Daily Reading:

Wednesday

LITURGY

2 Corinthians 13:3-13

Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you.

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Mark 4:35-41

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

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ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF THE BURNING BUSH
HOLY PROPHET MOSES THE LAW-GIVER AND SEER OF GOD
BABYLAS, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH, HIEROMARTYR

Troparion of the Mother of God Tone 1
The miracle that Moses saw on Sinai in the burning bush/ foretold thy Virgin Childbearing, O pure Virgin./ We faithful cry to thee: Rejoice truly living bush,/ rejoice holy mountain,/ rejoice sanctified place,/ most holy Mother of God.

Troparion of the Prophet Moses Tone 2
Thou didst ascend to the summit of virtues,/ O holy Prophet Moses./ Thou wast granted to see the glory of God,/ to receive the tablets of the Law,/ and to bear grace within thee./ Thou wast the joy of the Prophets/ and a guide to piety.

Troparion of Hieromartyr Babylas Tone 4
O Babylas husbandman of righteousness,/ thou didst cut down the thorns of error./ With the radiance of thy priesthood and reddened by the streams of thy blood/ thou wast presented to Christ crying out:/ Here am I and Thy children O Jesus: graciously receive us.

Kontakion of the Prophet Moses Tone 2
The company of the Prophets rejoices with Moses and Aaron;/ their prophecy is fulfilled/ as the Cross whereby Thou hast saved us shines forth./ Save our souls by their prayers, O Christ our God.

Kontakion of Hieromartyr Babylas Tone 4
Thou didst treasure in thine heart the mysteries of the faith/ without fearing the tyrant/ O Hieromartyr Babylas, servant of Christ, preserve us.

Thoughts of Despair

"...the devil, having failed in all his other schemes, tempts us with thoughts of despair: he tries to persuade us that in the past things were different and that the men through whom God performed wonders for the strengthening of the faith were not like us.

"He also tells us that there is now no need for such exertion. For are we not all of us Christians and all baptized? 'He who believes and is baptized is saved' (Mark 16:16). What more do we need?

"But if we succumb to this temptation and remain as we are, we will be completely barren. We will be Christians only in name, not realizing that he who has believed and been baptized must keep all Christ's commandments; and even when he has succeeded in doing this, he should say, 'I am a useless servant' (Luke 17:10), as the Lord told His apostles when he instructed them to carry out all He had laid down for them."

St. Peter of Damaskos

Sayings of the Holy Fathers:

"The same saint may say one thing about a certain matter today, and another tomorrow; and yet there is no contradiction, provided the hearer has knowledge and experience of the matter under discussion.

"Again, one saint may say one thing and another something different about the same passage of the Holy Scriptures, since divine grace often gives varying interpretations suited to the particular person or moment in question.

"The only thing required is that everything said or done should be said or done in accordance with God's intention, and that it should be attested by the words of Scripture.

"For should anyone preach anything contrary to God's intention or contrary to the nature of things, then even if he is an angel St. Paul's words, 'Let him be accursed' (Gal. 1:8), will apply to him."

St. Peter of Damaskos

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT TRAINING THE WILL

Showing that it is necessary to train the will is like proving that a hungry man needs bread or a sick man needs medicine: everyone knows that a strong will focused on attaining virtue helps a man in every step of life. The possessor of a strong will enters the kingdom of heaven much quicker than the spineless slave to passions and bad habits. The weak man, though, is easily charmed by evil, and having no weaponry, no will of his own, he falls helplessly into the nets of the enemy.

The man of weak will is often perfectly aware that he violates his conscience; nevertheless, he permits the poison of sin that rots his heart to draw him ever further into destruction. He knows that the demon standing before the gates of his heart strives to gain entrance and foul it, but he has not the strength to resist. He opens the gates, and falls victim to his own indolence.

The unclean spirits have devised a multitude of snares to entrap us, which we call passions. Their seeds are already planted in us at birth, for "...in sins did my mother bear me." They start their corrupting work from the earliest age, and once they gain foothold, are nearly impossible to shake. The battle must begin as soon as the passions appear. Our chief weapon in the fight is a strong, righteous will allied with God, and it is the duty of every Christian to train his will to be such a weapon. Such training is especially necessary in childhood, when habits are easily acquired, for an inclination towards pleasure acquired in youth will haunt a person his whole life.

