Day 1 (Monday)
Ruth 3:1-18; 4:1-22 (Ruth & Boaz at the Threshing Floor, Marriage of Boaz & Ruth)
Last time, we met Naomi, an Israelite woman who had gone to live in Moab during a period of famine together with her husband and two sons. While in Moab, her two sons married Moabite women, and then both of them, as well as her husband, died. She decided to return to her home town in Israel, and urged her two daughters-in-law to leave her and return home. One of them did so, but the other, Ruth, insisted on accompanying her back to Israel, saying “Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.” Once they had settled in Israel, in the town of Bethlehem, Ruth began to go and glean grain that had fallen to the ground during the harvest, in the field of a man named Boaz. When she told Naomi this, Naomi replied that this Boaz was a relative of her husband’s family, and had the right and responsibility under the Torah to marry Ruth and to bring the two women under his protection. This time, we will see how the story comes to an end, and why it is relevant to us.
Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
3 Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. 2 Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.” 5 She said to her, “All that you tell me I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. 7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled, and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin.”
10 He said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not be afraid, I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman. 12 But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I. 13 Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do it. If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before one person could recognize another; for he said, “It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Then he said, “Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city. 16 She came to her mother-in-law, who said, “How did things go with you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.”
The Marriage of Boaz and Ruth
4 No sooner had Boaz gone up to the gate and sat down there than the next-of-kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came passing by. So Boaz said, “Come over, friend; sit down here.” And he went over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here”; so they sat down. 3 He then said to the next-of-kin, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it, and say: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not, tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one prior to you to redeem it, and I come after you.”
So he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, you are also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead man, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance.” 6 At this, the next-of-kin said, “I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the next-of-kin said to Boaz, “Acquire it for yourself,” he took off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to maintain the dead man’s name on his inheritance, in order that the name of the dead may not be cut off from his kindred and from the gate of his native place; today you are witnesses.”
11 Then all the people who were at the gate, along with the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem; 12 and, through the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
The Genealogy of David
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. 17 The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, 19 Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab, 20 Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon, 21 Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, 22 Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.
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 passage shows us something of the inner workings of the Torah’s requirement that a widow without any children should not be left alone, but should be married by the brother or other near relative of her husband. On the one hand, in the absence of an actual brother, there seems to be a gray area in which the marriage COULD happen, but might not. This could be a matter of unfaithfulness to the Torah, on the one hand, or a matter simply of individual people falling through the cracks in extraordinary circumstances. What it shows, as well, is the difficulty presented for the next-of-kin, as doing this might disrupt his own inheritance; it is for this reason that the nearest next-of-kin refuses to marry Ruth, and thus the opportunity falls to Boaz. It is worth noting, too, that this is the situation that is described by the Sadducees in the Gospel accounts, as they discuss the woman who was married in sequence to seven brothers without ever having children, and this type of marriage that the Lord refers to when He says that in the Kingdom of Heaven, they neither marry nor are given in marriage.)
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)
Hymns from Christmas
Every year, on December 25th, we celebrate the Nativity, or Birth, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this feast, we see our Creator and God become human, born of the Virgin Mary, present in our midst for our salvation. The themes of this celebration are nothing less than the wonder and awe of encountering in the manger Emmanuel, God With Us. Many of the hymns reflect on the child born in Bethlehem as the Eternal God from before the ages, active and present in the world with the righteous of the Old Testament, and finally revealed to us as perfect God and perfect Man, in keeping with what we have been discussing about Abraham and his encounters with the Lord.
It is worth noting here that the feast-day celebrations span two days, and normally begin with the Royal Hours the morning of Christmas Eve, continuing with the Vesperal Liturgy that evening, and finishing with the Orthros and Liturgy on Christmas Day itself. This year, that schedule is altered somewhat, because Christmas Day falls on a Monday, bringing the services for the days preceding Christmas onto the weekend. So instead, we will celebrate an Orthros and Liturgy on Sunday morning, which is Christmas Eve, then the Vespers of Christmas that evening, and then the Orthros and Liturgy of Christmas Day Sunday morning. The Royal Hours are shifted a day earlier, and are to be done (if they are done) the morning of Friday, the 23rd.
Doxastikon of the 1st Hour
Thus did Joseph speak to the Virgin, "Mary, what is this I see in you? I cannot understand it, and I am amazed, and my mind is struck with dismay. Therefore get out of my sight quickly. Mary, what is this I see in you? You have brought me shame and sorrow instead of honor and joy; and instead of praise, you have brought me reproach. I cannot bear to be rebuked by the people. When I received you from the priests at the Temple, you were an innocent girl, consecrated to the Lord. So what is this that I see in you now?"
