Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 4:1-26 (Cain and Abel, Cain’s Descendants begin Civilization)
Last time we saw the first sin, as the first man and woman disobeyed God and ate from the tree that He had commanded them to abstain from. They were seeking what the tempter promised, to become like God, knowing good and evil, and while they gained this knowledge, it was at the cost of their communion with God, and in cutting themselves off from God, the source of life and love and goodness, they died spiritually, and began to die physically. God clothed them in garments of skins and expelled them from the Garden that was the place of His presence, and they went out into the world of chaos to live out their lives in sorrow and labor. This time, we will see children born to them, and what the next step in the fall of humanity is.
Cain and Abel
Genesis 4:1 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions.
And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Beginnings of Civilization
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of Mehu′ja-el, and Mehu′ja-el the father of Methu′sha-el, and Methu′sha-el the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Na′amah.
(Note – parents of young children may wish to skip verses 23 & 24 here, as they speak of polygamy, jealousy and violence)
23 Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say:
I have slain a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.”
Reading 4 – 640 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 two things. First, it is commonly asserted in the western world that the reason Cain’s sacrifice is rejected is that he didn’t bring a sacrifice of blood, but if we pay close attention to the entire rest of the Torah, especially in Exodus and Leviticus, we will see clearly that there is nothing wrong with offerings of grain and produce. We don’t, in fact, know exactly what Cain did wrong, but it was known to him, and known to God, and that is enough. Second, the leader should point out that the markings of civilization that we see here are explicitly cast as not a good thing; they come to the rebellious and exiled line, and the fruit of them is wealth and oppression, sin and violence. This is the point of the little poem from Lamech that we see…this is the fruit of making common cause with evil.)
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)
Several Sayings from the Saints
This week, as we reflect on the first murder in the story of Cain and Abel, we will read some sayings from a number of the Saints of the Church. St. Silouan the Athonite was a saint of the 19th century, Russian by birth, who lived out his life on the Holy Mountain. St. Anthony the Great, of course, was a saint of the 3rd and 4th century, who lived out his life in the deserts of Egypt. Both of them are some of the best beloved saints of the Church, and are renowned for the wisdom in their sayings. The sayings we have selected relate to peace of soul, peace with other people, and what in our lives is pleasing to God and productive of right relationship with Him.
A Saying of St. Silouan the Athonite
It is impossible for us to preserve peace of soul if we do not guard our mind. If someone wishes to have peace of soul, he must be abstemious, because peace is also expelled on account of our body. You must not be curious; avoid reading newspapers and worldly books, which desolate the soul and bring about listlessness and disturbance.
Do not judge others, because it is often the case that people condemn a person without knowing him, while he is similar to the Angels in mind. Do not desire to know other people’s affairs, but only your own. Take care only to entrust yourself in the Elders, and then, on account of your obedience, the Lord will help you by His Grace.
The Grace of God in the coenobium primarily withdraws because we have not learned to love our brother according to the Lord’s commandment. If a brother affronts you, and at that moment you accept thoughts of anger and hatred against him, then you will feel that Grace has left you and your peace has been lost. For the sake of peace of soul, the soul should learn to love the person that has affronted it, and to pray immediately for him.
It is not possible for the soul to have peace, if it does not ask the Lord with all its strength for the gift of loving all people. The Lord said: “Love your enemies,” and if we do not love our enemies, we will not have peace in our souls. It is necessary to acquire obedience, humility, and love, or else all of our great ascetic feats and vigils will prove to be in vain.
A certain Elder saw this vision: A person was pouring water into a basin with a perforated bottom. The man went to great efforts, but the water continuously ran out, and the basin remained empty. In a like manner, we live ascetically, but neglecting a certain virtue, the soul remains empty.
From St. Sophrony’s book: “St. Silouan the Athonite, the Writings of St. Silouan, pages 518-519.
Some Sayings of St. Anthony the Great
Saying 27
Abba Anthony said, “Our life and death depend on our brother. If we gain our brother, we gain God; but if we scandalize our brother, we sin against Christ.”
Saying 42
A brother said to Abba Anthony, “Pray for me,” and the elder said to him, “Neither I nor God will take pity on you unless you yourself make an effort and petition God.”
Saying 50
Abba Anthony said, “Once when I was staying near Abba Arphat, a virgin visited him saying, ‘Father, I have fasted six days of the week for two hundred Sundays. I have memorized the New and the Old Testaments. What is there left for me to do?’ The elder said to her, ‘Has it become an honor to be despised?’ ‘Oh, no!’ she said. ‘Or loss [become] like gain, or aliens like relatives, or indigence like luxury?’ ‘No,’ she said. The elder replied, ‘Then you have not fasted six days a week, nor have you memorized the Old and New Testaments; rather are you deceiving yourself. Go and put yourself to work, for you have accomplished nothing.’”
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 words from the saints emphasize two points. The first is that peace of soul is a precious thing, which requires carefully guarding our mind and thoughts. What we must guard against include both the news and even entertainment, but also thoughts of resentment and judgment of people around us. The second is that it is especially important that we must learn how to accept people’s bad opinion or ill treatment as an honor, and to simply hold fast to Christ. St. Silouan gives the remedy succinctly: we must learn to pray for those who offend us, and in this way, we act in love toward them, and reject the feelings of anger and resentment that arise in us. If we are not prepared to strive to live in this way, then we need to search our hearts deeply, because it is nothing less than this to which the Lord calls 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)
Jesus Is Named, Presented in the Temple, and Returns to Nazareth
Last time we read the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and how He was visited by the shepherds, who had heard the news of His birth from a choir of the heavenly host. This time, we continue the story through what for us is always the final days of the year, and see what happened on the 8th day after the Lord’s birth, which for us is always January 1st, New Year’s Day.
Jesus is Named
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to thy people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is spoken against
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan′u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Reading 5
462 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 what the Church emphasizes to us about these events. First, how striking it is that, in both His circumcision and His presentation in the Temple, the Lord obeys and fulfills and completes the Law which He Himself gave to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Second, that by doing so, the Lord perfects in Himself the call that He gave to Israel; although they had failed to be His priestly people, the vessel of the reconciliation of all the people of the world to God their Creator, He Himself comes and assumes that High-Priestly role Himself, and reconciles Jews and Gentiles, and all humanity, to Himself in Himself. This is, not coincidentally, the content of the song of St. Symeon when he meets the Lord at the Temple.)
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?
Leave a Reply