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.
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “brought.” If we are strangers to a group, it is helpful to have someone who will introduce us to its members. For instance, it was necessary for the newly changed Saul (Paul) to be introduced to the circle of believers in Jerusalem. Today in our reading of Acts 9:20-31, we find that the believers in Jerusalem were hesitant to receive the former persecutor of the church into their fellowship. But Luke reports that a “good man” named Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. Today we learn the importance of those who act in the role of Barnabas and introduce strangers to the faith in Christ and His church. Our reading…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “vessel.” By the grace of God, some of the most hostile opponents of Christianity have become its most ardent followers. For instance, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was raised as an Orthodox Christian. But in his youth, he turned against Orthodoxy and embraced the atheism of Marxist-Leninism. Yet during his imprisonment in the Soviet Gulag, he returned to his faith and became a fervent believer. However, today in our reading of Acts 8:40-9:19, we read about the most prominent of all enemies of Christ who embraced the faith he once persecuted. Luke, the writer of Acts, reports that God had selected a man named Saul to extend the outreach of the Gospel beyond its…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “go.” If we look below the surface of events, we discover that what seems to be happenstance is directed by an invisible hand. In our reading of Acts 8:26-39, we hear the story of the conversion and baptism of an Ethiopian official who is returning from Jerusalem to his homeland in Gaza. But Luke, the historian, unveils the divine guidance that moves the action forward to its conclusion in the eunuch’s baptism. The historian writes, “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and said, ‘Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes from Jerusalem to Gaza’” (OSB vs. 26). And when Philip saw the chariot of the official, the…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “repent.” We usually think of repentance as a change of heart and mind. But repentance can be insincere and done for the wrong reason. In today’s reading of Acts 8:18-25, we read the case of a man named Simon who seemed to repent. After Peter condemned his wickedness, Simon said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me” (OSB vs. 24). This plea seemed to indicate that Simon had turned from his sinful ways. However, if we read this passage carefully, we discover his contrition was not genuine. Thus, from this negative example, we learn about the nature of true repentance. Our reading continues…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “Samaria .” The Lord can take evil and use it for good. Today in our reading of Acts 8:5-17, we find that fierce persecution has scattered the first believers. One of them, the Deacon Philip, went to Samaria, and as he went, he preached the Gospel. In response, the Samaritans eagerly “received the Word of God” (OSB vs.14). Thus, what seemed to be a setback for the early church advanced its mission. Today we consider how God uses the worst in our lives for the best. The stoning of Stephen was a crisis for the growing Christian movement. Immediately after it, we read, “At that time a great persecution arose against the…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “so.” Nowadays, many people are disposed to believe preposterous claims with little evidence to confirm them. Yet when it comes to religion, doubt, cynicism, and indifference to the truth prevail. Today in our reading of Acts 6:8-7:5; 47-60, the apostles face the Jewish council. And the high priest asks, “Are these things so? (OSB vs. 7:1). Just as the Jewish officials and Pilate demanded that Jesus answer the false accusations against Him (Matthew 27:12; Mark 15:4), the temple authorities challenge Stephen to answer the false charge of his opponents (vs. 7:1). But there is a deeper question behind the challenge, “Is it “so”? Is what Stephen is saying and doing true? In…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “appoint.” Today’s society believes that there always is a better way. We think that invention will improve anything and innovation will make everything more efficient. However, the foundations of Holy Tradition in the church are enduring and are not subject to improvement. One of these is the church’s Orders of Ministry. Today, in our reading of Acts 6: 1-7, we read about the establishment of the Order of Deacons and thus the initial development of what would become the church’s Orders of Ministry. In response to the need of certain widows who were being neglected, the twelve apostles said, “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation,…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “obey.” In every revolution, there is a moment when the rebels defy authority. Without the courage of some to do so, there is no change. There is only compliance. Today we find in our reading of Acts 5:21-33 that such a moment occurred when the apostles again appeared before the high priest and members of the Sadducees, the religious sect that ruled the temple. When the high priest sternly reminded Peter that he was told to cease speaking of “this Name of Jesus,” (OSB 5:28), Peter was defiant. “We ought to obey God rather than men,” he said (OSB 5:29). That was the decisive moment that would free the new Christian movement from…
Christ is risen. The word of the day is “fear.” We may have a rosy picture of the life of the first believers who were filled with the Holy Spirit, bold in the proclamation of the Gospel, united in a common life, and fearless in the face of arrest, imprisonment, and death. Yet, in today’s reading of Acts 5:1-11, we hear a note of sobering realism as Luke reports the first instance of sinfulness in the community. Caught cheating and lying, a couple falls dead at the feet of the apostles. Luke summarizes the somber response of the faithful, “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things” (OSB 5:11). The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ…
Christ is risen! The word of the day is “bold.” Many people today claim the privilege of promoting their views boldly and without restraint. Not wanting to be drawn into futile arguments, others keep silent. Nut what about the Gospel of the Resurrection? How forthright are we in proclaiming the most important message of Christ’s work of salvation? Today in our reading of Acts 4:13-22, we hear Peter’s daring proclamation that salvation is obtainable only in the Name of the Crucified and Risen Christ (Acts 4:12). In response, the council of religious authorities “marveled” “…when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,” though they “perceived that they [the apostles] were uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4:13). Today we consider what constitutes powerful…