Day 1 (Monday)

2 Kingdoms 12:1-25 (Nathan Condemns David, David Repents)

Last time we saw David fall deeply into sin, following paths that we have seen him begin to carve out in both the desire of other women, and in anger and violence toward other men, and commit adultery with the wife of one of his soldiers. When she became pregnant, in order to cover up this sin, he had her husband killed by sending him alone against the enemies of Israel, and after a brief period of mourning, he took her for his own wife. We ended the story with the statement that the Lord was not pleased with this (which is profoundly strong language for the Bible), and we will begin this week’s reading with the same statement, and see what comes after.

Nathan Condemns David

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,

12 1 and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.

4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; 6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; 8 I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.”

10 “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 11 Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child that is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

Bathsheba’s Child Dies

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became very ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of his house stood beside him, urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died.

And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”

20 Then David rose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you rose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Solomon Is Born

24 Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he named him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

And after all this, David went out and joined Joab and the army, and they completed the war against the Ammonites, and utterly defeated them. But all was not well in David’s kingdom, and starting next week, we will begin to see Nathan’s prophecy come true.

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 this passage is the turning point of David’s life. Up till last week, we have only seen David on the ascent, in terms of power, prestige, and the apparent blessings of the Lord. Yet at the same time, the narrative of David’s life in terms of his faithfulness and purity has been progressive movement in the opposite direction, from the high point of trust in God and faithfulness before Him that we saw in the combat with Goliath, all the way down to the adultery and murder that we read about last week. From this point on, we will see David’s fortunes reversed, but we will also see him returning to faithfulness to and trust in God, and beginning to act again as a more righteous man. For this specific passage, the Leader can also note that David’s fervent condemnation of the man in Nathan’s story seems a bit aggressive; one commentator has suggested that in this we see David’s guilty conscience revealing itself. He knows that he has sinned, so he is eager to at least bring justice to someone else, especially in such a clear and obvious case of injustice. In a certain sense, God actually carries out the sentence that David proclaims against himself; he says that the lamb shall be restored fourfold, but since in David’s case, the innocent lamb that has been stolen is actually Uriah’s life, lost to David’s murderous plan, the penalty that David will pay will be the destruction of four of his children, beginning with his firstborn child by Bathsheba, as we have seen already. The others, we will see 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 2 (Wednesday)

Sts. Macrina the Elder & St. Emmeleia

On May 30th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast-day of two relatives of St. Basil the Great & St. Gregory of Nyssa: their grandmother, St. Macrina the Elder, and their mother, St. Emmeleia. Many of the details of their lives are actually found in the life of St. Macrina the Younger, their sister, which St. Gregory wrote after her repose. We will, God willing, read her life in full next year, but for now, we’ll enjoy the chance to see the origins of this remarkable family of saints.

Life of Saint Macrina the Elder, Grandmother of Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa (Feast Day – May 30)

Saint Macrina the Elder was from Neocaesarea in Pontus and was born in the middle of the third century to a noble family. Her teacher in the doctrines and piety of the Christian faith was Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, the first Bishop and Enlightener of Neocaesarea, who died between 270 and 275. There Macrina married a man, whose name we do not know, and among her children was Basil the Elder, who later became the father of a holy family, which includes such renowned saints as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Macrina the Younger.

During the persecution of Maximinus, Macrina fled from her native town with her husband, and had to endure many privations for around seven years. She was thus a confessor of the faith during the last violent storm that burst over the early Church. Saint Gregory the Theologian describes what she and those with her endured in his Funeral Oration to Basil the Great:

"There was a persecution, the most frightful and severe of all; I mean, as you know, the persecution of Maximinus, which, following closely upon those which immediately preceded it, made them all seem gentle, by its excessive audacity, and by its eagerness to win the crown of violence in impiety. It was overcome by many of our champions, who wrestled with it to the death, or nearly to the death, with only life enough left in them to survive their victory, and not pass away in the midst of the struggle; remaining to be trainers in virtue, living witnesses, breathing trophies, silent exhortations, among whose numerous ranks were found Basil's paternal ancestors, upon whom, in their practice of every form of piety, that period bestowed many a fair garland. So prepared and determined were they to bear readily all those things on account of which Christ crowns those who have imitated His struggle on our behalf…

They betook themselves to a thicket on the mountains of Pontus, of which there are many deep ones of considerable extent, with very few comrades of their flight, or attendants upon their needs. Let others marvel at the length of time, for their flight was exceedingly prolonged, to about seven years, or a little more, and their mode of life, delicately nurtured as they were, was straitened and unusual, as may be imagined, with the discomfort of its exposure to frost and heat and rain; and the wilderness allowed no fellowship or converse with friends, a great trial to men accustomed to the attendance and honor of a numerous retinue."

In the Life of Macrina the Younger, written by her brother Saint Gregory of Nyssa, he writes of his grandmother and why his sister was named after her:

"Some time ago, there had been a celebrated Macrina in our family, our father's mother. At the time of the persecutions she had suffered bravely for her confession of faith in Christ, and it was in honor of her that the child was given this name by her parents."

