Day 1 (Monday)

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

We last read from the book of Ecclesiastes in weeks 2 & 3, back in September of last year. In week 2 we read the beginning of Ecclesiastes, and saw Solomon talks about how he had been given such wisdom, but in all his wisdom had found everything to be vanity, apparently pointless and unfulfilling. In week 3 we read the end of the book, and saw him say that he had tried every human means of fulfillment, and found all of them vain, and recommended simply walking in faithfulness to God, trusting that He has a purpose beyond our understanding. Since then, we have read from Exodus and Joshua, and have seen God call His people, and promise them blessings if they would be faithful. So this time, we will return to Ecclesiastes, and see Solomon describe how he decided to try sinning after he found wisdom to be “full of vanity”, and see if he found any fulfillment in the evils that God had warned His people against.

The Futility of Self-Indulgence

2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, and many concubines.

9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Wisdom and Joy Given to One Who Pleases God

12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the one do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

14 The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.

Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. 15 Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity. 16 For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me 19 —and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23 For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

24 There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; 25 for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Solomon sees the truth, that wisdom is better than folly, and righteousness is better than sin, but he dislikes the answer, because even in righteousness there is no permanence, no stability, no real strength and independence. We can perhaps relate to this feeling, but should understand that, what Solomon rebelled against was precisely the dependence upon the Lord that we are called to. We should also understand that there was a real cost to Solomon’s experimentation. Even though he himself seems to have ultimately repented for the many sins that he describes here, he led the people of Israel astray, and their rebellion against God’s commandments will ultimately result in their destruction, as we will see in the coming weeks.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

First Apology of Justin Martyr – 2: 47-49

We have seen St. Justin outlining many prophecies from the Old Testament regarding the coming of the Lord; this time, we will see him provide further prophecies that foretell events that have been “current events” for him and for the emperors to whom he writes, specifically, the destruction of the land of the Jews during the Bar Kochba revolt in the 130’s. He shows here as well that even the ongoing persecution of the Christians by the Romans was foretold, as was the entrance of the Gentiles into the Church.

Chapter 47

Listen, also, to what the Prophetic Spirit said concerning the future devastation of the land of the Jews. His words were spoken as if in the name of the people who wondered at what had happened. These are the words: ‘Sion has been made a wilderness, Jerusalem has become a desolation; the house, our sanctuary has become a curse; and the glory which our fathers praised is burned with fire; and all its glorious things have fallen in ruins. And Thou refrainest Thyself at these things, and hast held Thy peace, and hast humbled us greatly.’ And you know full well that, as it was foretold to come to pass, Jerusalem has been destroyed. That it would be destroyed and that no one would be allowed to dwell therein was thus foretold by the Prophet Isaias: ‘Their land is desolate, and their enemies consume it before them, and none of them shall dwell therein. And you are fully aware that it was guarded by you, lest anyone should dwell in it, and that a death penalty was decreed for any Jew caught entering it.

Chapter 48

Concerning the prophecy that our Christ should cure all diseases and raise the dead to life, hear what was spoken. Here are the exact words of the prophecy: ‘At His coming the lame shall leap like a stag, and the tongue of the dumb shall be clear; the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed, and the dead shall rise and walk about.’ That Christ did perform such deeds you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. Hear, also, the following words of Isaias, which tell how the Prophetic Spirit foretold that Christ and those men who trusted in Him should be put to death: ‘Behold how the Just One perisheth, and no one takes it to heart; and how just men are slain, and no one gives it a thought. The Just One is snatched from the face of evil, and His burial shall be in peace, He is taken from our midst.’

Chapter 49

Consider, too, how this same Isaias foretold that the Gentiles, who did not look forward to the Messiah, should worship Him, but the Jews, who were always awaiting His arrival, should not recognize Him when He did arrive. These are his words spoken as in the name of Christ Himself: ‘I was manifest to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Behold Me” to a nation that did not call upon My name. I stretched out My hands to an unbelieving and contradicting people, who walk along a way that is not good, but follow after their own sins; a people who provoke Me to anger before My face.’ The Jews, in truth, who had the prophecies and always looked for the coming of Christ, not only did not recognize Him, but, far beyond that, even mistreated Him. But the Gentiles, who had never even heard anything of Christ until His Apostles went from Jerusalem and preached about Him and gave them the prophecies, were filled with joy and faith, and turned away from their idols, and dedicated themselves to the Unbegotten God through Christ. That these slanders which were to be directed against those who confess Christ were foreknown, and how they who slander Him and who claim that it is well to retain the ancient customs would be afflicted, listen to these few words of Isaias: ‘Woe unto those who call sweet bitter, and bitter sweet.’

Thomas B. Falls with Justin Martyr, The First Apology, The Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho, Exhortation to the Greeks, Discourse to the Greeks, The Monarchy or The Rule of God, vol. 6, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1948), 83–86.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note that St. Justin here is not just quoting proof texts to the emperors, but is actively marveling at the wonder of prophecy fulfilled, and seeing what the Church has always seen, the fulfillment of the manifold promises of God in the Old Testament to call all the nations back to Him. These things had seemed impossible previously, and yet were being fulfilled before the wondering eyes of the Christians of Justin’s time. Indeed, he himself is an example of this, as neither his ancestry nor his education was either Jewish or Christian; he was born and raised in what had once been the Promised Land, but first simply as a pagan, then as a philosopher, and finally as a Christian. So what he is describing, with the Gentiles turning to Christ, is essentially autobiographical; but his own journey can count for that of many, both at his time and after.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

2 Peter 3

We have been reading this second general Epistle of St. Peter, and have seen him warning the Church against false teachers, so that they will not be led astray. As he finishes the letter, he continues to urge them to faithfulness and endurance, assuring them of the Lord’s faithfulness and patience.

