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 of the day is “burn.” Today in our reading of Proverbs 6:20-7:1, we hear a graphic bit of wisdom, “Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? (NKJV vs. 27).  We shudder at the thought. We feel the fiery heat burning through our clothing into our chest. We smell the searing flesh. We feel the pain of a thousand knives slicing into our tender body. Who would do such a thing? The wise sage of Proverbs observes that getting involved in an adulterous affair is like clutching live coals to our chest.  Those who commit adultery, the sage promises, will be severely burned. Adulterers will earn “wounds and dishonor,” “reproach that will not be…
The word of the day is “slumber.” Most of us have times when the fervor of our faith dies down, and we find that we are just going through the motions of religious practice. In those times of spiritual lethargy, we are sleepwalking in the Spirit. Today’s reading of Proverbs 6:3-20 includes a warning against the lethargy that rests and sleeps when it is time for activity and work. The sage writes, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man” (NKJV vs. 10).  Today, we will apply this admonition to the spiritual vice of “sloth.” We will…
The word of the day is “eyes.”  We attribute importance to the events which advance the course of the world’s history.  And we count the occasions of births, graduations, weddings, and funerals as having special meaning. But do the seemingly trivial moments of our lives have any lasting significance? Does what we say and do on ordinary days count for anything?  In our reading of Proverbs 5:15-6:3, the wise poet teaches that the Almighty sees all we do from day to day.  Nothing escapes His scrutiny. The sage writes, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths” (NKJV vs. 2). Today we consider what it means that God sees everything…
The word of the day is “cistern.”[i] In today’s reading of Proverbs 5:1-15, the sage warns against the seduction of loose women and urges the chastity of a faithful marriage. But to picture his counsel, he uses a striking image, “Drink water from your own cisterns and running water from your own well” (NKJV vs. 15). There is no reason to draw water from someone else’s supply when we have our own.  Of course, that applies to sexual relationships.  But like so many folk sayings the maxim has a wider application. Today we will look at covetousness and envy as overwhelming desires for the possessions of others. The Social Context of Covetousness and Envy Covetousness is such a serious temptation…
The word of the day is “but.” Almost all people thrive when there is order in society, but hardly anyone can prosper when chaos rules.  We naturally seek balance and equilibrium and consider harmony to be beautiful, right, and true.  Today in our reading of Proverbs 3:21-4:7 we find that symmetry is built into the structure of the sayings of wisdom. For example, our reading begins, “Surely He [God] scorns the scornful” (vs. 3:34).  Here we discover a basic underlying sense of justice.  It is only right that those who scoff at others will themselves be scoffed (Strong’s #3887, 191). Today we will analyze some selected sayings of our reading to illustrate this sense of righteousness.  Then we will reflect…
The word of the day is “choose.”  What way of life do we choose? Is it the way of the pleasures of this world or the way of the promises of God?  In today’s reading of Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-12:2, we focus on Moses, who had a choice to make between his Egyptian upbringing and His lineage as a member of the People of God. The apostle writes, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…” (NKJV vs. 24-25). Today we will explore that choice and apply it to ourselves. Today’s reading recalls that…
Most of the time, we fix our gaze downward on the challenges and struggles of the fleeting moment and tiny space we occupy in this life. But today’s reading invites us to lift our eyes to the heavens and to consider the majesty of the Eternal God and the equal splendor of the Son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our reading of Hebrews 1-12 proclaims that the Son of God is far greater than the angels in authority,[i] dominion,[ii] eternity,[iii] agency in creation,[iv] and divine status. In the Creed, we profess that the Son of God, the Only-begotten of the Father, is “Light of Light” (Nicene Creed).  These magnificent phrases come from the image in our reading that the…
The word of the day is “give.”  We naturally think that our possessions are ours to do with as we choose. Accordingly, if we should give some of them to those in need, well, that is our choice.  If not, that is our right as well.  But in today’s reading of Proverbs 3:19-34, we discover a striking insight. The writer of Proverbs teaches, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is the power of your hand to do so” (vs. 27). Today we will draw out the meaning of this wisdom for our stewardship of what we possess. On first reading, this verse sounds like the commonplace advice that we should pay our debts…
The word of the day is “trust.” Our society values self-reliance. We teach that maturity means that we no longer depend on others for direction or support. When we are fully grown, we should take our own path in life. However, our reading of Proverbs 3:1-18 teaches us the opposite. The wise teacher of Proverbs says, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight” (OAB vs. 5). Today we will consider what it means to trust the Lord for wisdom. We will also find that reliance on God’s wisdom should apply to everything we do. Our key verse (vs. 5) is a favorite of many. It is worth memorizing so that we keep…
The word of the day is “seek.” We would like to think that gaining spiritual understanding comes from the sudden unveiling of a revelation, a quick flash of insight.  But our reading of Proverbs 2:1-22 teaches us we must search diligently for wisdom. And it assures us that this earnest search will be rewarded. Solomon writes, “If you seek perception with a strong voice, and if you seek her as silver and search for her as treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (OSB vs. 4-5). What, then,  is necessary for our search? Knowing What We Seek When we search for something, we need to know what we are looking for. …