Day 1 (Monday)

Genesis 32:3-32; 33:1-20 (Jacob Sends Presents to Esau, Wrestles with God, Jacob & Esau Meet)

Last week, we saw Laban chase Jacob and his household as they fled from Padan-aram, and how Laban accused Jacob of stealing away his daughters and his household gods. We saw Jacob respond, in ignorance, that no one had stolen Laban’s gods, and offer Laban to search all his possessions, laying a curse of death on anyone with whom they were found. Rachel hid the household gods, so Laban and Jacob made a covenant that they would keep peace between the two of them, and Laban returned home. This time, we will see Jacob, now free from the concerns of Mesopotamia, set his face toward a reckoning with his brother.

Jacob Sends Presents to Appease Esau

3 Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; 5 and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”

6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape.”

9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. 12 Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”

13 So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove.”

17 He instructed the foremost, “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’” 19 He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, 20 and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.

Jacob and Esau Meet

33 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. 2 He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the maids drew near, they and their children, and bowed down; 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down; and finally Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?”

Jacob answered, “To find favor with my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God—since you have received me with such favor. 11 Please accept my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have everything I want.” So he urged him, and he took it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go alongside you.” 13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, are a care to me; and if they are overdriven for one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “Why should my lord be so kind to me?” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the place is called Succoth.

18 Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city. 19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for one hundred pieces of money the plot of land on which he had pitched his tent. 20 There he erected an altar and called it “The God of Israel is 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 three things in this longer reading.

First, everything about Jacob’s preparation to meet Esau emphasizes one point; he is confessing and repenting of his sin against his brother in stealing his blessing, and is, in fact, giving it back to his brother. To see this more clearly, we will recall the core of the blessing that Jacob stole, from Genesis 27:28-29 “May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.” In calling Esau Lord and sending him rich gifts, he himself gives to Esau the things that he had taken. And it must be noted that the Hebrew word used here for “present” and in Genesis 27 for “blessing” are the same word.

Second, when Jacob wrestles with God, there are echoes of his entire life. The place where they wrestle is Jabbok, similar to his own name, which refers to his grasping of his brother’s leg at birth, and has been prophetic of his character as a deceiver and usurper. As dawn approaches, and Jacob refuses to give in, God touches his leg in turn, putting it out of place, making Jacob weak where he has been strong in his own will to power up to this point. Jacob still refuses to let go, asking now for a blessing; at this point, he finally receives a new name, like Abraham before him, and in that name, entrusting himself to the Lord’s care instead of to his own strength, he will receive the promise of Abraham. We should not ignore the fact that the wrestling, and the receiving of a new name by Jacob, happens at a stream; this is, in effect, his baptism, his rebirth as the faithful heir of Abraham’s blessings.

Finally, we should note how the very last thing that happened as Jacob left Laban and turned toward Esau was that he met angels of God, an assurance of God’s care for him. His own prayer to the Lord expresses repentance and entrusts himself to the Lord’s care…but we should note that he ALSO repents actively, and gives back the blessing to Esau. Some commentators have seen in this an expression of faithlessness on Jacob’s part, that he did not trust God to care for him, but I think we would do better to see here the importance of following up words of repentance and trust with actions of humility and repentance.

As an additional addendum; it is good to compare the way in which Jacob leaves Esau with the way in which he leaves Laban. With Laban, there is need for a treaty; they do not part as friends, but as enemies with an agreement not to continue to fight. With Esau, they part as brothers, fully reconciled. The wound of Jacob’s deceit has been healed.)

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)

5th & 6th Vespers Prayers at the Lighting of the Lamps

At sunset each day, the Church celebrates the service of Vespers, which simply means sunset, or evening. This is built around the very ancient custom of lighting the lamps inside the Church, while Psalms are read that reflect on the coming of the night, the rest that God gives to us, and our expectation of the new day that is to come, and of the enlightenment that we are given by the Lord as He illumines our hearts and our minds. As the service begins, there are seven prayers that are read by the Priest; we will read today the fifth and sixth of those seven prayers.

5th Prayer of the Lighting of the Lamps

O Lord, Lord, Who in Your undefiled palm hold all things, Who are long-suffering toward us all, and consider us in our calamities, be mindful of Your compassions, and of Your mercy; visit us in Your goodness; and grant us during the remainder also of the present day to escape from the manifold machinations of the evil one, and keep our life unassailed, by the grace of Your All-holy Spirit.

By the mercy, and love toward man of Your Only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your All-Holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

6th Prayer of the Lighting of the Lamps

O God, Who are great and wonderful, Who in Your ineffable goodness, and bountiful providence order all things; Who have both given us the good things of this world, and have assured us of the promised kingdom, through the good things already bestowed upon us; Who have made us during the past portion of this day also to decline from all evil, grant us to accomplish the remainder also blamelessly, before Your holy glory, hymning You our only good God and lover of man.

For You are our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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 how these prayers situate us at this time of nightfall, standing in trouble and darkness, looking towards the Lord, in confidence of His care and mercy and love for us. The Vespers service, and the Vespers prayers, use this liminal space of evening to meditate upon our dependence on the Lord. We thank Him for His good care for us up to this point, and entrust ourselves to His mercy and will in the coming night, and in our entire 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 3 (Friday)

John 4:39-54 (Jesus and the Samaritans, Jesus Returns to Galilee, Heals Official's Son)

Last time we saw Jesus finish His conversation with Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well, who responded to the Lord’s knowledge of her sins and brokenness with eager seeking for the salvation that He brought. When the disciples came out of the city with the food and offered it to Him, He said that He was not hungry, as His nourishment was to do the work of the Father. He told them that the fields were full and ready for harvest, and then the people of the city came out, having heard from Photini about the Lord. This is where we will pick up the story.

Jesus and the Samaritans

39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Jesus Returns to Galilee

43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

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 Samaritans come out to seek the Lord, almost in fulfillment of what He said to the disciples in last week’s reading, that the fields are white for harvest. They are eager to receive the blessings of the Lord; it is interesting to see this juxtaposed next with the statement that the Lord then went to Galilee, where He was welcomed, while “a prophet is not welcome in His own country,” which perhaps is used here to reflect that Jesus was not actually born in Galilee, but in Judaea, which He has now had to leave. The other point we should note is how this tells us that the healing of the official’s son was the second miracle that He had done. This, and the mention of which day it is, shows us that John is framing his gospel within a very tight and clear narrative, and it may be fruitful to go back and note what the itinerary of that narrative is.)