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

3 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you 2 that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. 3 First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!” 5 They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, 6 through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation and Doxology

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note that St. Peter here gives the reason for the “long wait” between the Lord’s Incarnation and His final judgment, that He is patient, and giving every opportunity for repentance to all of us. We should therefore take every opportunity to walk in repentance and in newness of life. It is also worth noting that he refers to the letters of St. Paul, and even speaks of them as “scripture,” which tells us that St. Paul’s letters were already being circulated and read in the Churches (and that they were also already being misunderstood and misused). Finally, it is worth noting that St. Peter here gives a refutation of the argument that judgment will never come and that everything has continued without any change since the beginning, in reminding us that God has judged the entire world once, in the great flood. We may remember, as well, what we have seen in the Old Testament readings, that judgment has come to the wicked as well, time and again, when their evil is full, and therefore we should walk in soberness and watchfulness, and above all in repentance and faithfulness.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

Proverbs 3:11-35

For the last several weeks, we have been reading through the book of Joshua, and have seen how Yahweh, the God of Israel, brought His people into the land of promise, and destroyed the Amorites, the so-called giant clans, those devoted to the worship and service of evil gods in rebellion against Yahweh. We saw how the Lord promised to be always with His people, if they would only remain faithful to Him. Over the rest of the Old Testament, we see Him fulfil this promise, and even when His people are unfaithful to Him (as they are, almost immediately and constantly throughout the centuries), He both disciplines them and calls them back to repentance and restoration, until He comes Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, to finally and perfectly reconcile us with Himself. This time, as an interlude, we will read from the book of Proverbs a passage that speaks about faithfulness and righteousness and the discipline and patience of the Lord.

Do Not Despise the Lord’s Discipline

11 My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.

The True Wealth

13 Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
14 for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.

God’s Wisdom in Creation

19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

The True Security

21 My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
30 Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.
31 Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
32 for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out the outline of this passage, and how it continues from what we read back in January, which urged us to be attentive to the Lord’s instruction. This time, we begin with an assurance that God will discipline us, but out of love and a desire to restore us. We continue with an ode to wisdom, an assurance that walking in the way of the Lord is the path to joy and peace, and to communion with God, Who is the source of wisdom. It concludes with a set of instructions regarding the application of wisdom in daily life.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

First Apology of Justin Martyr – 2: 42-46

Last time, we saw St. Justin go through several prophecies of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, explaining both the prophecies and their fulfillment to the emperors, as a proof of the truth of the Lord’s Gospel. He continues in chapters 36 – 41 with prophecies and explanations regarding the Lord’s crucifixion and rejection by His people, and yet reigning after His crucifixion. He gives further prophecies and examples regarding the preaching of the Gospel by “twelve illiterate men” into all the world, and the transformation of many people through faithfulness to the Lord, and ends with a prophetic warning to the emperors: “And now, O ye kings, understand, receive instruction, you that judge the earth. Serve ye the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling. Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way, when His wrath is suddenly kindled; blessed are all they that trust in Him” (chapter 40), because it is the Lord Jesus Christ Who reigns over all (chapter 41). Moving forward, St. Justin deals with the question of prophecy and free will.

Chapter 42

Now we will explain why the Prophetic Spirit speaks of what is about to take place as if it had already happened (as may be seen in the above-quoted passages), so that our readers will have no excuse [for remaining in error]. The things which He certainly knows will come to pass He foretells as if they have already come to pass. You must give your full attention to these prophecies to realize that they must be accepted as such. David uttered the words quoted [in the preceding chapter] fifteen hundred years before Christ the Incarnate was crucified, and no one before Him or after Him occasioned joy among the Gentiles by being crucified. Yet, our Jesus Christ, after His crucifixion and death, arose from the dead and, after ascending into Heaven, ruled there; through the tidings announced by the Apostles in His name to the people of every nation, joy is given to those who look forward to the immortality promised by Him.

Chapter 43

Now, lest some persons conclude from what we have just stated that whatever takes place must necessarily do so by force of destiny, because of the prediction of things foreknown, we make answer to this, too. Through the Prophets we have learned, and we profess as true, that punishments, and torments, and wonderful rewards are distributed according to the merit of each man’s actions. If such were not the case, but everything were to happen by fate, no choice would be in our power at all.

For, if fate decrees that this man is to be good and this other man evil, neither the former is praiseworthy, nor the latter blameworthy. Furthermore, if man does not have the free faculty to shun evil and to choose good, then, whatever his actions may be, he is not responsible for them. But we will now prove that only by free will does man act rightly and wrongfully. We observe a man in pursuit of opposite things; if, however, he were destined to be either evil or good, he would not be able to attain both opposites nor would he change his mind so often. Nor would some men be good and others evil, for then we would have to affirm fate to be the cause of good and evil and to act in opposition to itself; or what has been declared above would seem to be true, namely, that neither virtue nor vice is any thing real, but things are considered either good or bad by opinion only—which, as sound reason shows, is the greatest impiety and injustice.

This, however, we say is inevitable fate, that they who choose good have merited rewards, just as those who prefer the contrary have appropriate punishments. God did not create man like the other beings, trees and quadrupeds, for example, which can do nothing by free choice. For, neither would he deserve reward or praise if he did not choose good of his own accord, but were created precisely for this purpose; nor, if he were sinful, would he deserve punishment, since he would not be such of himself nor able to be other than what he was born.

