Commentary on the Daily Lectionary of the Orthodox Church
Author: Fr. Basil
Now retired, the Very Rev. Archpriest Basil Ross Aden has served as a parish priest, parish pastor, diocesan mission director, writer, and college teacher of New Testament and Religious Studies. He has a Master of Theology and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the University of Chicago and has published daily devotional and stewardship materials as well as a college textbook on Religious Studies. He also has published papers and/or lectured on the Orthodox perspective on Luther and the Reformation. religious freedom, current issues of religion and society, and St. John Chrysostom. He is married to Sandra and has two sons and three grandchildren. He is still active as a priest as well as a writer of articles and materials on Orthodoxy and topics of faith and life today.
The word for today is “prudent.” Today in our reading of Proverbs 14:15-26, we have a lesson on prudence. The sage says, “The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his step (OSB vs. 15). Today we will probe what “prudence” means. The term “prudence” has gone out of favor, but it is a key to Proverbs. We know the term primarily for its derivative “prudish.”  Those who are prudish are concerned about what is formally proper. They are “stuck up,” snobbish, and judgmental about keeping the rules.  In Hebrew, the term means crafty, shrewd, and sensible (Strong’s #6175). In short, the prudent are the clever, even cunning. “Prudent,” The Opposite of “Gullible” We might object that this…
The word of the day is “anxious.” W. H. Auden published his Pulitzer-prize-winning poem, “The Age of Anxiety,” in 1947.  That title is still an apt description of our time, especially during these days of one crisis after another.  Psychology Today reports that anxiety levels in America are three times higher now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. But anxiety is a product of the human condition and has been a factor of our human experience since the Fall.  We are fragile and vulnerable creatures who have built-in survival mechanisms.  These systems respond in body, mind, and soul to alarms of threats to our well-being, and we become anxious. In our reading of Proverbs 12:23-13:9, the wise sage of Proverbs makes a seemingly simple observation about…
The word of the day is “eyes.” How do you respond when someone points out your fault? Do you bristle with indignation, or do you respond to correction with appreciation? In our reading of Proverbs 12:8-22, the wise sage writes, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (NKJV vs. 15). Today we learn that thinking that we are wise in our own wisdom is a sign of pride. And we suggest that this kind of deep self-conceit requires salvation and healing more than instruction. A Law unto Themselves The Old Testament Book of Judges ends with the social disintegration of the People of God. The writer explains the cause of…
The word of the day is “judgment.” The adage that “Man proposes but God disposes” is true. But without plans, our lives are aimless and without purpose.  To steer the course of our lives, God has given us the faculty of judgment to decide between alternatives to the actions we should take. But our judgment may be in line with the will of God or against it. In our reading of Proverbs 11:19-12:6, the wise sage of Proverbs says, “The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful” (NKJV vs. 12:5).  Today we will examine what it means to think “right” thoughts, that is, to make sound judgments. Our commentary will use the translation of the Septuagint (LXX)…
The word of the day is “offer.”  For the Orthodox, today is the mid-point of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross.  The Cross we exalt today is the center of the faith.  According to our reading of Hebrews 4:14-5:6, it was by the Cross that the Lord Jesus became our High Priest (OSB 4:14). Thus, the apostle writes that God appointed Christ to offer “gifts and sacrifices for sin” as a priest (NKJV vs. 5:1).  Today, we view the Cross through the lens of the apostle’s teaching of Christ, the High Priest. For the Orthodox, the Lord’s death on the Cross was no impersonal payment, no supernatural transaction to balance the scales of divine justice. It was a…
The word of the day is “cast.” There are things that others can take away from us.  There are things that others cannot take away from us but that we can give away. And there are things that can neither be taken from us nor given away. Today, in our reading of Hebrews 10:32-38, the apostle urges us, “Do not cast away your confidence which has a great reward” (OSB Vs. 33).  This verse prompts us to reflect on the things that are in our control to keep, the things that require our endurance to preserve. In today’s reading, the apostle encourages his flock to persevere in endurance. The Greek word means “remaining” or “persisting.” The term especially refers to bearing trials…
The word of the day is “but .” Both wickedness and righteousness earn a just reward that is suited to them.  In our reading of Proverbs 10:31-11:12, we learn this principle of God’s justice. The wise sage of Proverbs writes, “The righteousness of the upright saves them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their own schemes (OAB vs. 6). Today we examine the contrast between the consequences of following the path of wisdom and straying from it in the way of wickedness. The Treachery of Wickedness In today’s reading, we find that wickedness is full of schemes, plots, and treachery. By these measures, evil strives to get ahead in this world.  But the sage warns that these designs are useless for two reasons.…
The word of the day is “folly.” Yesterday, we heard Wisdom summon us to her banquet. Today, in our reading of Proverbs 9:12-18, we hear a corresponding invitation of a foolish woman.  This woman, whom we will call “Folly,” calls out to all who pass by, “Whoever is simple let him turn in here” (NKJV vs. 16). Today we will contrast the appeals of these two representatives of Wisdom and foolishness and the consequences of answering each. The Enticements of Wisdom and Folly Both Wisdom and Folly offer enticements to visit them. Wisdom sends out her maidens with the invitation to “turn aside to me” (OSB 9:4).  Likewise, Folly sits at the highest places of the city and cries out…
The word of the day is “seek.” Today in our reading of Proverbs 8:1-21, wisdom assures us that “those who seek me diligently will find me” (vs. 21). As we continue our Lenten time of prayer and fasting, we might reflect on this matter of seeking. To do so, let’s jump forward to the Gospel of John and the story of the first followers of Jesus, a passage that gives us clarity about seeking and finding. The Lord Asks, “What Do You Seek?” Recall that in John Chapter 1, John the Baptist gave his prophetic witness, “I have seen and testified that this (Jesus) is the Son of God” (John 1:44), and again he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.”…
The word of the day is “angels.” So many voices are shouting at us these days that we are bound to distrust, discount, distrust, and disregard them all.  But do the words of the Lord also get lost amidst all the messages that assail us?  Today in our reading of Hebrews 1:10-2:3, the apostle compares the word of angels with the Word of the Lord. He writes, “If the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord” (NKJV 2:2-4). Today’s reading gives us reason to pay careful attention to “every word which proceeds from the…