Day 1 (Monday)
4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 2:1-22 (Elijah Taken Up, Elisha Succeeds Him)
Last time we read in 3 Kingdoms/1 Kings 19 about how Elijah fled out into the desert when Jezebel was trying to kill him, and how God spoke to him, encouraged him, and gave him further instructions to anoint the next kings of Syria and Israel, and to anoint Elisha as the prophet to succeed him. In the several intervening chapters, things have gone from bad to worse in the kingdom of Israel, and Ahab has actually already died in battle. This time, we will see Elijah’s story come to an end (almost), and Elisha succeed him as God’s prophet and representative to the sinful nation of Israel, bringing help from God to those who were faithful, and judgment to those who rejected God.
Elijah Ascends to Heaven
2 Now when the Lord was about to take Eli′jah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Eli′jah and Eli′sha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Eli′jah said to Eli′sha, “Tarry here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Eli′sha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Eli′sha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; hold your peace.”
4 Eli′jah said to him, “Eli′sha, tarry here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Eli′sha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; hold your peace.”
6 Then Eli′jah said to him, “Tarry here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Eli′jah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Eli′jah said to Eli′sha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Eli′sha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli′jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Eli′sha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
Then he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the mantle of Eli′jah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Eli′jah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Eli′jah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other; and Eli′sha went over.
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him over against them, they said, “The spirit of Eli′jah rests on Eli′sha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. 16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; pray, let them go, and seek your master; it may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and for three days they sought him but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, Do not go?”
Elisha Performs Miracles
19 Now the men of the city said to Eli′sha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” 20 He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it, and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have made this water wholesome; henceforth neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” 22 So the water has been wholesome to this day, according to the word which Eli′sha spoke.
814 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 Elijah receives something almost unprecedented, to be brought up into heaven without dying. We see from this an indication that his questions to God that we read last time were not a sign of faithlessness, but simply of deep sorrow and uncertainty as he faced the costs of being faithful to God. We see him again, of course, once again on a mountain, in the New Testament, at the Transfiguration of the Lord, as Christ discusses with him and with Moses the final act of God’s work of salvation, His impending Crucifixion and Resurrection. In Elijah, we see what it means to be faithful to God, to be a citizen not of this world, but of the kingdom of God.)
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)
Letter of St. Ignatius to the Ephesians – 4
So far, St. Ignatius has been warning the Christians in Ephesus about how they should trust and submit to their bishop, and be wary of false teachers coming in to lead them astray. At this point in the letter, he turns to more practical matters, and gives guidance in how they should interact with those outside of the Church, especially when being mistreated by them. Since the Christians at this time were undergoing an active persecution, this is not just theoretical advice, but very real. Ignatius’ advice would have a strong authority on this subject, since he was himself DOING what he tells others to do here.
Response to Maltreatment
Pray continually for the rest of humankind as well, that they may find God, for there is in them hope for repentance. Therefore allow them to be instructed by you, at least by your deeds. In response to their anger, be gentle; in response to their boasts, be humble; in response to their slander, offer prayers; in response to their errors, be steadfast in the faith; in response to their cruelty, be civilized; do not be eager to imitate them. Let us show by our forbearance that we are their brothers and sisters, and let us be eager to be imitators of the Lord, to see who can be the more wronged, who the more cheated, who the more rejected, in order that no weed of the devil may be found among you, but that with complete purity and self-control you may abide in Christ Jesus physically and spiritually.
The Last Times: Both Cosmic and Personal
These are the last times. Therefore let us be reverent; let us fear the patience of God, lest it become a judgment against us. For let us either fear the wrath to come or love the grace that is present, one of the two; only let us be found in Christ Jesus, which leads to true life. Let nothing appeal to you apart from him, in whom I carry around these chains (my spiritual pearls!), by which I hope, through your prayers, to rise again. May I always share in them, in order that I may be found in the company of the Christians of Ephesus, who have always been in agreement with the apostles by the power of Jesus Christ.
Who Ignatius Is
I know who I am and to whom I am writing. I am a convict; you have received mercy. I am in danger; you are secure. You are the highway of those who are being killed for God’s sake; you are fellow initiates of Paul, who was sanctified, who was approved, who is deservedly blessed – may I be found in his footsteps when I reach God! – who in every letter remembers you in Christ Jesus.
Frequent and Harmonious Meetings
Therefore make every effort to come together more frequently to give thanks and glory to God. For when you meet together frequently, the powers of Satan are overthrown and his destructiveness is nullified by the unanimity of your faith. There is nothing better than peace, by which all warfare among those in heaven and those on earth is abolished.
421 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 the way of living that St. Ignatius advises here is exceptionally difficult. It might be worth asking everyone to reflect on what this might look like in their own lives, if there is an example of a situation in which they are being mistreated or mocked in which they could follow this example of St. Ignatius, and bear witness to Christ and the transforming power of His love by patient endurance of mocking, mistreatment, and suffering. It doesn’t have to be on account of our Faith for us to bear witness to Christ, either…we are called to love our enemies, regardless of why they make themselves our enemies. This is an important discussion, so we purposely selected a shorter selection so as to allow for more time for this.)
Leader should also note how we are to treat even our enemies with love and graciousness, because these are the last times, and nothing matters except remaining faithful to the Lord. Certainly revenge and “fairness” and so forth are entirely irrelevant when weighed against the imminent coming of the Lord. As encouragement to ourselves to be faithful, then, we can choose either fear or love: fear of the judgment to come, or love and gratitude for the grace of the Lord. But we must choose one or the other, lest we instead give ourselves over to the many broken things that seem natural to us: anger, defensiveness, and hatred of those who wrong us. We must follow Christ, even to the Cross, even when, or rather especially when, it seems unnatural or impossible to do so.
Leader should also note that Ignatius is effectively telling them how they should go about combating the evil around them: by gathering more often to worship God. He says that when they gather for the Eucharist (since that is what it means to give thanks), the love of God in their midst overthrows and abolishes all destruction, all evil, all warfare, and brings peace to both heaven and earth. This is, in short, the same lesson that we see throughout Scripture, and that we will see in the book of Tobit that we will begin reading next week…thanksgiving and worship of God drive away sickness and demonic assaults and bring peace and wholeness where there had been death and brokenness before. The same remains true now…if we are troubled by anything that we see around us in the world, the remedy is to be faithful, to pray, and to gather for worship, celebrating the Eucharist, and reconciling ourselves with the Lord. This is the only certain way for us to make the world a better place.))
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 12:13-34 (Parable of the Rich Fool, Do Not Worry)
Last time we saw the Lord denounce the Pharisees and exhort those following Him to walk in actual faithfulness, following Him truly, in heart and in action, and not simply in word and in show. This time, He will continue with a parable which expresses this same warning, and follow it up with an explanation of where true fullness and peace are to be found.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
27 Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;[c] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. 30 For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his[d] kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Reading 28
493 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 how Jesus is talking about what is truly our source of security and peace in this world. We tend to chase after wealth and possessions in this world, but the Lord tells us that these serve only to distract from what is real and true. He shows how one can gain great wealth in this life, and still have nothing that matters when death comes, and assures His disciples that, if they serve God faithfully, He will take care of them. We should note that that doesn’t mean we can be lazy and God will take care of us…just that we should not chase after possessions, but should seek God and His kingdom in all that we do, doing the work of each day with prayer and with love and with our eyes fixed on the Lord, not on the things of this world that don’t last.)
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.)
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