Day 1 (Monday)
Proverbs 28:1-28; 29:1-27 (Further Wise Sayings of Solomon)
As we begin the final third of Year 5, we will pause for one more week from our normal narrative readings, and return once again to the Book of Proverbs. This book, written by a father seeking to provide good guidance to his son, and then including other proverbs from the Wise, directs all of us to walk the narrow path of faithfulness, avoiding the common temptations and holding fast to the Lord in all things. It is a good reminder of the essential responsibilities of parents to their children, and of children to their parents.
Further Wise Sayings of Solomon
28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
2 When a land transgresses
it has many rulers;
but with men of understanding and knowledge
its stability will long continue.
3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is perverse in his ways.
7 He who keeps the law is a wise son,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 He who augments his wealth by interest and increase
gathers it for him who is kind to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
10 He who misleads the upright into an evil way
will fall into his own pit;
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory;
but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
14 Blessed is the man who fears the Lord always;
but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor;
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 If a man is burdened with the blood of another,
let him be a fugitive until death;
let no one help him.
18 He who walks in integrity will be delivered,
but he who is perverse in his ways will fall into a pit.
19 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good;
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
22 A miserly man hastens after wealth,
and does not know that want will come upon him.
23 He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
than he who flatters with his tongue.
24 He who robs his father or his mother
and says, “That is no transgression,”
is the companion of a man who destroys.
25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
but he who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
26 He who trusts in his own mind is a fool;
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
27 He who gives to the poor will not want,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
28 When the wicked rise, men hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
Chapter 29
29 One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3 A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
but to keep company with prostitutes is to squander one’s substance.
4 By justice a king gives stability to the land,
but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.
5 Whoever flatters a neighbor
is spreading a net for the neighbor’s feet.
6 In the transgression of the evil there is a snare,
but the righteous sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous know the rights of the poor;
the wicked have no such understanding.
8 Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
9 If the wise go to law with fools,
there is ranting and ridicule without relief.
10 The bloodthirsty hate the blameless,
and they seek the life of the upright.
11 A fool gives full vent to anger,
but the wise quietly holds it back.
12 If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.
13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
14 If a king judges the poor with equity,
his throne will be established forever.
15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by a neglected child.
16 When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
17 Discipline your children, and they will give you rest;
they will give delight to your heart.
18 Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,
but happy are those who keep the law.
19 By mere words servants are not disciplined,
for though they understand, they will not give heed.
20 Do you see someone who is hasty in speech?
There is more hope for a fool than for anyone like that.
21 A slave pampered from childhood
will come to a bad end.
22 One given to anger stirs up strife,
and the hothead causes much transgression.
23 A person’s pride will bring humiliation,
but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
24 To be a partner of a thief is to hate one’s own life;
one hears the victim’s curse, but discloses nothing.
25 The fear of others lays a snare,
but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.
26 Many seek the favor of a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.
27 The unjust are an abomination to the righteous,
but the upright are an abomination to the wicked.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how these sayings express the truth that those who give themselves over to sin, selfishness, greed, injustice, etc, are not warring against some arbitrary and irrelevant rule that God has set out, but are rather making war against reality itself. The wise, conversely, even if they seem to suffer loss or be foolish according to the short-term analysis, are those who are living according to what is actually true. Injustice, then, will simply never be able to acquire a permanent gain; as verse 7 of chapter 28 says, those who build up their wealth by imposing interest on the poor are simply building up money that someone else will spend. In the same way that crime doesn’t pay, rebellion against God doesn’t profit anyone at all.)
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)
Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Orthros Prayers
There are twelve prayers that the Priest prays at the beginning of the Orthros service. In all of them, he prays for himself and for all the people, and gives thanks to God for the rest of sleep and for the opportunity to wake up and offer worship and thanksgiving and prayers to God. It is important to understand that the Orthros service is the service that the Church does at sunrise; it begins when it is still dark, and continues as the sun comes up. These twelve prayers, then, reflect what we can and should think and feel and say to God as we wake up and begin our day. These three prayers specifically talk about how, as we rise from our beds, we turn our words and actions and lives toward the Lord, asking for His guidance and blessing on everything that we do, and His mercy and forgiveness upon our failures and sins.