Before Saint Macrina the Elder died, probably in the 340's, we are informed by Saint Basil the Great that she played a crucial role in the education of her grandchildren and their spiritual formation, making sure to impart upon them the blessed teachings of her spiritual father Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus. The first quote comes from Basil's Letter 204 to the Church in Neocaesarea and the second from Letter 223:

"What clearer evidence can there be of my faith, than that I was brought up by my grandmother, a blessed woman, who came from you? I mean the celebrated Macrina who taught me the words of the blessed Gregory; which, as far as memory had preserved down to her day, she cherished herself, while she fashioned and formed me, while yet a child, upon the doctrines of piety."

"The teaching about God which I had received as a boy from my blessed mother and my grandmother Macrina, I have ever held with increased conviction. On my coming to ripe years of reason I did not shift my opinions from one to another, but carried out the principles delivered to me by my parents. Just as the seed when it grows is first tiny and then gets bigger but always preserves its identity, not changed in kind though gradually perfected in growth, so I reckon the same doctrine to have grown in my case through gradually advancing stages. What I hold now has not replaced what I held at the beginning."

It can be safe to say, therefore, that Saint Macrina the Elder played a pivotal role in establishing a sanctified foundation for a family in which all its members are glorified and commemorated in the Church as Saints and Fathers.

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2020/05/life-of-saint-macrina-elder-grandmother.html

Saint Emmelia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great (Feast Day – Slavic: Jan. 1; Greek: May 30)

Saint Emmeleia (also Emily, Emilia, Emelia), was part of a holy family and most famous for being the mother of Saint Basil the Great. There are very few descriptions of Saint Emmelia’s life. She was the daughter of a martyr and the daughter-in-law of Saint Macrina the Elder (260-340). Along with her husband, Saint Basil the Elder (+ 349), she gave birth to nine or ten children. She instilled the Orthodox faith in her children, teaching them to pray and devote their lives to the service of the Church. Among these were Saint Basil the Great (+ 379), his sister Saint Macrina the Younger (c.330–379) and his brothers Saints Gregory of Nyssa (334-394), Naukratios of Mount Nitria (332-358), and Peter of Sebaste (345/7-392). It is also a widely held tradition that Saint Theosevia (c. 335-c.385) was his youngest sister (though some claim she was the spouse of Saint Gregory of Nyssa), who is also a saint in the Church. There are also about four or five other girls, unknown sisters of Saint Basil. Therefore, Saint Emmelia is often called “the mother of saints.”

When her son, Naukratios, suddenly died at the age of twenty-seven, she was consoled by her eldest daughter, Macrina. Macrina reminded her that it was not befitting to a Christian to “mourn as those who have no hope” and inspired her to hope courageously in the resurrection bequeathed to us by the saving passion of the Lord.

After her children left home, Emmelia was persuaded by Macrina to forsake the world. Together they founded a monastery for women. Emmelia divided the family property among her children. Retaining only some meager possessions, she and Macrina withdrew to a secluded family property in Pontus, picturesquely located on the banks of the Iris River and not far from Saint Basil’s wilderness home. A number of liberated female slaves desired to join the pair, and a convent was formed. They lived under one roof and held everything in common: they ate, worked, and prayed together. They were so eager to advance in virtue that they regarded fasting as food and poverty as riches. The harmony of this model community of women was unspoiled by anger, jealousy, hatred, or pride. Indeed, as the Church sings of monastics, they lived like angels in the flesh.

Living in this manner for many years, Emmelia reached old age. When an illness signaled her departure from this world, her son Peter came to her side. Together with Macrina, he tended to his mother in her last days. As the oldest and the youngest, Macrina and Peter held a special place in Emmelia’s heart.

Before committing her soul to the Lord, she raised her voice to heaven, saying, “To you, O Lord, I give the first fruits and the tithe of the fruit of my womb. The first fruit is my first-born daughter, and the tithe is this, my youngest son. Let these be for you a rightly acceptable sacrifice, and let your holiness descend upon them!” Saint Emmelia reposed in 375 and was buried as she had requested, beside her husband in the chapel at their estate in Annesi, where Naukratios had also been laid.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Having lived your life prudently before God, you finished your course beforehand with revered Basil, all-revered Emmelia, and in the wilderness, you mutually went with your children, towards that which you longed for above, wherefore Christ most-glorified your household.

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/05/saint-emmelia-mother-of-saint-basil.html

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point out that what most characterizes the lives of these saints is that they are living as citizens of the kingdom of God that is to come, rather than fixing their attention and cares on the things of this present world. This undivided purpose transforms their entire existence, and that of those around them.)

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 11:1-16 (Death of Lazarus)

Last week, we came to the end of the Gospel of John, but of course we are not yet finished with this ecclesiastical year, nor with this fourth year of the Religious Education Initiative. We remember, of course, that we had read through to the end of the 10th Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John as we came to the beginning of Great Lent, and that we saw the Lord leave a dispute with the Pharisees one last time as they tried to kill Him. He then departed across the Jordan River, and remained there. We left Him and His disciples there, and skipped ahead to the end of the account of the Mystical Supper, so as to arrive at the Crucifixion and Resurrection by Holy Week. We will now return to Chapter 11, and see through the summer the path that the Lord walked toward His life-giving Passion.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.”

