Sunday

The week of the prodigal [in the pre-Lenten period] speaks of so much to us! It speaks about our peace and satisfaction in the house of the heavenly Father, about our mad departure from the Father’s guardianship to unbridled freedom, about the richness of the heritage given us despite our disobedience, about its reckless waste on all sorts of indecencies, and about our utter impoverishment as a result. But then it talks also about how one recovers his senses, and, coming to himself, decides to return to his greatly merciful Father. It talks about how he returns, how he is received lovingly, and is restored to his first state. Who will not find this lesson profitable? If you abide in your father’s house, do not strive for freedom. You see how a similar experience ended! If you have run away and are squandering all, end this quickly. If you have already squandered everything and are living in poverty, decide quickly to return—and then, return. There every indulgence, and all the former love and satisfaction, await you. This last step is the most necessary one. But there is no point in enlarging upon this. All has been said concisely and clearly. Come to your senses, decide to return, arise and hurry to the Father. His embrace is open and ready to receive you.   *(from St. Theophan)

This week…NO LISTED PRAYER…call to mind a different one each night from memory

Monday

*This week will be Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah/Jesus.

Isaiah 7
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel [God with Us].
15 Butter and honey He shall eat before He knows to prefer evil or choose the good,
16 for before the Child knows good or evil, He refuses the evil to choose the good; and the land [Syria and Ephraim] you fear because of the presence of the two kings will be abandoned.
Isaiah 11
10 “It shall come to pass in that day that there shall be a Root of Jesse who shall arise to rule nations. The Gentiles shall hope in Him, and His resting place shall be honorable.”
Isaiah 6
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. [Parables] (KJV)

PROPHECY OF HIS BIRTH

Tuesday

 

Isaiah 9
1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (KJV)
Isaiah 56
6 “I gave My back to whips, and My cheeks to blows; and I turned not away My face from the shame of spitting.
7 The Lord became My helper; therefore, I was not disgraced. But I made My face like a solid rock and knew I would not be ashamed.
Isaiah 53
1 O Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 We proclaimed His presence as a Child, as a Root in a thirsty land. He had no form or glory, and we saw Him; and He had no form or beauty.
3 But in comparison to all men, His form was lacking in honor. He was a man in suffering and knew how to bear sickness. His face was turned away, and He was dishonored and not esteemed.
4 He bears our sins and suffers for us, yet we considered Him to be in pain, suffering, and ill-treatment.
5 But He was wounded because of our lawlessness, and became sick because of our sins. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His bruise we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Man has gone astray in his way, and the Lord delivered Him over for our sins.
7 Although He was ill-treated, He opened not His mouth. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before his shearers , so He opens not His mouth.
8 In His humiliation His judgment was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth, and because of the lawlessness of My people He was led to death.
9 I will appoint evil men for His burial and rich men for His death, because He committed no lawlessness, nor was deceit found in His mouth.

PROPHECY OF THIS BRUTAL TREATMENT AT THE HANDS OF THE JEWS AND ROMAN SOLDIERS

 

Wednesday

 

Malachi 3
1 “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold , He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can withstand His appearance? For He enters like a refiner’s fire and as soap in one’s wash.
Isaiah 40
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God.
4 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill humbled; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places into plains.
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God; for the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 53
7 Although He was ill-treated, He opened not His mouth. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before his shearers , so He opens not His mouth.
8 In His humiliation His judgment was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth, and because of the lawlessness of My people He was led to death.
9 I will appoint evil men for His burial and rich men for His death, because He committed no lawlessness, nor was deceit found in His mouth.
Psalm 2
7 The Lord said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You;
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

PROHECY ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THEN CHRIST

Thursday

Psalm 69
21 My soul expected disgrace and trouble, And I waited for someone to sympathize with me; but no one was there, And for comforters, but I found not one.
22 They gave me gall for my food, And they gave me vinegar for my drink.
Zechariah 11
12 And I shall say to them, “If it is fitting in your judgment, give me my payment, or refuse it.” And they established my wage at thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said to me, “Drop them into the smelting furnace and see if it is proven, as in the same manner I was proven for their sake.” And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the smelting furnace in the house of the Lord.
Psalm 21/22
14 They opened their mouths against me Like a raging and roaring lion.
15 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are shattered; My heart is like wax, melting into my stomach.
16 My strength is dried up like an earthen vessel; My tongue cleaves to my throat; And You led me into the dust of death.
17 For many dogs surrounded me; An assembly of evildoers enclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.
18 I numbered all my bones, And they look and stare at me.
19 They divided my garments among themselves, And for my clothing they cast lots.
Zechariah 12
10 And I will pour the spirit of grace and compassion upon the house of David and those inhabiting Jerusalem, and they shall look upon Me whom they mocked, and they will mourn for Him as for a beloved one, and they shall grieve profoundly as for a firstborn son.

 

PROPHECY ABOUT THE BETRAYAL BY JUDAS AND EVENT SURROUNDING HIS CROSS

Friday

Troparion
O God of our Fat

Psalm 33/34
21 The Lord shall guard all their bones; Not one of them shall be broken.
Psalm 15/16
8 I saw the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart was glad, And my tongue rejoiced exceedingly; My flesh also shall dwell in hope.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades Nor allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 67/68
19 You ascended on high, You led captivity captive; You received gifts for mankind, Truly for the disobedient, so they may dwell there.
Psalm 109/110
1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies the footstool of Your feet.”

 

PROPHECY ABOUT CHRIST’S BONES NOT BEING BROKEN AND DESCENT INTO HADES AFTER DEATH TO LEAD THOSE HOLY SOULS TO HEAVEN.

Saturday

 

1 Corinthians 16
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
1 Corinthian 11
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; b this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

PAUL’S SUMMARY OF THE REALITY OF CHRIST IN THE CONSECRATED BREAD AND WINE AND HIS RESURRECTION.