Chapter 44

Indeed, the Holy Prophetic Spirit taught us this when He informed us through Moses that God spoke the following words to the first man: ‘Behold, before thy face are good and evil, choose the good.’ And again, through Isaias, another Prophet, as from God the Father and Lord of the universe, the following words were spoken in the same vein: ‘Wash yourselves, be clean; banish sin from your souls, learn to do well; judge for the fatherless, and defend the widow; and then come and let us reason together, saith the Lord: And if your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool; and if they be red as crimson, I will make them white as snow. And if you be willing and will hearken to Me, you shall eat the good things of the land; but if you will not hear Me, the sword shall devour you. For thus has spoken the mouth of the Lord.’

The words, ‘The sword shall devour you,’ do not mean that the disobedient will be put to death by swords, but that the sword of God is the fire of which those who choose to do evil shall be made the fuel. Therefore, He says: ‘The sword shall devour you: for thus has spoken the mouth of the Lord.’ If, however, He had meant a sword that cuts and immediately destroys, He would not have used the expression, ‘shall devour.’ Plato, too, when he stated: ‘To him who chooses belongs the guilt, but in God there is no guilt,’ borrowed the thought from the Prophet Moses. Indeed, Moses is more ancient than all the Greek authors, and everything the philosophers and poets said in speaking about the immortality of the soul, or retribution after death, or speculation on celestial matters, or other similar doctrines, they took from the Prophets as the source of information, and from them they have been able to understand and explain these matters. Thus, the seeds of truth seem to be among all men, but that they did not grasp their exact meaning is evident from the fact that they contradict themselves.

So, if we declare that future events have been predicted, by that we do not claim that they take place by the necessity of fate. But, since God has foreknowledge of what all men will do, and has ordained that each man will be rewarded in accordance with the merit of his actions, foretells through the Prophetic Spirit that He Himself will reward them in accordance with the merit of their deeds, ever urging men to reflection and remembrance, proving that He both cares and provides for them…

Chapter 46

Lest some should unreasonably assert, in order to turn men from our teaching, that we affirm that Christ was born one hundred and fifty years ago under Quirinius, and then afterward, under Pontius Pilate, taught what we claim He did, and should accuse us as if [we said] all men born before the time of Christ were not accountable for their actions, we shall anticipate and answer such a difficulty. We have been taught that Christ was First-begotten of God [the Father] and we have indicated above that He is the Word of whom all mankind partakes. Those who lived by reason are Christians, even though they have been considered atheists: such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them; and among the foreigners, Abraham, Elias, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, and many others whose deeds or names we now forbear to enumerate, for we think it would be too long. So, also, they who lived before Christ and did not live by reason were useless men, enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live by reason. But those who have lived reasonably, and still do, are Christians, and are fearless and untroubled. From all that has been said an intelligent man can understand why, through the power of the Word, in accordance with the will of God, the Father and Lord of all, He was born as a man of a virgin, was named Jesus, was crucified, died, rose again, and ascended into Heaven. But, since the proof of this topic is not necessary at this time, we shall now proceed to the proof of more urgent matters.

Thomas B. Falls with Justin Martyr, The First Apology, The Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho, Exhortation to the Greeks, Discourse to the Greeks, The Monarchy or The Rule of God, vol. 6, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1948), 78–84.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note that Justin’s primary point here, now that he has established that everything that has happened regarding Jesus Christ and the Church and the Romans was prophesied, is to make clear that these prophecies do NOT mean that everything is pre-determined, nor do they mean that each individual is not responsible for his or her actions and decisions. In the midst of this, however, we see many essential and normal expressions of the Orthodox Faith, and also the interesting assertion that all truth, even that of the Greek philosophers, is borrowed from Moses, and that Socrates and Heraclitus and others are pre-Christian Christians, as they truly lived by reason, which is to say, by the Word. This is by no means a universal position of the Fathers, but Justin is known for asserting it, and it has sometimes been depicted in Orthodox iconography. Examples of these icons may be found here and here.

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

2 Peter 2

Last time we began to read the 2nd General Epistle of St. Peter. He is speaking to encourage the Church in the face of present persecutions, and in this chapter, he is warning them against heresies and errors that are threatening the Church at the same time.

False Prophets and Their Punishment

2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; 6 and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment 10 —especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority.

Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord. 12 These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, 13 suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of doing wrong, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. 18 For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb,

“The dog turns back to its own vomit,”

and,

“The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that we may find St. Peter’s vehemence about heresies and those who justify sinfulness shocking, but he is intent on showing that these false ideas, these justifications of sin, are entirely destructive of the soul. It is worst of all for those who are Christians, who were baptized and purified, but turned back again into sinfulness after receiving the truth. This is a warning that all of us need to take to heart, especially in this day and age, in which so much sinfulness is justified and defended and called good.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

Joshua 23 (Joshua’s Exhortation)

Last time we saw Joshua and the Israelites used as the instrument of Yahweh to inflict complete judgment on the five kings of the Amorites who had allied against them, and destroy their armies and their cities. Through the rest of the book of Joshua, the conquest of the Promised Land continues, and the land (both that which has been conquered, and that which remains to be conquered) is allotted to the tribes of Israel, and Yahweh promises to remain with them if they remain faithful to Him, and to deliver what remains into their hands. At this time, however, Joshua is old, and as he is preparing to die he gives a final exhortation to the people, that they should remain faithful to Yahweh, the God of Israel, always, even after his death.

Joshua Exhorts the People

23 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders and heads, their judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years; 3 and you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will push them back before you, and drive them out of your sight; and you shall possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

6 Therefore be very steadfast to observe and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right nor to the left, 7 so that you may not be mixed with these nations left here among you, or make mention of the names of their gods, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow yourselves down to them, 8 but hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you, no one has been able to withstand you to this day. 10 One of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, as he promised you.

