Day 1 (Monday)
Leviticus 25:1-38 (Sabbath Year, Year of Jubilee)
Last time we finished our reading from the Holiness Code, from Leviticus chapters 17 through 22, seeing the commandments that the Lord gave to the children of Israel, to the priests, and even to non-Israelites living among them. We had already read chapters 23 & 24, which gave guidelines for the great annual pilgrimage festivals to the Lord. We will continue from that point now talking about the other elements of the calendar, the 7th and 50th years, in which God would grant rest to the people, to the livestock, and to the land itself.
The Sabbatical Year
25 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: 2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land shall observe a sabbath for the Lord. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. 6 You may eat what the land yields during its sabbath—you, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound laborers who live with you; 7 for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land all its yield shall be for food.
The Year of Jubilee
8 You shall count off seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; on the tenth day of the seventh month—on the day of atonement—you shall have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land. 10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you shall not sow, or reap the aftergrowth, or harvest the unpruned vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you shall eat only what the field itself produces.
13 In this year of jubilee you shall return, every one of you, to your property. 14 When you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not cheat one another. 15 When you buy from your neighbor, you shall pay only for the number of years since the jubilee; the seller shall charge you only for the remaining crop years. 16 If the years are more, you shall increase the price, and if the years are fewer, you shall diminish the price; for it is a certain number of harvests that are being sold to you. 17 You shall not cheat one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.
18 You shall observe my statutes and faithfully keep my ordinances, so that you may live on the land securely. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live on it securely. 20 Should you ask, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?” 21 I will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will yield a crop for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the old crop; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, you shall eat the old. 23 The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants. 24 Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide for the redemption of the land.
25 If anyone of your kin falls into difficulty and sells a piece of property, then the next of kin shall come and redeem what the relative has sold. 26 If the person has no one to redeem it, but then prospers and finds sufficient means to do so, 27 the years since its sale shall be computed and the difference shall be refunded to the person to whom it was sold, and the property shall be returned. 28 But if there are not sufficient means to recover it, what was sold shall remain with the purchaser until the year of jubilee; in the jubilee it shall be released, and the property shall be returned.
29 If anyone sells a dwelling house in a walled city, it may be redeemed until a year has elapsed since its sale; the right of redemption shall be one year. 30 If it is not redeemed before a full year has elapsed, a house that is in a walled city shall pass in perpetuity to the purchaser, throughout the generations; it shall not be released in the jubilee. 31 But houses in villages that have no walls around them shall be classed as open country; they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee. 32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites shall forever have the right of redemption of the houses in the cities belonging to them. 33 Such property as may be redeemed from the Levites—houses sold in a city belonging to them—shall be released in the jubilee; because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the people of Israel. 34 But the open land around their cities may not be sold; for that is their possession for all time.
35 If any of your kin fall into difficulty and become dependent on you, you shall support them; they shall live with you as though resident aliens. 36 Do not take interest in advance or otherwise make a profit from them, but fear your God; let them live with you. 37 You shall not lend them your money at interest taken in advance, or provide them food at a profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.
Reading 13
993 words
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 there are effectively three points contained in the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee presented here. The first is that God will care for His people in these times of rest; they are ordained for them as a reminder that all things that they have are God's gift to them, and that it is the Lord Who cares for them. We see this especially in verses 18-24. The second point is that God is forbidding the permanent impoverishment of anyone in the land; the land that God gives to each family for their inheritance is to be returned to them every 50 years. The third point is an extension – as the Lord says, we will always have the poor with us, but among the people of God, there are always to be these built-in measures to ensure that they are cared for.)
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 4-2
Last time, we saw St. Theophan speak of how, with all the effort that we put into prayer, it is a simple fact that our prayer will not bear fruit if we are not attending to the virtues, to the necessary realities of the life we are called to live in Christ. We cannot live in any way that we want, with no attention to or repentance for our sins, and then expect somehow to even be able to hold to the disciplines of prayer that he recommends. Even if we somehow could, all our efforts during prayer would be undone by our way of life. As he concludes this sermon, then, he will provide specific guidance in how we should live our lives.
Saint Theophan the Recluse – Sermon 4 – A Life of Prayer – 2
All this I am bring back to your memory, so that none of you should think that simply because you labour in prayer, that is enough. It is not. We must be eager to care for all things and to perfect ourselves in every good work.
It is true that we cannot succeed in works without prayer. But works must be practiced in addition to prayer – and with the support of prayer. We must even pray for success in prayer. In practice, the work of prayer is as essential as the work of good actions.
To achieve all this, we must take pains over everything, and demonstrate continual diligence. It is the same as with a clock. When the clock goes well, it shows the correct time. For this, every little wheel and every other inside part must be whole, correctly positioned, and properly interconnected. It is the same with the internal mechanisms of our soul: like the hand of a clock, the aim of our spirit can be pointed to the right or wrong place. It is right when it points straight to God, and this is when all the parts of the soul are whole and are correctly oriented, so to speak, each performing their proper task.
