The word of the day is “abound.”  Our relationships with others reflect the state of our souls.  If we have peace in our hearts, we will relate to others in peace. But if anger, worry, or confusion churn in our hearts, we will project this turmoil on others. In today’s reading of 2 Corinthians 4:6-15, Paul writes, “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” (OSB vs. 15).  Do grace and thanksgiving abound in our hearts?  Today we consider that we might become a haven of abounding grace and thanksgiving for those around us. This way, they will spread to everyone we meet and know. The Gospel in…
The word of the day is “stumble.” As we make the last preparations for our Lenten journey, we are conscious of our need for forgiveness and healing. But as we set out toward the goal of returning to the Lord, we are aware of the spiritual dangers and difficulties ahead. Therefore, we need to look to the God of grace to protect us from falling into the traps of the Evil One. In this respect, the teachings of today’s reading of Jude 1:11-25 are helpful. For instance, Jude 1:24 speaks about “Him who is able to keep you from stumbling…” (vs. 24).  Our reading suggests that we consider this Word as the divine assurance that the Lord will protect us…
The word of the day is “turn.” Today, the Orthodox observe a “little Lent” before Great Lent. No liturgy is celebrated today in the Orthodox Church, and there is no Gospel or Epistle reading but readings from Joel.  Other Christians are observing Ash Wednesday.  But whether today is a “Little Lent” or an Ash Wednesday, in our reading of Joel 2:12-26, we hear the urgent cry, “Turn to me with all your heart with fasting and wailing and with mourning…” (vs. 12). These stirring words admonish us to take the upcoming Lenten season with ultimate seriousness.  There is no time to delay. There is no more room for spiritual laxity. The prophet announces the time of grace and judgment has come…
The word of the day is “delivered.” Nowadays, the new takes precedence over the old. Most advertising claims that its products are “new,” “improved,” and “changed” for the better. Much of scholarship also offers what is novel.  It presumes that new discoveries, approaches, methods, and technologies will advance human knowledge and improve living standards. In theology, also, the quest to keep up with contemporary trends drives scholarly investigation.  At all costs, researchers and writers strive to avoid the fearful judgment that their work is irrelevant and out of touch with today’s world. Yet today, in our reading of Jude 1:1-10, we hear a warning against novelty in the teaching and understanding of the faith. The apostle writes, “I found it…
The word for today is truth. In our time, truth is under siege. Our society no longer understands it or seeks it. But in a world where accurate information is drowned in a sea of misinformation, truth is a casualty. But in our reading of 3 John 1:1-15, we hear the apostle commend the recipient of this personal letter for “walking in the truth” (vs. 3). The apostle writes, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (vs. 4). Truth in the New Testament Truth is a constant theme in the New Testament, but it has different connotations as an article on the vocabulary of “Truth” https://biblehub.com/topical/t/truth.htm) shows. In the synoptic Gospels, Jesus reinforces…
The words of the day are “brother and sister.”  We would expect that the reading for today would be fasting since this is Meatfare Sunday.  And true, the topic of our reading of 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2 is eating meat, the very thing that we will abstain from throughout Great Lent. However, our reading is about eating “meat offered to idols” in pagan temples. This is not our question but a question for the Gentiles in the Roman Empire. The reason we do not eat meat in Great Lent has to do with the disciplines of repentance and control of the passions.  It would seem that the passage, therefore, has no application to us in the 21st century. However, we might…
The word of the day is “lawful.” In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 10:23-28, St. Paul answers the question of eating meat once sacrificed to idols.  The apostle writes, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful” (vs. 23).  “All things are lawful…”?  Yes.  “For freedom, Christ has set us free” (Romans 13:9 CSB).  He has liberated us from the accusations, guilt, condemnation, and futile works of earning righteousness.  We are free of its control. And No.  The baptized have one overarching and all-encompassing commandment.  The Orthodox Study Bible comments, “Christians are obligated to obey only one law: the law of Christ, the law of love” (OSB fn. 1 Cor. 10:23-24). As the apostle says in Romans, “The…
The word of the day is “lose.” Scripture is full of instances of persons who lose something of great spiritual worth.  In today’s reading of 2 John 1:1-13, the Elder writes, “Look to yourself that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward” (vs. 8).  With this admonition, we hear the warning that we should be on guard against losing the doctrine, that is, the teachings on which our faith rests. What We Are In Danger of Losing What are we in danger of losing, according to our reading? We discover the answer when we consider that the Elder warns against the deceivers that are rising up against the faithful. Their threat to believers is…
When the Lord returns, what should we be doing? We might answer, “something religious that would show our piety.” But what should that be? Likewise, the Church has set aside the blessed time of Great Lent to concentrate on the “spiritual.” But what is “spiritual?” What qualifies as “spirituality?” What should be included in our Lenten “piety?” The parable of the Last Judgment we will hear next Sunday gives us a surprising and thought-provoking answer about a discipline that we might forget. It is the last of three parables in Chapter 25 of Matthew, which are set within Jesus’ prophecy of the tribulation at the end of the world (Chapter 24) and the plot of the religious authorities to kill…
The word of the day is “overcome.” At the Last Supper, on the night of His betrayal, the Lord Jesus assured His disciples of His victory over the world He would give Himself up to save.  He said, “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In our reading of 1 John 4:20-5:21, John echoes this reassurance: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith” (vs. 4). In today’s study, we learn the source and nature of tribulations and how faith overcomes them. Because the World Hates Us…