11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back, and join the survivors of these nations left here among you, and intermarry with them, so that you marry their women and they yours, 13 know assuredly that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations before you; but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the Lord your God has given you.

14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the bad things, until he has destroyed you from this good land that the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he enjoined on you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note that Joshua is very clear that the children of Israel are not, in fact, guaranteed always of victory, nor of the favor of God, regardless of what they do. They have been given a great gift, and have been called by Yahweh the Most High God as His own particular people, but they must be faithful to this calling. If they are unfaithful, then they will be cut off, exactly as the nations that they have been driving out of the Promised Land have been cut off. What we will see in the remaining weeks of the year is how over the coming centuries, most of the people of God will be unfaithful, but some will remain faithful and will be preserved, and it is to them that the final fulfillment of the promise will come, in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect fulfillment of all these things that have been promised.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

First Apology of Justin Martyr – 2: 32 – 35

Last time, we saw St. Justin introduce his main proof of the truth of the Christian Gospel, that all the things that happened to the Lord had been prophesied many years before, and had then come to pass in the person of Jesus Christ, and in the progression of history after His Coming into the world. This time, we will see him begin to outline these prophecies and fulfillments; we will not read all of his examples, as there are many. We will, however, look at the basic points he makes through the end of the Apology: chapters 32 through 41 deal with prophecies about the Lord Himself, chapters 42-46 deals with free will and responsibility for sin in the face of the reality of prophecy, and chapters 47-51 with what has happened to both the Jews and the Gentiles after His coming, and in chapters 52 – 53 he gives further prophecies which have not yet been fulfilled, as a warning and exhortation to the emperors. In chapters 54-60, he then outlines the errors, demonic perversions, and heresies which twist these truths and lead many astray, and finally, in chapters 61-68, he outlines what the Christians do in their worship.

Chapter 32

Indeed, Moses, the first of the Prophets, spoke literally in these words: ‘The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, until He come for whom it is reserved; and He shall be the desire of nations, tying His foal to the vine, washing His robe in the blood of the grape.’ It is up to you to make a thorough investigation and to learn up to what time the Jews had their own ruler and king. [They had a ruler] until the coming of Jesus Christ our Teacher, and Expounder of the prophecies that were not then understood, as the divine and holy Prophetic Spirit predicted through Moses: ‘The ruler will not depart from Juda, until He come, for whom the kingdom is reserved.’ For Juda was the forefather of the Jews, and from him they derive their name; and after He [Christ] appeared you started to rule the Jews, and have become masters of their whole country.

But the prophecy, ‘He shall be the desire of nations,’ meant that people from all nations would look for His second coming, as you yourselves can see with your own eyes and be convinced by factual evidence; for men of every nation look for Him who was crucified in Judea, after whose coming the country of the Jews was immediately given over to you as booty of war.

And the words, ‘tying His foal to the vine, and washing His robe in the blood of the grape,’ allegorically signified the things that would befall Christ, and the deeds that He would perform. For the foal of a donkey stood tied to a vine at the entrance to a village, and He ordered His disciples to lead it to Him, and when this was done, He mounted and sat upon it, and entered Jerusalem, where was located the greatest Jewish temple, which you later destroyed. After this He was crucified, in order that the rest of the prophecy be verified, for the words, ‘washing His robe in the blood of the grape,’ were a forewarning of the passion He was to endure, purifying with His blood those who believe in Him. For, what the Divine Spirit called through the prophet ‘His robe’ are those believers in Christ, in whom dwells the seed3 of God, namely, the Word. And the saying, ‘the blood of the grape,’ means that He who was to appear would have blood, though not through the seed of man, but through the power of God.

The first power after God the Father and Lord of all things is the Word, who is also His Son, who assumed human flesh and became man in the manner which we shall presently explain. For, just as God, not man, made the blood of the grape, so was it indicated also that this blood would not arise from human seed, but from the power of God, as we stated above. Another Prophet, Isaias, expressing the thoughts in different language, spoke thus: ‘A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a flower shall spring from the root of Jesse, and in His arm shall nations trust.’ Indeed, a brilliant star has arisen, and a flower has sprung up from the root of Jesse—this is Christ. For, by God’s power He was conceived by a virgin who was a descendant of Jacob, who was the father of Juda, the above-mentioned father of the Jewish race; and Jesse was His forefather according to this prophecy, and He was the son of Jacob and Juda according to lineage.

Chapter 33

And, again, hear how it was expressly foretold by Isaias that He was to be born of a virgin; here is the prophecy: ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel’ [i.e., God with us]. For, what man has deemed incredible and impossible, God foretold through the Prophetic Spirit as about to take place, so that, when they did take place, they should not be denied, but believed because they had been foretold. But, lest some who do not grasp the meaning of this prophecy should accuse us of the very things of which we accused the poets who said that Jupiter approached women for the sake of sensual pleasure, let us attempt to explain the words of the prophecy. The words, ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive,’ therefore mean that the virgin shall conceive without intercourse. For, if she had had intercourse with anyone whomsoever, she was then no longer a virgin, but, the power of God descending upon the virgin overshadowed her, and caused her, while still a virgin, to conceive.

And the angel of God, who was then sent to that same virgin, carried the glad news to her when he said: ‘Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb of the Holy Ghost, and shalt bring forth a Son, and He shall be called the Son of the Most High, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall deliver His people from their sins.’ This happened as related by the recorders of all the acts of our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we believed, and through the above-mentioned Isaias the Prophetic Spirit foretold that He should be born in the manner we stated above. It is not right, therefore, to understand the Spirit and the power of God as anything else than the Word, who is also the First-begotten of God, as Moses, the previously mentioned Prophet, has stated. And it was this Spirit who came upon the virgin, overshadowed her, and brought it about that she became pregnant, not by sexual intercourse, but by divine power. Jesus is a name in the Hebrew tongue which means Savior in the Greek; thus, the angel said to the virgin: ‘And thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall deliver His people from their sins.’ I think that even you will concede that the Prophets are inspired by none other than the Divine Word.

