Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 22:1-19 (Abraham Offers Isaac)
Last time, we saw the aftermath of Isaac’s birth, and how Sarah was unhappy to have Ishmael still in the household together with her own son Isaac, and how Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away, and how God appeared to Hagar and guided her, assuring her that He would be with her son and would fulfil the promises to Abraham for him and his descendants as well. This left Abraham and Sarah together with the long-awaited son of promise; we will now see what comes next for them.
The Command to Sacrifice Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.
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 this is revealed to us as a test from the very beginning; now that Abraham has received the son that God had promised to him, and had given to him miraculously when he was as good as dead, God is testing Abraham. It doesn’t say exactly what, not immediately, but in verse 16, God does actually make clear what He is testing, whether Abraham will try to keep his son, the one God gave to him, the one that he circumcised to signify that he and all his descendants belong to God, away from God when God demands him back. God has no desire to kill Isaac, but to show to Abraham, and to Isaac, and by extension to all of us, that we truly are called to belong to Him…and the promise of the ram, which we have fulfilled in Jesus Christ, is precisely that He will care for us, and will provide whatever is necessary for our salvation and glory, so long as we remain faithful to Him. It should also be noted that there is a long tradition that the place where Abraham goes to sacrifice Isaac is precisely the same place where the Lord is Himself crucified, that is to say, where the Lord provides on the Mount of the Lord for the salvation of His people. As we begin to cast our eyes forward toward Great Lent and Pascha, it is good that we keep this story and this promise in our minds.)
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. Anthony the Great on Humility
As the last great persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was winding down, and it came to be an easier life to be a Christian in the world, and many of the great and powerful in the empire were becoming Christians, the first stirrings of what eventually became Orthodox Christian monasticism began out in the desert of Egypt. One of the great early monastic saints was St. Anthony. Since we celebrate his feast day this week, on the 17th, we will read a few of his sayings.
St. Anthony the Great
Saying 9
[Abba Anthony] said to Abba Poimen, “A man’s work is this: to take upon himself the responsibility for his faults before God, and to expect temptation until his last breath.
Saying 10
A brother went to see Abba Sisoes on the mountain of Abba Anthony, and while they were speaking the brother said to the elder, “Have you not by now attained to the stature of Abba Anthony, Father?” The elder answered him, “If I had one of Abba Anthony’s thoughts, I would become all flame.”
Saying 11
Once when Abba Anthony was praying in his cell, a voice came to him, saying, “Anthony, you have not yet attained to the stature of such and such a shoemaker in Alexandria.” So the elder arose early in the morning, took his palm-wood staff, and went to see him. Upon arriving and greeting him, he sat with him and said to him, “Brother, tell me about your deeds.” And he said, “Abba, I am not aware of having done anything good, except only that when I rise in the morning to sit at my handiwork, I say within myself, ‘This whole city, from the least of them to the greatest, will enter the kingdom because of their righteousness; I alone will inherit punishment because of my sins.’ And again in the evening before I sleep I say the same thing.” When the elder heard this, he said, “In truth, like a fine goldsmith sitting restfully in his house, you have inherited the kingdom, whereas I, though I have been living in the desert all my life, because of my lack of discernment have not caught up with you.”
Saying 13
A certain monk was praised by the brothers fo Abba Anthony. When the monk went to see him, Abba Anthony tested him to see whether he could endure dishonor. Seeing that he could not endure it, he said to him, “You are like a village that has been made to appear beautiful in front, but in back is being stripped bare by robbers.”
From Saint Anthony the Great, published by St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery Press, Florence, Arizona, 2019.
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, while St. Anthony and all the saints are of course known for their ascetical labors, for their intense fasting and prayer, none of these feats are ultimately signs of holiness. They are rather means to an end; the end is humility before God, active repentance, genuine lowly-mindedness. It is these that we see exhibited in these sayings; if we want a true litmus test for our holiness, we need only look to see how we respond when we are ill treated.)
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 10:16-33 (The Lord’s Guidance to the Apostles)
Last time we saw that the Lord send His disciples out as apostles, with authority to cast out demons, to heal and to preach the Kingdom of God; this is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that he gives us a full list of the Lord’s closest disciples, the twelve that He is sending out at this point. He began by giving them instructions of where to go, what to say and do, what to bring with them (nothing), what to accept for preaching (no payment, but whatever hospitality is offered to them), and who to stay with, and also what to do if a city rejected them. This time we will see Him continue to warn them of what they will experience as they proclaim His name, not just at this time, but into the future, after His death and resurrection, until their own martyrdoms.
Coming Persecutions
16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.
19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
Whom to Fear
26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point out many things here, as what the Lord says here applies not just to the Apostles, but to anyone who is faithful to the Lord in any age, including our own. It is good to note that the Gospel of the Kingdom is not a word that can make peace with the world as it is; anyone for whom the comfort and pleasures and passions of this world are paramount will struggle against the Gospel and reject it, and those who are faithful to it. The Lord is urging His Apostles to count themselves as citizens of the Kingdom to come, even at the cost of the kingdoms 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?