Day 1 (Monday)
Exodus 9:13-35 (7th Plague – Thunder & Hail)
Last time, we saw the plagues of flies, and the death of livestock, and of boils on the skin.m These plagues show the vanity of the gods of Egypt, which claimed as sacred various kinds of livestock, but were unable to protect them, and then God strikes the Egyptians, and even Pharaoh himself, in their own bodies. At this point, even Pharaoh’s magicians are acknowledging that they are helpless before the Lord, and everyone else in Egypt is prepared to acknowledge the power of the God of Israel and to let His people go, but Pharaoh is continuing to double down upon his refusal to humble himself and obey the commandment of God. This time, then, we will see the Lord turn even the skies against Egypt, after first warning them that this disaster is coming, and giving them every opportunity to avoid it.
The Seventh Plague: Thunder and Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants and your people, that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.”
15 “For by now I could have put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth; 16 but for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people, and will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.”
19 “Now therefore send, get your cattle and all that you have in the field into safe shelter; for the hail shall come down upon every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home, and they shall die.”’” 20 Then he who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his slaves and his cattle flee into the houses; 21 but he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his slaves and his cattle in the field.
22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch forth your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt;
24 there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and the hail struck down every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, there was no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh sent, and called Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Entreat the Lord; for there has been enough of this thunder and hail; I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”
31 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and stretched out his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
Reading 10
674 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Yahweh here gives a clear warning to Pharaoh and to his people, specifically to give them the opportunity to preserve the lives of everything living out in the fields. It is also worth noting that not all the crops were destroyed; with the hail, Yahweh is striking at the luxury and the economy of Egypt, its pleasure and its power, but is not bringing about a famine that would leave Egypt destitute. This is a warning, escalated from the previous warnings.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Life of St. Nicholas of Myra (commemorated December 6th)
St. Nicholas is one of the most beloved saints of the Church; he lived from the end of the 3rd century into the early decades of the 4th century, and therefore both endured the Great Persecution and saw peace come to the Church, as well as the great controversy of Arianism. The full life of the saint, written in the early 800’s, may be found at the link below, but we will read some excerpts.
https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2019/12/the-life-of-saint-nicholas-wonderworker.html
The Life of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (Michael the Archimandrite, early 9th century)
1. Appearing to us as the brightest dawn of piety and the epitome of the wondrous stars, Nicholas, the holy hierarch of Christ, trains everyone to give praise to God. As we annually commemorate him, he illuminates the way ahead of us like a light-filled beam of the sun of justice, casting the radiance of his virtues like gold-gleaming rays. Moreover, he stirs lovers of the poor, and indeed those who love Christ and those who pardon humanity, to celebrate his memory with psalmody and with hymns and, by the example he set, with mercy for those in need and, through this, to purify themselves in anticipation of sojourning with us of the divine Word made flesh of the holy Virgin. For I think there is no believer throughout the world who has not found him a help in danger and a keen ally amid various troubles. For this reason every tongue that reverences him in Christ hastens, as a debtor, to honor him with song and is roused to have him as an advocate before God.
He then sums up his childhood in Myra in a wealthy Christian household, and notes the miracle that even as an infant, Nicholas kept the Wednesday and Friday fasts, receiving his mother’s milk, but only once each day, and that in the evening. He notes, also, that he refrained from politics, business, spectacles, and from romantic relationships, attending to the things of God from his earliest youth, and then recounts the famous story of how, after his parents died and their wealth came into his hands, he was notable in his generosity, giving that wealth to those in need, and specifically to save the three daughters of his next-door neighbor from a life of sin, by secretly providing them each with a dowry, throwing a bag of gold through the window of the home on three separate occasions, and when the father caught him in this act of generosity the third time, he gave all glory to God and swore the father to secrecy until after the death of St. Nicholas.
Eventually, through the guidance of the Lord, the Faithful of Myra selected him as their bishop, and he led them faithfully, rejecting the heresies of the day and overthrowing the temples of the demons in their midst, while always attending to the needs of the poor and destitute in the city, and to the protection of sailors in danger, as well as defending the innocent when they were falsely accused, even by the emperor.
Sanctity and Death
40. As one of his friends and one of the most devout monks described it to me, an account has come down from the beginning, which has its origin in tradition, that saint Nicholas was as follows: venerable and angelic in appearance, and exuding sweet smells full of sanctification, so that just at the sight of him he improved those who were with him and pushed and changed them to a better state which bordered on salvation. And if some heretic ever encountered him as he was passing by, he immediately sent away the disease of his impiety that had been blended with him over a long period of time, and sincerely accepted the faith of the righteous man.
41. And so, after living in this manner in the metropolis of Myra and after anointing everyone with his sweetest smelling and all-holy life and episcopate, he left his mortal life and went to his eternal rest, rejoicing with choruses of angels and exulting together with companies of patriarchs and ceaselessly interceding on behave of those who call upon him in faith with gladness, especially those who are in the midst of calamities and afflicted by the confiscations of property and are being tried.33 His body, honored and anointed with the sweet fragrance of his virtues, buried in the church of that district, straightaway gushed forth a sweet-smelling perfume, turning away all adverse and destructive power, but providing a saving remedy that wards off evil for the glory of the one who glorified him, Christ, our true God.
The life concludes with the recounting of several of the wonders which the Lord has accomplished through the intercessions. It is a beautiful example of hagiography from the 9th century Church.
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 list of benefits which the Faithful gain from St. Nicholas at the beginning, listing both the blessings we receive from his example, and the direct help that we receive at his intercessions. This is a beautiful summary of the relationship that we are invited to have with the Saints, as both inspirations and intercessors for us as we walk the path of salvation.)
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 7:11-23 (Widow’s Son at Nain, Messengers from John the Baptist)
Last time, we saw the conclusion of St. Luke’s rendition of the Sermon on the Mount, and after the Lord concluded His preaching, we saw Him go to heal the servant of the centurion, whose faith was so profoundly exemplary. This time, we will see the Lord raise the dead, and then begin a conversation with the disciples of St. John the Baptist.
Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain
11 Soon afterward he went to a city called Na′in, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
14 And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report concerning him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Messengers from John the Baptist
18 The disciples of John told him of all these things. 19 And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”
21 In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.”
Reading 15
326 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should attend to the information from the additional study questions, and may also emphasize how Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s question makes clear that, for both of them, there was the clear understanding that the Anointed One of God would be doing particular things that would by themselves demonstrate Him to be the promised Messiah. This idea was not limited to them; the point is present throughout the Scripture, and was generally recognized at the time by a great many people.)
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?
Additional Discussion Questions
1) What does the raising of the young man at Nain show us about Jesus? (This is also an open question, but there are two main points that I see. a) He is compassionate to those who are grieving and bereaved by death. b) He has authority over death itself, power to raise the dead and restore them to life.)
2) When John the Baptist heard about what Jesus was doing, what did he send his disciples to ask? (He told them to ask Jesus if He was the one they were waiting for, that is to say, if He was the Messiah, the Christ.)
3) What did Jesus say in response? (He told them to tell John what they saw and heard, people being healed and restored, and the poor receiving good news. The idea is that His deeds answered more clearly even than a simple “yes” would have done that yes, He was the Messiah.)
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