Chapter 34

And hear in what part of this earth He was to be born, as it was foretold by another Prophet, Micheas, who spoke thus: ‘And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Ruler, who shall feed my people.’ Now, this [Bethlehem] is a certain village in the land of the Jews, distant thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ was born, as you can learn by consulting the census taken by Quirinius, your first procurator in Judea.2

Chapter 35

Hear also how it was foretold that, after His birth, Christ should escape the notice of other men until He reached the age of maturity, and this also took place. Here are the words of the prophecy: ‘A child is born to us, and a young man is given to us, and the government is upon His shoulders.’ This signifies the power of the cross, which, at His crucifixion, He placed on His shoulders, as shall be demonstrated more clearly as we proceed in this discourse.

And again the same Prophet Isaias, inspired by the Prophetic Spirit, said: ‘I have stretched out my hands to an unbelieving and contradicting people, who walk in a way that is not good.’ They now ask judgment from Me, and dare to approach God.’ Again [the Prophetic Spirit] says, in other words, through another Prophet: ‘They have pierced My hands and My feet, and have cast lots for My clothing.’ David, however, the king and prophet who spoke these words, endured none of these sufferings, but Jesus Christ stretched out His hands when He was crucified by the Jews who contradicted Him and denied that He was the Messiah. And, as the Prophet said, they placed Him in mockery on the judgment seat, and said: ‘Judge us.’ And the words, ‘They have pierced My hands and My feet,’ refer to the nails which transfixed His hands and feet on the cross. And, after He was crucified, they cast lots for His clothing, and His crucifiers divided it among themselves. That these things really happened, you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. We shall now cite the predictions of another Prophet, Sophonias, to prove that it was foretold that He was to enter Jerusalem sitting upon the foal of an ass. Here are the words of the prophecy: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy King cometh to thee, gentle and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’

Thomas B. Falls with Justin Martyr, The First Apology, The Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho, Exhortation to the Greeks, Discourse to the Greeks, The Monarchy or The Rule of God, vol. 6, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1948), 66–73.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out simply that Justin is being very precise and detailed here, and connecting multiple individual prophecies from throughout the Old Testament with matters that are fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. It should also be noted how explicit St. Justin is that Jesus is Himself truly God, and not some lesser being. He is not expressing the doctrine of the Trinity in the terms of Nicaea, as those have not yet been articulated, but he is still expressing and confessing the Holy Trinity.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

2 Peter 1

Last time we finished St. Peter’s first general Epistle, so this time, we will begin his second Epistle, and see what he has to say to the churches of his time. This seems to have been written soon before his martyrdom, perhaps in the early 60’s A.D. It is only three chapters long, so we will read one chapter each week, and then finish the year with the Epistle of St. James.

Salutation

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

The Christian’s Call and Election

3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.

8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

12 Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14 since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Eyewitnesses of Christ’s Glory

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that St. Peter here provides his credentials, explaining that he speaks with authority because he himself saw the Lord Jesus Christ revealed as Most High God by the voice of the Father on Mount Tabor, at the Transfiguration, as seen in Mark 9. It is also worth noting that he makes clear in the final verses of the passage that there is indeed a correct interpretation of Scripture, which indicates that some people are already interpreting the Scripture in a way contrary to the Gospel, and he is correcting this error; this is why he is asserting this particular and unique authority as an eyewitness, in order to call the churches back to faithfulness and protect them from error.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

Joshua 10 (The Sun Stands Still; The Conquest Continues)

Last time we saw Joshua and the elders of the people fooled by the Hivites from Gibeon, who pretended to be from a distant country and made an alliance with Israel, even though they were idolators and seem to have remained so. The conclusion was that the people of Gibeon were subjugated in service to the people of Israel and to the house of God, but without a clear statement that they would have to repent of their evils and renounce the demon gods they had served. This time, we will see what results from this, and how it becomes the opportunity for a great defeat of the Amorites in the hill country.

The Sun Stands Still

10 When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered their forces, and went up with all their armies and camped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

6 And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibeon, chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

12 On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.”

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice; for the Lord fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Five Kings Defeated

16 Meanwhile, these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And it was told Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them; 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies, and attack them from the rear. Do not let them enter their towns, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.” 20 When Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a very great slaughter on them, until they were wiped out, and when the survivors had entered into the fortified towns, 21 all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah; no one dared to speak against any of the Israelites.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so, and brought the five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the Israelites, and said to the chiefs of the warriors who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks. 25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous; for thus the Lord will do to all the enemies against whom you fight.” 26 Afterward Joshua struck them down and put them to death, and he hung them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves; they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

28 Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed every person in it; he left no one remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua passed on from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel; and he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left no one remaining in it; and he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Next Joshua passed on from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and laid siege to it, and assaulted it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah. 33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, leaving him no survivors.

34 From Lachish Joshua passed on with all Israel to Eglon; and they laid siege to it, and assaulted it; 35 and they took it that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword; and every person in it he utterly destroyed that day, as he had done to Lachish. 36 Then Joshua went up with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron; they assaulted it, 37 and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it; he left no one remaining, just as he had done to Eglon, and utterly destroyed it with every person in it.

