Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 3:1-7
Our reading for today is from chapter 3 of Genesis – it follows right after what we read last week, when God made the first woman from the rib of the first man. It describes the first sin, and how it came to happen.
“1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' " 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. “
Discussion questions:
1) What animal spoke to the woman? (The serpent/the snake)
2) Do you think it was actually the snake talking? (It is worth noting that the text of this passage doesn’t actually say that it was the Devil speaking to Eve, but it is the general understanding of the Church over the centuries that Satan, the Devil, is using the snake to tempt the woman).
3) Why was it a bad thing to eat the fruit? (Because God had told them not to eat it)
4) What did the snake promise the woman would happen if she ate the fruit…what was tempting about it? (He told her that if she ate it, she would be like God, and would know good and evil)
5) What did the woman do after she ate the fruit? (She shared it with the man.)
6) What change happened to the man and the woman after they ate the fruit? (They realized that they were naked, and were ashamed or afraid, and so they made clothes out of fig leaves to cover themselves).
Day 2 (Wednesday)
St. Irenaeus of Lyons Explains How the Virgin Mary Makes Right What Went Wrong When Eve Sinned
On Monday we read about the first sin – today we will read what one of the earliest Church Fathers, a saint named Irenaeus, thought was important about that story. Irenaeus lived from A.D. 130 until around 200, which means he was born between 50 and 60 years after the Apostles died, or about about 100 years after Jesus ascended into heaven. Irenaeus is comparing Eve, who was the first human being to sin, with the Virgin Mary, who made a different choice.
“As Eve was seduced by the word of a fallen angel to flee from God, and so rebelled against His word, so Mary, by the word of an angel, received the glad tidings that she would bear God by obeying His word. The former, Eve, was seduced to disobey God, and so she fell, but the latter, Mary, was persuaded to obey God. In this way, the Virgin Mary became the advocate and defender of the virgin Eve. As the human race was subjected to death through the act of a virgin, so was it saved by a virgin, and thus the disobedience of one virgin was precisely balanced by the obedience of another” (From Against Heresies 5.19.1., as published in Louth, A., & Conti, M. (2001). Genesis 1–11 (pp. 78–79). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
St. Irenaeus is making an important point about how the first woman’s mistake was made right by the right decision of her descendant. What was broken when Eve sinned was made right when the Virgin Mary agreed to become the Mother of God, as we discussed in Week 4. There is actually a beautiful picture that depicts what St. Irenaeus is talking about, showing the Virgin Mary consoling Eve. I will include it, and a link to the source, below.
Discussion questions:
1) What are some things that Eve and Mary have in common? (Both of them are women, both of them are given a choice to obey God or not, both of them had an encounter with an angelic being, etc).
2) How do you think the Virgin Mary fixes what was broken when Eve sinned? (St. Irenaeus doesn’t say this in the passage, but the picture shows the answer – Mary doesn’t fix the problem herself, but through her obedience, Jesus Christ enters the world to make everything right)
3) What do you notice about the picture? (Eve is sad, but Mary is happy, Eve is holding onto the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but Mary is VERY pregnant with the Fruit of the Tree of Life, Eve is being held tight by the snake, but the Virgin Mary is stepping on the head of the snake.)
4) Which do Christians think is better? Men or Women? (This is a trick question – neither one is better than the other, but at various times people have argued that women are worse than men because the woman sinned first. The important Christian response to this mistake is that Eve’s mistake was made right by her daughter Mary, and the world would not be saved without Mary. Some people might remember that St. Kassiani made this point once – we’ll talk about that story another time).
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 4:1-13
We finished reading the 1st chapter of Luke last week. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 describe the birth of Jesus Christ, His dedication in the Temple, His time in the Temple when He was 12 years old, and His baptism by John. We will read these later on this year, in the weeks of the Feasts of Christmas, Theophany, and the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. So we continue this week with Chapter 4, immediately after Jesus had been baptized by John.
“1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.' " 5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' 11 and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. “
Discussion questions:
1) How long did Jesus fast when He was in the desert? (40 days).
2) What does a Fast of 40 days make you think of? (We fast for 40 days during both Great Lent and during the Nativity Fast before Christmas)
3) What happened to Jesus while He was fasting in the desert? (He was tempted by the Devil)
4) What did the Devil tempt Jesus with? (Food, Power, and a Miracle).
5) How did Jesus respond to the Devil’s temptations? (He quoted Scripture to show that the Devil’s arguments were empty and wrong)
6) Can you think of a time that you have been tempted to sin? Can you think of any words from Scripture or from the Liturgy or prayers of the Church that might help you resist temptation? (This is an open question – maybe discuss what sort of things might be helpful. At the least, besides the verses that Jesus quotes here, you might mention the simple prayer, “Lord, have mercy.”).