.
The first eleven verses of Chapter 13 explain the division between Abram and Lot: their possessions were great, and "the
land was not large enough for them to live together...there was strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle, and the
herdmen of Lot's cattle" (vss. 6,7). So "Abram said to Lot, 'Let there not be a strife between me and thee, and between my
herdmen and thy herdmen'" (vs. 8). The Patriarch proposed, instead, that Lot choose whatever territory he favored, and
Abram would be satisfied with whatever region he did not choose. The result: "Lot dwelt in a city of the neighboring
people, and pitched his tent in Sodom" (vs. 12).
Observe Abram's unspoken faith that God's will would be achieved by allowing his nephew to choose the land he wished.
This is what happened: "Lot, having lifted up his eyes, observed all the country round about the Jordan, that it was all
watered" (vs. 10) and that place seemed desirable and so he chose the far southern plain of the Arabah-rift valley; but
Abram waited for God. Do notice the difference between uncle and nephew: "And God said to Abram after Lot was
separated from him, "Look up with thine eyes, and behold from the place where thou now art"" (vs. 14). Lot looked out for
himself, but Abram looked solely to God for direction.
Abram's faith blessed him to be a peacemaker, to be meek, and to hunger for the righteous will of God. Abram continued
as the "friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). Thus, he inherited the promised land (Mt. 5:5) and saw God in the visit of the three
angels (Gen. 18:1-3). The unfortunate Lot, trusting in what his eyes showed him, moved to Sodom where the men "were
evil, and exceedingly sinful before God" (Gen. 13:13). In following his own perceptions instead of God's will, Lot paid a
terrible price, losing his home, wife, and God's blessing. St. Augustine characterizes the mind of Abram as one who
trusted God to show him what to do: "I have believed that You are God, Who gives to man that which enables him to do as
You command." When God instructed Abram to "Look up with thine eyes," He showed him the Promised Land
"northward and southward, and eastward and seaward" (vs. 14). Then, God led Abram to "experience" the land, to walk its
length from Bethel in the north to Hebron in the south, with the promise that "all the land which thou seest, I will give it to
thee and to thy seed for ever" (vs. 15). To secure Abram's faith, God explained that the seed of Abram would be "like the
dust of the earth" (vs. 16). This was no extravagant figure of speech, for in Christ our God the "Seed" of the righteous
Abram, the Patriarch's descendants, are becoming ever more numerous (Gal. 3:7).
Finally, notice where the man of faith arrived when he was led by God. Hebron is the highest point in all of Palestine, over
3,000 feet above sea level. By contrast, Lot went down to the lowest place in all the earth, over 1400 feet below sea level.
Faith leads us to "seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1). When
God had shown Abram His best, he built an altar to God and worshiped. Let us direct our steps to the altar of the Lord, His
highest place, and be fruitful in peace, meekness, and righteousness.
O Lord, Make straight our path: establish us all in Thy fear; make firm our steps.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Lenten Fast
Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium
6th Hour: Isaiah 40:18-31 1st Vespers: Genesis: 15:1-15 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 15:7-19
Genesis 15:1-15 LXX, especially vss. 2, 3: "And Abram said,
Master and Lord, what wilt Thou give me? Whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born
female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus is mine heir. And Abram said, I am grieved since Thou has given me no seed, but my
home-born servant shall succeed me." God establishes faith in Himself by moving within the hearts of His servants. In the
hearts of certain blessed ones, He reveals in advance what He will do. Subsequently, He carries out that which He has
foretold through such Prophets. God promises, and He fulfills. While often He surprises His people, He never contradicts
what He has revealed beforehand, neither His words nor His purpose. This Divine consistency allows the Faithful to
receive apparent contradictions in peace of heart, leaving what is not understood to God.
The Lord assures the Faithful: "I Am God, and there is no other; I Am God, and there is none beside Me, telling beforehand
the latter events before they come to pass, and they are accomplished together: and I said, All my counsel shall stand, and I
will do all things which I have planned" (Is. 46:9,10 LXX). Reading Scripture as a whole, the Faithful discover that God is
engaged in a building process: first revealing, then allowing time to elapse, then revealing more detail, and ultimately
fulfilling. Holy Scripture, therefore, ought to be read mindful of this unfolding quality. Today's reading illustrates this
process of unfolding revelation.