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)

Genesis 31:22-55; 32:1-2 (Laban Overtakes Jacob, Laban & Jacob Make a Covenant)

Last week, we saw the Lord call Jacob to leave Laban, and to return to the land that He had promised to Abraham, and to Isaac, and some 20 years before to Jacob himself at Bethel. We saw how Jacob had been cheated time and again by his father-in-law, and how God had blessed him anyway, and how Jacob had given glory to God for all that he had gained, counting it as the fulfillment of God’s promise to him. This time, we will see how Laban responds.

Laban Overtakes Jacob

22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So he took his kinsfolk with him and pursued him for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, “Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad.”

25 Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsfolk camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword. 27 Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and not tell me? I would have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre. 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? What you have done is foolish. 29 It is in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Take heed that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ 30 Even though you had to go because you longed greatly for your father’s house, why did you steal my gods?”

31 Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsfolk, point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered Rachel’s. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt all about in the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched, but did not find the household gods.

36 Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Although you have felt about through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsfolk and your kinsfolk, so that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself; of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.”

“40 It was like this with me: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, Whom Isaac feared, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

Laban and Jacob Make a Covenant

43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about their children whom they have borne? 44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob took a stone, and set it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his kinsfolk, “Gather stones,” and they took stones, and made a heap; and they ate there by the heap.

47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he called it Galeed, 49 and the pillar Mizpah, for he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other. 50 If you ill-treat my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, though no one else is with us, remember that God is witness between you and me.”

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and see the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor”—the God of their father—“judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the God Whom his father Isaac feared, 54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice on the height and called his kinsfolk to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill country.

55 Early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them; then he departed and returned home.

32 Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; 2 and when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called that place Mahanaim.

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 what this text reveals is, perhaps, the reason that Laban has treated Jacob so poorly. Although his father Nahor was a worshipper of Yahweh, Laban has fallen away from this, and worships the idols he keeps in his home. This was indicated last week as well, when Laban refused to send Jacob home the first time he asked, after 14 years of labor, but said that he had learned by divination that Jacob staying in his employ was good for business. We see it this week in that Laban keeps household idols, but also every time he speaks of the Lord as Jacob’s god, or the God of Abraham of Nahor…but never as his own god. As for the idols that Rachel stole, we aren’t given a reason for the theft, but the language used to describe Rachel stealing the gods, and Jacob “stealing the heart of Laban,” which is the idiom used to describe Jacob’s deceit of Laban, stealing away with his whole family and his flocks without telling Laban about it, are similar, and indicates that they are kindred spirits. Some other commentators have noted that Rachel does not want to use the household gods for idolatry, and that her sitting on them while menstruating is a sign of mockery and disrespect for them. I am myself less certain of this; she may not be telling the truth about this, and simply concealing the matter from her father. Regardless, this is not quite the last time we see Laban’s household gods.)

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)

St. Porphyrios On Prayer

St. Porphyrios is a saint of the 20th century, who was tonsured as a monk on Mount Athos at age 14, but left the Holy Mountain due to poor health, and eventually ended up serving as a hospital chaplain in Athens. He was renowned for his gentleness, piety, and wisdom, and was spiritual father to many, until he fell asleep in the Lord on December 2nd, 1991. He was canonized as a saint by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2013, and is commemorated on the day of his falling asleep, December 2nd. The reading for today provides some of his thoughts on the subject of prayer, from the book: “Wounded by Love.”

St. Porphyrios On Prayer

Pray for the Church, for the world, for everyone. The whole of Christendom is contained in prayer. If we pray only for ourselves, that conceals self-interest. But when you pray for the Church, you also are embraced within the Church. In the Church is Christ, united with the Church and with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity and the Church are one. Your desire must be for this: for the world to be sanctified and for everything to belong to Christ. Then you enter into the Church and you live in the joy of Paradise. You live with God, because the whole fullness of divinity dwells in the Church.

We are all one body with Christ as the head. We all constitute the Church. Our religion has this magnificent quality of uniting the world spiritually. The power of prayer is great, very great, especially when done by many together. All are united in common prayer. We feel that our neighbor is as our self. This is our life, our exaltation and our treasure. All things are easy in Christ. Christ is the centre; all move towards the centre and are united in one spirit and one heart.

Something like this happens at Pentecost. When we all hear the Psalter and the readings at the same time and in the same place, we are united in hearing by the grace of God, because what the reader says is heard by everyone and we all participate in it. The power of the many individuals is multiplied – as when they see something beautiful and they all admire it together with profound desire. Their vision, which converges on that beautiful object, unites them. The freeing of Saint Peter the Apostle from prison is an example of this: Prayer was made by the Church without ceasing (Acts 12:5). This prayer released Peter from the fetters of prison.

Love, worship of God, desire, union with God and union with the Church constitute Paradise on earth. If we acquire divine grace, all things are easy, joyful and a blessing from God. Come now and find me a religion that makes man perfect and happy! And what a pity we don’t comprehend this extraordinary quality in our religion!

When we or someone else are facing some problem, let us ask others for their prayers and let us all entreat God with faith and love. Be sure that God is pleased with these prayers and intervenes with miracles. This is something we haven’t understood properly. We say, ‘Say a prayer for me’, but without realizing the power of common prayer.

Pray for others more than for yourself. Say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, and you will always have others in your mind. We are all children of the same Father; we are all one. And so, when we pray for others, we say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, and not, ‘have mercy on them’. In this way we make them one with ourselves.

Prayer for others which is made gently and with deep love is selfless and has great spiritual benefit. It brings grace to the person who prays and also to the person for whom he is praying. When you have great love and this love moves you to prayer, then the waves of love are transmitted and affect the person for whom you are praying and you create around him a shield of protection and you influence him, you lead him towards what is good. When He sees your efforts, God bestows His grace abundantly on both you and on the person you are praying for. But we must die to ourselves. Do you understand?”

Wounded By Love – pages 131-132

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out the strange contradiction that is present here, as St. Porphyrios urges us to pray for others more than ourselves, but to do so by using words that pray for ourselves. This reality, that those we love are not separated from us, but that we are, or are all called to be, one in the Lord, is a profound mystery; it is this mystery that we are called to make a reality in our prayer for ourselves, and for one another.)

