Sunday<\/p>\n
Galatians 1:3-10<\/p>\n
3\u00a0<\/sup>Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, <\/span> 4\u00a0<\/sup>who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, <\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>to whom be<\/i> glory forever and ever. Amen.<\/span>l<\/span><\/p>\n 6\u00a0<\/sup>I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, <\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a<\/a>]<\/sup> the gospel of Christ. <\/span> 8\u00a0<\/sup>But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b<\/a>]<\/sup>accursed. <\/span> 9\u00a0<\/sup>As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.<\/span><\/p>\n 10\u00a0<\/sup>For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n In the Book of Leviticus and detailed further in Deuteronomy 12\u2013 26, the Lord commands Moses to institute a comprehensive system of ritual sacrifices to be offered by the priests on behalf of the people of God, thus giving the Hebrews a means to be reconciled with God and to restore harmony amongst themselves, relationships disrupted by sin. The word \u201csacrifice\u201d means to make holy or sacred. These sacrifices and offerings\u2014 offered first at the tabernacle and later in the temple\u2014 were basically of two types: animal (cattle, sheep, goats, doves) and vegetable (wheat, barley, olive oil, wine, cereal, frankincense). The offerings were types prefiguring a greater reality to be fulfilled in the coming Incarnation of Christ. The Old Covenant In the Old Testament animal sacrifices, the blood shed and poured out represented the life-force of the animal offered to God (Gn 9: 4; Lv 17: 11; Dt 12: 23). The animal was more than simply a substitute for the worshiper. There was also identification between the animal sacrificed and the one on whose behalf it was offered, explaining the emphasis in the Old Testament on the blood of the sacrifice (Ex 12: 13; 24: 4\u2013 8; 29: 15\u2013 21; 30: 1\u2013 10; Lv 14: 24, 25; Nm 19: 1\u2013 4). These sacrifices point to the blood of Christ in the New Testament: \u201cMy blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins\u201d\u00a0\u00a0On the Day of Atonement, the preeminent Old Testament sacrifice was made. It was to atone for all the sins the nation of Israel had committed that year (Lv 16: 2\u2013 34). The ceremony included (1) animal sacrifices as offerings for sins, and (2) the placing of \u201call the transgressions of the children of Israel \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0 on the head of the living kid\u201d\u2014 the scapegoat\u2014 which was then driven off into the wilderness (Lv 16: 21). This event prefigures the once-for-all self-sacrifice of Christ, our great High Priest (Heb 4: 14\u2013 5: 10; 10: 19\u2013 22), who takes upon Himself all the sins of all humanity (Is 53: 11, 12; Jn 1: 29; 2Co 5: 21; 1Pt 2: 24), tramples down death by His voluntary Death on the cross, and thereby reconciles us to God (Is 53: 5; Gal 3: 13, 14; Col 1: 13, 14; Tts 2: 13, 14; 1Pt 3: 18).<\/p>\n Tuesday<\/p>\n Christ\u2019s once-for-all offering of Himself is for all people for all time, and supersedes the Mosaic sacrificial system. Accordingly, the mystery of the eucharistic service, accomplished within the Divine Liturgy of the Church, is done \u201cin remembrance\u201d of Christ\u2019s sacrifice (Lk 22: 19) and is a \u201creasonable and bloodless sacrifice\u201d to be understood as our sacrifice-offering to God\u2014\u201c a mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.\u201d In the Divine Liturgy, instead of an animal or grain offering, we offer the Body and Blood of Christ to God. In a mystery known only to God, we thereby participate in the very Body and Blood of Christ offered once for all. And in this substantial union between Christ\u2014 the One sacrificed\u2014 and the\u00a0worshiper, we come to more fully understand how we are united to Christ in our baptism and nurtured in our union with Christ by the eucharistic offering. The Church prays, \u201cThine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all.\u201d Offering sacrifices never exempted the Hebrews from the duty to live prayerfully and morally (Pr 15: 8, 9). Moreover, Old Testament prophets stood against empty ritual and vain sacrifice (1Kg 15: 22; Pss 49: 7\u2013 15; 50: 15\u2013 17; Is 1: 1\u2013 20; Hos 6: 6; Am 5: 9\u2013 27; Mic 6: 1\u2013 8). Hence, the Mosaic sacrificial system not only prefigures Christ\u2019s own sacrifice, but also points to the pouring out of ourselves in self-sacrificial service as detailed in Romans 12: 1 and 1 Peter 2: 5.<\/p>\n Wednesday<\/p>\n Offerings were gifts in order to gain the grace of the one to whom the gift was offered (Gn 32: 13\u2013 21). So it was imperative that the offering be acceptable to the one receiving it. Likewise in Leviticus, gifts acceptable to God were carefully prescribed to Israel. The grain offering of cultivated wheat milled into fine flour was offered as the fruit of the people\u2019s labor. As the animals offered were not wild but domestic, so wild grains were not offered. The grain offering pictures Christ as the totally acceptable grain offering to God\u2014 He who offers all His works as an acceptable offering to the Father. In Jn 12: 24, He says of Himself, \u201cMost assuredly, I say to you,\u00a0unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.\u201d Jesus Himself is the grain of wheat that died and rose again as man\u2019s true spiritual food\u2014 the living bread that came down out of heaven to give life to the world (Jn 6: 41\u2013 51). The grain offering also pictures the faithful of the Church who offer to God for His blessing the works of their hands as co-laborers with Him. As St. Paul wrote, \u201cWe are God\u2019s fellow workers\u201d (1Co 3: 9). Oil added to the flour typifies the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ offered Himself to the Father through the Holy Spirit (Heb 9: 14). The Holy Spirit also helps us co-labor with God that our labors might be acceptable to Him (Acts 1: 8; Eph 5: 18). Frankincense was also added to the various grain offerings. It typified the prayers of the Church. In Vespers, the Church sings, \u201cLet my prayer arise in Your sight as incense.