Day 1 (Monday)
Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:1-19
This reading and reflection marks the beginning of the second year of the Religious Education Initiative. Each week, we will provide three readings. Everyone is urged to participate; families should participate together, reading the selections Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or three other days/times, if they work better). Anyone can take the lead, but we recommend that the father and mother in each household do so, and, since fathers often get left out of religious matters in the home, because of their other responsibilities and obligations outside of the home, we strongly recommend that each household take this opportunity to make it a priority to do these readings and reflections as an entire and whole family, all together. Wherever possible, it is best if the father takes the lead, either reading the selection and guiding the discussion himself, or delegating the reading to someone else.
As we begin the new Church year, and our second year of the Religious Education Initiative, we will start with another selection from the book of Proverbs. In this passage, the writer of Proverbs warns his son (and by extension all of us) against some common temptations, starting with the temptations of fornication, and proceeding to other matters. On the one hand, these warnings are almost cliched…but they are still deeply relevant.
Warning against Impurity and Infidelity
5 My son, be attentive to my wisdom,
incline your ear to my understanding;
2 that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a loose woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
6 she does not take heed to the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.
7 And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house;
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless;
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of an alien;
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I was at the point of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely hind, a graceful doe.
Let her affection fill you at all times with delight,
be infatuated always with her love.
20 Why should you be infatuated, my son, with a loose woman
and embrace the bosom of an adventuress?
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he watches all his paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is caught in the toils of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is lost.
Practical Admonitions
6 My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor,
have given your pledge for a stranger;
2 if you are snared in the utterance of your lips,
caught in the words of your mouth;
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
for you have come into your neighbor’s power:
go, hasten, and importune your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter,
like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer or ruler,
8 she prepares her food in summer,
and gathers her sustenance in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond,
and want like an armed man.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, scrapes with his feet,
points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
16 There are six things which the Lord hates,
seven which are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and a man who sows discord among brothers.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note the warnings against the pursuits of immorality with women that are not one’s wife. One might read these as speaking primarily of actual relationships, especially adulterous relationships, and certainly that is primary. However, the pursuit of pleasure and fantasy that is so extremely common in the present day is corrosive to the soul, undermining self-discipline and destroying one’s capacity to receive reproof. And the further warnings against slothfulness, against imprudent agreements with others, against gossip and crooked speech, are all very relevant to the present day.)
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.)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
Last week, as we finished the Church year, we read a selection of the hymns that were sung during the celebration of the Feast of the Koimisis of the Theotokos on August 15th, celebrating the end of her life and her resurrection and elevation to the Divine Council. This week, as we begin the new Church year, we will read a selection of the hymns that are sung for the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Thus, we begin the Church year with her birth, and end the Church year with her death. In celebrating her birth, we thus begin with a meditation on the beginning of the Lord’s work of salvation in the world.
3rd Hymn of the Kekragaria
Famous are the barren women who gave birth by divine decree. Of all those born, Mary divinely shone most illustriously. For in addition to being born of a childless mother wondrously, she physically gave birth to the God of all supernaturally. Her virgin womb receiving not the seed of any man, she thus became the only gate of the only-begotten Son of God, who after He went through, preserved it sealed and shut. Wisely arranging everything, as He alone knows best, He has accomplished the salvation of all humanity.
1st Hymn of the Liti
Today, people, the first fruit of our salvation is here! ⁄ For behold, she who was foreordained from generations of old ⁄ as Mother and Virgin and receiver of God, ⁄ comes forth in birth from a barren woman: ⁄ A flower has blossomed from Jesse, ⁄ and from his root a branch has sprung. ⁄ Let Adam our forefather be glad ⁄ and let Eve rejoice with exultation! ⁄ For behold, she who was made from the rib of Adam ⁄ plainly declares her daughter and descendant blessed. ⁄ For, she says, deliverance is born to me, ⁄ through which I shall be set free from the bonds of hell. ⁄ Let David rejoice, striking upon the harp, ⁄ and let him bless God: ⁄ For behold, the Virgin comes forth from a barren rock, ⁄⁄ for the salvation of our souls!
2nd Hymn of the Aposticha
At an Angel’s prediction, a child all-holy of righteous Joachim and Anna, O Virgin, you came forth today; heaven and throne of God, vessel of cleanliness, foretoken of joy for all the world, envoy of our Life, destruction of the censure, proxy of blessings. Therefore, at your nativity, O Daughter called of God, plead for peace and great mercy for our souls.
