Sunday

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Saint Focus:  January 30 is the commemoration of Sts Basil, John Chrysotom and Gregory the Theologian.  At the time of the feast groups ‘supporting’ each saint argued as to who was the ‘holiest’.  A supernatural vision to have a combined Feast showed all that they are unique but equal in God’s eyes.   If you need a practical way to identify who’s  who on the standard icon (that my have Greek or Russian lettering) remember just like his Liturgy St. Basil’s beard is long and St. John’s is short.

Monday
**Practical Commentary

(About 2400 B. C.) [Gen. 5–7]

ADAM lived nine hundred and thirty years. He had many sons and daughters to whom he announced the law of God and the coming of the Redeemer. His immediate descendants also lived to a very great age. Mathusala, the oldest of them, lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years. The people became very numerous. Some were herdsmen and lived in tents; others built cities and became mechanics and musicians. The descendants of the pious Seth, whom God had given to Adam instead of Abel, were good, feared God, and hence were called the children of God. The descendants of Cain, however, turned away from God, were wicked, and were called the children of men.

Henoch, one of the children of God, was noted for his faith and piety, and was taken up alive to heaven. Unhappily, the children of God began to associate with the children of men, and soon they themselves became wicked. Then God said: “My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

“And seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, God repented that He had made man on earth, and He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth.”

But among these wicked men there was one just and virtuous man, who was called Noe. Noe found favour with the Lord, and the Lord said to him: “Make thee an ark of timber-planks; thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with bitumen. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, and the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and a door in its side; and thou shalt divide the ark into lower, middle, and third stories. Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life. But I will establish my covenant with thee. Thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife and the wives of thy sons with thee. And of every living creature, of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark that they may live with thee. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food which may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee.”

Noe did all that the Lord had commanded him to do. He spent a hundred years in building the ark (Fig. 2), during which time he preached penance to the people. But men heeded not the warning. They ate, drank, and were married just as before, without a thought of the terrible punishment that was to come upon them. Then the Lord said to Noe: “Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark; and after seven days I will cause rain to fall upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.” Noe entered into the ark, with all his family, taking with him all the beasts that the Lord had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in on the outside.  And when the seven days were passed, the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened, and the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. The waters continued to increase till they rose fifteen cubits above the highest mountains. Thus every living being was destroyed, that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, of cattle, of beasts, and all men. Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark.

Tuesday

Application from Noah…

You became children of God by holy Baptism. Have you always lived as such? Have you always prayed willingly and devoutly, and hated sin? Think very often about God, who is everywhere, and sees into your hearts. Henoch took delight in meditating about God. Wherever he went, and whatever he was doing, he had God before his eyes. Each time to-day that you hear the clock strike, or the bell ring, make short acts of faith, hope and charity.

The children of God became corrupt, because they mixed with the children of the world. Man, being naturally inclined to evil, follows bad example very easily. “Evil communications corrupt good manners.” One bad apple taints a hundred sound ones, but a hundred sound apples cannot make the bad one good again. Beware, in future, of bad companions. They are not true friends, but the enemies of your soul. Seek the company of pious, God-fearing people. “My son, if sinners shall entice thee, consent not to them” (Prov. 1:10).

Noe’s preaching was all in vain, because the frivolous people heard him indeed with their ears, but did not take to heart what he said. In what way do you listen to sermons and instructions?

Noe feared God, but did not fear the impious world. Very often you fear men more than God. Have you never been ashamed to make the sign of the cross, or to kneel down to say your prayers, or to take holy water? Do not ever again be so cowardly! Pay no attention to the scoffs of bad people, but be strong, and fearlessly confess your faith! Pray earnestly to God the Holy Ghost for the gifts of fortitude and holy fear!

Wednesday

[Gen. 8–10]

NOW God remembered Noe and all that was in the ark, and He sent a wind upon the earth. This moved the waters, and after a hundred and fifty days they began to abate. At length, the ark rested upon a mountain in Armenia, called Mount Ararat, and the tops of the hills began to appear. Noe perceived this with great joy, for he had been now three hundred and fifty days shut up in the ark.

In order to see whether the waters had subsided on the earth, he opened the window and sent forth a raven which did not return. He next sent forth a dove, but she, not finding a spot whereon to rest her foot, returned to the ark. After seven days he again sent forth the dove. She came back to him, in the evening, carrying in her mouth a bough of an olive-tree with green leaves (Fig. 3). Noe therefore, Understood that the waters had abated from off the face of the earth. He stayed in the ark yet other seven days, and he sent forth the dove again, which did not return to him.

God then said to Noe: “Go out of the ark.” So Noe went out of the ark with his wife, his sons and their wives, together with all the living creatures which he had placed in it. Filled with gratitude towards the Lord who had so wonderfully preserved him, he built an altar to the Lord and offered on it a sacrifice of clean animals. The sacrifice of Noe was pleasing to the Lord. He blessed Noe and his sons, and said to them: “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth.” God made a covenant with Noe that He would never again destroy the earth with water. The rainbow, which we see in the clouds, is the sign of this covenant between God and the earth.

The sons of Noe were Sem, Cham and Japhet. Now Noe began to cultivate the earth. He planted a vineyard, and, drinking of the wine, he fell asleep, and was uncovered in his tent. Cham, seeing his father thus exposed, spoke of it in a jesting way to his brothers. They, however, filled with a chaste and holy fear, put a cloak upon their shoulders, and, going backwards so as not to look upon him where he lay, covered their father’s nakedness. And Noe, awaking and hearing what had happened, said: “Cursed be Chanaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” But he blessed Sem and Japhet.