\u201d Co-laboring with God must be accompanied by prayer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thursday<\/p>\n In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5\u2013 7), Jesus introduces the kind of life those who seek the Kingdom of God must lead. His homily could properly be called, \u201cThe Righteousness of the Kingdom.\u201d It can be divided into several sections. 1. The Beatitudes (5: 1\u2013 16). The sermon begins with the Beatitudes (the \u201cblessings\u201d), which describe the joys of true discipleship, the blessed way of life. The people of God await the rewards Jesus promises in this section. 2. The new covenant (5: 17\u2013 48). Then, as the Son of God whose authority is greater than that of Moses, Christ proclaims the new law, the righteousness leading toward perfection, to which the Mosaic Law and the prophets pointed. Jesus reveals the deeper meaning of several Old Testament laws, broadening their implications. (a) \u201cYou shall not murder\u201d is expanded beyond the command against physically killing another (5: 21\u2013 26). Murder now includes anger, calling someone a fool, and failure to be reconciled with a friend or adversary. (b) \u201cYou shall not commit adultery\u201d (5: 27) no longer refers only to the unlawful act of sex outside marriage. It now includes lust. (c) Divorce was allowable under the Old Testament law. But under\u00a0the new covenant, divorce is permissible only because of sexual immorality, and remarriage to a divorced person is not permitted<\/p>\n Friday<\/p>\n \u201cPerform your oaths to the Lord\u201d is the Old Testament law. Jesus instructs us to say \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d without taking an oath, and to keep our word (5: 33\u2013 37). (e) \u201cAn eye for an eye\u201d\u2014 a graphic way of seeing justice from a human perspective\u2014 becomes \u201cturn the other [cheek]\u201d and \u201clove your enemies.\u201d Not only must we forsake vengeance, even when it is just retribution; we must treat others as God treats us, with mercy and grace (5: 38\u2013 45). 3. Spiritual disciplines (6: 1\u2013 7: 12). Jesus assumes we will follow three disciplines that help us attain true righteousness (6: 1\u2013 18) and true wisdom (6: 19\u2013 7: 12). These disciplines are a vital part of Christian tradition. (a) Giving alms, or doing charitable deeds for the poor, should be done secretly, before God and not before men (6: 1\u2013 4). (b) Prayer should follow the model of the Lord\u2019s Prayer, which Jesus here reveals to His Church (6: 5\u2013 15). (c) Fasting should likewise be done to please God, not men (6: 16\u2013 18). These disciplines help us find true wisdom, which consists of (1) the love of God and pursuit of His righteousness by bringing our treasure (6: 19\u2013 26) as alms to God, and our worries (6: 22\u2013 7: 34) in prayer and fasting to Him; and (2) the love of human beings and pursuit of righteous reconciliation with them by submitting our judgments of\u00a0\u00a0them (7: 1\u2013 6) to God\u2019s severe mercy. For these difficult tasks we need divine discernment and guidance, which God provides to those who follow Jesus\u2019 spiritual rule (7: 7\u2013 12). Thus, our natural impulses are redirected toward their proper goal: the righteousness of God in His Kingdom (6: 33). 4. Exhortations to righteousness (7: 13\u2013 29). Jesus concludes with exhortations to true righteousness, warnings about hypocritical and deceitful professions of righteousness, and instructions to build on the rock of His teachings.<\/p>\n Saturday<\/p>\n The word \u201ctheophany\u201d derives from the Greek words theos (\u201c God\u201d), and phainesthai (\u201c to show forth, appear\u201d). Hence, a theophany is an appearance or manifestation of God. While types of Christ in the Old Testament prefigure His coming in the flesh, theophanies are recognized by the Church as being actual appearances of the pre-incarnate Son and Word of God. How this happens remains a mystery. But because the Son of God took on human nature in the fullness of time, each theophany directly prefigures Christ\u2019s Incarnation. St. John of Damascus wrote, \u201cNo one saw the divine nature, but rather the image and figure of what was yet to come. For the invisible Son and Word of God was to become truly Man.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0An often cited theophany of Christ occurs in the visit of the \u201cthree men\u201d to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18: 1\u2013 16: \u201cThen God appeared to him at the oak of Mamre\u201d (v. 1). Though three men are there, Abraham addresses them in the singular, \u201cLord.\u201d He responds in the singular (vv. 9\u2013 15). As St. Ephraim the Syrian says, \u201cTherefore the Lord \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0 now appeared to Abraham clearly in one of the three.\u201d The three are generally considered to be Christ the Lord, along with two attending angels. At Genesis 32: 25\u2013 31, Christ is the \u201cman\u201d who wrestles with Jacob,\u00a0\u00a0after which Jacob says, \u201cI saw God face to face\u201d (v. 30). St. Cyril of Jerusalem asks the Jews concerning these theophanies to Abraham and Jacob, \u201cWhat strange thing do we announce in saying that God was made Man, when you yourselves say that Abraham received the Lord as a guest? What strange thing do we announce, when Jacob says, \u2018For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved\u2019? The Lord, who ate with Abraham, also ate with us.\u201d In the Book of Daniel, a heathen king bears witness to another theophany of Christ. When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon peers into the fiery furnace, upon seeing a \u201cfourth man\u201d he exclaims, \u201cThe vision of the fourth is like the Son of God\u201d (Dan 3: 92).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday Galatians 1:3-10 3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4\u00a0who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orthodox-daily-devotional","has_no_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5943"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5945,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943\/revisions\/5945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxinsight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}