So we're reading an Orthodox Calendar, with daily lives of saints, the usual daily reading, and we just started working on the Orthodox Study Bible in a year. This is what we read today:
Quote
The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies.
~St. Silouan the Athonite
Daily Readings:
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldire. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Chrust, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildore, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
2 Timothy 2:1-10
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My belived Son, in whim I am well pleased."
Immediately, the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying. "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1: 9-15
Martyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia
He was from noble lineage in sixteenth-century Moscow. Philip's father prepared him for government service and Great Prince Basil, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought him into the court. Philip's pious mother, who later became a nun, planted in Philip's soul faith and piety. Young Prince Ivan was devoted to Philip, but Philip saw the vanity and sinfulness of court life and left to live as a shepherd.
He entered a monastery and accepted the most difficult jobs. He was the first in church and the last to leave. He also spent much time alone in the wilderness. Philip was made the abbot of the Solovki Monastery, and it experienced a spiritual revival and many new churches were added.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible finally convinced Phillip to become the Metropolitan of Moscow and to be his counselor. Then, Ivan created a group of henchmen who dressed like monastics and attended services from four to ten a.m. each day. However, by day, they spread a terrible oppression throughout Russia. They were murderers and profiteers, spilling blood everywhere in waves of executions.
In 1568, on the Sunday of the Elevation of the Cross, the tsar and his secret police entered the cathedral, but Philip would not bless them because of the atrocities they committed. Ivan reacted violently. Philip was put on trial, and teh false witnesses included his former disciples and novices who accused him of sorcery. He was sentenced to life in prison and placed in heavy chains. One year later, he was murdered.
Old Testament
In the beginning, God made heaven and earth. The earth was invisible and unfinished; and darness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water. Then God said, "Let there be light;" and there was light. God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day; the darkness he called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.
Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water;" and it was so. Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament, and God divided the water above the firmament. So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day.
Then God said, "ket the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and teh dry land appeared. So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, "let the earth bring froth the herb of grass, bearing seed according its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth." It was so. Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on eart. God saw that it was good. So evening and morning were the third day.
The God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven for the illumination to divide the day from night. Let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Let them be for illumination in the firmament of heaven to give light on earth." It was so. Then God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the starts also. God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. So evening and morning were the fourth day.
Then God said, "Let the waters bring forth creatures having life, and let birds fly above the earth across teh face of heaven's firmament." It was so. Thus God made great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on earth." So evening and morning were the fifth day.
The God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: the quadrupeds, the creeping things, and teh wild animals of the earth according to their kind." It was so. So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things on earth according to their kind. God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make ma in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth. So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them. Then God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be Fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that sows seed on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. I also give every green plant as food for all the wild animals of the earth, for all the birds of heaven, and for everything that creeps on the earth in which is the breath of life. It was so. Then God saw everything He made, and indeed, it was very good. So evening and morning were the sixth day.
Thus heaven and earth and all their adornment were finished. And on the seventh day God finished the works He made, and He rested on the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works God began to make.
This is the book of the genesis of heaven and earth when they were made, in the day the Lord God made heaven and earth, before any plant of the field was on earth and before any herb of the field sprang up. For God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a fountain came up from the ground and watered the whole face of the earth. Then God formed man out of dust from the ground, and breathed into his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Then the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man He formed. Besides this, God caused every tree beautiful to the sight and good for food to grow from the ground. Also, in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated into four heads. The name of the first is Pishon. It circles all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. The carbuncle and the emerald are there as well. The name of the second river is Gihon. It circles all the land of Ethiopia. The name of the third river is Tigris. It flows over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
And the Lord God took the man He formed and put him in the garden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, "You mat eat food from every tree in the garden; but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death."
And the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him. Also, God formed out of the ground all the wild animals of the field and all the birds of heaven, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Thus, whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all the cattle, to all the birds of heaven, and to all the wild animals of the field. But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable to him. Thus God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept; and He took on of his ribs, and filled up the flesh in its place. Then the Lord God built the rib He took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to him. So Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined with his wife; and the two shall become one flesh." Now the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more cunning than all the wild animals the Lord God made on the earth. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'you shall not eat from every tree of the garden?'" And the woman said to the serpent. "We may eat from the trees of the garden; but from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You shall not die by death. For God knows in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw the tree was good for food, was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate, she took its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves within the tree in the middle of the garden from the presence of the Lord God. So the Lord God called Adam and said to him, "Adam, where are you?" He replied, "I heard Your voice as You were walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." This He said, "Who said you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree from which I commanded you not to eat?" Then Adam said, "The woman You gave me, gave me of the tree, and I ate." So the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said "The serpent deceived me and I ate." Thus the Lord God said the the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the cattle, and more than all the wild animals of the earth. On your breast and belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall be on guard for His heel.
