Sunday

From [the third – last week] Sunday on, the lessons from the Epistle to the Hebrews begin to reveal to us the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice by which we are given access “into the inner shrine behind the curtain,” i.e., into the holy of holies of God’s Kingdom (cf. Third Sunday, Heb. 4:14-5:6; Fourth Sunday, Heb. 6:13-20; and Fifth Sunday, Heb. 9:11-14) the lessons from the Gospel of St. Mark announce the voluntary Passion of Christ.

Excerpts from the Gospel reading:
“And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”  So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”  Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
Observation:  the efforts of the disciples parallel that of catechumens and modern believers who are struggling with their fasting and other efforts in Lent.  Just as the disciples could not cast out the demon but had to depend on Christ, we are reminded that we can only have success with Christ’s help and His Sacrifice on the Cross.

Monday

“The most important thing is to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. This should be our first and main concern. The rest will be provided for us.  If we forget this, then our time here on earth and our lives will be wasted. But if we remain alert and prepare for the next life, then our lives here on earth will have meaning. When we think about the life to come, things begin to look different.”
(Elder St. Paisios in ‘With Pain and Love’)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Tuesday

“Turn your mind towards Him continually. Learn to love prayer, familiar converse with the Lord. What counts above all is love, passionate love for the Lord, for Christ the Bridegroom. Become worthy of Christ’s love. In order not to live in darkness, turn on the switch of prayer so that divine light may flood your soul. Christ will appear in the depths of your being. There, in the deepest and most inward part, is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within you.”
(Elder Porpyrios in ‘Wounded by Love’)

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 

Wednesday

“When we read a short but powerful chapter from the Gospel or a passage from the Gerontikon,1 our minds are transported to the spiritual realm and do not leave. You see, the mind is like a lively child, running about in constant play. Entice it with spiritual candy, and it will not run away anymore.”
(Elder St. Paisios in ‘With Pain and Love’)

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Thursday

“So, struggle and be patient. Do not grow weary. Do not turn back…You will regain your strength and then return once again to struggle. The struggle lasts for life, and the tempter, wherever you are, wherever you go, is beside you.”
(Elder Joseph the Hesychast in ‘Monastic Wisdom’)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Friday

“Prayer sheds light, and this light shows the right path which God wills. The prayer should be said without flagging; by praying thus you will remain invulnerable on all sides. When you find yourselves in a state of passionate thoughts resume the prayer eagerly and assiduously, and immediately you will find relief. Hold on to the Jesus prayer steadfastly.”
(Elder Ephraim of Arizona in ‘Counsels from the Holy Mountain’)

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Saturday

“As the most effective prayer the Church Fathers use the short  phrase, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ This prayer is the key to  the spiritual life. It is a prayer that cannot be taught either by books or by spiritual fathers or by anyone else. Its sole teacher is divine grace.”
(Elder Porpyrios in ‘Wounded by Love’)

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”