12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Discussion Questions

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point out that the Lord’s initial words, in verse 4, seem to contradict the plain reading of the text, since Lazarus’ sickness DOES in fact lead to death. The point, however, that the Lord is making may be one of two. The first, and probably most likely, is simply that the death of Lazarus is not the end of this story. Death is USUALLY the end of the story, and if a sickness leads to death, that is where the story of that person ends. But this sickness is instead leading THROUGH the death of Lazarus to a joy unlooked-for. The other possibility is that the Lord is referring to the deeper meaning of death, which is to say, spiritual death, separation from God. Whatever else is happening here, the death of Lazarus does NOT result in spiritual death. But I think the first interpretation is more likely correct in this case.)

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)

2 Kingdoms 8 – 10 (summary) 11:1-27 (David’s Wars, Adultery with Bathsheba)

We left David having gained the kingship over all Israel, living in Jerusalem, and planning to build a house for the Lord. But God told him no, that he was not to build a Temple, but promised instead that David’s seed would build a Temple and a Kingdom that would last forever. In this confidence, we will see that David proceeded to make war against all the enemies of Israel, with great success against them all. And then we will see what comes next for David when he has succeeded in everything he has decided to do. We will summarize much of the detail of chapters 8-10, and those summaries will be shown in italics.

David’s Wars

Chapter 8 Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 He also defeated the Moabites and, making them lie down on the ground, measured them off with a cord; he measured two lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death, and one length for those who were to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

He also fought against many others, against the Edomites, the Amalekites, and any others that came against him.

13 David won a name for himself. When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Officers

15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

In Chapter 9, we see David seek out the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, and he gives him all the possessions that had belonged to Saul, and makes him a favored friend of the king; in this, he fulfills his promise to Jonathan.

In Chapter 10, we see David find himself at war with the Ammonites; he sends an embassy of peace to the new king, and the new king instead cuts off half the clothing and half the beard of each emissary to shame them, and David, and sends them home. This becomes the cause of war, and brings us to the beginning of chapter 11.

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

11 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. 3 David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,”

David said to Uriah, “You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, 13 David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

David Has Uriah Killed

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.” 16 As Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant warriors. 17 The men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite was killed as well.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting; 19 and he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling the king all the news about the fighting, 20 then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead too.’”

22 So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us, and came out against us in the field; but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall; some of the king’s servants are dead; and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another; press your attack on the city, and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. 27 When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,

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 a few important points. First, in chapter 8:18, it says that David’s sons are serving as priests. This is contrary to the Torah; only the Levites are to serve as priests. This is a continuation of the troubled practices during Saul’s rule, but it is not a good thing. Second, if we remember when David asked for bread from Abiathar, we learned that David was observing the Torah regarding sexual purity and abstinence for those at war. Uriah, then, is continuing to observe this requirement, and shows forth his piety and faithfulness, in stark contrast to David, who has not even gone out to war, and has not only failed to keep himself from his own wives, but has not even kept himself from his servant’s wife. Third, despite David’s direction, it proves unrealistic to have only Uriah killed in the fighting; David’s command to see him killed results in the death of other fighting men. David’s sin, and the cover-up that accompanies it, is resulting in the death of many of his people; there is the accompanying indication that it’s not a secret either. Everyone knows what is happening, and why. David has fallen VERY far.)

2) What do we learn about God in this reading?

3) What do we learn about human beings in this reading?

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)

The Repentance of St. Constantine

On May 21st, we celebrate the feast of Sts. Constantine and Helen. This week, then, we will do something unusual, and read something from a living author, not because the author is a saint, but because his words reflect the Church’s perspective on the sanctity of kings, and their repentance. It is especially fitting that we read this as we are also considering the life and the sins of King David.

The Repentance of Constantine the Great

By Archimandrite Meletios Stathis

The very name of Constantine is enough to move the heart of any Greek Christian, not only today, but for very many years now, because it is associated with the legends of the nation, with “once again, with the passing of years and in good time, it will be ours again.”[1] It moves us because the first to bear the name Constantine, was not merely one of the greatest men in world history, but he was something more besides: a saint.

And when they hear the word “saint”, the trumpeters of atheism and unbelief start to sound off. Is he a King and Emperor? Yes. Great? Yes. But saint? "No, he’s not a saint," they say. Because, they say, Constantine the Great committed crimes: he killed his son Crispus; he killed his second wife Fausta; and so shouldn’t be considered a saint.*

What can we say in response to those who are against Constantine the Great for no other reason than that he was a Christian? Had he not been a Christian, but an idolater like Julian the Apostate, who betrayed the Church, then they would be praising him. But, no. Constantine, who supported the Orthodox faith and established firm foundations, is slandered and hated by the enemies of Christ.

We would answer: they either forget or do not know that, in our faith, there is a great thing called repentance. One tear from a sinner, whatever act they’ve committed, one tear at the sacrament of confession, redeems any fault. Were there no repentance, paradise would be empty, we wouldn’t have a calendar of feasts nor any saints, because there isn’t a saint who hasn’t wept and hasn’t repented of sins. There’s no other way to Paradise, beloved, than the door of repentance. Constantine wasn’t born a saint, he became one. He made mistakes, but he repented. Let’s not forget that he was brought up in the inhuman surroundings of the courts of Diocletian and Galerius, yet he disagreed with people like them.

He’s a saint because his presence in the world is the light of Christ. This light is also shown in his call, which is remarkably like that of Saint Paul and which is why it is mentioned in his Dismissal hymn. Saint Paul was called by Christ in a vision when he was walking along the road to Damascus; he saw a shining light and heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” In the same way, Saint Constantine was called in a vision. A historic vision which is reported by contemporary historians.[2] What was the vision?

