Religious Education Initiative

Year 1a – Week 44 (June 28 – July 4, 2026)

Day 1 (Monday)

Tobit 4:1-21 (Tobit Gives Advice to his Son)

Last time we saw Tobit and Sarah both pray to God in moments of deep sadness, asking for whatever mercy they might receive from Him, and we saw God send the Archangel Raphael to help them and bring them comfort and peace. This week we will see Tobit remember that he isn’t quite as destitute as he had been thinking, as the rest of the book is set in motion.

Tobit Instructs Tobias

1 On that day Tobit remembered the silver he had entrusted to Gabael at Rages of Media. 2 So he said to himself, “I requested death for myself. Why do I not call my son Tobias to make this known to him before I die?” 3 So he summoned him and said, “My son, if I die, bury me, but do not disregard your mother. Honor her all the days of your life. Do what is pleasing to her, but do not grieve her. 4 Remember, my son, that she experienced many dangers for you while you were in the womb. When she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave.

5 My son, remember the Lord our God all your days, and do not desire to sin or to disobey His commandments. Do righteousness all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing. 6 For if you walk in the truth, you will be successful in your works. 7 Do almsgiving from your possessions to all who do righteousness. When you do almsgiving, do not let your eye be envious. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, so the face of God will not be turned away from you.

8 Do almsgiving based on the quantity of your possessions. If you possess only a few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9 You are storing up a good treasure for yourself in the day of necessity. 10 For almsgiving delivers us from death and prevents us from entering into the darkness. 11 Indeed, almsgiving is a good gift for all who do it before the Most High.

12 “My son, guard yourself from all fornication, and above all take a wife from among the seed of your fathers. Do not take a foreign woman who is not from the tribe of your father, for we are sons of the prophets. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are our fathers from of old. Remember, my son, that all these took wives from among their brothers and were blessed in their children. Their seed will inherit the land.

13 So now, my son, love your brothers and do not be arrogant in your heart against your brothers, the sons and daughters of your people. Take a wife for yourself from them, for arrogance brings destruction and great disorder, and in such worthlessness there is loss and great defect. For worthlessness is the mother of famine. 14 “Do not keep overnight the wages of any man who works for you, but pay him immediately. If you serve God, He will pay you.

Give heed to yourself, my son, in all your works, and be disciplined in all your conduct. 15 What you yourself hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine unto a state of drunkenness, and do not let drunkenness become your traveling companion. 16 From your bread, give to him who is hungry, and from your clothing, give to the naked. If you have more than you need, do almsgiving, and do not let your eye envy the almsgiving when you do it. 17 Spread out your bread on the grave of the righteous, but do not give it to sinners.

18 “Seek counsel from every sensible man, and do not treat any useful advice with contempt. 19 At every opportunity bless the Lord God, but more than this ask that your ways may become straight, and that all your paths and purposes may prosper. For not every nation has understanding. But the Lord Himself gives all that is good, and as He desires He humbles whomever He will.

Money Left in Trust with Gabael

Now my son, let none of my commandments be removed from your heart. 20 “Now let me point out to you the ten talents of silver I entrusted to Gabael the son of Gabrias, in Rages of Media. 21 Do not fear, my son, that we have become poor. For you are very rich if you fear God. Stay away from every sin, and do what is pleasing before Him.”

695 words

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note that this entire passage is a summary of how we should live our lives, in a very direct and practical way. It’s not theological or intellectual, but is deeply rooted in the truth of Who God is, and what He has created and called us to do. Tobit outlines in careful and essential detail what that means, on an every day level. There are a lot of these things that are hard for us to hear. We don’t like being told that we should limit who we marry, that it matters what faith they hold. We struggle with the insistence on generous almsgiving; it is extremely easy to come up with religious excuses to NOT be generous, far easier than it is to simply follow the commandment. What Tobit outlines, though, is ultimately very simple. If we wish to be faithful to God, then we need actually to live faithful lives, and set the fear and the love of God above every other desire and principle and love.)

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?

6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the highest level, the anagogical reading (in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, opening up to us the grand scope of God’s great work of salvation in and for us) sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)

Day 2 (Wednesday)

St. Andrew of Crete on St. John the Forerunner – Part 1

St. Andrew of Crete was born in Damascus in the late 600’s A.D., and became a monastic at the monastery of St. Savvas in the Holy Land. There he began to compose canons for liturgical services, which poetic form eventually became normative for Orthodox worship services; the Canon remains one of the central elements of the Orthros service (although it is often omitted in parish practice for reasons of time). Because of his many talents, he was one of the representative sent from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to the 6th Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 680; after the council ended, he remained in Constantinople, and in ~700 he was elevated to be the Metropolitan bishop of Gortyna in Crete. He lived out his remaining days there, and fell asleep in the Lord some years later. His Great Canon of Repentance is a central feature of the Lenten services of the first week of the Great 40 Days of Lent. Today and next week, we will read a homily which he preached on St. John the Forerunner, the feast of whose Nativity we celebrated last Wednesday.

