Day 1 (Monday)
Birth and Youth of Moses, Moses Flees to Midian
Last time, we saw the children of Israel (that is, the descendants of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham) come to be enslaved in Egypt, and learned that the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had commanded that every male child born to the Hebrews (another name for the descendants of Jacob) was to be killed at birth, or before. This time, we will see a male child born, and how his parents strive to save him from death.
Birth and Youth of Moses
2 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river’s brink.
4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. 6 When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
Moses Flees to Midian
11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses.
But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Mid′ian; and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Mid′ian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 When they came to their father Reu′el, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daugher Zippo′rah. 22 She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”
23 In the course of those many days the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition.
Reading 2
650 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 the similarities between the story of Moses and the birth of Christ; both are threatened with death in their infancy, and both are saved (strangely) in Egypt. Second, it would be worthwhile to discuss with the group whether Moses did the right thing in killing the Egyptian. There are a variety of views on the subject; St. John Chrysostom observes of the response of the Hebrew to Moses the next day is exactly wrong, as Moses is indeed the one to whom God will give authority to be a judge over Israel. St. Paul also observes about Moses and his early life the following: “23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” It is somewhat strange to say that Moses did not fear the anger of the king, especially when the text says that he was indeed afraid, but St. Paul certainly new the text, so is likely saying something important. St. John Chrysostom observes that Moses’ lack of fear and trust in the Invisible One is revealed when he returns to Egypt at God’s command later on.)
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 questions/answers
1) Do you remember who Levi was? (He was one of Jacob/Israel’s sons, so he was a great-grandson of Abraham. Moses’ father and mother were from the tribe of Levi.)
2) How long did Moses’ mother hide him? (For three months – it doesn’t say exactly why he couldn’t be hidden any longer after that. I am guessing that it had to do with him growing bigger and louder, but maybe she had to go back to work at that point. She would have been known to have been pregnant, so maybe she claimed that the baby died, and she needed time to recover from the pregnancy before she went back to work…but all that is just speculation. It is a good opportunity, though, to think about what things must have been like for her, and to try to understand what might be going unspoken here because it’s assumed everyone knows what is going on already)
3) What did Moses’ mother do when she couldn’t hide him anymore? (She got a basket, and coated it in pitch to make it waterproof, and she put the baby into it in the river water among the reeds along the shore).
4) Do you think she was just leaving Moses there during the day while she worked, or was she placing him in God’s hands once she realized she couldn’t keep him? (This isn’t clear…the text doesn’t say anything about the family getting Moses and bringing him home at night, so it seems as though the second option is more likely. She did everything she could to let him live, but ultimately entrusted his life to God. If that’s the case, then what happens at the end of the story is extra beautiful).
5) What happened to Moses after he was left among the reeds? (Pharaoh’s daughter found him and decided to adopt him, even though she knew he was a Hebrew baby.)
6) Who nursed the baby after Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him? (That’s the special part. Moses’ sister volunteered to go find a Hebrew woman to nurse him for the princess, and then of course she brought her own mother, and Moses was sent home with her under the protection of the princess, and was able to live there until he was weaned).
7) What does all that tell us about how Faith and Trust in God? (Moses’ mother did her very best, and when that wasn’t enough, she entrusted her son’s life to God. God’s response to that was to give her son back to her, and, as we will see, to do wonderful things through Moses. This is the same thing as the Lord tells us will happen when He tells us that “whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the Lord and the Gospel will save it”).
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Troparia of Repentance & Sayings from St. Paisios
As we leave behind the book of Genesis and meet Moses, through whose ministry God revealed His Name and called His people to be His own, and through whom both the Law and many prophecies of the Lord’s coming were given, today we’ll talk about Repentance, which is what we need to do to abide in that relationship with God and live as His people. We will specifically read three prayers/hymns of Repentance, which are used quite often in the life of the Church. The Priest prays these prayers every time he goes into the Church to do the Divine Liturgy, and we see them used in several other services of the Daily Cycle, and also in Paraklesis services and in the Sacrament of Confession. We will also read some sayings of St. Paisios on the subject of repentance and prayer.
Troparia of Repentance
“Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for at a loss for any plea, we sinners offer to You as Master this supplication: have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
O Lord have mercy on us; for in You have we trusted: be not very angry with us, neither remember our iniquities. But as the Compassionate One, look down upon us even now, and deliver us from our enemies, for You are our God, and we are Your people, all being the works of Your hands, and we call upon Your name.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Open to us the doors of your lovingkindness, O blessed Theotokos, so that hoping in you we may not perish, but through you may be delivered from adversities; for you are the salvation of Christian people.”
There are a number of musical settings for these hymns – one beautiful version is linked below, as it is available on Youtube.