When he arrived outside Rome on 28 October, in the year 312 A.D., the army of his rival was three times larger and defeat stared him in the face. As he sat there pondering, in broad daylight, he saw a great sign: the stars in the heavens formed a cross and below the cross he saw the words: “In this conquer” (In hoc vinca). And from that moment on, he was convinced that the future of humanity rested with Christ. He then adopted the banner which proceeded his troops and, with this sign, “In this conquer”, he defeated Maxentius, entered Rome and proclaimed to the whole city that this victory did not belong to his legions but to the Honorable Cross.

His edicts are light. The first edict, in February 313, was for the persecutions to cease. Just imagine. The persecution of Christians had lasted 300 years. It was forbidden to be Christian. The very word “Christian” was cause enough for conviction, nothing else needed to be investigated: “Are you Christian?” That was it. Possessions confiscated, incredible sufferings, horrifying tortures. How many martyrs? 12 million. For 300 years, Christians begged: “Lord, give us peace”. And He did. Peace came into the world through the chosen vessel of divine providence,[3] Constantine the Great.

How, then, can we not honor him? We ought to do so if for nothing other than that edict which he signed with his holy hands. His nobility of soul and forgiving nature were also light. They say that some idolater enemies once decapitated a statue of him. When the news was brought to him he raised his hands, took hold of his real head and said: “This is my head here. There’s nothing missing. Don’t punish them.” On another occasion he said that if he saw a cleric sinning, he would cover him with his robes, so as to prevent other people seeing his sins. This showed his intense concern that the Church should not be subjected to scandals.

He abolished the worship of the Roman emperors, who were considered gods on earth.

His legislation was also light. For the first time, Christian legislation was introduced. His vision was rare. What vision? To make a Christian state, on a global scale, and offer it to Christ for sanctification and deification. This is why he’s depicted holding an orb. And just as the Patriarch Abraham heard the voice of God telling him to leave his homeland and settle in a land that God would show him (Gen. 12:1), so, too, Saint Constantine left Old Rome, the city stained with the blood of innocent Christians criminally killed, and built a New Rome on the Bosphorus, which, after his repose, was quite rightly called Constantinople. And from here he took measures aimed at raising the spiritual state and sanctity of the people.

What measures? He closed all the night-time places of corrupt pleasure. There were places of entertainment where women gathered under the protection of disgusting divinities, Aphrodite centers, Bacchus centers, and he closed them all. He closed the oracles and got rid of the magicians who were exploiting people and deceiving them. He forbade blasphemy. He said he would forgive anything, except blasphemy. If anyone blasphemed the name of Christ, they were immediately arrested and exiled.

He honored Sunday by edict. He declared it a great and splendid day and forbade any shops to open. Horse races, places of relaxation, everything closed.

He supported small land-holders and workers and took measures against usury and every of other form of injustice. He was the first to support human rights, he protected widows and orphans, and showed particular concern for social welfare.

He protected the Orthodox faith. When Arius, the leader of the heresy named after him, came along and opened his dirty mouth against our Lord Jesus Christ, and said that He was not really God and of the same substance as the Father, Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea, Bithynia, to write the Creed. He himself went to the gathering, not as emperor and ruler of the inhabited world, but in humility and kissed the hands of the holy bishops, many of whom still had the marks of their mistreatment from the tortures of the persecution fresh on their bodies. Not being a theologian, when he was asked for his opinion, he replied: “I respect what I do not know.”

He supported missionary work. It was during his time as emperor that the Armenians and Georgians became Christians, and the light of Christ reached as far as India.

It was at his command that the Honorable Cross was found and the first churches were built in Jerusalem. He was the initiator and founder of a Christian Empire that lasted one thousand one hundred years.

Finally, beloved, when he realized that his earthly end was approaching, he surrounded himself with bishops and confessed his sins and wept. He was then baptized, at the age of about 63, and never again put on the royal robes, the splendid imperial vestments, but wore only his white baptismal robes, telling people that he now really did feel like an emperor. He took communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, and, pure and clean, rejoicing and praying, departed for the heavenly kingdom.

Beloved, even if we ignore all the above, there are two criteria for the Church regarding his sanctity: a) the vision of God and the grace which the saint enjoyed; b) his miracles after death.

After his departure from this life, his sacred relics were buried with imperial honors in the narthex of the Church of the Holy Apostles, where they gave off a powerful fragrance and myrrh and performed many miracles. It may be that some people wonder whether what the Christians say is really the truth. Beloved, even if some people don’t believe, there are two criteria for his sanctity and only two. It is with the seal of God that Constantine is a saint and Equal to the Apostles. History has shown him to be great and the Church has shown him to be a saint.

