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 “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, on the Feast of SS Peter and Paul, and on the “Synaxis of the Twelve Holy Apostles.” Today we ask whether…
The word of the day is “irony.” Many preachers today give the impression that they know all about God’s designs for human history. By selective quotations from the scripture, they offer their own keys to the ways of God. Today, in our reading of Romans 9:18-33, we read Paul’s rebuttal of all claims to grasp how God fulfills His purposes in the course of human history. Paul writes, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness (NKJV vs. 30-31). Today we reflect on the irony of God’s treatment of Jews and Gentiles. We will…
The word of the day is “shall.” “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.” We can apply that saying to our salvation. Some would declare that they were saved at some moment in the past. And now they can rest in the assurance of their deliverance. But that like a biker who has climbed to the top of a hill. Now, he tells himself, he can coast down the hill without worry or effort. But the biker hasn’t finished the course. Soon another hill appears, and he is unprepared to face its challenge. But in today’s reading of Romans 5:1-10, Paul speaks of salvation as a future happening. He writes, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God…
The word of the day is “hope.” In today’s reading, Paul describes the suffering of the world. He writes, “The whole creation groans…” (OSB vs. 22). Indeed, we hear the moans of the earth in the chronicles of destruction, disorder, and devastation of every newscast. On many fronts, the world is plunging into disaster with little hope of recovery. Yet in today’s reading of Romans 8:22-27, Paul writes, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope… But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (OSB vs. 24). Today our reflection will encourage us to hope that the Almighty will deliver us and all creation from the spiritual corruption that enslaves the planet (vs.…
The word of the day is “free.” Yesterday’s comment left Paul in a spiritual impasse. In our reading, St. Paul described two contending inclinations. These seemed to cancel each other out. Indeed, for those who strive to be “accounted righteous” by their own powers, they do nullify each other. In this state of spiritual paralysis between these two impulses, Paul cried out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death” (OSB Romans 7:24), this state of the natural inclination to sin? Today, in our reading of Romans 8:2-13, we hear the answer of grace. The apostle writes, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death” (OSB vs. 2). In our study, we will…
The word for today is “warring.” It is easy to fall into the devil’s trap of spiritual stagnation. In this lethargy of the spirit, we do not see beneath the surface of our souls. We think that we can rest in the false assurance of our salvation and enjoy a cozy relationship with God. But in today’s reading of Romans 7:14-8:2, we may be surprised at Paul’s description of his inner conflict. He writes, “I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind” (OSB vs. 22-23). Today we learn to look beneath the complacency of our hearts to the true state of our souls and…
The word for today is “delivered.” Have you kept God’s law? You might ask, “What do you mean by God’s law.” We would add that if we were speaking of the Law of Moses, then we have not tried to keep it. But if we are speaking of the Ten Commandments, then we have to admit that we have broken them in spirit as well as deed. But do we feel regret and remorse for our failures to do God’s will? Today we read in Romans 7:1-13 that “we have been delivered from the law” (OSB vs. 6). Paul says that we have died to the law so that we should serve [God] in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6). Today…
The word of the day is “partiality.” On this the Second Sunday after Pentecost, we commemorate “All Saints of North America.” The word for today is “partiality.” As we honor the saints of our land, it is appropriate that we read from Romans 2:10-16 that “there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11). St. Paul’s point is that the Almighty God will judge each person according to his or her deeds (Romans 2:6). Whether one is a Jew who knows the Law of God or a Gentile who does not, one will be judged by the same standards. The dividing line is whether one does good or evil. Therefore, in God’s eyes, the divisions among human beings make no difference. The…
The word for today is “faith.” Our currency announces, “In God We Trust.” Do “we”? And what is “our” conception of God who is the object of our trust? Today we emphasize that the One who has earned our trust is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our study will suggest that if we put our faith in anything else (the Mosaic Law, our education, our abilities, our cultural or ethnic background, even our fate), then the Cross will be meaningless to us. In this passage from Romans 3:19-26, we hear that in Christ, the righteousness of God is manifest “apart from the Law” (Romans 3:21). This is the righteousness that is freely given “by faith to those who “believe” (Galatians 3:22).…
The word of the day is “death.” What is at the bottom of human sinfulness? The Western church answers unequivocally, “original sin.” Attributed to Augustine (354-430 AD), this doctrine holds that the sin of Adam and Eve infected human nature with incurable sinfulness. Since the Garden, the guilt of Adam has been passed down throughout the human race. Thus, in today’s reading of Romans 15:17-6:2, we read, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin…” (OSB Romans 5:13). Yet this answer to the origin of sin depends on the translation and the perspective that accompanies it. Today we will sketch out the Eastern counter view to the Western teaching of how the sin of Adam affected humans. Yesterday, we read that…