But exactly what kind of good works are needed to support a life of prayer? What sort of prayerfully active life should the Christian arrange for himself? I will tell you this not in my own words, but in the words of Saint Demitrius of Rostov, who gives the following very concise instructions. I beg you to attend to this:
1. “Having risen from sleep,” he says, “let your first thought be of God, your first word and prayer directed to God, creator and sustainer of your life, who has forever the power to kill or bring to life, to strike or to heal, to save or to let perish”
2. “Prostrate yourself and give thanks to God, who has wakened you from sleep, and has not allowed you to perish in your lawlessness, but patiently awaits your return.3. Make a turn to the better, by saying with the psalmist: ‘I remembered the works of the Lord’ (Psalm 76:11), for the good Way to heaven cannot be properly trodden except by those who begin each day well.
4. From early morning, be a Seraphim in prayer, a Cherubim in action, and an Angel in attitude.
5. From this point in life onwards, waste no time, but attend only to what is necessary.6. In all your actions, all your words, all your deliberations, keep your mind in God: do not have anything in mind but Christ, so that no other image may touch your clean heart except the pure image of Christ, your God and Saviour.
7. Arouse yourself to the love of God by every possible means, especially by repeating to yourself with the psalmist: ‘My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire was kindled” (Psalm 38:4).8. If you wish to love God unceasingly, look on his presence continually with your inner eye, and for His sake abandon every evil deed, word, and thought. For this reason you must do everything honestly, speak honestly, and think honestly, humbly, and in awe of the Son.
9. Meekness should go together with praise, humility and honesty.
10. A quiet and humble word should be truthful and useful, but when you are silent, think over the words you are going to say. An idle or harmful word should never pass your lips.
11. If you laugh, laugh always with a smile, and not too often.12. Be watchful in yourself against rage, arrogance, and argumentativeness. If you are angry, control yourself.
13. Be always moderate in food and drink.
14. Be generous in all things, and God will bless you while people will praise you.
15. Death is the end of all things, so it should be always in your prayers.”
You can see from this what a steady life is prescribed for the Christian man of prayer.
* * *
It is true that these rules speak mostly of prayer, of mindful and heartfelt approaches to God, but a number of other virtues are also mentioned. Without these particular virtues prayer cannot be sustained. This is something everyone will discover for himself in practice – if only he starts practicing prayer in the right way. How can you start to pray if you are burdened by lack of self control, if you are confused by anger or annoyance, if you are not at peace with someone, or if you are absentminded with worries and distractions?
If none of these exist in you, then their opposite virtues will be present. This is why Saint John Lestvichnik says – when speaking about prayer – that it is both the mother and the daughter of virtue.
* * *
Some of you, when you hear this, may think: “That is so much to expect of us! What a difficult and heavy burden! Where can we find the time and the strength for all this?”
Take courage, brothers! What is needed is not so very much. Just one thing is necessary: fervour towards God, with the desire that one’s soul be saved by Him.
By nature, there is much good in the soul. The difficulty is that it becomes overlaid with so much that is bad. As soon as fervour to please God and for salvation is born in the soul, all its natural goodness will collect around this fervour, and much that is good will appear in the soul. Then this fervour – strengthened by God’s blessing and reinforced by this dormant goodness – will begin to develop other good qualities and enrich itself. Step by step, it will grow.
This fervour contains the seed of true prayer in itself. At first, it is nourished by our natural goodness. Then it begins to be nourished by the goodness we have acquired. So it will grow in strength, and will start to praise God, and – as it increases in its growth – it will begin to sing to Him with a varied and blessedly prayerful song in the heart.
May the Lord help you to achieve this. Amen.
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 the virtues that St. Theophan is talking about, and which he quotes St. Demitrius talking about, are twofold. First, in forsaking evil deeds, and second, in doing the acts of mercy and kindness and repentance. Effectively, we are reminded here that, while prayer is the essential work of the Christian life, prayer in truth is part and parcel all the good things to which the Lord calls us. The reminder is valuable and necessary, and especially appropriate in the midst of the Great Forty Day Fast.)
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)
Acts 16:1-15 (Timothy Joins Paul & Silas, Paul Called to Macedonia, Conversion of Lydia)
Last time we saw the conclusion of the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, and the letter that they sent to the Church at Antioch, directing that the Gentile Christians should be treated as non-Israelites living among the people of God, and should be expected only to observe the elements of the Torah that applied to them, which is to say, abstention from idolatry, eating blood, and sexual immorality. We also saw St. Paul leave once again to visit the Churches in Syria and Cilicia, accompanied by Silas, who seems to be one of the 70 Apostles of the Lord. This time, we will see how his journey proceeds.
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
Reading 29 – 403 words
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, in the course of this passage, St. Paul travels the entire length of Asia Minor, from Cilicia in the far south-east to the passage over to Macedonia in the far northwest. He should also note this first appearance of St. Timothy, and how St. Paul handled his particular situation. St. Timothy might have laid claim to be either a Gentile Christian or a Jew, as his mother was a Hebrew, faithful to the God of Israel, while his father was a Greek. But St. Paul treats him as a Jew, and has him circumcised; this is an important point for how the decision of the Council of Jerusalem is to be read. It does not dispense with the Torah completely; it distinguishes between the people of Israel and the other nations whom God is drawing to Himself. Paul’s handling of Timothy’s situation is helpful in understanding this. Finally, we should note that here, for the first time, we see the Gospel being preached in what we now call Europe; Paul has crossed over from Asia into the Balkans, and for many of us, this moment is the beginning of our own families’ life in the Christian Faith.)
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?