READING 8
December 15th/ December 1st, 2002 - Tevet 10th, 5763
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX READINGS
25th Week after Pentecost. Tone 8
Day of the Holy Prophet Habakkook [7th century B.C.]
Matins: The Epistle to the Hebrews 3rd chapter
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 16:9-20
Divine Liturgy: The Epistle to the Colossians 1:12-18
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 18:18-27
[30th Week]
Specific Feasts of the week:
Tuesday 17/4: Great-Martyrs Barbara and Juliana [ca. 306], Saint John Damascene, monk
Wednesday 18/5: Saint Sava the Sanctified, monk [532]
Thursday 19/6: Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia [ca. 345]
Friday 20/7: Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan [397]
Note: From this Feast until December 19 [January 1st, New calendar],
fish is permitted on Saturdays and Sundays only].
Next Sunday, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Holy Forefathers. In the State of Israel and abroad, the Israeli believers of Jewish origin whose Holy Protectors or Saints are mentioned in the First Covenant [Tanakh] and do not have any specific day in the traditional Orthodox calendar, they commemorate their Saint on that Sunday.
The Holy Gospel of Saint Luke proposes this week to meditate about how to receive as inheritance eternal life, i.e. to participate in the World to Come. In different Gospels [Matthew 10:23, Mark 10:25] a rich young man, a pious person but still young who has a lot of properties and money, asks the same question to Jesus. In Saint Luke, the reading is mentioning a "ruler" [Aramaic: "had min reshane"; Hebrew: "ekhad min hanikhbadim"], in fact a respected dignitary, without any mention of his age and personal wealth, although it could be presupposed that a "ruler" might make some money. Interestingly, one can compare the synoptic texts of the different Evangelists because rich people often behave themselves as young persons and might overestimate themselves. Secondly, they may ask for "impossible challenges" or even require them, as e.g. to inherit eternal life. This is quite common among new believers that show off, but a credit card does not mean any power in the Face of God. I remember a very religious new Orthodox Christian who just showed me his credit cards [a lot] explaining to staring faithful in church that it was his real identity document! He was very young and a newly baptized individual.
This ruler comes to Jesus and addresses Him: "Good Master!" and Jesus immediately replies: "Why do you call me good? None is good, save one, that is God".
Orthodox Christians and, more generally believers in Jesus Christ, are often not aware of the fact, that even if Jesus is constantly referred in the Eastern Churches as "Sweet Jesus, the Good Shepherd", He redirects the ruler toward God as THE ONLY GOOD Creator of the heaven and earth and all living beings. As already mentioned in a previous Reading, Good is "TOV" in Hebrew and corresponds to numerical value of 17. And seventeen words were added by God when He gave to Moses the second Tablets of the Commandments a Sinai. He repaired the sin of idolatry committed by the Jewish people who worshipped the Golden Calf [please compare the first version of the Commandments in Exodus/Shmot 20:1 and the second and final one in Deuteronomy/ Dvarim 5:1].
Jesus answers the ruler by using the common Semitic question system: "You know the commandments". And He specifically quotes the commandments governing moral behaviour [note that they are not in the normal Biblical order]: "Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother" [Luke 18:20]. The ruler answers: "All these have I kept from my youth onward [Luke 18:21]. This is a rather astounding answer, because according to the traditional Jewish faith it is even very hard to achieve one of the commandments.
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