When the soul-destroying passions are found in children, the sin lies on the shoulders of the parents who pay no attention to their children's activity and fail to correct them. Older people should explain the passions to youth and instruct them to be on guard. Unfortunately, the opposite usually happens, and the older generation is guilty of laying the seeds of sin in their offspring. For example, parents often go to great lengths to praise and reward their children, thereby teaching them vainglory, self-love, envy, and contentiousness. Likewise, instead of encouraging the natural innocence of youth, schools systematically teach pride and petty conceit, which couple with fallen human nature to asphyxiate the soul. The sin penetrates with great ease, because it is disguised as a virtue.

While directing one's attention to the spiritual in struggling with one's evil will one should not forget to what degree one should restrain oneself in the physical in order to strengthen one's will. Bodily discipline is just as important as spiritual discipline in training the will. The man who controls himself rises early, eats little, works hard, and uses his time wisely. In the absence of the above, the passions easily overcome a person and in a way become a part of his make up, with the whole person becoming a prey to one's weakened will.

It is very harmful if from one's youth one becomes attached to delicacies. He who has not developed a taste for them will have no need of them for the rest of his life. But the person who from his youth has been raised on delicacies will as an adult strive to continually satisfy his palate with special foods, drinks, or smoking.

All that is useful for the strengthening of the will in the struggle for good should be confirmed in youthful hearts. What St. Barlaam says to his disciple, the Prince Joasaph is instructive. He tells him that he himself is old and full of all kinds of vileness, and the pure teaching of Christ is conveyed into the still pure heart of the young Prince Joasaph.

Abba Dorotheus, the author of a famous treatise on virtue, pays special attention to small details in the work of strengthening our wills. Laziness spoils our life more than anything else. We are too lazy to stand in prayer, too lazy to do prostrations, too lazy to occupy ourselves with something useful. Sometimes we are too lazy to cross ourselves properly, or even to cross ourselves at all. A lack of control urges us to begin eating or drinking tea before the blessing. A lack of self control gives birth to the habit of interfering in other people's conversations. If one person calls out to another, a second and third head will turn around to see what is going on. Already a group of people are interested in what is being spoken about. People will come up to two people who are engaged in a private conversation with the questions, "Well, what's going on, what's happening here?" etc. Abba Dorotheus writes that the struggle with curiosity is one of the basics in training the will.

The battle against self-will is also vital. There are people who have such energy that they seem capable of moving mountains, but only if it does not interfere with their own will. They are unable to perform even a small task that does not fit their own ideas and they cannot bear the slightest interference in their own will. They are egotists who trust only in their own resources, and their will, although it externally seems powerful, is, in fact, weak and nil. They are like a tree that blossoms gorgeously in the spring but then bears no fruit. The self-centered person often performs great tasks; for example, producing monumental works of art, but he cannot humble himself before God, and brings forth no good fruit. A tree without fruit is useful only for firewood, as also a fruitless soul gives birth only to a heavy, depressed spirit.

The development of the will is a difficult but vital science, but if one seriously trains and instructs the will it will become a good helper in all good deeds and a faithful companion towards salvation. The person who has acquired a good and powerful will easily bears offenses and is wise in dealing with sorrows that come his way. The weak-willed person falls into excessive sorrow and depression. He forgets that help comes from God and seeks comfort in friends who like him are weak and spineless, in light-minded friends who can only cast him further into greater sorrow and depression.

The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who force themselves enter into it.

To Give One's Soul for One's Brother

"Two brothers went to market to sell the things they had made.

"The first fell into fornication as soon as he separated from his companion. He met his brother who said to him, 'My brother, let us go to our cell', but he replied, 'I am not going'.

"The other persisted, saying, 'My brother, why not?'

He said, 'Because when you had left me, I fell into fornication.' His brother, wishing to win him over, said to him, 'The same thing happened to me, too, when you left me; come, let us go and do strict penance and God will forgive us.'

"They went to tell the old men what had happened to them, and the old men gave them commandments for doing penance. Then one of the brothers did penance for the other as though he had sinned himself.

"But God, seeing the affliction he was giving himself for love's sake, made known to one of the old men, after some days, that because of the great love of the brother who had not sinned, he had forgiven the one who had sinned.

"See what it is to give one's soul for one's brother."

From the Desert Fathers.