Notes:

* The truth of the matter is as follows: when Constantine the Great was Caesar in the West, Rome proclaimed the cruel, anti-Christian Maxentius as emperor, who wishing to cover his back in the west, since he feared Constantine, forced him to divorce his wife, Minervina and marry Fausta, a very ambitious and cunning woman who was also Maxentius’ sister, in order to control him. When she saw Constantine’s eldest son, Crispus, distinguishing himself in battles and being groomed for the succession, she wanted to destroy him at all costs, in order to promote her own three sons to positions of power. So she slandered Crispus by saying that he had tried to rape her and kill his father in order to seize power, like a new Absalom. Unfortunately, Fausta’s plot was so convincing and her lies so persuasive that Constantine and the generals fell into the demonic trap. And they allowed Crispus to be put to death, in accordance with the law. When the queen mother, Saint Helen, who was many miles away, learned what had happened she rebuked her son severely for his decision. Constantine instituted exhaustive inquiries, from which it became clear that he was the victim of a criminal conspiracy on the part of his wife, Fausta, and her supporters. So he ordered that she, too, be put to death. These two murders of people of his own family greatly distressed Constantine, who regretted them bitterly to the end of his days and sought God’s forgiveness. And in order to show his repentance publicly he had a statue erected to Crispus, with the inscription “To my much-wronged son.”

[1] Words attributed to Constantine XI Palaiologos in a poem about the Fall of Constantinople, in which he hopes for the return of the City one day in the future to the Orthodox.

[2] Lactantius (On the Deaths of the Persecutors, 44), Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. IX, 9.1-11, Socrates (Eccl. Hist. I, 2.5-10), Sozomenos (Eccl. Hist. I 1) et al.

[3] In his book The Ecumenical Synods, Saint Nektarios writes that Saints Constantine and Helen were the hands of divine providence.

The above is sourced from the following website: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/05/the-repentance-of-constantine-great.html

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 similarities between St. Constantine and King David, that both of them have substantial and publicly known sins, and yet both are profoundly important to the Orthodox Christian Faith. It is essential that all of us come to terms with the fact that sin does not disqualify one from salvation, even as we affirm that unrepentant sin is incompatible with communion with God. To confront this truth in the lives of the saints is more challenging, yet perhaps more important. God does not come to call the righteous to glory, but to call sinners to repentance. We do not rejoice in the sins of St. Constantine, or King David, but we glorify God for the salvation and transformation that He has accomplished in them, and in all of us.)

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 21:15-25 (Jesus & Peter, Jesus & the Beloved Disciple)

Last time we saw Jesus appear to the Disciples while they went fishing. Although they had caught nothing, he granted them a great catch of fish, and then He shared a meal with them, the first after His Resurrection. This time, we will see Him speak with Simon Peter, in a conversation that is profoundly difficult, but vitally important, for St. Peter.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?”

And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Disciple

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” 23 So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

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 this reading also connects with this week’s (accidental) theme, that of sin and repentance. What we see in the Lord’s conversation with Peter is that He is restoring Peter, by giving him three opportunities to confess faithfulness and love for the Lord, as a mirror image of Peter’s threefold denial a few chapters ago. This is the Lord walking Peter through a process of repentance, and if we can recognize that this is what’s happening, there is a deep beauty to the Lord’s gentle reinstatement of Peter. He does not pretend that the denials did not happen, but He guides Peter through a renunciation of those denials and a restoration of his faithfulness. And at the end, He assures them that the time will come when Peter will indeed bear witness to Him through death, even as Peter had promised to do at the Mystical Supper. And with this, we come to the end of the Gospel according to John. Next week, we’ll go back to where we left off during Great Lent, and pick up the story with the death of Lazarus.)

2) What do we learn about God in this story?

3) What do we learn about human beings in this story?

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

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

Day 1 (Monday)

Daniel 4:1-37  (Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream, is Humiliated, Repents, and Gives Glory to God)

Over the final week of Great Lent and Holy Week, we read from the book of Daniel about the great image that Nebuchadnezzar set up in Babylon, and how the Three Holy Youths, Daniel’s friends, refused to bow down and worship it, and were thus thrown into the fiery furnace, where the Lord Himself came and delivered them. This was the second great sign that Nebuchadnezzar had been given by God (the first being the dream that Daniel interpreted for him, about the image with the head of gold that was destroyed by the Rock not cut out by human hands). We will see here, however, that he has not learned the lesson, and remains unchanged and proud.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages that live throughout the earth: May you have abundant prosperity! 2 The signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me I am pleased to recount.

3 How great are his signs,
how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and his sovereignty is from generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living at ease in my home and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that frightened me; my fantasies in bed and the visions of my head terrified me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, in order that they might tell me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not tell me its interpretation.

8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream: 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery is too difficult for you. Hear the dream that I saw; tell me its interpretation.

10 Upon my bed this is what I saw;
there was a tree at the center of the earth,
and its height was great.
11 The tree grew great and strong,
its top reached to heaven,
and it was visible to the ends of the whole earth.
12 Its foliage was beautiful,
its fruit abundant,
and it provided food for all.
The animals of the field found shade under it,
the birds of the air nested in its branches,
and from it all living beings were fed.

13 “I continued looking, in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and there was a holy watcher, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said:

‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches,
strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from beneath it
and the birds from its branches.
15 But leave its stump and roots in the ground,
with a band of iron and bronze,
in the tender grass of the field.
Let him be bathed with the dew of heaven,
and let his lot be with the animals of the field
in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human,
and let the mind of an animal be given to him.
And let seven times pass over him.
17 The sentence is rendered by decree of the watchers,
the decision is given by order of the holy ones,
in order that all who live may know
that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of mortals;
he gives it to whom he will
and sets over it the lowliest of human beings.’

18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are unable to tell me the interpretation. You are able, however, for you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods.”