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2020/01/epithets-of-saint-john-baptist-in.html

Homily on the Beheading of the Honorable Forerunner – Part 1

By St. Andrew of Crete

Many, excellent and great are the epithets and titles of the Honorable Forerunner, which he is called in the Gospels and by Christ Himself.

That which he is first called is “Son.” Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. (Lk. 1:13) When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. (Lk. 1:57)

The next is “Baby.” When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (Lk. 1:41-44)

Another name is “Child.” And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. (Lk. 1:76) And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Lk. 1:80)

He was even called “Great.” He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. (Lk. 1:14-15)

And “John.” On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” (Lk. 1:59-63)

And of course, “Prophet.” What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. (Matt. 11:7,9,13)

The Lord called him “Elijah.” And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt. 11:14) And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah. (Lk. 1:17)

Many called him “Teacher.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” (Lk. 3:12)

They even called him “Prodromos.”* And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him. (Lk. 1:76)

And he was called a “Preacher.” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And this was the message he preached: “After me comes the one more powerful than I.” (Lk. 1:4,7)

He described himself as a “Voice.” He was asked by men sent from the Pharisees: “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (Jn. 1:22-23)

He is and was called a “Baptist.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. (Matt. 3:13) And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mk. 1:4)

Undoubtedly he is a “Martyr.” He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.** (Jn. 1:7,8) His testimony was sealed with the martyrdom of blood, when his honorable head was cut off, because he preached the truth, and rebuked all lawlessness.

He was also called “Righteous” and “Holy.” Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. (Mk. 6:20)

He called himself an “Apostle.” “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’”*** (Jn. 3:28)

Another excellent name of his is “Evangelist.” And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.**** (Lk. 3:18)

He is even called a “Nymphagogos,”***** who leads souls to the Bridegroom Christ, as he once said: “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” (Jn. 3:29-30)

He is also called a “Lamp.” John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. (Jn. 5:35)

He also had the title of “Rebuker of Herod.” For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” (Mk. 6:18) But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done. (Lk. 3:19)

924 words

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note how St. Andrew takes the opportunity of speaking about the Forerunner to recount what are effectively all of the Scriptural references to St. John the Baptist. This is a sermon intended for the Faithful; it is not for the highly educated, but for all of us together, to reflect on the person and the role of the Lord’s herald. It is accessible, but also lifts us up to honor the Baptist and to recognize him as one of the greats among the Saints.)

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)

Luke 13:18-35; 14:1-6 (Parables of Mustard Seed, Yeast, and Narrow Door, Lament over Jerusalem)

Last time we saw the Lord speaking with His followers about some tragedies that had occurred recently; they seem to be assuming that these bad things happened to them because they were worse sinners than everyone else; the Lord corrects the point and urges EVERYONE He encounters to repentance, to receive the Gospel and to follow Him. This time, He will continue with a parable about a mustard tree, to further explain how it is that grace and holiness grow in our lives).

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast

20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.”

The Narrow Door

22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And some one said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’”

27 “But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’ 28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

The Lament over Jerusalem

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy

14 One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?” 4 But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?” 6 And they could not reply to this.

Reading 31
583 words

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 there are several different parables and points here that Jesus makes, and all of them are getting at the same basic point, that the people to whom He is preaching are distracted by many unimportant, or even sinful things, and they need to repent and turn to God immediately. This is difficult for them to believe, because nothing in the world around them looks like it is changing, so He tells them the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast, two things that act so slowly that, if you sit and watch them, you would swear that nothing is happening…but in truth, from a tiny beginning, a huge change takes place. He is telling them that with His presence in the world, everything is changing, and they, and we, need to take part in the Lord’s transformation of the world, and not make ourselves God’s enemies in holding onto the world as it 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?

6) “What is the a) literal, b) allegorical, c) moral/ethical, d) anagogical/eschatological meaning of this text? (Think of these questions as a mountain which we can ascend, or as layers of meaning upon which we can reflect. Oftentimes, as we reflect upon a text in this way, we may find that the anagogical reading, in which we see the text as revealing the glory of God and His kingdom in a deeper manner, sheds new insights on the lower levels of interpretation.)