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)

John 4:16-38 (Jesus & the Woman of Samaria continued)

Last time we saw the Lord go to a city in Samaria, where He met a woman at the well, and asked her for water. When she replied with neither a yes or a no, but with a surprised question as to why He, a Jew, was talking to her, a Samaritan, He proceeded to proclaim Himself to her, telling her that if she knew who He was, she would ask Him for water; and when she replies that the water in the well was given to them by Jacob the Patriarch, and asks if He is greater than Jacob, the Lord effectively says yes, assuring her that the water that He gives will become a spring of water for everlasting life in anyone who drinks of it. She asks him for some of that water…and this week, we will see His response to her.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria (continued)

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

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 how unusual is the response of the Samaritan Woman (her name, according to the tradition of the Church, is Fotini). The Lord names all her sins bluntly and succinctly, and her response is “I see that you are a prophet,” and she proceeds to ask the question that burns in her heart. It is good for us to discern the reality in many of the people who seem farthest away from the Lord, that they may also have this burning desire for truth and peace, if we can simply see them as the icons of the Lord that they are. And it is essential that we stoke this desire in our own hearts, not just to know the right thing to do at any point, but to seek the peace and love of the Lord with all our being. For those who seek will surely find.)

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)

Genesis 30:25-43; 31:1-21 (Jacob Prospers, Flees from Laban)

Last week we saw Jacob “succeed” in the task his father had given him, and gain a wife from the daughters of Laban, his uncle. In fact, we saw him “gain” two wives, and two concubines, and in the course of time gain 11 sons and 1 daughter, and a great deal of anger and tension between all of them, which will be the source of both much grief and much growth and opportunity for repentance for Jacob, and all his household. But much of that is in the future; for the present, we will see Jacob prosper in his possessions, and finally leave Laban’s “employ,” and begin his return to the Promised Land, the land of his birth.

Jacob Prospers at Laban’s Expense

25 When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know very well the service I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If you will allow me to say so, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you; 28 name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?”

31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.”

34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge of his sons; 36 and he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was pasturing the rest of Laban’s flock.

37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. 38 He set the rods that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the rods, and so the flocks produced young that were striped, speckled, and spotted.

40 Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and the completely black animals in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob laid the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob Flees with Family and Flocks

31 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s; he has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him as favorably as he did before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” 4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was, 5 and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me as favorably as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength; 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father, and given them to me.

10 “During the mating of the flock I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats that leaped upon the flock were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the goats that leap on the flock are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and return to the land of your birth.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has been using up the money given for us. 16 All the property that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”

17 So Jacob arose, and set his children and his wives on camels; 18 and he drove away all his livestock, all the property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. 21 So he fled with all that he had; starting out he crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should explain that the deal Jacob offered to Laban is that he will first remove all the striped/speckled animals from the flock, and then continue to care for the solid colored animals only, and that whatever is born striped/speckled FROM THAT POINT ON will be his wages. Jacob offers to go through and remove the striped/speckled animals himself, but Laban, whose mind clearly runs to cheating, does it himself. Jacob is clearly not above some efforts to drive the natural processes toward his own profit, but in stacking the deck against himself, he is in fact entrusting himself to the Lord’s care, and it is notable that, at the end of today’s reading, he gives the glory to God for this, and not to his own techniques. The Leader should also note what Leah and Rachel have to say about their father; they are not impressed by him, and have no remaining loyalty to him. In their voices, and in our own reading of the text, we can see that Laban is unjust, and Jacob has become righteous through patient suffering of injustice, and that God has rewarded him, and is bringing justice to Laban.)

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)

St. Macarius 12 – On Being Poor in Spirit

St. Macarius was an ascetic in the Egyptian desert in the 4th century, and was among the most renowned of those early ascetics of the Church. He is thought to have been a disciple of St. Anthony the Great, and many stories are told of his holiness and wisdom. To him are attributed the Fifty Spiritual Homilies, one of the treasures of the Church on the spiritual life. On an academic and historical basis, this attribution is usually questioned, with the authorship of these homilies being attributed to a Syrian monastic of some decades later, perhaps by the name of Symeon. However, the authority and accuracy of these homilies is beyond dispute in the Church, and they are treasured by all those who seek to walk the path of prayer and repentance. This homily includes a question on how someone who is doing well in the spiritual life can be poor in spirit. St. Makarios’ answer is instructive.

Makarios, Homily 12

“Question: How can anyone be poor in spirit, especially when he is inwardly conscious that he has changed and has made progress and has come to a knowledge and understanding which he did not possess before?

Answer: Until a man acquires these things and makes progress, he is not poor in spirit, but has some opinion of himself.

But when he comes to this understanding and reaches this point of progress, grace itself teaches him to be poor in spirit, which means that a man being righteous and chosen of God does not esteem himself to be anything, but holds his soul in abasement and disregard, as if he knew nothing and had nothing, though indeed he knows and has. This is something like a law of nature imprinted in the mind. Do you not see how our forefather Abraham, elect as he was, described himself as dust and ashes (Gen. 18:27), and David, anointed to be king, had God with him, and yet what does he say? I am a worm and no man, a very scorn of men, and the outcast of the people (Ps. 21:6).

Those therefore who desire to be fellow heirs with such saints as these and to become fellow-citizens of the heavenly city and to be glorified with them ought to have this humility of mind, not thinking themselves to be anything, but always keeping their heart contrite. Though grace works differently in each individual Christian and has a diversity of members, yet all are of one city, of the same mind, of the same tongue, recognizing one another. As there are many members in the body, but one soul is in them all and moves them, so one Spirit works differently in all Christians, but they are of one city and of one way.

All the righteous have walked the straight and narrow way, being persecuted, tormented, reviled, living in goatskins, in dens, and caves of the earth (Heb. 11:37). The apostles likewise say, Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and reviled, and have no certain dwelling-place (1 Cor. 4:11).
Some of them were beheaded, some crucified, others afflicted in various ways. And the Lord of the prophets and apostles Himself, did He not live on earth as if He had forgotten His divine glory? He was made an example for us; He wore in mockery a crown of thorns upon His head; He submitted to spitting, buffets, and the Cross.
If God so fared on earth, you ought also to imitate Him.

