Daily Devotional for the Week of January 1
Sunday
Gospel is Mark 1:1-8 on the circumcision of Jesus on the 8th day after birth
ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE GOSPEL NOTES:
Because Christ has come to perfectly fulfill the Law, He receives circumcision under the Law…The rite of circumcision was not the covenant itself. It was a sign of the covenant. It was a temporary sign, because it applied only to Abraham’s genealogy, that is, to Abraham’s physical lineage, and also to those born in his house or bought with his money. Thus, the rite did not apply to the “many nations,” or Gentiles, to be made righteous by faith in the Gospel. Christ Himself fulfilled this rite and brought it to an end when He was circumcised on the eighth day after His birth from the Virgin.
Monday
At the time at which the Mother of God brought Her sacrifices and payment of indemnity to the temple, there was a pious “elder” named Simeon who was waiting for the “Consolation of Israel,” God’s promised Messiah, whose appearance would bring consolation to the Israelites (Isaiah 40:1). The Evangelist advises us only that Simeon was foretold by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until such time as he experienced the honor of seeing his expected “consolation”; that is, the Lord Christ. According to ancient tradition, Simeon was one of seventy-two erudite old men that were charged by the Egyptian King Ptolemais to translate holy books from the Jewish language into Greek. Given the Book of Isaiah to translate, Simeon became dubious when he came upon the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel from a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14). It was then that an Angel appeared to him and foretold that he would not die until his own eyes had witnessed the fulfillment of this prophecy.
At the time at which the Mother of God brought Her sacrifices and payment of indemnity to the temple, there was a pious “elder” named Simeon who was waiting for the “Consolation of Israel,” God’s promised Messiah, whose appearance would bring consolation to the Israelites (Isaiah 40:1). The Evangelist advises us only that Simeon was foretold by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until such time as he experienced the honor of seeing his expected “consolation”; that is, the Lord Christ. According to ancient tradition, Simeon was one of seventy-two erudite old men that were charged by the Egyptian King Ptolemais to translate holy books from the Jewish language into Greek. Given the Book of Isaiah to translate, Simeon became dubious when he came upon the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel from a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14). It was then that an Angel appeared to him and foretold that he would not die until his own eyes had witnessed the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Tuesday
Through the Holy Spirit’s prompting, he apparently came to the sacrificial altar in the temple and, upon seeing the Virgin Mary’s Infant, recognized Him as the Messiah-Christ. The old man (tradition has it that he was three-hundred years old) took Him in his arms and proclaimed the inspired prayer of gratitude for being able to witness, in the face of this Infant, the salvation that has been prepared for humanity. “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word,” exclaimed the elder. He was saying: From this moment, the tie that connected me to life has been severed, and You, Master, are releasing me from this life into a new life, “according to Your word,” through the prophecy given to me from You by Your Holy Spirit, “in peace,” with complete spiritual tranquility, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation,” the salvation promised by God through His Redeemer-Messiah, Whom I now have the great happiness to see before me — the salvation, “which you have prepared before the face of all peoples,” not only for Jews but also for all peoples. This salvation is “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel,” as coming out of its midst. Joseph and the Mother of the Divine Child probably marveled that everywhere they found people to whom God had revealed the secret of this Child.
Through the Holy Spirit’s prompting, he apparently came to the sacrificial altar in the temple and, upon seeing the Virgin Mary’s Infant, recognized Him as the Messiah-Christ. The old man (tradition has it that he was three-hundred years old) took Him in his arms and proclaimed the inspired prayer of gratitude for being able to witness, in the face of this Infant, the salvation that has been prepared for humanity. “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word,” exclaimed the elder. He was saying: From this moment, the tie that connected me to life has been severed, and You, Master, are releasing me from this life into a new life, “according to Your word,” through the prophecy given to me from You by Your Holy Spirit, “in peace,” with complete spiritual tranquility, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation,” the salvation promised by God through His Redeemer-Messiah, Whom I now have the great happiness to see before me — the salvation, “which you have prepared before the face of all peoples,” not only for Jews but also for all peoples. This salvation is “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel,” as coming out of its midst. Joseph and the Mother of the Divine Child probably marveled that everywhere they found people to whom God had revealed the secret of this Child.
Wednesday
Returning the Child to His Mother and blessing Her and Joseph, Simeon — by right of a profound elder on whom the Holy Spirit rested — foretells in a prophetic enlightenment that this Infant will be the subject of arguments and disputes between His followers and His enemies: “That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Depending on the diverse relationships of people toward this Infant, their true nature will be revealed, the disposition of their souls: Those who love the truth and strive to fulfill God’s will, will believe in Christ, while those who love evil and deeds of darkness will hate Christ and, in order to justify their malice, will slander Him in every way. This, in reality, took place in the figures of scribes and Pharisees and continues to be enacted in the form of all godless individuals and Christ-haters. For those who believe in Him, He stands “for arising,” or for eternal salvation, and for the disbelievers — “for falling,” or for their eternal condemnation, for eternal perdition. Simeon spiritually foresees those sufferings by the Blessed Virgin for Her Divine Son: “yes, a sword will pierce through Your own heart also.”