Sayings of St. Paisios
St. Paisios was a much beloved elder, that is to say, a trusted monastic spiritual father, in the mid-to-late 20th century. He fell asleep in the Lord in 1994, and was canonized as a saint in 2015. His insights on prayer, repentance, and life in Christ are of deep value to us all as we walk the path of salvation.
Sayings of St. Paisios
“Geronda, when I do not have much time and I rush through my prayers, am I perhaps stealing the time that I should give to Christ?
– Christ has plenty; no matter how much you steal from Him, He is never in need; you, however, are not helped. Christ has no need for our prayer, but we are in need of His help. We pray because it is how we communicate with God, Who created us. If we do not pray, we will fall into the hands of the devil, and then, woe to us! Have you seen what Saint Isaac says? ‘God will not ask us why we did not pray, but why we did not communicate with Him, and thereby, had given the devil the right to torment us.’”
St. Paisios Spiritual Counsels, Volume 6, page 27-28.
“Geronda, St. John Climacus says that prayer is ‘the judgment…before the judgment to come.’”
– Precisely. When a person is truly praying, then prayer is ‘the judgment before the judgment to come.’ When one who is spiritually healthy is about to pray and senses that his heart has hardened, he will examine why that is so, in order to correct it. He will ask himself, ‘Why do I feel like that? Have I perhaps wounded someone with my behavior? Have I perhaps judged someone, or has a judgmental thought crossed my mind without my having noticed it? Have i perhaps had some prideful thoughts, or is there some willfulness within me that does not allow me to communicate with God?’
– And what if he cannot find any wrongdoing, Geronda?
– It cannot be; something must have happened. If one makes a thorough search of the archives, that is, if he examines his own self, he will find the right file and recognize where he went wrong.
– Geronda, should he examine his own self or confess to God?
– What can he confess if he is not aware of what he has done? He must first examine his own self. If he cannot find anything, then he must do two or three prostrations, fall on his knees and say, ‘O my God, surely I am to blame for something. Enlighten me so that I can understand what I have done.’ As soon as he humbly says that, the fog of temptation will immediately clear, and he will find the reason for the hardness of his heart. That is, God, seeing his humility, sends His Grace, and enlightens him to recall his wrongdoing exactly so that he can put his own self in order.”
-St. Paisios Spiritual Counsels, Volume 6, page 50-51
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note regarding the Troparia that we confess some vital things here. First, that we need mercy, because we have no excuse or explanation to give God for our sins. Second, that we can trust God, because He is compassionate and because we are His…that is to say, because He loves us. Third, that we ask God NOT to be angry with us, which implies two things: that God has every “right” to be angry with us; the second is that, when we ask Him for mercy, He will treat us with love, and not with anger. Fourth, as we ask for the prayers of the Mother of God in the third troparion, we note that sin is not just between us and God; when we sin, we turn away from relationship with others and are selfish, acting as though we don’t need anyone else, and caring only for ourselves…and thus art of repentance is learning to ask for help, not only from God, but from other people, and especially from the Saints, who pray for us and by those prayers help us and support us. We especially ask the Virgin Mary for her prayers, because it was through her that salvation came into the world, in her Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and God. It is because of Him that she is the “salvation of the Christian people.”
As for the sayings from St. Paisios, they are fairly self-explanatory, but worth reflecting on.)
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 3:10-38; 4:1-13 (John’s Preaching, Baptism of Jesus, Temptation in Wilderness)
Last time, we saw St. John the Baptist begin to preach, as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the voice crying out to prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness. When the people came to him there, he urged them to repentance, warning them that the day of the Lord was at hand, and that those who were not bearing fruit would soon be pruned. This time we will see his preaching continue, and see Jesus come to him for baptism.
Preaching of John the Baptist
10 And the multitudes asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than is appointed you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
15 As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Hero′di-as, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”
The Ancestors of Jesus
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, … (Then we skip 14 generations) … the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerub′babel, the son of She-al′ti-el, … (then we skip 19 generations) … the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, … (then we skip 12 generations) … the son of Abraham, the son of Terah… (then we skip 8 generations) … the son of Shem, the son of Noah… (Then we skip 7 generations)…, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 2 for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,
‘He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,’
11 and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Reading 7
938 words -> shortened to -> 685 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 how St. John’s guidance in practical terms is not grievous, but simply a matter of integrity and compassion for each group of people that approached him. We should also note John’s humility, in affirming clearly that he is NOT the Messiah, and persistently pointing them toward the one following him. It is notable that we don’t see much about Jesus’ baptism, but we do see the revelation of the Holy Trinity afterwards. And finally, we must note how Jesus meets each temptation with Scripture, but nothing more; in this, He shows US how to face temptation.)
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?
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