First: consider what God told Abram in Haran when He first disclosed Himself to the Patriarch: "I will make thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed....and in thee shall all the tribes of the earth be
blessed" (Gen. 12:2,3 LXX). Then review the events that followed: God protected Abram from Pharaoh (Gen. 12:11-20
LXX). Trusting in God, Abram gave Lot, his nephew, the land of his choice (Gen. 13:8,9 LXX). Lot chose to go to
Sodom, and later Abram had to rescue Lot by military action (Gen. 13:10-14:24 LXX). Thus, Abram experienced the
meaning of God's promises to him: "I will bless those that bless thee and curse those that curse thee" (Gen. 12:3 LXX).
In today's reading, one can observe God unfolding more of what was imbedded in His earlier words: "I will bless thee."
The Lord reminded Abram that He was his shield Who would reward him for his faith (Gen. 15:1 LXX). Abram admitted
the truth of the Lord's words but shared a heartfelt grief: his heir would not be his own son, but a slave born within his
household (vss.2,3). Note the next verse very carefully: "And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him, saying,
"This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come out of thee shall be thine heir'" (vs.4 LXX). Abram had settled for an
assumption "of his own mind" - that God would make a great nation from one of his slaves. The Lord not only countered
Abram's false assumption but also enlarged his vision with additional revelation. His heir would be his own son.
God then revealed to Abram a complete "scenario" of the future of his family (vss. 13-15): his descendants would be aliens
in a foreign land (Egypt). They would be slaves there (after Joseph's repose). God's judgment would come upon that
nation (the plagues). The nation of Abram's descendants would come out with great possessions (the Exodus). Eventually,
they would return to the land God had promised to him (after the wilderness years), and the land would become theirs.
Observe how God promised and how His purposes unfolded little by little. Let us learn how great are God's promises: "It
is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom" (Lk. 12:32). The Lord's mercies and faithfulness truly are new
every morning.
Thou hast justified by faith our father Abram; by his pleadings, save us, O Christ.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Lenten Fast
Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome
6th Hour: Isaiah 41:4-14 1st Vespers: Genesis 17:1-9 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 15:20-16:9
Genesis 17:1-9 LXX, especially vs. 5: "And thy name shall no more be called
Abram, but thy name shall be Abraam [Abraham]." Orthodox Christianity knows and teaches "theosis," sometimes called
"deification," that supernatural process of change by which one is transformed into the likeness of God, until one is a
partaker "of the divine nature" (2 Pet.1:4). Faith in God is the starting point toward theosis and leads one to ceaseless
prayer for the grace to work with God until He fully restores His image and likeness within and without, until one becomes
completed in Christ. Today's reading reveals that God gives faith, a particular kind of faith, one that inevitably effects
change of heart, action, behavior, and even one's basic identity as a person - in the movement toward complete theosis.
First, faith changes the heart. When God appeared to Abram, the Patriarch "fell upon his face" (Gen. 17:3). Up to this
point Abram listened to God, obeyed God, worshiped God by building altars to God. However, faith grew within his heart,
so that Abram was moved to prostrate himself before God. Some wondrous change transpired within the man. He was
moved to reverence before God as Moses who hid his face before the burning bush (Ex. 3:5), as Joshua before the
Commander of the army of the Lord (Jos. 5:14) and as Isaiah in the Temple (Is. 6:5). Abram responded to the glory of God
from a changed heart. When this same Divine glory pierced the Apostle Peter's heart, he cried out, "Depart from me, Lord,
for I am a sinful man" (Lk. 5:8). Let us also say, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner."
Second, faith reconfigures one's behavior. God held up before Abram expectations for the change or enlargement of his
actions in life: the Patriarch was to "be well-pleasing" and "blameless" before Him; but, in addition, God directed that he
should "fully keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee for their generations" (vs. 9).
As we participate in the Holy Gifts and submit ourselves to the gracious work of the Holy Spirit within our hearts, God
reshapes our life and actions, so that we plead with Christ that "Every evil deed and ev