Daniel Interprets the Second Dream

19 Then Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was severely distressed for a while. His thoughts terrified him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or the interpretation terrify you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies! 20 The tree that you saw, which grew great and strong, so that its top reached to heaven and was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and which provided food for all, under which animals of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air had nests— 22 it is you, O king!”

“You have grown great and strong. Your greatness has increased and reaches to heaven, and your sovereignty to the ends of the earth. 23 And whereas the king saw a holy watcher coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in the grass of the field; and let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his lot be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass over him’— 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and it is a decree of the Most High that has come upon my lord the king:”

“25 You shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the wild animals. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, you shall be bathed with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and gives it to whom he will. 26 As it was commanded to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be re-established for you from the time that you learn that Heaven is sovereign. 27 Therefore, O king, may my counsel be acceptable to you: atone for your sins with righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that your prosperity may be prolonged.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king said, “Is this not magnificent Babylon, which I have built as a royal capital by my mighty power and for my glorious majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed from you! 32 You shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails became like birds’ claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

34 When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me.

I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored the one who lives forever.
For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does what he wills with the host of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can stay his hand
or say to him, “What are you doing?”

36 At that time my reason returned to me; and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my lords sought me out, I was re-established over my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven,

for all his works are truth,
and his ways are justice;
and he is able to bring low
those who walk in pride.

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 clearly this shows God’s way of dealing with us, even with the great and the proud. Nebuchaznezzar is first given signs that the Lord is alone the great and most-high God, in Daniel alone being able to interpret his first dream, and then in the deliverance of the Three Youths in the furnace. When he does not change, he is given this explicit warning, and Daniel’s final words in interpretation are to urge the king to repentance. He is given twelve months more, but when he does not repent, however, his blessings and protection are stripped from him, and he is left with only his animal desires. But when he comes to himself, and gives glory to God, he is immediately restored. This is, if we pay attention to it, basically the same story as that of the Prodigal Son.”

2) What do we learn about God in this reading?

3) What do we learn about human beings in this reading?

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)

Fourth & Fifth Prayers at Orthros

There are twelve prayers that the Priest prays at the beginning of the Orthros service. In all of them, he prays for himself and for all the people, and gives thanks to God for the rest of sleep and for the opportunity to wake up and offer worship and thanksgiving and prayers to God. It is important to understand that the Orthros service is the service that the Church does at sunrise; it begins when it is still dark, and continues as the sun comes up. These twelve prayers, then, reflect what we can and should think and feel and say to God as we wake up and begin our day. These two prayers talks about rising from our beds and moving directly into thanksgiving and worship, seeking help, strength, blessing and understanding from the Lord in Whom we live, and move, and have our being.

FOURTH PRAYER

Master and God, holy and beyond understanding, who said: Let light shine out of darkness, who have given us rest by the sleep of the night and raised us up to glorify and implore your loving kindness; entreated by your own compassion, accept us who now worship you and give you thanks in the measure of our power, and grant us all our requests that are for salvation.

Declare us to be children of light and of the day, and heirs of your eternal blessings. Remember also, Lord, in the greatness of your compassion all your people, those present with us and who pray with us, and all our brethren by land and sea and in every place of your dominion who ask for your love for humankind and your help; and give to all your great mercy.

So that, always kept safe in soul and body, we may glorify with boldness your wondrous and blessed name, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

FIFTH PRAYER

Treasury of blessings, ever-flowing Source, Holy Father, worker of wonders, all-powerful and almighty, we all worship you and beseech you, as we invoke your acts of mercy and compassion to help and assist our lowliness. Remember your suppliants, Lord; accept the morning prayers of us all like incense before you, and make none of us reprobate, but keep us all through your acts of compassion. Remember, Lord, those who keep vigil and who chant to your glory and that of your Son, our God, and of your Holy Spirit. Be their help and their aid; accept their supplications on your heavenly and spiritual altar.

For you are our God and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to 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 are grounded in the reality of human beings waking from sleep and anticipating the light of the rising sun. That natural yearning is then directed in prayer toward the Lord, Who is the true source of light in the darkness, of life in the face of death, and forgiveness and purification to all who labor in this present world. Thus we thank the Lord for the rising of the sun, and look beyond the sun in the sky to Him, the Sun of Righteousness. This makes these prayers an active remedy to the errors of paganism in general, in which the created things are honored and worshipped instead of the Creator, and a remedy to our particular temptations and struggles in particular, as we rise from sleep and direct our hearts and minds and lives toward the Lord.)

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 21:1-14 (Purpose of this Book, Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples)

Last time we saw Jesus appear to the Disciples after His Resurrection, and breathe upon them, and give them the Holy Spirit. We also saw that Thomas was not with them at this time, and questioned the truth of their experience when they told him about it. He insisted that he would not believe until he verified with his own hands that the Lord was truly risen in the flesh, and so, a week later, the Lord came to them all, and insisted that Thomas verify exactly as he had said. Thomas then confessed Jesus to be “My Lord and my God,” and the Lord praised those who believe in Him on the basis the witness of Thomas and the others. This time, we will see another occasion that the Lord revealed Himself to His disciples.

