Day 1 (Monday)
Baruch 3:9-4:4 (In Praise of Wisdom)
As we approach Christmas, the Church sets forth several readings from the Old Testament for us that prophesy the coming of the Lord. This week, we will read from the book of Baruch, part of the larger prophetic corpus of Jeremiah. The latter portion of this reading (from 3:35 on) is the Prophetic reading for the 3rd Hour in the Christmas Royal Hours. This passage is worth attending to because it begins by speaking about wisdom in what seems like a generalized, metaphorical sense, and ends speaking clearly of Wisdom as a Person – and we in the Church know Who this Person is.
In Praise of Wisdom
9 Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;
give ear, and learn wisdom!
10 Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,
that you are growing old in a foreign country,
that you are defiled with the dead,
11 that you are counted among those in Hades?
12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
13 If you had walked in the way of God,
you would be living in peace forever.
14 Learn where there is wisdom,
where there is strength,
where there is understanding,
so that you may at the same time discern
where there is length of days, and life,
where there is light for the eyes, and peace.
15 Who has found her place?
And who has entered her storehouses?
16 Where are the rulers of the nations,
and those who lorded it over the animals on earth;
17 those who made sport of the birds of the air,
and who hoarded up silver and gold
in which people trust,
and there is no end to their getting;
18 those who schemed to get silver, and were anxious,
but there is no trace of their works?
19 They have vanished and gone down to Hades,
and others have arisen in their place.
20 Later generations have seen the light of day,
and have lived upon the earth;
but they have not learned the way to knowledge,
nor understood her paths,
nor laid hold of her.
21 Their descendants have strayed far from her way.
22 She has not been heard of in Canaan,
or seen in Teman;
23 the descendants of Hagar, who seek for understanding on the earth,
the merchants of Merran and Teman,
the story-tellers and the seekers for understanding,
have not learned the way to wisdom,
or given thought to her paths.
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God,
how vast the territory that he possesses!
25 It is great and has no bounds;
it is high and immeasurable.
26 The giants were born there, who were famous of old,
great in stature, expert in war.
27 God did not choose them,
or give them the way to knowledge;
28 so they perished because they had no wisdom,
they perished through their folly.
29 Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her,
and brought her down from the clouds?
30 Who has gone over the sea, and found her,
and will buy her for pure gold?
31 No one knows the way to her,
or is concerned about the path to her.
32 But the one who knows all things knows her,
he found her by his understanding.
The one who prepared the earth for all time
filled it with four-footed creatures;
33 the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;
he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;
34 the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;
he called them, and they said, “Here we are!”
They shone with gladness for him who made them.
35 This is our God;
no other can be compared to him.
36 He found the whole way to knowledge,
and gave her to his servant Jacob
and to Israel, whom he loved.
37 Afterward she appeared on earth
and lived with humankind.
4 She is the book of the commandments of God,
the law that endures forever.
All who hold her fast will live,
and those who forsake her will die.
2 Turn, O Jacob, and take her;
walk toward the shining of her light.
3 Do not give your glory to another,
or your advantages to an alien people.
4 Happy are we, O Israel,
for we know what is pleasing to God.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that the many feminine pronouns here are a little bit misleading; the word for “wisdom” in Hebrew is chokmah, and in Greek “sophia,” both of which words are grammatically feminine. Thus, the “she” and the “her” that we see throughout are referring consistently to “wisdom,” not to some unknown or unnamed female person. What is striking about this text, and the reason that it is read in the Church in preparation for the celebration of the Lord’s Birth, is verse 37 of chapter 3, in which suddenly we see this Wisdom “appear on earth and live with humankind.” This has been clearly understood by the Church to refer to the Lord’s birth, and He Himself is recognized as the personified Wisdom throughout the Old Testament.)
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)
St. Porphyrios – Don’t Be Afraid
St. Porphyrios is a saint of the 20th century, who was tonsured as a monk on Mount Athos at age 14, but left the Holy Mountain due to poor health, and eventually he ended up serving as a hospital chaplain in Athens. He was renowned for his gentleness, piety, and wisdom, and was spiritual father to many, until he fell asleep in the Lord on December 2nd, 1991. He was canonized as a saint by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2013, and is commemorated on the day of his falling asleep, December 2nd. The reading for today is from a conversation with him, on the subject of fear, and on the reality that our Lord Jesus Christ sustains and protects us from all evils and temptations.
Don’t Be Afraid
“I remember once I told Saint Porphyrios: "I'm afraid of what is to come, the ugly times."
He looked at me puzzled and giving me a swift slap on the hand he said: "Who can do you harm, my child, if you have Christ inside your heart. Turn your eyes towards Christ. You don't become saints by chasing away the evil. Forget about the evil. You should actually turn your eyes towards Christ and He will save you.
Instead of standing at the door and shooing away the enemy, despise him. When you see evil approaching from one direction, you softly give your attention to something else. So, when the evil is coming to offend you, give your interior strength to good, to Christ.
Plead: "Our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me." He knows how to give you His mercy and in whatever way that is best for you. And after you are full of good, then you no longer turn your attention towards the evil. With the grace of God, you become good. And then the evil is unable to find a place to stand, and disappears."”
From https://www.orthodoxpath.org/saints-and-elders-counsels/dont-be-afraid/
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that what St. Porphyrios is describing is precisely the same thing as what is being said about Wisdom in the Day 1 reading, that when we direct our attention and love to the Lord, rather than to the temptations and the evils of the world, He will always be with us, and will comfort and preserve us, and deliver us from evil. What is helpful is that St. Porphyrios gives more specific and practical guidance about HOW to do this, how to achieve what the reading from Baruch assures us of what the result will be, when we give our attention to Wisdom, to the Logos and Son 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?
Day 3 (Friday)
Matthew 9:1-17 (Jesus Heals a Paralytic, Call of Matthew)
We have been reading through the Gospel of Matthew, and last time we saw Him cross the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, and cast out demons from the two demoniacs in that region. We saw the demons address Him as the Son of God and ask Him to leave them alone, and then ask to be sent into the herd of pigs, rather than into the abyss. Once the Lord had cleansed the demoniacs, the people living in that region asked Him to leave, so this time, we will see Him return to Capernaum.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
1 And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town. 2 And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” 7 And he stood up and went to his home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
The Call of Matthew
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
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 that, among all the notable elements of this reading, the reason that Matthew gives for the people glorifying God when Jesus healed the paralytic was that “He had given such authority to human beings.” The point of the miracle, according to Jesus Himself, is that the healing itself shows that He has the authority to forgive sins as well. He says that first, and then heals the paralytic as a sign to show His authority to forgive sins; and obviously, only God Himself has the authority to forgive sins. Thus, what the people are rejoicing at, whether they understand this fully or not, is precisely that God has become a human being Himself, and that human beings have been reconciled with Him, and that human nature is restored and raised up to communion with God. Thus, although it is not obvious, this is the perfect text for the week before Christmas. And then also, of course, in this passage, we see Matthew tell the story of his own calling to follow the Lord and to be a disciple, even though he was a sinner. And this, too, is good news at Christmas time.)
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?