38 Then Joshua, with all Israel, turned back to Debir and assaulted it, 39 and he took it with its king and all its towns; they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed every person in it; he left no one remaining; just as he had done to Hebron, and, as he had done to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and its king.

40 So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings; he left no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. 41 And Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that there are a lot of questions that are not made clear in this text, but that the final statement, that “Yahweh the God of Israel fought for Israel” indicates clearly that these kings and their cities were entirely given over to evil, and therefore under the ban, given over to destruction due to their devotion to evil demons and to the evils done in worship of them. Therefore, whatever the rightness of the alliance with Gibeon, God used it an opportunity to destroy the rest of the Amorites, and to execute judgment upon them. With the standing still of the sun in the sky, the Lord accomplished this through great wonders. Nonetheless, we should also see this victory as containing a great caveat, because Israel is already on the road to corruption, not least because they have already failed to root out all the evil, and will continue to fail to do so. Thus, although Israel itself remains faithful to Yahweh during the life of Joshua and the other leaders, the seed of corruption and faithlessness is already planted.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

First Apology of Justin Martyr – 2: 27-31

Last time, we saw St. Justin proclaim the Christian doctrines of the Resurrection, of the Creation of the universe by one God, and of the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, upholding the singularity of the Christian doctrine while arguing that many elements of pagan belief either point toward this truth, or pervert its truth in demonic imitation, and most especially in perverted imitation of the idea of a son of God. This time, he will speak about the evils that were done among the idolatrous Greeks and Romans of his time, and most especially the exposure of infant children at the behest of the demons, and what happened to those children, and of the Most High God’s endurance of these evils for a time, with the ultimate promise of justice and holiness being restored.

Chapter 27

Here, St. Justin outlines the evils of the exposure of unwanted infants, many of whom were then taken and enslaved, treated like animals and worse, often raised in sexual slavery, as accessories of the worship of a great serpent god. He will explain who this is in Chapter 28.

Chapter 28

As you may learn by examining our writings, the chief of the wicked demons we call the serpent, Satan, the devil, and Christ foretold that he with his army of demons, and the men who follow him, will be cast into the fire [of Hell] to be punished for endless ages. The cause of God’s delay in doing this is his regard for mankind, for in His foreknowledge He sees that some will be saved by repentance, some who are, perhaps, not yet in existence.

Indeed, in the beginning when He created man, He endowed him with the power of understanding, of choosing the truth, and of doing right; consequently, before God no man has an excuse if he does evil, for all men have been created with the power to reason and to reflect. If anyone does not believe that God takes an interest in these things, he will by some artifice imply either that God does not exist, or that though He does exist, He takes delight in evil, or that He is [as unmoved] as stone, and that neither virtue nor vice is a reality, but that things are considered good or bad only in the opinion of men: this indeed would be the height of blasphemy and injustice.

Chapter 29

St. Justin is defending the Church against the accusation of exposing children, and affirms that this is not done, saying:

But either we marry, in the first place, in order to raise children, or, refusing to marry, we live in continence for the rest of our lives.

He then proceeds with a positive example of a chaste Christian who would be known to the emperors, and then a negative example of a young man who had been used as a sexual object even by a predecessor emperor, whom the Greeks and Romans had begun to worship as a god after he died, as an example of what they meant when they talked about “sons of god.”

Chapter 30

Lest anyone should object and ask, ‘What prevents us from supposing that He whom we call Christ was a man born of men, and has worked what we term miracles through the art of magic, and thus appeared to be the Son of God,’ we how present proof that such was not the case. We shall do so not by trusting in mere statements [without proof], but by necessarily believing those who predicted these things before they happened, for we are actual eye-witnesses of events that have happened and are happening in the very manner in which they were fortold. This, we are sure, will appear even to you the greatest and truest proof.

Chapter 31

Indeed, there were certain men among the Jews who were Prophets of God, through whom the Prophetic Spirit predicted events, that were to happen, before they actually took place. The successive kings of Judea carefully kept their prophetic sayings in their possession, as they were worded at the time of their utterance in their Hebrew language, and as they were arranged in books by the Prophets themselves. When Ptolemy, King of Egypt, was forming a library, and attempting to collect the writings of every nation, he heard about these prophetic writings and he sent to Herod, then King of the Jews, asking that he send the prophetic books to him.

King Herod did send them, written, as we said, in the Hebrew language. But when the Egyptians could not understand these writings, he again sent and asked for some persons to translate them into the Greek tongue. After this was accomplished, the books remained in the possession of the Egyptians from that day to this, as they are also in the possession of every Jew, wherever he be. But these Jews, though they read the books, fail to grasp their meaning, and they consider us as their enemies and adversaries, killing and punishing us, just as you do, whenever they are able to do so, as you can readily imagine.

In the recent Jewish war, Bar Kocheba, the leader of the Jewish uprising, ordered that only the Christians should be subjected to dreadful torments, unless they renounced and blasphemed Jesus Christ. In the books of the Prophets, indeed, we found Jesus our Christ foretold as coming to us born of a virgin, reaching manhood, curing every disease and ailment, raising the dead to life, being hated, unrecognized, and crucified, dying, rising from the dead, ascending into Heaven, and being called and actually being the Son of God. And [we found predicted also] that He would send certain persons to every nation to make known these things, and that the former Gentiles rather [than Jews] would believe in Him. He was foretold, in truth, before He actually appeared, first five thousand years before, then three thousand, then two thousand, then one thousand, and, finally, eight hundred. For, in succeeding generations new Prophets rose time and again.