The apostles and the prophets fared thus, and we, if we would be built upon the foundation of the Lord and of the apostles, ought to copy them. The apostle says by the Holy Spirit, Be ye imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:). But if you love to receive glory from men and desire that people bow down to you, and if you seek the pleasures of the flesh, you are on the wrong path. It is to your benefit to be crucified with the Crucified, to suffer with Him that suffered, so that you may be glorified with Him that is glorified. The bride must suffer with the Bridegroom and so become a partner and fellow heir with Christ. Without sufferings and without the rough, straight, narrow way, it is impossible to enter into the city of the saints and be at rest and reign with the King to ages without end.”

A. J. Mason, Fifty Spiritual Homilies of St. Macarius the Egyptian, Translations of Christian Literature: Series I: Greek Texts (London; New York: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; The Macmillan Company, 1921), 90–91.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader, besides reflecting on the obvious importance of humility, poverty, and faithfulness outlined here, might point out the connection to Jacob that we see so far. When he was young, he sought to gain status and power and wealth by trickery. His trickery gained him 20 years of hard service to his father-in-law; in the course of this, finally, he has entrusted himself to the Lord, and now has learned to give glory to God. If even Jacob can learn to be truly poor in spirit, then perhaps we can learn the same.)

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)

John 4:1-15 (Jesus & the Woman of Samaria)

Last week we saw the disciples of John the Baptist complain to him about Jesus’ preaching, and heard once more from the Forerunner as he bore witness to the Lord, the Bridegroom of the Church. In this, although we have hardly seen the Lord begin to preach, we see John affirming that everything has changed completely now that the Savior has come. This time, we will see the Lord leave Judea and go back to Galilee, passing through Samaria as He goes.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” 2 —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

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 flow of this story; Jesus begins simply by asking for water. This is a significant thing to do at Jacob’s well, as we have seen and understood in reading the story of Isaac and Rebecca, and then of Jacob and Rachel. To ask for water in this context is to highlight what we will see next week, that this Samaritan woman is at a very different point in life than were either Rebecca or Rachel; either way, it is significant that Jesus is even talking to this woman, simply because He is a Jew, and she is a Samaritan. The hatred between these two peoples goes back to the split between Judah and Israel in the days of King Solomon’s son, and was only heightened by the destruction in ~110 B.C. of the Samaritan Temple on Mt. Gerizim by John Hyrcanus, the nephew of Judas Maccabeus. These points set the context for what will follow next week.)

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)

Genesis 29:1-35; 30:1-24 (Jacob Meets Rachel, Marries Leah and Rachel, Children are Born)

Last time we saw Jacob leave his home, instructed by his parents to go for a time to the home of his mother’s brother Laban, in Padan-aram, to stay there for a time until the anger of his brother Esau cooled down. On his way, he slept at the site where the city of Bethel would later be built, and had a vision of a ladder from heaven to earth, with the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. The Lord spoke to him in the dream, and renewed to him the promise given to Abraham and Isaac, that his descendants would be numerous beyond count, and that all the nations of the world would be blessed in him and his descendants. This time, we will see him come to the end of his journey, and what will come of it. Note: while we include the entire cycle of the birth of Jacob’s sons here, we recommend that the entirety not be read by families with younger children. It is a troubling and difficult passage; we will suggest where to stop by changing the text to italics at the appropriate place to end. Older children, however, may benefit from a discussion of the troubled relationships that have resulted from Jacob’s deceit and Laban’s deceit in its turn.

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?” They said, “We do.” 6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” “Yes,” they replied, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.” 7 He said, “Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. 10 Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father.

13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.

Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were lovely (tender/delicate), and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”

26 Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.

[Then, in the course of time, Leah and Rachel and the two maids gave birth to eleven sons and one daughter. (this can be read in conclusion of the story, rather than going into the somewhat sordid detail below]

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, “Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also”; and she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons”; therefore he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord”; therefore she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing.

30 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son”; therefore she named him Dan. 7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed”; so she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune!” so she named him Gad. 12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For the women will call me happy”; so she named him Asher.

14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

17 And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband”; so she named him Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach”; 24 and she named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”

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 how troubled this situation is, and what the series of events is that leads to it. Jacob deceived his father to gain the blessing intended for his brother Esau, and the result was Esau’s violent anger. The result of that anger was that Jacob had to flee. Because he fled, he met his uncle and cousins; when he fell in love with Rachel, his uncle Laban deceived him in his turn, and gave him Leah instead. When Jacob complained, Laban required another seven years of service, and gave him Rachel as well. The tension and pain that this brought to the two sisters is evident throughout the rest of the story; even though the result is that Jacob has 11 sons and 1 daughter, there is a great deal of distrust and competition and strife amongst all of them, and this will continue to bring pain to Jacob all his life. There are two mistakes that Jacob made. The first is the deceit; for this he is repaid in kind by Laban. The second is that he treats the woman that he loves like a prize and a possession. This is not the way that Abraham or Isaac treated their wives, and it is not right. One lesson that we might draw is that we need to be very cautious of the whole idea of “falling in love,” because too often, the strong passions that are described by this phrase are simply a mask to hide a very ugly objectification of the one we supposedly “love.” Love, as St. Paul says, is patient and kind, does not envy, or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not seek its own, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth, it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. Jacob is not a good example of love at this point.)

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)

Life of St. Pelagia

This saint’s life is a striking glimpse of the Church in Antioch in the first half of the 5th century, and of the way in which the Church existed in tension and conflict with the continuing values of the Roman world. St. Pelagia’s feast-day is commemorated on October 8th.

Life of St. Pelagia
By James, a Deacon of the Church of Heliopolis

We ought ever to offer abundant thanks to our Lord, Who desires not the death of sinners but patiently awaits their return to life through repentance. Therefore I, James the sinner, write to you, holy brethren, of a wondrous thing which has come to pass in our day, that hearing or reading of it, you may be much edified.