To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain and your groaning, and in pain you shall bring forth children. Your recourse will be to your husband, and he shall rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the one tree of which I commanded you saying, 'You shall not eat from it,' cursed is the ground in your labors. In toil you shall eat from it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground from which you were taken. Earth you are, and to earth you shall return." So Adam called his wife's name Life (Eve) because she was the mother of all living.
Also for Adam and his wife, the Lord God made garments of skin, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. Now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever -" therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of pleasure to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he cast out Adam, and made him dwell opposite the garden of pleasure. He then stationed the cherubim and the fiery sword which turns every way to guard the way to the tree of life"
Genesis 1-3, SAAS
Psalm
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome,
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by streams of waters
That produces its fruit in its season;
And his leaf shall not wither,
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Not so are the ungodly, not so,
But they are like the dust the wind drives from the face of the earth.
Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the judgement
Nor sinners in the counsel of the righeous;
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1 SAAS
Proverb
The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, who reigned in Israel.
To know wisdom and instruction,
And to understand words of discernment;
To receive both subtlety of words,
And to understand true righteousness and upright judgement;
So as to give astuteness to the simple,
And both perception and understanding to a young man;
For a wise man who hears these things will be wiser,
And the man of understanding will gain direction.
Proverbs 1:1-5, SAAS
New Testament
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Matthew 1, NKJV
More Good Stuff
Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughs and can have neither peace nor tranquility.
~Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
from: Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives
But WHAT did you do today??
AJ did well today, if a little off. Being out of school for close to three weeks will definitely make things interesting. Makes me wonder if "summer vacation" is the brightest of ideas, really. But really, he did well. He got through a unit of phonics and one of language arts. He also did well in maths. We spent that lesson learning how to tell time on an analog clock (because those are EVERYWHERE these days, right? But, like the art of letter writing and cursive script, HE WILL KNOW IT! Rawr!! Mombeast has spoken!!!)
I....
Well, I didn't do much. Frankly, I spent the early part of the day recovering from the crippling migraine that had me completely bedridden yesterday. I am not sure, frankly, how I managed to stand up and MAKE fish tacos, much less eat one (though, I admit, I was pretty ill afterward. Note to self: when your body says "no, thanks, just some ginger ale, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, FIND SOME GINGER ALE!) I switched the laundry. I even did some mending. Mind, I haven't PUT AWAY the laundry yet, but at least I washed a new load. That's something right? I mended my beloved pink fuzzy flannel jammie pants that ripped pretty magnificently the day after Christmas. I kept the dishes caught up and the counters clean. PROGRESS!
For dinner, I made "big boy" peas, turnip greens, stewed tomatoes, and brown rice. It's not as epic as it sounds. My parents grow most of these in their garden, and can or freeze them at home. I'd say I helped with that part, but that would be lying, and I am being honest here. I helped with the eating of them like a woman possessed though. I love beans-n-greens night!!
I promise, I am going to EITHER work on an expository essay about the benefits of exercise for obese people (ignoring the results of my paper, of course, but promising to get out, seriously, tomorrow, no really, and walk the dogs then do some yoga. In the morning. Or the afternoon. Really. Seriously. Maybe.) or I will put away laundry. Either that or I will find some REALLY GOOD EXCUSE to do neither. Like, you know, honestly, I don't have a tablecloth on the table yet, and I KNOW it's in one of these boxes over here.... Also, the Christmas decorations have come DOWN, but they haven't actually been put in the storage room yet. I could do that. That sounds WAY more fun than the paper that is due on Friday or the folding of laundry.
Or I could sleep. But let's face it. I probably won't do that yet either.
Thanks for stopping by. Kudos if you read any of this. Yes, I typed it all out by hand, the old fashioned way. Because, frankly, it seemed like a good idea at the time. :)
Pray for us, if you think about it.
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