Thomas B. Falls with Justin Martyr, The First Apology, The Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho, Exhortation to the Greeks, Discourse to the Greeks, The Monarchy or The Rule of God, vol. 6, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1948), 63–67.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that the logical thread that Justin is following to address the emperors begins with critiquing and refuting the pagan idea of children of god, as springing from immoral practices and abhorrent deities. The point of this is ultimately to proclaim the long-proclaimed birth of the only true and only-begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, out of purity and holiness and chastity. The intent here is the favorable contrast between the shamefulness of the idolatrous stories and practices, on the one hand, and the rightness and worthiness of the Lord’s birth and life and death. Justin here is swinging for the fences, and is not just urging the emperors to stop persecuting the Christians, but is striving to make them Christians, even as we see St. Paul doing in his own time.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

1 Peter 5

Last time, we finished our reading of the Gospel of Mark, which we began in September of last year. Through the course of this year, on various occasions, we have also read from the first Epistle of St. Peter, as a reminder that the Gospel of Mark presents St. Peter’s witness of the Lord’s life and purpose, and as a supplement to that proclamation of the truth in St. Peter’s own words, so that we can see what he thought was important to teach the Church on a pastoral level for daily life. We have only the final chapter to read from 1 Peter, and then we will continue with St. Peter’s 2nd Epistle and the General Epistle of St. James for the remainder of this year.

Tending the Flock of God

5 Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.

5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for

“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

8 Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings and Benediction

12 Through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that, as St. Peter winds down this letter, he urges them to be faithful in the face of persecution, assuring them that they are not alone, and that the glory of the Lord is awaiting those who endure to the end. He begins, however, by urging the leaders/elders – which is to say, the clergy, since the word for elder is Presbyteros, which we have shortened in English to Priest by a process: Presbyteros -> Presbyter -> Prester -> Prest/Priest – to be faithful shepherds of the flock of Christ, and the people to submit to and humble themselves to the leaders and to one another, as the first and most essential step of faithfulness to God in the face of persecutions. The other thing that is worth noting is that, when he talks about Babylon, he is referring to the city of Rome, and therefore we can presume that he is writing this from Rome, toward the end of his life.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

Joshua 9 (The Gibeonites Save Themselves by Trickery)

Last time we saw the people of God attack and destroy the city of Ai, and then proceed to renew the covenant, building an altar to Yahweh and reading the Law aloud, including both the blessings that God had promised to them if they were faithful, and the curses that He promised if they were unfaithful. This time, we will see what happens next, and how they once again neglect to consult the Lord, and go further astray as a result.

The Gibeonites Save Themselves by Trickery

9 Now when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—heard of this, 2 they gathered together with one accord to fight Joshua and Israel.

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they on their part acted with cunning: they went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy. 6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the Israelites, “We have come from a far country; so now make a treaty with us.” 7 But the Israelites said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?”

8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt, 10 and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey; go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; come now, make a treaty with us.”’

12 Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy; 13 these wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst; and these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 So the leaders partook of their provisions, and did not ask direction from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

16 But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them.

22 Joshua summoned them, and said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ while in fact you are living among us? 23 Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall always be slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; so we were in great fear for our lives because of you, and did this thing. 25 And now we are in your hand: do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.” 26 This is what he did for them: he saved them from the Israelites; and they did not kill them. 27 But on that day Joshua made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to continue to this day, in the place that he should choose.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that the subtext of this episode, and of what follows, is more troubling than is immediately apparent. The city and inhabitants of Gibeon are as much involved in the sins of the Amorites in Canaan as were Jericho and Ai, Sihon and Og; they are not repenting and renouncing those evil gods and wicked practices in making this alliance with Israel, but are trying to escape both repentance and punishment by cunning. The result of this is that the children of Israel, so recently slaves themselves, have now enslaved the Gibeonites. We might justify this by saying that at least in this way they are not killing them, but as a result of this, the evil practices of the Amorites, the worship of their evil gods, the sacrifice of children, and all this other wickedness, is remaining an active and near presence among the Israelites. In subsequent generations, they begin to embrace these practices themselves, and that evil will ultimately result in Israel itself being destroyed and expelled from the Promised Land.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

First Apology of Justin Martyr – 2: 18-26

Last time we saw St. Justin explain to the emperors the teachings of the Lord that resulted in the unwillingness of the Christians to participate in the religious life of the Roman Empire. In the subsequent chapters (18-20) he makes an argument for the resurrection of the dead based on the myths and stories of the pagan religions of Greece and Rome, and still more on sound reason and the proclamation of the Gospel.

Chapter 18

Justin begins by referencing the many stories and myths of the pagan world in which the dead remain in some sense alive, and asks the emperors to give Christians the same credit. He then continues…

Treat us, therefore, in a similar manner as you treat them, for we believe in God not less, but more than they do, since we expect that our own bodies, even though they should be dead and buried in the earth, will be revived; for we claim that nothing is impossible with God.

Chapter 19

And what would seem more incredible to a thinking person that if we were not in a body and someone were to affirm that from a little drop of the human seed it were possible to shape bones, muscles and flesh into the human form we now see? Now let us make this supposition: If you yourselves had not the form you now have, and were not born of parents like yours, and someone were to show you the human seed and the painted picture of a man, and were to affirm that from such a seed such a being could be produced, would you believe him before you saw the actual production? No one would dare to deny [that you would not].

In like manner, because you have never witnessed a dead person rise again to life, you refuse to believe. But as in the beginning you would not have believed it possible that from a little seed such persons could be produced, and yet you actually see that they are, so now realize that it is not impossible that human bodies, after they are dead and disseminated in the earth like seeds, should at the appointed time, at God’s command, arise and assume immortality.

We cannot imagine what power worthy of God is attributed to Him by those who say that everything returns to that from which it was produced, and that not even God can do anything more than this. But this we clearly know, that they would not have believed it possible that from such matter they could ever have been such as they now perceive themselves and the whole world to be.

