Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms 3:1-21; 4:1 (Samuel is Called as God’s Prophet)
Last time we were introduced to the priest at Shiloh, where God’s Tabernacle was, whose name was Eli, and to his sons, who were faithless, greedy, violent, rapacious, and entirely evil. We saw Eli vainly correct his sons, and then we saw a prophet come to warn Eli of God’s judgment that was coming upon him and all his family for their abuse of the authority and responsibility that God had given to them. In the midst of all this, we saw a young boy, Samuel, whose mother and father had dedicated him to the service of the Lord at the Tabernacle, who was growing in wisdom and understanding in the midst of all this evil. This time, we will see the Lord speak to Samuel, and call him to serve as prophet and judge of His people.
Samuel’s Calling and Prophetic Activity
3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.
2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
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, but it is important to draw attention to the fact that Samuel doesn’t just hear a voice when God speaks to him, but that the Lord comes and is present there, standing next to Samuel’s bed. The text says so, in as many words, in verse 10. This is yet another instance in which the Son and Logos of God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, is present and active in the Old Testament, and is even called by that same name: the Word of the Lord. It should be particularly striking to us that, in this case, He is coming to set right what is troubled and twisted in the Tabernacle…here, as in the New Testament, we see the Lord cleansing and purifying the Temple.)
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)
Saint Theophan the Recluse – The Path of Prayer – Sermon 2-5
Last time, St. Theophan presented us with the second approach to prayer throughout the day, the active effort to do everything to the glory of God, offering to Him every task, every action, throughout the course of the day. He noted that, if we do this correctly, it would turn us to God at every moment of the day, because we are always doing something, and that if we can begin our day in this way, then we can remain in this state of relationship with God, but ended by introducing the third method, a daily meditation on divine things, which is truly the foundation of both of the other approaches. This is where we pick up today.
Mental Prayer – 5
This mood is induced by meditation on divine things … and this is the third method of training the soul to turn more frequently towards God. Meditation is a reverent reflection on godly attributes and actions, and on what our glimpses of them demand of us. There can be reflection on the Goodness of God; on His Justice, Wisdom, Might, Omnipotence – on His Providence, on His Dispensation to save us through the Incarnation, on His Mercy, on His Word, on the holy Sacraments, on the kingdom of heaven.
Whichever of these aspects forms the basis of your reflections, it will inevitably fill the soul with reverent feelings towards God. You will discover that you are surrounded by God’s mercies, bodily and spiritual. Then, if you are not a stone, you will find it necessary to fall before God – dissolved in humble feelings of gratitude.
If you begin to reflect on the Omnipotence of God, you will realize that nothing in yourself is hidden from His eye. Then you will resolve to be strictly attentive to the movements of your heart and your mind, in order that you should not trespass against the all-seeing God.
If you begin to reflect on the Truth of God, you will be persuaded that not one evil deed will remain unpunished, and so without doubt you will resolve to purify yourself of all your sins by means of heartfelt contrition and penitence before God.
Whatever quality or action of God you think of, if you meditate on it, your soul will fill with reverent feelings and a reverent attitude toward Him. This orients the whole being of a person directly towards God, and so it forms the simplest way to teach the soul how it should rise to Him.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should urge a discussion of what further qualities/actions of God might be helpful subjects for reflection, and how they might help establish us in right relationship with God throughout the course of the 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?
Day 3 (Friday)
Matthew 26:1-35 (Plot to Kill Jesus, Anointing, Last Supper)
Last time we read from Matthew 23, as Jesus finally denounces the Pharisees, after preaching to them, exhorting them, and disputing with them throughout every other confrontation that we have seen. We noted how this shows God’s judgment on those who have been placed in authority, and have abused that place, and how there is a sadness to the judgment of the Pharisees, because so much of what they taught was actually correct, as Jesus Himself emphasizes, when He tells the people to “do what they say, but not what they do.” After this (in chapters 24 & 25), Jesus left the Temple, and went to the Mount of Olives with His disciples, where He warned them about the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem, and then told them three parables: of the ten Virgins, of the Talents, and of the Last Judgment. We will read all of these in Church in the course of Holy Week, but for the REI, we need to skip ahead to the Last Supper, so that we can arrive at the Crucifixion here during Holy Week, and the Resurrection during Bright Week.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
6 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? 9 For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
The Passover with the Disciples
17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Peter’s Denial Foretold
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.
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 how every single element of what is coming is told to the disciples before it happens. Jesus tells them that He will be handed over and crucified and buried at the very beginning, and after the woman anoints Him with ointment, He tells them that He will be betrayed while they are eating, He tells them that His blood is being poured out, He tells them that they will desert and deny Him, and He tells them that He will be raised, and will meet them again in Galilee. In all of this, Matthew is being very careful to show us that Jesus goes to His Passion willingly and knowingly; He is in control, doing what He chooses to do, and is not caught/foiled/coerced/constrained/forced. He is an active agent, not a helpless victim, and this is profoundly important.)
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?