Say a hearty “Deo gratias” (thanks be to God) whenever you have escaped a danger or received a blessing or succeeded in some undertaking. As Noe’s first act on leaving the ark was one of thanksgiving, so let your first act, when you wake in the morning, be one of thanksgiving.

Noe was saved in the ark on account of his justice. What have you done to deserve being received into the one ark of salvation, the Church, almost as soon as you were born? Thank God very often for having made you a member of the one true Church. There is, says St Augustine, no greater treasure than the…faith.

Cham’s conduct was very wrong. Would it not be wrong of you to look at anything indecent? Be on your guard, therefore, against curious looks, and be modest in dressing and undressing. Honour your father and your mother. Do not despise them even if they have faults

Thursday

[Gen. 11:1–9]

THE descendants of Noe soon multiplied, and again became as wicked as men had been before the Deluge. Now they were unable to live together any longer, and they said: “Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous, before we be scattered abroad in all lands.” But God frustrated their foolish design. He said: “Let Us confound their tongue that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Till then there had been but one language spoken amongst men. So the Lord scattered them from that place into all the lands, and they ceased to build the city. Therefore, the city was called Babel, which signifies confusion, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded.

The children of Sem remained in Asia, and from them descended the Israelites, the chosen people of God, Most of the descendants of Cham settled in Africa, while those of Japhet took up their abode in Europe. Thus were different nations founded. The more men multiplied on the earth, the more wicked they became. Their sins darkened their heart and mind, and thus they lost the true knowledge of God, and fell into idolatry. They began to adore a multitude of false gods. Some worshipped the sun, moon and stars, others worshipped men and beasts, and even the works of their own hands. To these false divinities even human victims were offered, and sometimes innocent children, who were made to endure the most cruel torments. God left them to go their own way.

APPLICATION. There are still on this earth 800,000,000 heathens who do not know God and His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Pray earnestly for the conversion of the heathens.  Your forefathers, too, were heathens, and were converted by missionaries sent by the Holy See. Thank God for your holy faith, and confess it by word and deed. Pray fervently to the Holy Ghost to keep you and yours firm in the light of the faith.

Friday

[Gen. 12:1–9]

AMONGST the wicked there was one just and upright man. He was called Abram. The Lord chose him in order that through him and his posterity the true faith and hope in the promised Redeemer might be preserved and propagated on the earth. He said to him: “Go forth out of thy country and from thy kindred, and out of thy father’s house, and come into the land which I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed, and in thee shall all the nations of the world be blessed.”

The father of Abram had gone from Ur in Chaldea, and taken up his abode in Haran, with his relatives; but as idolatry had at last made its way even into that family, the Lord called ‘Abram forth from amongst his kindred. Abram believed the word of the Lord, and instantly set out for Chanaan, taking with him Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his nephew, and his servants and his herds of cattle. After a long journey, he arrived in the land of Chanaan, and came to Sichem (Fig. 5). He was then seventy-five years old. Chanaan, on account of its beauty and fertility, was called a land flowing with milk and honey. There the Lord appeared again to Abram and said to him: “To thy seed will I give this land.” Henceforth Chanaan was also called the Promised Land. Abram, wishing to show his gratitude, raised in that place an altar to the Lord.

APPLICATION. God has not asked of you anything so hard as He asked of Abram; and yet how often you disobey Him! Whenever you tell lies, or fly into a passion, or neglect your prayers, or do not do as your parents tell you, you are disobeying God. Be sorry for your disobedience, and when you say your morning prayers, make a resolution to obey promptly and cheerfully those who are set over you.

Having a firm faith, Abram trusted himself cheerfully to the guidance of divine Providence. A childlike confidence in the Providence of our Heavenly Father is a great support and comfort to us in all the circumstances of our lives. Unhappy he who has not got this confidence! We do not know what will happen to us in the future; but we do know that our Father in heaven cares for us, and that not a sparrow can fall to the ground without His knowledge and consent. So whatever happens to you, say: “Whatever God does, is well done, even though I cannot understand it.” Say constantly: “God’s will be done!” “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

Saturday

[Gen. 14:1–24]

GOD blessed Abram and increased his herds and those of Lot in such a manner that the pasture in that country was not sufficient for them. On this account a strife arose between the herdsmen of Abram and those of Lot. And Abram said to Lot: “Let there be no quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are brethren. Behold, the whole land is before thee: depart from me, I beseech thee. If thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right; if thou choose the right hand, I will pass to the left.” Lot chose the fertile country about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom. Abram dwelt in Hebron, and built there an altar to the Lord.

Some time after this, strange kings, having come into the land, began to rob and plunder the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, took Lot captive, and seized all his substance. As soon as Abram heard that Lot had been taken captive, he, with three hundred and eighteen well-armed men, his servants, pursued the kings, overtook them, rescued Lot from their hands, and brought him back with all his possessions. As Abram returned victorious, Melchisedech, king of Salem, and the king of Sodom went out to meet him. Melchisedech, being a priest of the Most High, offered to the Lord a sacrifice of bread and wine, as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for Abram and his servants. He blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, by whose protection the enemies are in thy hands.” Abram gave him the tithes of the booty. The king of Sodom then said to Abram: “Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself.” But Abram would accept of no reward.

APPLICATION. Do you love peace as Abram did? What is the principal reason why you quarrel with other children? Try to be more unselfish. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Ps. 132:1). If you have hitherto been quarrelsome, check that evil habit as soon as possible.

Abram gave tithes of his spoils to Melchisedech, because he was a priest. Reverence the priesthood. Priests are the messengers of God.