We have learned that it is better to believe what is impossible to our own nature and to men than, like other men, to be unbelievers, for we know that our Teacher, Jesus Christ, has said: ‘What is impossible with men, is possible with God.’ And again: ‘Fear not them who kill you, and after that can do you no harm; but fear him who after death is able to cast both soul and body into hell.’2 Hell, in truth, is the place of punishment for those who lived wickedly and refused to believe what God taught through Christ will take place.

Chapter 20

Indeed, Sibyl and Hystaspes foretold that all corruptible things are to be destroyed by fire. And the so-called Stoic philosophers teach that even God is to be transformed into fire, and they claim that after this evolution the world is to be made over again. We, on the contrary, believe that God, the Maker of all things, is superior to changeable things. If, therefore, we agree on some points with your honored poets and philosophers, and on other points offer a more complete and supernatural teaching, and if we alone produce proof of our statements, why are we unjustly hated beyond all others?

When we say that God created and arranged all things in this world, we seem to repeat the teaching of Plato; when we announce a final conflagration [of the world], we utter the doctrine of the Stoics; and when we assert that the souls of the wicked, living after death, will be sensibly punished, and that the souls of the good, freed from punishment, will live happily, we believe the same things as your poets and philosophers. In claiming that we should not worship the work of men’s hands, we agree with the comic poet Menander and other writers like him, for they have declared that the creator is greater than his work.

Chapters 21-22

In these chapters Justin makes many other comparisons with pagan mythology to argue that the essential doctrines of Christianity are little more surprising or unusual than many stories included in those mythologies. We don't know these stories, and explaining all of them would take more time than it is worth, so we will pass over them.

Chapter 23

To make this clear to you, we shall present the following arguments to prove: [first] that whatever statements we make, because we learned them from Christ and the Prophets who preceded Him, are alone true, and are older than all writers, and that we should be believed, not because we speak the same things as the writers, but because we speak the truth; [second] that Jesus Christ alone is properly the Son of God, since He is His Word, First-begotten, and Power, and that, having become man by His will, He taught us these doctrines for the conversion and restoration of mankind; [third] that, before He assumed human nature and dwelt among men, some, namely, those previously mentioned demons, foretold through the poets as if already accomplished those things which they invented, just as they caused to be imputed to us slanderous and impious actions, of which they can produce neither witness nor proof.

Chapters 24-26

In these chapters Justin primarily references many other stories and practices of the pagans, and also the shameful practices of certain heretical sects which claimed the name of “Christians,” all of which require more context than we can provide here, so we will allow his summary in Chapter 23 to stand for 24-26.

Thomas B. Falls with Justin Martyr, The First Apology, The Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho, Exhortation to the Greeks, Discourse to the Greeks, The Monarchy or The Rule of God, vol. 6, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1948), 52–56.

Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Justin is struggling to accomplish two apparently contradictory tasks. On the one hand, he is trying to argue to the emperors that every individual belief of the Christians is at least similar to some other belief prevailing in one of the many cults or philosophies of the pagan world. But on the other, he is determined to show still more that the Christian Faith is not just another derivative of human thought and imagination, and is true and right and just in a way that none of the pagan cults can be. Thus we see him proclaiming the Resurrection of the Dead in a way that far surpasses any pagan belief. We see him affirm that God the Creator is far above any of the imagined gods of the pagan world, and we see him proclaim that Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God, entirely different and infinitely high above any of the so-called children of the pagan gods of Greece and Rome. As we have seen before, Justin is eager to save Christian lives, but not at the expense of the truth.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

Mark 13:14-37

Last time we saw the Lord leave the Temple with His disciples, and begin to explain to them that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, and that the time for the final and perfect establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth is yet to come, and that they will suffer like Him. This time, in our final reading from the Gospel of Mark this year, we will see Him explain further what will happen to Jerusalem, and how important it is that they, and the Church founded by them, must remain watchful and vigilant.

The Desolating Sacrilege

14 “But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 15 the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; 16 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21 And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be alert; I have already told you everything.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Necessity for Watchfulness

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that this passage is very difficult, and has been interpreted in many ways. One approach, however, is to see the Lord prophesying the destruction of the very existence of the Jews in Judaea, continuing the theme He began in prophesying the complete destruction of Jerusalem at the beginning of Chapter 13. He is also warning the disciples and the early Church about getting caught up in this destruction. Thus, in chapter 18, He is warning them that, when they see the Temple desecrated (which would happen soon afterward in A.D. 70), then the Christians should leave Jerusalem and Judaea itself, and be especially wary of anyone claiming to be the Messiah. This is to warn them against the tremendous suffering that came to everyone living in Judaea in the subsequent decades, culminating in the Bar Kochba revolt in the 130’s A.D., at which point the Jews in revolt killed many Christians, and then the Romans killed everyone. This is the suffering spoken of from verses 14-23. Then He tells them that, when He Himself returns in glory, there will be no question or doubt, in verses 24-27. Then He returns to warning them against the idea of false messiahs, and the destruction of Judaea “before that generation passes away,” as prophesied in the cursing of the fig tree, in verses 28-31. And finally, He tells them to be watchful and vigilant, and always ready for His own return, even though no one knows when "THAT day" will happen. In short, He is foretelling two distinct events, the destruction of Judaea due to false messiahs, which will be soon, and has signs that can be known, and His own return in glory, which will come later, and does not have signs that predict it. Thus, the final lesson is to avoid any idea of establishing the kingdom of God on earth, and to be always faithful and vigilant and expecting of the Kingdom of God come from heaven.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?