Returning the Child to His Mother and blessing Her and Joseph, Simeon — by right of a profound elder on whom the Holy Spirit rested — foretells in a prophetic enlightenment that this Infant will be the subject of arguments and disputes between His followers and His enemies: “That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Depending on the diverse relationships of people toward this Infant, their true nature will be revealed, the disposition of their souls: Those who love the truth and strive to fulfill God’s will, will believe in Christ, while those who love evil and deeds of darkness will hate Christ and, in order to justify their malice, will slander Him in every way. This, in reality, took place in the figures of scribes and Pharisees and continues to be enacted in the form of all godless individuals and Christ-haters. For those who believe in Him, He stands “for arising,” or for eternal salvation, and for the disbelievers — “for falling,” or for their eternal condemnation, for eternal perdition. Simeon spiritually foresees those sufferings by the Blessed Virgin for Her Divine Son: “yes, a sword will pierce through Your own heart also.”
Thursday
Present at the time was a woman named Anna, “daughter of Phanuel.” Because she was moved by especial actions of the Holy Spirit and because she possessed the gift of inspired speech, the Evangelist calls her a prophetess. Evidently, the Evangelist praises her as an upright widow, who devoted herself to God after living with her husband for just seven years. Having reached eighty-four years of age and not departing from the temple, she “served God with fasting and prayers night and day.” Like Simeon, she too praised the Lord and, apparently in a state of prophetic inspiration, repeated approximately the same words uttered by Simeon to everyone anticipating the liberation of Jerusalem, to those awaiting the coming of the Messiah.
Present at the time was a woman named Anna, “daughter of Phanuel.” Because she was moved by especial actions of the Holy Spirit and because she possessed the gift of inspired speech, the Evangelist calls her a prophetess. Evidently, the Evangelist praises her as an upright widow, who devoted herself to God after living with her husband for just seven years. Having reached eighty-four years of age and not departing from the temple, she “served God with fasting and prayers night and day.” Like Simeon, she too praised the Lord and, apparently in a state of prophetic inspiration, repeated approximately the same words uttered by Simeon to everyone anticipating the liberation of Jerusalem, to those awaiting the coming of the Messiah.
Friday
*This is the Feast of the Theophany…the baptism of the Lord that took place when he was 30 years old.
*This is the Feast of the Theophany…the baptism of the Lord that took place when he was 30 years old.
When Christ was born in “Bethlehem of Judea,” the Magi arrived in Jerusalem from the East. It is named here as Judean Bethlehem because there was another Bethlehem, in Galilee, in the region of Zebulun. The Magi who came to adore Christ were not those who are usually associated with this name, not sorcerers or wizards that create illusory miracles, calling up the spirits and interrogating the dead (Exodus 7:11, Deuteronomy 18:11), who are condemned by the Word of God. These were highly learned individuals possessing great knowledge, over whom Daniel presided in the land of Babylon (Daniel 2:48). They judged the future by the stars and studied the mysterious powers of nature. Such wise men were highly revered in Babylon and Persia, as they used to be priests and advisers to kings. The Evangelist says that they came “from the East,” not naming from which specific country. One proposition suggests this country was Arabia; another, Persia, and a third, Chaldea. However, the word used in the Gospel, “magos” is Persian, making it more than likely that they came from Persia or from a country forming part of the former Babylonian kingdom. There, during the Jews’ seventy-year bondage, the forefathers of these Magi may have heard from the Jews that they were waiting for a Great King, a Redeemer, Who will conquer the whole world. Also, the prophet Daniel lived there, having predicted the time of the coming of this Great King, and the tradition of the prophecy of the magus Balaam may have been preserved there, that there shall come forth a star from Jacob (Numbers 24:17).
Saturday
The study of stars in the heavens was one of the major occupations of the Persian wise men, and the Lord summoned them through the appearance of an extraordinary star to adore the Newborn Savior of the world. At the time in the East, there was a widely spread belief that the Lord of the world would appear in Judea, to Whom adoration would be fitting from all peoples. That is why, upon arriving in Jerusalem, the Magi confidently inquire: “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews?” These words alarmed Herod the Great, as he himself had no legal right to the Judean throne, was an Idumean, and, being a tyrant, aroused hatred from his subjects. All of Jerusalem became alarmed with him because it was afraid of new repressive measures from Herod, who was agitated by the extraordinary news.
The study of stars in the heavens was one of the major occupations of the Persian wise men, and the Lord summoned them through the appearance of an extraordinary star to adore the Newborn Savior of the world. At the time in the East, there was a widely spread belief that the Lord of the world would appear in Judea, to Whom adoration would be fitting from all peoples. That is why, upon arriving in Jerusalem, the Magi confidently inquire: “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews?” These words alarmed Herod the Great, as he himself had no legal right to the Judean throne, was an Idumean, and, being a tyrant, aroused hatred from his subjects. All of Jerusalem became alarmed with him because it was afraid of new repressive measures from Herod, who was agitated by the extraordinary news.