2nd Kathisma Hymn of the Orthros
Unto us is born today Mary the child of God, * as the branch from Jesse’s root, and as the fruit of David’s loins, * and all creation is re-created and deified. * O heaven and the earth, rejoice in unison. * Sing praises unto her, O all you Gentile clans. * Joachim is exultant, and Anna is keeping festival, crying out: * “The barren woman bears the Theotokos, * the nourisher of our Life.”
Hymn from Ode 6 of the Canon of the Feast
In you, undefiled One, ⁄ the mystery of the Trinity is praised and glorified: ⁄ for the Father was well-pleased with you, ⁄ and in you the Word made His dwelling among us, ⁄ and the Holy Spirit overshadowed you.
Hymn from Ode 8 of the Canon of the Feast
The preordained tabernacle of our reconciliation with God ⁄ now comes into being. ⁄ She is the one who will bear the Word for us ⁄ appearing in the material substance of the flesh. ⁄ He has brought us from non-existence into being! ⁄ We sing His praises, and exalt Him above all forever!
Praises Hymn 1
What a paradoxical miracle! * That the fountain of life from a barren wife is born, * that grace, fulgent, may commence to bear its fruit henceforth. * Be joyous, O Joachim, * having become the God-bearer’s progenitor! * There is no one else like you * in generations of paternity, O godly one, * for the God-receiving Maiden, the tabernacle of our God * the mountain all-holy, unto us has been bestowed through you.
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 Virgin Mary is spoken of as the fulfillment of many expectations and plans. She is the vessel of God’s plan to save humankind, she is the dwelling place of God on earth, she is the descendant of David, she is the recreation of Adam and restoration of Eve, she is the renewal of human nature, and the source of the blessing of God upon us, through her Son, Jesus Christ. In praising her, we confess that she is an active agent, that her will and intent was involved, and not only hers, but that of her parents as well. This is a reminder to all of us both of how salvation has come to us, and of what our life in Christ must go: we need to be active agents as well, submitting our lives to the Lord, so that He can be at work in us as well for the salvation and blessing of all the world.)
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)
1 Peter 1:1-25 (Salutation, a Living Hope, Call to Holy Living)
In Year 2 of the REI, we will read the Gospel according to Mark. This Gospel is much shorter than the Gospel of Luke, so we’ll be able to complete the entire Gospel in about 31 weeks, leaving some time here at the beginning of the Church year, and at intervals throughout the year, to read some of the general Epistles of the Apostles Peter, John, James & Jude. The Gospel according to Mark is generally understood to represent the St. Peter’s account of the Lord’s ministry, since Mark was known to be a disciple of Peter’s in Rome, and to have written the Gospel in Alexandria prior to his own martyrdom. Therefore, for these first five weeks, as we approach the beginning of Sunday School in October, we’ll read from the first general Epistle of St. Peter, to get a sense of what he thought was most important about the Christian Faith.
1 Peter
Salutation
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappado′cia, Asia, and Bithyn′ia, 2 chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
10 The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; 11 they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
A Call to Holy Living
13 Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. 21 Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord abides for ever.”
That word is the good news which was preached to you.
603 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note first the audience of this letter: all the places named in the introduction are in what we now call Asia Minor, mostly within the modern state of Turkey, but comprising the heartland of the Greek-speaking world at the time. Second, we should note that St. Peter is emphasizing to them that they have an inheritance that cannot be taken away from them, in which they should rejoice, even as they are suffering persecutions in this life. He is encouraging them by reminding them that they are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and that it is only to be expected that the kingdoms of this world will hate them and reject them. Even when hated and rejected, they need not be afraid, for the Lord is with them, and will be with them always.
Leader should also point out that, having reminded them of what a precious thing they had received, St. Peter continues with the word “therefore” and urges them to action, to set aside the things of the world, the “futile ways of their ancestors,” and to hold fast to the Lord and to each other, in faith and hope and love. We should point out that St. Peter is saying precisely that they, being Christians, have been delivered from vanity and futility…and next Monday, we will see King Solomon lament precisely those things. So in the New Covenant, having been freed from those things, we are called to remember that, and to hold fast the word of the Lord, and to lay aside the things of this world.)
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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