Once, the most pious Archbishop of Antioch summoned eight bishops from the surrounding cities to confer with him concerning certain matters pertaining to the Church. Among them was my own Bishop, the holy man of God Nonnus (or Nonnos), who came from Heliopolis, taking me with him. He was a very great man, a perfect monk, who, by reason of his virtuous life, was taken from his Monastery of Tabenna and made a bishop. When the bishops had assembled in the Church of the Holy Martyr Julian, they wished to hear a word of edification from Nonnus, and all sat down before the doors of the church. Nonnus began to speak of such things as would serve for the benefit and salvation of his hearers, and all marvelled at his holy teaching. And lo, a woman, an unbeliever, who was the most notorious courtesan in all of Antioch, passed before the doors of the church. She was very haughty and was adorned in costly robes and gold, precious stones, and pearls, and she was accompanied by a multitude of youths and maidens, splendidly clad, who wore necklaces of gold. Such was the beauty of her face, that carnal men could not grow weary of the sight of it. As she passed by us, the air was entirely filled with fragrance, and seeing that her head was uncovered and her shoulders naked. the bishops lowered their eyes and sighed, turning away their faces as if from great sin. But the blessed Nonnus stared at her long and intently until she passed out of sight. Then he turned toward the bishops and said, "Did not the wonderful beauty of that woman delight you?"

But they did not answer him. And Nonnus lowered his head and wept, and his tears fell upon his handkerchiedand his breast. He sighed from the depths of his heart and again asked the bishops, "Did not her beauty delight you?"

But they remained silent. Then said Nonnus, "Truly, I learned much from her, for the Lord will set that woman before us at His dread judgment and on her account condemn us. For what do you think? How many hours has this woman remained in her room, bathing and clothing herself, adorning herself in every way, gazing into her mirror, her every thought and concern directed toward appearing as the fairest of women in the eyes of her mortal admirers. But we who have in heaven a Bridegroom eternal, upon Whom the angels desire to gaze, take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls, which are vile, naked, and full of shame. We do not care to wash them with tears of repentance and to clothe them with the comeliness of the virtues, that they might be pleasing in God's sight and that we be not put to shame and cast out at the wedding of the Lamb.”

When he had concluded his admonition, the blessed Nonnus took me, his sinful deacon, and we went to the room which we had been given adjoining the Church of Saint Julian. My Bishop went into his chamber and flung himself down, face to the ground, and said weeping, "O Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me, who am a sinner and unworthy, forasmuch as that woman's concern for the adornment of her body surpasseth all my labors on behalf of my wretched soul! She taketh great care to beautify herself, that she might satisfy her mortal admirers, but I make no effort to please Thee, my God, and remain indolent and heedless. How can I dare to face Thee? With what words shall I justify myself before Thee? Woe is me, who am a sinner! I stand before Thy holy altar and offer not the fair soul Thou askest of me. The woman, in her vanity, hath set as her purpose to present herself as pleasing to mortal men and hath accomplished that which she resolved to do, but sloth hath made of me a liar. Naked am I, for I have not kept Thy commandments, but I trust not in my works, and through Thy compassion do I hope to be saved!"

As Saint Nonnus said these things, he wept continuously. Moreover, he prayed for that woman, saying, “O Lord, suffer not the work of Thy hands to perish, and permit not such beauty to remain in subjection to the demons. But do Thou turn her to Thyself, that Thy holy name may be glorified in her, for all things are possible for Thee.”

A day and a night passed, and Sunday dawned, and my teacher Saint Nonnus said to me, "Brother James, I wish to tell you of the dream which I had last night. It seemed to me that as I was standing in the corner of the holy altar during the course of the service, a black dove, vile and covered with filth, flew about me; and I was unable to endure its stench. When the deacon exclaimed, 'Catechumens, depart,' the dove flew away, and I saw it no more until the Liturgy was completed. After the dismissal, as we left the church, I suddenly caught sight of the dove again, and it flew about me once more. I stretched forth my hand and laid hold of it and plunged it into the font of water which stood in the narthex of the church. In that water it was cleansed of all defilement, and when it flew off, it was as pure and white as snow, and it flew up to heaven and became invisible."

After he had related the dream to me, the blessed Nonnus took me and entered the cathedral with the other bishops. After greeting the Archbishop, they celebrated the divine service, and when the sacred service was finished, the Archbishop of Antioch requested the blessed Nonnus to instruct the people. Nonnus opened his mouth and taught the people; and his words were not contrived in accordance with the wisdom of this world but were simple, full of power, and served for the enlightenment of all, for the wisdom of God dwelt within him and the Holy Spirit spoke through his lips. He spoke of the dread judgment and of the reward of the righteous and of sinners, and all the people were moved to compunction by his words, and the floor of the church was wet with their tears.

Through the providence of the merciful God, it happened that the courtesan of whom our story tells, who had never before entered a church nor given thought to her sins, passed by and went into the church. As she listened to Saint Nonnus' teaching, we fear of God came upon her, and she pondered her sins and the eternal torments they merited, which Saint Nonnus described. She fell into despair, and a flood of tears flowed from her eyes, and she was unable to cease weeping on account of her broken heart. And she summoned two of her pages and said to them, "Remain here until the holy man who is speaking departs. Then follow him, and observe where he is staying, and return and tell me."

The youths did as they were instructed and told her that the saint was staying at the church of the martyr Saint Julian. She immediately sat down and wrote the following letter to the blessed Nonnus with her own hand:

"To Christ's holy disciple from the devil's disciple, a sinful woman. I have heard that your God has bowed the heavens and come down to earth, not to save the righteous but sinners. Such was His humility, that He ate with publicans, and He upon Whom the cherubim dare not gaze lived among sinners and spoke with harlots. Therefore, my lord, since you are a true servant of Christ (as I hear from the Christians), do not spurn me who with your help seek to draw near the Saviour of the world and to behold His most holy countenance.”

Such was the courtesan's letter to the saint. Nonnus took it and read it and replied to her thus: "God knows who you are and what are your thoughts and intention. But I say to you: do not tempt me, for I am a sinful minister of God. If you truly desire to believe in my God and to see me, there are other bishops with me. Come, therefore, and see me in their presence, for you shall not meet with me alone."

When the sinful woman received Nonnus' letter and read it, she was filled with great joy and hastened to the Church of Saint Julian, and she sent word to the blessed Nonnus that she had come. Nonnus called the other seven bishops and admitted her into their presence. When she came into the place where the holy bishops were assembled, she cast herself to the floor, weeping, took Saint Nonnus by the feet, and said, "I beg you, my lord, do as your Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ: show mercy to me and male me a Christian. Wash me clean through Holy Baptism, for I am a sea of sins, my lord, and an abyss of iniquity."

