Categories: uncategorized
Date: 07 April 2005 12:51:08
As well as, slowly, going though the books on the left of this page, I'm reading the portions of Isaiah, Genesis and Proverbs assigned for each day in the Orthodox Church's lectionary.
I've always had trouble reading Isaiah: it's rather a lengthy book and I often wonder what it all means. But reading it in small pieces, as prescribed by the Church, is, all thanks to God, something I can handle. I may not understand the full meaning of each passage, but it is fascinating to see God's Revelation to Israel, and the promises and warnings made. I'm reading Genesis from my Lutherbibel -- tough going at times, as my German isn't anywhere close to fluent, but it's helping me to read Genesis a bit slower and more thoughtfully. Proverbs is chock-full of wonderful wisdom, and expressed in such a way that even the simple like me can understand.
Alexander Schmemann in Great Lent explains why these three books in particular are prescribed, in addition to the Psalms, for Lenten reading. Its origin was in the time when Lent was still the main time for catechumens to be taught the faith, and each book "corresponds to one of the three basic aspects of the Old Testament: the history of God's activity in Creation, prophecy, and the ethical and moral teachings." I found the following by Schmemann a great meditation on the importance on reading the Scriptures:
Our Christian faith needs this annual return to its biblical roots and foundation for there can be no end to our growth in the understanding of the Divine Revelation. The Bible is not a collection of dogmatic "propositions" to be accepted and memorized once for all, but the living voice of God speaking to us again and again, taking us always deeper into the inexhaustible riches of His Wisdom and Love. There is no greater tragedy in our Church than the almost total ignorance by her members of the Holy Scriptures and, what is worse, our virtually total indifference towards them. What for the Fathers and Saints was endless joy, interest, spiritual and intellectual growth, is for so many Orthodox today an antiquated text with no meaning for their lives. It is to be hoped, therefore, that as the spirit and significance of Lent are recovered, this will also mean the recovery of the Scriptures as true spiritual food and communion with God.While Schmemann refers to Orthodoxy above, I know from my own experience that ignorance of the Sciptures isn't confined to any one group of Christians. And I am the worst offender.
May God help me to discover the riches of His Word, and when we read it, to hear God "speaking to us again and again, taking us always deeper into the inexhaustible riches of His Wisdom and Love."