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 the day is “God’s.” In our reading of 1 Corinthians 6:20-7:12, St. Paul discusses sexual relations in various cases. His principle is stated in 1 Cor. 6:20, “For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” In our series on Romans, we learned that Paul proclaimed the freedom from the Mosaic Law. Some of the Corinthians must have taken that Christian liberty to means license. That meant to them that they had the freedom to do as they pleased in things like sexuality that have to do with the body. Their slogan must have been,”‘ All things are lawful for me since I am freed from the Law.” All…
The word for the day is “outside.” Today’s society presents us with a choice: either prejudice or toleration. If we in the church do not want to be prejudiced, is our only option to accept anything or anyone as part of our fellowship? In our reading of 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11, Paul teaches that a line must be drawn between who and what are “inside” and “outside the church.” Paul says, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainty did not mean sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters since then you would need to go out of this world” (OSB vs. 9-10). Today…
The word for the day is “with.” As long as the job is done, does it matter how we do it? Does our attitude make a difference? If we give a meal to someone who is hungry but do with disdain, doesn’t the person still get fed? And if we give an offering grudgingly, can’t the church still use the money for good? In today’s reading of Romans 12:6-14, Paul lists the “grace-gifts” of the Holy Spirit that are distributed among the members of the church. He states, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them” (Romans 12:6). Today we will discover that the apostle not only urges that the faithful put…
The word for the day is “sorrow.” How far can love go? What are its limits? St. Porphyrios wrote, “He who loves little, gives little. He who loves more gives more, and he who loves beyond measure what has he to give? He gives himself” (Porphyrios 2005, 96). In our reading of Romans 9:1-5, Paul expresses the extent of his love for his fellow Jews. He says, “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (OSB vs. 2-3). Today we probe into Paul’s depth of love for others, and it inspires us also to seek to love to…
The word of the day is “received.” It takes the spiritual gift of discernment to recognize the difference between what comes from our own ego and what comes from the Spirit of Christ. What comes from our ego bolsters our pride. But what comes from Christ engenders our humility. Pride divides us from others. But in humility we can be united with others. In our reading of 1 Cor. 4:5-8, St. Paul sternly rebukes the boasting of the Corinthians. Their judgments of each other are driving a wedge between them. And they are wielding their supposed superior wisdom and knowledge against one another. But St. Paul pulls out their pride by the roots. He asks, who has planted the divisions among you? “Who is…
The word for today is “age.” In video games, you explore different worlds. The potential for the creation of such alternative universes are endless. But these possibilities pose a question, in what “world” do we live in? In our reading of 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, St. Paul speaks of “being wise in this age” (OSB vs. 18). Again he speaks of the “wisdom of this world” (OSB vs. 19). Today we explore the thought that the Lord has called us to live in a reality greater “this age” or “this world.” In his comments on our reading, St. John Chrysostom says, “For with us, all goes by contraries” (NfPF1:12, 54). The opposites that he has in mind are summed up in…
The word of the day is “knowledge.” Socrates said that the only thing I know is that I know nothing. Western civilization pays homage to Socrates, yet the claims to knowledge in our society are thousands of times more abundant than true learning. It is the same for religious understanding. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 1:9:3-8, Paul addresses the contending claims of spiritual knowledge that are dividing the Corinthian congregation. He writes, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned” (OSB vs. 14). Today we will seek to discern the difference between the true knowledge of the…
The word for the day is “called.” As we go about our daily life, our attention often must be given to the details of our work. But whatever we do, we have a calling. That vocation is not separated from our daily chores. It gives them meaning. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Paul speaks of his calling and his readers. He states, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ…” (OSB vs. 1) and again “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints…” (OSB 1:2). Today our study will remind us of the summons of God to serve Him with the little as well…
The word of the day is “simple.” In this world, some things are obviously wicked. But the unrighteousness of other things is not so easily identified. Evil comes in attractive packages and desirable wrappings. Vices are mixed with virtues, and goodness is mingled with immorality. In our reading of Romans 16:17-24, St. Paul concludes his letter with a warning about divisions caused by troublemakers. He charges that they use “smooth words and flattering speech to deceive the simple” (Romans 16:18). Thus, St. Paul cautions that his readers should be “wise in what is good and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19). Today we will learn not look underneath its covering to determine if something is good or bad. We will propose…
The word of the day is “proclamation.” Those who have spent their lives in the church have heard so many sermons, both inspired and uninspired, that they no longer expect to be stirred by any preacher. Yet in our reading of Romans 10:11-11:2, we find a provocative statement: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the universe” (Romans 10:18). This declaration of the power of preaching applies to the witness of the apostles (OSB footnote on Psalm 19:4). And so, in the Orthodox Church we hear this hymn on Pentecost, the Feast of SS Peter and Paul, as well as today on the “Synaxis of the Twelve Holy Apostles.” Today we…