The face of every bishop and cleric present was wet with tears as they saw how the courtesan had come with such repentance and faith. The blessed one could scarcely prevail upon her to arise from his feet, and he said to her, "The canons of the Church permit no harlot to be baptized unless sureties be provided that she not fall again into her former unclean way of life.”

When the courtesan heard Nonnus' reply, she again flung herself at his feet, washing his feet with tears and wiping them with her hair as once did the harlot in the Gospel to Christ. She said, "You shall answer to God for my soul if you do not baptize me this day. God shall require my soul out of your hand and charge you with my wicked deeds. If you deny me Baptism, you shall give account for my impure and vile life. If you do not make me a stranger to my evil works, may your God reject you and may you become a worshipper of idols. If you do not make me today a bride of Christ and lead me to your God, may you have no portion with Him and with His saints."

Hearing and seeing how the courtesan burned with such blessed desire, all gave glory to God, Who loves mankind. Immediately, the blessed one sent me, the lowly James, to the Archbishop, to tell him of these things. When the Archbishop heard of them, he rejoiced greatly and said to me, "Go tell your Bishop: 'Holy father. this matter has been entrusted to you, for I know well that you are the lips of which God has said, If thou bring forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth." Then he called for the lady Romana, the first deaconess of the church, and he sent her with me.

When we returned, we found Pelagia still lying on the ground, clasping the feet of the blessed Nonnus, who was scarcely able to persuade her to rise. He said to her, "Arise, daughter, that you may be catechized before Baptism.

When Pelagia arose, the Bishop said to her, "Confess your past sins.”

Weeping, Pelagia said, "Were I to try my conscience, I should find in myself not a single good deed. I know only that my sins are greater in number than the sands of the sea and that all the water in the ocean is not sufficient to wash clean the defilement of my evil works. But I set my hope upon your God, that He will lift the burden of my iniquities and look mercifully upon me.”

The Bishop asked her, "What is your name?"

She replied, "I was named Pelagia by my parents, but the people of Antioch call me Margarita, because of the beautiful and precious pearls with which I have adorned myself through my sins."

Then the Bishop made Pelagia a catechumen and baptized her in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and he anointed her with chrism and communed her of the most precious and life-giving Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto the remission of her sins. The deaconess Romana was made her spiritual mother, and Romana received her out of the baptismal font and led her to the room set apart for the catechumens where we awaited her. Said the blessed Nonnus to the other bishops, "Come to the supper, brethren, and let us rejoice with the angels of God, for the lost sheep has been found With spiritual joy let us eat food cooked with oil and drink wine."

When all had come, they began to eat with the newly baptized one. And suddenly a demon began to cry out as it were with a human voice, so that all could hear, saying, "Woe, woe, what things I suffer from this babbling winebibber! O you wicked old man! Was it not sufficient for you to have stolen thirty thousand Saracens from me and to have baptized them? Were you not satisfied to have taken from me Heliopolis, which once was mine, and to have led it to your God, with all its inhabitants, who once worshipped me? But now you have cut off my last hope! What shall I do, O you evil and deceptive monk? No longer can I suffer your impudence! Cursed be the day on which you were born, wicked elder: the flood of your tears has inundated my dwelling and made it desolate." These things the devil cried out before the doors of the room in which we sat, and all that were present heard his voice.

And the devil said to the newly baptized one, "What have you done to me, O my lady Pelagia? You have emulated my Judas, for he, although honored with the glorious rank of an apostle, betrayed his Lord; and you have done the same to me!"

Then the Bishop commanded the handmaiden of God Pelagia to sign herself with the Cross, and she made the sign of the Cross of Christ upon herself and said to the devil, "May Jesus Christ drive you away and deliver me from you!" When she had said this, the devil immediately fled.

Two days later, while Pelagia was sleeping at the house of Romana, her spiritual mother, the devil came and awoke her and began to say to her, "My lady Margarita, what evil have I done you? Did I not adorn you with precious stones and with ornaments and beautiful robes? I beg you, tell me how I have offended you, and I shall immediately do whatever you command. Only turn not away from me, and do not make me a laughingstock.”

Pelagia guarded herself with the sign of the Cross and said, "My Lord Jesus Christ has snatched me out of your teeth and has prepared me to be His bride in His heavenly bridal chamber. He it is Who shall drive you away from me." And the devil immediately vanished.

Pelagia quickly awoke the holy Romana and said to her, "O my mother, pray for me, for the evil one pursues me!"

Romana said to Pelagia, "Be not afraid of him, for now he dreads even your shadow and trembles at the sight of it."

On the third day after her Baptism, Pelagia summoned one of her pages and said to him,
"Go to my house, and make a list of whatever is in my jewelry boxes and all my ornaments, and bring here everything you find."

The boy went and did as he had been told. Then the blessed Pelagia called for Saint Nonnus the Bishop and delivered all those things into his hands, saying, "This is the wealth with which Satan has enriched me: I give it up into your holy hands. Do with it as you wish, for now I seek only the riches of my Lord Jesus Christ.”

The blessed Bishop Nonnus summoned the steward of the church and in the presence of all gave him those costly things and said to him, "I adjure you in the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity: of this gold give nothing to the episcopal treasury, neither to that of the church, nor do you take a portion thereof, nor any of the clergy; but distribute it wisely to orphans, to the poor, and to the infirm with your own hands, that what were sinful riches may become a wealth of righteousness. If you transgress against my command, may there be an anathema upon your house, and may your portion be with them who cried out, Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!"

The handmaiden of God Pelagia kept no part of her wealth for her sustenance but was fed by the lady Romana the deaconess, for she had vowed that the riches gained by sin she would not use to buy food. Moreover, she summoned all her menservants and maidservants and set them free, giving each of them much silver and gold. She said to them, "Children, I release you from temporal bondage: strive to be free from servitude to the vain world, which is full of sin, so that as we were once together in this world, we may all be granted to inherit that life which is blessed." When she had said this to them, she let them depart.