Idiomelon 2 of the 9th Hour
O Virgin Mary, when Joseph was racked with sadness, on the way to Bethlehem, you said to him, "Why are you miserable and troubled, seeing me pregnant? Are you completely ignorant of the tremendous mystery unfolding in me? Well then, put away all your fears, and understand the extraordinary wonder. God, in His mercy, has come down to earth, and He is now in my womb, and He has taken flesh. You will see Him born of me, as He wills; and you will be filled with joy; and you will worship Him, as your Creator, the One whom Angels unceasingly extol and glorify, as they do the Father and the Holy Spirit."
Idiomelon 3 of the Vespers Kekragaria
Your kingdom, O Christ God, is a kingdom of all the ages, and Your dominion is from generation to generation. You who were incarnate by the Holy Spirit and became man by the ever-virgin Mary, have shone on us as light, by Your advent, O Christ God. Light of light, the brightness of the Father, You have brightened all creation. Everything that breathes praises You, the express image of the Father's glory. O God, the One who is and who pre-existed, and who shone forth from the Virgin, have mercy on us.
Idiomelon 3 of the Liti
"Glory to God in the highest!" I hear the Angels sing this today in Bethlehem to Him whose good will it was that there be peace on earth. Now the Virgin is wider than heaven. Light has risen for those in darkness, and has lifted up the lowly who, like the angels, are singing, "Glory to God in the highest."
Idiomelon 1 of the Aposticha
A great and paradoxal miracle has taken place today. A Virgin has given birth, and there is no damage to her womb. The Word becomes flesh, and He is not separated from the Father. Angels and Shepherds give glory, and we join them in shouting: "Glory in the highest to God, and on earth let there be peace."
Kathisma 2 of the Orthros
Mary, why are you amazed and awed by what was done in you? * And she answers, "For in time I have brought forth a timeless Son. * But I have no understanding of His conception. * Husbandless am I: how can I bear a son? * Who has ever seen seedless childbirth? * But where God wills, the order found in nature * is overcome, as it is written." * So Christ was born from the Virgin Maiden, * in Bethlehem of Judea.
Troparion of Ode 5 of Canon 1 of the Feast
Submitting to Caesar Augustus' decree, * You, O Christ, were enrolled among your own slaves, * and freed us from our slavery to the enemy and sin. * Assuming our entire impoverished earthen nature, * by this very union and communion You rendered it deified.
Both now of Ode 5 of Canon 2 of the Feast
The people that walked before in darkness ⁄ today have seen a light from the beacon on high. ⁄ The Son offers to God the nations as His inheritance, ⁄ bestowing grace past telling ⁄⁄ where sin once flourished more abundantly.
Troparion of Ode 8 of Canon 1 of the Feast
The daughter of Babylon drew into exile * David's children as captives from Zion. * In return, she sends her own captivated * children, the three Magi bearing gifts, to court David's Daughter bearing God. * So let us melodiously chant in praise: * Let all creation bless and extol the Lord, * and let it exalt Him supremely to the ages.
Troparion of Ode 8 of Canon 1 of the Feast
Lamentation once suspended organ of song; * for Zion's children would not sing in strange lands. * Rising out of Bethlehem, Christ abolished * all the error of Babylon, her symphony of music as well. * So let us melodiously chant in praise: * Let all creation bless and extol the Lord, * and let it exalt Him supremely to the ages.
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 how many of these hymns are in conversation with one another, especially the first two that we include, with Joseph expressing his doubts and fears in the first hymn of our reading, and Mary replying to him in the second selection. This, as well as the Orthros hymn in which we address the Virgin Mary ourselves and ask why she is amazed, are notable, as the answer that she gives expresses both her own awe at what the Lord has accomplished in her, and her understanding that this is the Lord’s doing, and it is indeed marvelous in our eyes.)
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)
John 6:41-59 (The Bread from Heaven continued)
Last time, we saw the Lord speak to the crowd that had followed Him from the place where He had fed the 5,000, and pointed out to them that they only wanted to be with him because He had given them food, but that this sign of giving them bread He was the One Who IS their nourishment. He told them that they should seek THAT bread from heaven, and when they asked Him to give it to them, He told them that He Himself is the Bread of Life. We will see their response to Him, and what He says after.
The Bread from Heaven continued
41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
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 stages of incredulity for the Jews who are speaking with Jesus. First, they are incredulous (which means unbelieving) because He says He comes from heaven, and they have known Him since childhood. Then, they are incredulous when He says that He is the living bread, and that those who eat of Him will live forever. His response to them emphasizes the very thing that is beyond their belief. On the surface, this is a matter of shock, of “how can we eat someone’s flesh?” But more deeply, what the Lord is saying to them is that everything that they are created and called to be is founded on communion with Him. They could gain the most perfect life, wealth, food, and clothing…and they would still all die, because none of these things last. But if they entrust themselves to Him, and hold fast to Him, and are nourished by His life, then death no longer has power over them, and He will raise them on the last day. Life is in the Lord, and nowhere else.)
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?