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

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 this encounter with the Lord mirrors the first time that the Lord met many of these disciples, and especially Peter, and how John gives this story as a confirmation of that calling of the Disciples to become Fishers of Men (even though that story doesn’t appear in the Gospel of John). This is another occasion when John includes stories that connect to the accounts of the other Evangelists. The Leader should also point out that the statement that this was the “third time” that Jesus appeared to His disciples may be a reference to the frequent demand by the Pharisees earlier in the book to receive a sign, or to hear the Lord’s authenticity affirmed by “two or three witnesses.” At this point, the Lord’s own works have indeed become witnesses to His Resurrection, His Divinity, and His glory.)

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

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

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

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

Day 1 (Monday)

Proverbs 22:17-29; 23:1-35 (Sayings of the Wise)

As we begin the final third of Year 4, we will pause for one more week from our normal narrative readings, and return once again to the Book of Proverbs. This book, written by a father seeking to provide good guidance to his son, and then including other proverbs from the Wise, directs all of us to walk the narrow path of faithfulness, avoiding the common temptations and holding fast to the Lord in all things. It is a good reminder of the essential responsibilities of parents to their children, and of children to their parents.

Sayings of the Wise

Chapter 22:17 The words of the wise:
Incline your ear and hear my words,
and apply your mind to my teaching;
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today—yes, to you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of admonition and knowledge,
21 to show you what is right and true,
so that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate;
23 for the Lord pleads their cause
and despoils of life those who despoil them.
24 Make no friends with those given to anger,
and do not associate with hotheads,
25 or you may learn their ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.

26 Do not be one of those who give pledges,
who become surety for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not remove the ancient landmark
that your ancestors set up.
29 Do you see those who are skillful in their work?
They will serve kings;
they will not serve common people.

Chapter 23
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you have a big appetite.
3 Do not desire the ruler’s delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
be wise enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light upon it, it is gone;
for suddenly it takes wings to itself,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.

6 Do not eat the bread of the stingy;
do not desire their delicacies;
7 for like a hair in the throat, so are they.
“Eat and drink!” they say to you;
but they do not mean it.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten,
and you will waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
who will only despise the wisdom of your words.
10 Do not remove an ancient landmark
or encroach on the fields of orphans,
11 for their redeemer is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.

12 Apply your mind to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from your children;
if you beat them with a rod, they will not die.
14 If you beat them with the rod,
you will save their lives from Sheol.
15 My child, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My soul will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always continue in the fear of the Lord.
18 Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my child, and be wise,
and direct your mind in the way.
20 Do not be among winebibbers,
or among gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

22 Listen to your father who begot you,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My child, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteress is a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the number of the faithless.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger late over wine,
those who keep trying mixed wines.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent,
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind utter perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how this selection is dealing with common temptations, and especially with the common temptations of the world around us. Wealth, pleasure, power, drink, and in general, the high life, full of glamor and parties and excess…all this is to be avoided. But what is helpful about this is that these sins are not simply warned against; their consequences are explained and expanded upon, so that we may learn to be watchful and avoid going down those paths that lead to destruction. And especially during Bright Week…it’s good to have a limit set on our consumption.)

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)

Gospel of Nicodemus – 5 of 5

Last time we saw Adam and Habakkuk give glory to the Lord as He came to deliver them in Hades, speaking and singing praises to God much like the Three Young Men in the fiery furnace in Babylon. As they finished their offering of praises, we saw all the saints there in Hades follow the Lord as He led Adam out of bondage. This time, we will see where He leads them, and will come to the end of this text.

Reading 5

CHAP. 9 (25)—And the Lord, holding the hand of Adam, delivered him to Michael the archangel: and all the saints followed Michael the archangel, and he led them all into the glorious grace of paradise. And there met them two men, ancient of days. The saints asked them: “Who are you, that have not yet been dead along with us in the regions below, and have been placed in paradise in the body?”

One of them answered, and said: “I am Enoch, who by the word of the Lord have been translated hither; and he who is with me is Elias the Thesbite, who was taken up by a fiery chariot. Here also even until now we have not tasted death, but have been reserved to the coming of Antichrist, by divine signs and wonders to do battle with him, and, being killed by him in Jerusalem, after three days and half a day to be taken up alive again in the clouds.”

CHAP. 10 (26)—And while the saints Enoch and Elias were thus speaking, behold, there came up another man, most wretched, carrying on his shoulders the sign of the cross. And seeing him, all the saints said to him: “Who art thou? because thy appearance is that of a robber. And what is the sign which thou carriest on thy shoulders?” In answer to them, he said: “Truly have you said that I was a robber, doing all sorts of evil upon the earth. And the Jews crucified me along with Jesus; and I saw the miracles in created things which were done through the cross of Jesus crucified, and I believed Him to be the Creator of all created things, and the King omnipotent; and I entreated Him, saying, ‘Be mindful of me, Lord, when Thou shalt have come into Thy kingdom’.”

“Immediately He accepted my entreaty, and said to me, ‘Amen; I say to thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise’. And He gave me this sign of the cross, saying, ‘Walk into paradise carrying this; and if the guardian angel of paradise will not let thee go in, show him the sign of the cross, and thou shalt say to him, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has now been crucified, has sent me’. Having done so, I said all this to the guardian angel of paradise. And when he heard this, he immediately opened, and led me in, and placed me at the right of paradise, saying, ‘Lo, hold a little, and there will come in the father of the whole human race, Adam, with all his children, holy and just, after the triumph and glory of the ascension of Christ the crucified Lord.’”