SEVENTH PRAYER
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have raised us from our beds and gathered us together for this hour of prayer, give us grace by the opening of our mouths and accept our thanksgivings, in the measure of our ability. Teach us your statutes, because we do not know how to pray as we ought, unless you, Lord guide us by your Holy Spirit. Therefore we beg you, if we have sinned in any way until the present hour in word or deed or by thought, voluntarily or involuntarily, remit, forgive, pardon. For if you should regard iniquities, Lord; Lord, who will stand? For there is redemption from you. You alone are holy, a helper, a mighty defender of our life, and in you is our praise at all times.
Blessed and glorified be the might of your Kingdom, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
EIGHTH PRAYER
Lord our God, who have driven from us the sloth of sleep and called us together with a holy summons to lift up our hands and to give you thanks for the judgements of your justice, accept our supplications, our requests, our thanksgivings, our nocturnal worship; and give us, O God, the grace of faith unashamed, sure hope, love without pretence. Bless our comings in and our goings out, our deeds, works, words, desires, and grant that we may meet the beginnings of the day praising, singing, blessing the loving-kindness of your ineffable goodness.
For blessed is your all-holy name and glorified is your kingdom, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
NINTH PRAYER
Light in our hearts, Master, lover of humankind, the unsullied light of your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of the proclamation of your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of your blessed commandments, so that having trampled down all the desires of the flesh we may pass over to a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all things that are well-pleasing to you.
For you are our sanctification and to you we give glory, to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
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 the 9th Prayer here is also used in the Divine Liturgy, and is the prayer that the Priest prays immediately before the reading of the Gospel. The Faithful can tell that the priest is reading this prayer by watching for the offering of incense during the Epistle Reading. This is a prayer that we can all use, however, as we prepare to read Scripture, and it indicates to us that one of the disciplines we should develop in ourselves as we begin each day is to actually read from the Scriptures, and especially from the Gospels. It is a good and blessed discipline to read a short passage, perhaps just an individual story or saying, from one of the Four Gospel accounts every day; in this way, we will move through the Gospels all through the course of our lives, always having some word or action of the Lord to comfort us, to instruct us, or to sustain us through the course of our days.)
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 18:18-28; 19:1-10 (Paul’s Return to Antioch, Ministry of Apollos, Paul in Ephesus)
Last time, we saw St. Paul arrive in Corinth and remain there for a year and a half, teaching and instructing and building up the Church there, and functioning effectively as their bishop. During that time, there was substantial upheaval, with conflict between the Jews of the city and those Faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ; somewhat unusually, the governor of the city refused to get involved, either to persecute the Christians, or to defend them against the mob actions of those opposing them. This time, we will see St. Paul leave Corinth and return to Antioch, and where he goes from there.
Paul’s Return to Antioch
18 After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. 19 When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; 21 but on taking leave of them, he said, “I will return to you, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Ministry of Apollos
24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately.
27 And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— 7 altogether there were about twelve of them.
8 He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
Reading 34 – 508 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 in this account, we see a great deal of St. Paul’s life summed up quite succinctly. He leaves Corinth and passes through Ephesus on his way back to Jerusalem, which he passes through briefly before returning to Antioch. He stays there for a little while, and then effectively retraces the path of his previous journey, going overland to all the Churches he had established in Asia Minor, this time going into Phrygia (where he had been forbidden to go the previous time), as well as ministering to the Churches he had established himself in Galatia. He ends up in Ephesus, where he stays for over two years, and during that time, he encounters some people who are apparently “disciples”, but haven’t yet received the Holy Spirit. Then, importantly, we see St. Paul baptize them in the name of Jesus, more than the baptism of John the Baptist, and then lay hands on them, upon which point they receive the Holy Spirit. This is one of the signs of St. Paul’s apostolic rank, and is therefore 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?