Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 26:1-33 (Isaac and Abimelech)
Last time, we saw the death of Abraham, and the birth of Esau and Jacob to Rebecca, the wife of Isaac. We saw that there was conflict between the two of them, and that will continue to play out in future readings. For now, however, we have a chance to see a little bit of Isaac’s life in the land of Canaan.
Isaac and Abimelech
26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you. 3 Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “My wife,” thinking, “or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance.” 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw him flirting with his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech called for Isaac, and said, “So she is your wife! Why then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I might die because of her.” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death.”
12 Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich; he prospered more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herders, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also; so he called it Sitnah. 22 He moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba. 24 And that very night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you 29 so that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.”
30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths; and Isaac set them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water!” 33 He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out how God tells Isaac not to go to Egypt, and promises to care for him, renewing the promises He made to Abraham. Things do not immediately go smoothly; there is tension with the king of the region, and especially with the herdsmen of the Philistines. He finds himself despised and envied by the people of the land, and has to move several times, living truly as an alien and wanderer in the land; but the Lord protects him, and ultimately grants him rest. This is a cycle that we often experience in our own lives. We do not immediately find peace and safety the moment that we undertake to follow the Lord; rather, we often find ourselves tested and troubled, unable to be at peace in outward matters. The Lord often permits this for us, so that we can learn to trust Him truly, when it is hard, and not only when it is easy. Eventually, however, as with Isaac, the Lord brings peace to us, resolving the conflict and assuring us of His care and faithfulness to us.)
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. Kassiani the Hymnographer
The Church celebrates the feast of St. Kassiani the Hymnographer on September 7th. This saint was devoted to the veneration of the icons during the second resurgence of iconoclasm, but is remembered most of all for her hymnography. Several of her hymns are still used in celebration of the great feasts of the Church, but the most famous is the “Hymn of Kassiani,” which is sung Holy Tuesday evening, reflecting on the sins and the repentance of the woman who washed the feet of the Lord with her tears.
St. Kassiani the Hymnographer
Our holy Mother Kassiani (also rendered Cassiane, Ikasia or Cassia) was born in Constantinople some time before 805. Her father, an aristocrat, held a high position at the imperial court. She received an excellent education, both secular and sacred. Though exquisitely beautiful from the time of her youth, she desired to dedicate her entire life to Christ and the Church, and thus considered becoming a nun.
With the death of Emperor Michael II of Amorion, his son Theophilos succeeded him (829-842). Theophilos' step-mother, Euphrosne, desired to find a suitable match for him and arranged a “bride show” where the loveliest maidens were gathered. The contestants were narrowed down to six semi-finalists by Theophilos, of which Kassiani was one. To make his final choice, Euphrosyne wanted Theophilos to use an ancient custom, where a golden apple was given to the future Empress. With the maidens lined up, Theophilos was impressed most with Kassiani's beauty.
Theophilos therefore went up to Kassiani, and said: "From woman came corruption" (literally, the worse things, referring to Eve, who initiated the fall – in Greek, "Εκ γυναικός τα χείρω.”) Then the most wise Kassiani responded. "And from woman came the most excellent" (literally, the better things, referring to the Theotokos who gave birth to God in the flesh – in Greek, "Kαι εκ γυναικός τα κρείττω.”) Astounded by her wisdom and boldness, Theophilos withdrew from her, and approached the more modest Theodora and offered her the apple.
Kassiani had no desire to be Empress, therefore she gladly acknowledged divine Providence in the election of Theodora, and this liberated her to pursue the monastic life and become a bride of the King of kings. Renouncing the world, Kassiani built a convent on Xerolophos, which was the seventh hill of Constantinople. Tonsured a nun, she "led an ascetical and philosophical life, pleasing to God.
Now Theophilos was fierce iconoclast, forbidding the veneration of icons, and though he chose Theodora to be his wife, he was unaware that she was even more a devotee of icons, managing to hide her love for icons for many years, and even raised her five daughters and one son to revere them. Unlike Theodora, Kassiani was very vocal in her convictions as an iconodule. Publicly defying imperial policy, Kassiani was subject to persecution and was even once scourged with the lash.
Undaunted, she resisted the folly of the iconoclasts. With letters, gifts and visitations she often supported the monastics who were imprisoned for their devotion to icons. Her courageous defense of holy icons has earned her a place in icons depicting the Sunday of Orthodoxy.
While the Church was embattled with the iconoclastic controversy, Kassiani was inspired to pursue her diverse literary and musical interests. Even when she was a young girl, Theodore the Studite (Nov. 11) was impressed with her learning and literary style, which was rare for a woman so young. In time, therefore, Kassiani established herself as a hymnographer; in fact she is Orthodoxy's only female hymnographer of distinction. There are at least twenty-three hymns ascribed to her in the service books that cover the Orthodox liturgical cycle, among other canons such as that for Memorial Services and Holy and Great Saturday. Her most famous hymn bears her name and is chanted on Great and Holy Wednesday, often considered the most beautiful of all hymns.
Besides her hymnography, Kassiani was known to be a sharp observer of human frailties, and expressed her opinion of people sharply in Iambic Verses. One in particular she certainly lived by was: "I hate silence, when it is time to speak." Kassiani is so respected as a female writer, that she is only one of two females whom we know of by name that authored influential writings in the Eastern Roman Empire (the other is Anna Comnena). In the first known list of Orthodox liturgical poets, drawn up by Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos (+ 1335), Kassiani the Nun is mentioned last on a list of the eleven most distinguished melodists.
One biographer (George the Sinner) comments: "She (Kassiani) lived only for God, to the end of her life." Thus, after a life dedicated to Christ and the Church, and having been crowned as a confessor, ascetic and hymnographer, our holy Mother Kassiani reposed in the Lord.
Saint’s Life is from https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2015/09/saint-kassiani-hymnographer.html
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 aristocratic life ion Constantinople at this time was very much given over to political betrayal and violence; Kassiani, in avoiding the role of empress, clearly and manifestly found herself the better path in life. The insights that she shows in her hymns indicate a balanced understanding of the brokenness of the world, and the remedy to be found in the Gospel; as a monastic, she has forsaken the vain pursuits of the world, even of the Christian Roman Empire, and chosen rather the kingdom of God. As a side note, there have been some recent recordings of her hymns, and some sample clips can be found here: https://cappellarecords.com/recording/hymns-of-kassiani/)
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 1:35-51 (First Disciples of Jesus, Jesus Calls Philip & Nathanael)
Last time, we saw Jesus come to John, who proclaimed Him to be “the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world…the Son of God.” This time, we will see Jesus begin to call disciples to follow Him, starting with two that had been following John, who the Forerunner sends to follow Jesus instead.
The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.”
They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
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 we don’t know what Jesus is referring to when He speaks about seeing Nathanael under the fig tree. It doesn’t matter whether we know, however; Nathanael knew, and was amazed that Jesus knew something that He could not have known unless He were the Son of God, and the King of Israel. Some have suggested that Nathanael had offered some fervent prayer to God under a fig tree, and this sort of thing seems likely to be on the right track; Jesus, in referring to this incident, is speaking directly to something for which Nathanael had yearned. The other point we should note is that, while two of John’s disciples are mentioned, only one of them, Andrew, is named. The other is generally thought to be John himself, the author of this book, and thus this story is his own personal recollection, being one of the first-called disciples of the Lord, and having seen what happened as the Lord called the others to follow Him.)
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?