On the eighth day after her enlightenment, the day when the newly christened lay aside the white robes which they receive in Baptism, Pelagia arose very early in the morning. Now that day was a Sunday. She removed the white baptismal robe with which she was clad and put on a hair shirt. Then she took old clothing which belonged to the blessed Nonnus and hid herself from all, departing from the city of Antioch to a place known to no one. Romana the deaconess in her sorrow wept much for her, but God, Who knows all things, revealed to the blessed Nonnus that Pelagia had gone to Jerusalem. And Nonnus consoled Romana, saying, "Do not weep, daughter, but rather rejoice, for like Mary, Pelagia hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

A few days later, the Archbishop permitted us to leave, and we returned to our own homes. Three years after this, I conceived a desire to go to Jerusalem and to venerate the Holy Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. I asked my Bishop, the blessed Nonnus, to permit me to depart, and he consented, saying to me, "Brother James, when you go to the holy places, search out a monk named Palagius living in seclusion. He is a eunuch and a most virtuous man. When you find him, speak with him, for you will be much edified by him as he is a true servant of Christ and a perfect monk." This Nonnus said concerning the handmaiden of God Pelagia, but he did not reveal to me what he knew of her. For she had gone to Jerusalem and had erected a cell for herself on the Mount of Olives, where our Lord prayed, shutting herself up there and devoting her life to God.

I departed for the holy places and venerated the Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ and the precious Cross. The next day I began to search for the monk named Pelagius, as my Bishop had instructed me, and I found his cell on the Mount of Olives. His cell had no door but was enclosed on every side: I saw only a small window in one of the walls. I knocked on it, and the handmaiden of God opened it, and when she saw me, she recognized me but said nothing. But I did not know her, for how could she be recognized when her exquisite beauty had withered like a flower? Her eyes were deeply sunken, and the bones in her face protruded because of her great and boundless fasting. All who lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding region thought her to he a eunuch. and no man knew that she was a woman: neither did I know, for my bishop had said she was a monk who was a eunuch, and so I received a blessing from her as from a monk. Then she said to me, "Brother, are you not James, the deacon of the blessed Bishop Nonnus?"

I marvelled that she knew my name and that I was the deacon of the blessed Nonnus and answered, "Yes, my lord."
She said to me, "Beseech your Bishop to pray for me, for he is truly a holy man and an apostle of Christ."

When Pelagia had said this, she shut the window and began to chant the Third Hour. After praying, I departed, having received much profit from the sight of her face and from her sweet words.

After leaving Pelagia, I visited the monasteries there and their brethren and spoke with holy men, receiving their blessing and much benefit from them. In every community the eunuch Pelagius was praised, and all were profited by his life. Because of this, I wished to return to him and to comfort my soul by hearing his edifying words. And so I returned to his cell, said the prayer, knocked upon his window, and dared to call his name, saying, "Open, Abba Pelagius"; but he did not answer me.

I thought that he was praying or resting, and so I waited a little and again prayed and tapped for him to open for me, but there was no reply. Once again I waited for a time and then knocked. For three days I remained outside the window, and every few hours I knocked, for I greatly desired to see his holy face and to receive his blessing, but no voice replied. I said to myself, "Either he has left his cell, and it is empty, or he has reposed."

I dared to force open the window and saw that he lay dead upon the floor; therefore, I was frightened and lamented greatly since I was not deemed worthy to receive his final blessing. I then shut the window, went to Jerusalem, and told the holy fathers who dwelt there that Abba Pelagius the eunuch had reposed. Immediately word spread throughout Jerusalem that Saint Pelagius, the wonder-working monk, had reposed in the Lord. Monks from every monastery and an innumerable multitude of people from throughout the city of Jerusalem, from Jericho, and from the far side of the Jordan gathered to bury his holy remains, and after breaking open the window of his cell, they made an opening large enough for a man to enter. Through it, certain pious men went into the cell and removed the precious relics. Then came the Patriarch of Jerusalem with many of the fathers; and when, according to custom, they began to anoint the body with spices, they saw that the saint was a woman. Crying out with tears they said, “O God, Who art wondrous in the saints, glory to Thee! For many are the hidden saints whom Thou hast on earth; not men alone but women as well!"

The clergy and monastics wished to conceal this secret from the people but were unable to do so, for God did not wish that it be hidden but rather desired that it be known, that His handmaiden might be glorified. Many people assembled there, and nuns came forth from their convents with candles and censers, chanting psalms and hymns. They took Pelagia's precious and holy body and with fitting reverence returned it to the cell in which she had labored, burying it there.

Such was the life of this former courtesan; such the conversion of her who was perishing; such her labors and struggles, by which she pleased God. May we be granted to receive mercy with her on the day of judgment from our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2015/10/the-life-of-saint-pelagia-of-antioch.html, taken from the Chrysostom Press “Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Volume 2,” as compiled by St. Demetrios of Rostov.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (With such a long reading, the Leader should simply ask what each person noticed; this Saint’s life is a superior example of the genre, and gives us a beautiful picture of repentance and holiness, and of Creation restored to harmony with the Lord and with itself, as well as a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Church in the 5th century. It is also worth noting how the Lord brings grace and salvation, even to someone bound deeply in sin. This story is a helpful counterpoint to what we see in our Day 1 reading, with all the mess attendant upon the birth of the twelve patriarchs of Israel.)

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)

John 3:22-36 (Jesus and John the Baptist, The One Who Comes from Heaven)

Last time we saw the Pharisee Nicodemus come to speak with the Lord by night, and instead of speaking he heard many things from the Lord, about being born again, born from above, and about the salvation that He was bringing to the world. This time, we will see Jesus go out and preach and baptize in the countryside, and will hear once more from John the Baptist as he speaks to us about Who Jesus is.

Jesus and John the Baptist

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized 24 —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The One Who Comes from Heaven

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that John, in speaking of the Lord as the bridegroom, and himself as the friend of the bridegroom, is saying that the marriage of the bridegroom and the bride is already accomplished. This is a remarkable statement, considering that Jesus has only just begun to preach and to act, and it may be worthwhile to reflect that the union is already accomplished simply in that the Word has already become flesh, and already dwells among us. This reflection may help to explain the latter portion of our reading today, verses 31-36, as they appear to be a continuation of what John the Baptist says to his disciples, but may also be John the Evangelist giving a commentary upon what John the Baptist has said, and on the importance of not rejecting the Son of God for the sake of our preconceived ideas of who He should be, or how things should go. Even if our intentions seem good, like the loyalty of the disciples of John the Baptist to their teacher, they may lead us astray when the Master Himself comes to us and calls us to follow Him.)