Hearing all these words of the robber, all the holy patriarchs and prophets with one voice said: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord Almighty, Father of everlasting benefits, and Father of mercies, who hast given such grace to Thy sinners, and hast brought them back into the grace of paradise, and into Thy rich pastures; for this is spiritual life most sure. Amen, amen.”

CHAP. 11 (27)—These are the divine and sacred mysteries which we saw and heard, I Karinus, and Leucius. More we are not allowed to tell of the other mysteries of God, as Michael the archangel adjured us, and said: “You shall go into Jerusalem with your brethren, and continue in prayers, and you shall cry out, and glorify the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has raised you up again from the dead with Himself. And with none of men shall you speak; and you shall sit as if dumb, until the hour shall come when the Lord Himself shall permit you to relate the mysteries of His divinity.”

And Michael the archangel ordered us to walk across Jordan into a place rich and fertile, where there are many who rose again along with us for an evidence of the resurrection of Christ the Lord; because only three days were allowed to us who have risen from the dead to celebrate in Jerusalem the passover of the Lord, with our living relations, for an evidence of the resurrection of Christ the Lord: and we have been baptized in the holy river of Jordan, receiving each of us white robes. And after three days, when we had celebrated the passover of the Lord, all who rose again along with us were snatched up into the clouds, and taken across the Jordan, and were no longer seen by any one. But we were told to remain in the city of Arimathæa in prayers.

These are the things which the Lord commanded us to relate to you. Give Him praise and confession, and be penitent, that He may have mercy upon you. Peace be to you from the same Lord Jesus Christ, and the Saviour of all of us! Amen.”

And after they had finished all, writing on separate sheets of paper, they arose. And Karinus gave what he wrote into the hands of Annas and Caiaphas and Gamaliel; in like manner also Leucius gave what he wrote into the hands of Nicodemus and Joseph. And being suddenly transfigured, they became exceedingly white, and were seen no more. And their writings were found exactly the same, not one letter more or less.

All the synagogue of the Jews, hearing all these wonderful sayings of Karinus and Leucius, said to each other: “Truly all these things have been done by the Lord, and blessed be the Lord for ever and ever. Amen.” And they all went out with great anxiety, beating their breasts with fear and trembling; and they went away, each to his own house.

All these things which were said by the Jews in their synagogue Joseph and Nicodemus immediately reported to the proconsul. And Pilate himself wrote all which had been done and said concerning Jesus by the Jews, and he placed all the words in the public records of his prætorium.

Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., “The Gospel of Nicodemus,” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, the Clementina, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Ages, trans. Alexander Walker, vol. 8 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 448–453.

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 Paradise is shown to be a different space than Hades, and that the great Saints who had not seen death, Enoch and Elias, are there to greet those delivered out of Hades. It is worth noting, as well, the tradition that Enoch and Elias are not reserved from death forever, but are waiting for the coming of Antichrist, as described in St. John’s Apocalypse. This is not a dogma of the Church, as such, but it is a common thread in the tradition, as it is quite remarkable that of all of humanity, only those two have not died; even the Theotokos died, and then was raised up into heaven and glorified above all the angels, and there is a strong sense that a similar thing happened to Moses. At any rate; the rest of the story is worth noting, and we need to repeat that none of the details of this story are dogma in the Church, but they do reflect for us what the mind of the Church was in the 4th and 5th centuries, as they read and understood what is described in the Gospel accounts, with the Lord raising up the righteous dead, and many of them being seen in Jerusalem for a time, but not remaining indefinitely. It is also worth noting that this text has all of them baptized before they are assumed into heaven in their resurrected bodies…so they do not REMAIN in Paradise, and thus a distinction is drawn here between Paradise, where the Robber is brought in, and where we pray even now that the souls of the Faithful who have died will dwell, and the transfigured, resurrected life of the Saints in Heaven, in the Divine Council with the Lord’s Angels.)

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 20:19-31 (Jesus Appears to the Disciples, Jesus and Thomas)

Last time we saw Jesus buried at the end of the 6th Day, the day of Preparation (Friday), and then rise on the third day (the 1st being Friday, the 2nd being the Sabbath, or Saturday, and the 3rd therefore being Sunday, the 1st Day of the new week), and appear to Mary Magdalene. We also saw the apostles Peter and John run to the empty tomb, and see the grave clothes left behind, but no sign of the Lord Himself. This time, He will reveal Himself to them.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note two things. First, that the Lord appears to them in the evening on the Lord’s Day, the Day of the Resurrection, when they are all gathered together with the doors locked. This is surely a matter of historical fact, but it is ALSO a point that would resonate with the early Christians, who we know met to worship and to celebrate the Eucharist in the evening on the Lord’s Day, often having gathered to pray as well in the early morning, before the rising of the sun, and of course before the day’s labors, since at that time, the 1st day of the week was certainly a work day for everyone. The second thing to point out is that, however often we hear belittling references to “Doubting Thomas,” Thomas here is not presented as unwilling to believe, but rather as the one who insisted on a direct encounter, and thus is able to bear witness of that direct encounter to everyone who follows long after, even including us ourselves. His confession of Jesus as “My Lord and my God” is an affidavit, as it were, confirming the truth of the Lord’s Resurrection to all, through all the ages. The final verses of this selection confirm that this is the point of this story being included.)

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?