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)

Genesis 27:41-46; 28:1-22 (Jacob Escapes Esau's Fury, Esau's 3rd Marriage, Jacob's Dream at Bethel)

Last time we saw Jacob and Rebecca deceive Isaac, so that Isaac gave to Jacob the blessing that he had intended for Esau. When Esau returned from hunting and begged for a blessing, Isaac said that he was unable to do so; the blessing had been given to Jacob, and he would indeed be blessed. This time, we will see what the result of this is.

Jacob Escapes Esau’s Fury

41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 But the words of her elder son Esau were told to Rebekah; so she sent and called her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away— 45 until your brother’s anger against you turns away, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send, and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

28 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. 2 Go at once to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father; and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and numerous, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien—land that God gave to Abraham.” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away; and he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

Esau Marries Ishmael’s Daughter

6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he charged him, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please his father Isaac, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, and sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17 And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out a few things. First, that both Isaac and Rebecca are grieved by Esau’s choice of wives, and that Esau, seeing this, marries again, but this time a daughter of the covenant, a descendant of Ishmael. We noted that the tradition of the Church considers Job to be a descendant of Esau, and it is significant that Job is descended from Esau through this third wife; in the meantime, we should also note that Amalek, the persistent enemy of the people of God, is also descended from Esau, but by one of his Hittite wives. More importantly, we should note that the blessing Jacob receives from Isaac is distinct from the promise that he receives from God in his dream at Bethel. The promise from God is the same promise that Abraham and Isaac had received; this is what makes Jacob the chosen heir of the covenant, not the deceit, or even Isaac’s choice. This is very important for us to understand as we continue with this story…it is a reality that Jacob is learning through the entire process as well.)

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)

A Prayer for 12 Noon (the 6th Hour)

Our Day 1 reading presents us with Jacob as he leaves his family home and goes into exile. On the way he has a vision in which he receives the Lord’s promise to him and his descendants, and beholds the ladder on which the angels are ascending and descending. In the Church, we often associate this vision with the Panagia, the Virgin Mary, through whom the Lord has come to us, but the fulfillment of this bridging of heaven and earth reaches its culmination in the Lord’s Crucifixion, and the larger reality of His death and resurrection.

In the course of the Church’s discipline of prayer, we pray the prayers of the Hours at the 1st Hour (around 6 am), the 3rd Hour (around 9 am), the 6th Hour (around noon), and the 9th Hour (around 3 pm). Especially for the 6th and 9th Hours, we reflect on the Lord’s time upon the Cross, as He was suspended there from the 3rd Hour until the 9th Hour. In this prayer of the 6th Hour, then, we reflect upon the Lord’s work of salvation and reconciliation for us, which He accomplished upon the Cross, and more generally take the Cross as a foundation for the life of faithfulness to which the Lord calls us.

We include below a link to the rest of the service of the 6th Hour. This short service includes three Psalms (53, 54, & 90), a hymn to the Theotokos, the general prayer of the Hours, and then this prayer for the 6th Hour. We will read both the general prayer of the Hours (although we have read this before, in week 16 of Year 1 & week 5 of Year 3), and the Prayer of the 6th Hour.

https://dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/js/viewer/web/viewer.html?file=/goa/dcs/p/b/skeleton/h6/en/bk.skeleton.h6.pdf

Prayer of the Hours

O Christ our God, who at all times and at every hour, both in heaven and on earth, are worshipped and glorified, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and compassion; who love the just and show mercy to the sinners; who call all men to salvation through the promise of the blessings to come: Do you, the same Lord, receive also our supplications at this present time, and direct our lives according to your commandments. Sanctify our souls; purify our bodies; set our minds right; clear up our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil and distress. Surround us with your holy Angels so that being guarded and guided by their presence, we may arrive at the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your ineffable glory; for blessed are you unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer at the 6th Hour

God and Lord of hosts and Maker of all creation, in Your unfathomable compassion and mercy You sent down Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the human race; and by His precious Cross You tore up the record of our sins, and triumphed over the principalities and powers of darkness. O Lord and Lover of mankind, accept the thanksgiving and fervent prayers even of us sinners. Deliver us from every dark and destructive transgression and from all the visible and invisible enemies that seek to harm us. Nail our flesh with the fear of You, and do not incline our hearts to evil words or thoughts; but rather prick our souls with love for You, so that always looking toYou, and guided by Your light, and gazing onYou, the eternal and ineffable Light, we may send up unceasing praise and thanksgiving toYou, the Father without beginning, and YourOnly-Begotten Son, and Your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever and to ages of ages. (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 the prayer speaks of the Cross as the weapon with which the Lord conquered the evil powers arrayed against Him, and against us, and invokes the Lord’s experience upon the Cross as we ask for His help in turning away from the temptations and bondage of this world and holding fast to Him in all things.)

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)

John 3:1-21 (Nicodemus Visits Jesus)

Last time we saw Jesus turn the water into wine at the wedding at Cana, and then go to Jerusalem and cleanse the temple, driving out the money changers and laying claim to the Temple as His Father’s house, dedicated to prayer and to holiness. This time, we will see a Pharisee respond to this sign, and come to the Lord confessing that He must come from God, because of the signs that He does.

Nicodemus Visits Jesus

3 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man [He Who Is in heaven]. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note first of all that we read this passage in the Church a few weeks ago, as we always do, on the Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross on September 14th. The reference to the Cross, of course, is in verses 14 & 15, with the discussion of Moses and the serpent he lifted up in the wilderness. The larger context, however, is striking, as it shows the Lord affirming unequivocally that He is not just sent by God, but is God Himself, and His general message to Nicodemus seems to be that, although Nicodemus is willing to acknowledge Him as sent from God because of His miracles, that Nicodemus must go further, and be born again, born from above, if he wishes truly to see the Kingdom of God. The other thing that should be noted is that the word translated as “wind” in verse 8, and as spirit everywhere else, are in fact the same word, πνεῦμα. Thus, there is a play on words and multiple meanings: the wind is indeed the example given, that one hears it, but doesn’t know where it comes from, and in the same way, the action of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, may be seen in its effects, without being explained away. The point seems to be that, for those who are born of the Spirit, they too will pass beyond the understanding or comprehension of even the wise in the world.)

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?