Find 15-20 uninterrupted minutes each day to dwell in the presence of God, setting aside any distracting thoughts and connecting with our Lord through your prayers, while being attentive to listening to Him speak to you through the words of this meditation and Holy Scripture. Begin with this prayer: “Shine within our hearts, Loving Master the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open our hearts that we may hear the message of Your Good News today. Amen.”
DAILY MEDITATION – April 6 (StsEutychius of Constantinople, methodius Enlightener of the Slavs, Platonida of Nisibis)
“So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord.” Throughout the Old Testament we see how the people of God remember and mark special events by “building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord.” They remember and give thanks for what God has done. One of the dangers of our fast-paced lifestyle is that we become so preoccupied with what is in front of us and what the future holds that we don’t pause to remember from where we came. We don’t take time to “build altars,” commemorating and expressing gratitude for how God has acted in our lives. As we read sacred Scripture we see how God acted in Israel; as we read the New Testament we remember what Jesus Christ did for us and the world; as we read the lives of the saints we see how God worked through the lives of these holy men and women; let us never forget. God has acted throughout history and continues to move and interact in our own lives. Let us always remember with gratitude and build our own altars of thanksgiving as we call on the name of the Lord. (Fr. Luke Veronis)
TODAY’S PRAYER
DAILY MEMORY VERSE
“I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham’s sake.” So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 26:24-25)
DAILY SCRIPTURAL READING (During Great Lent we are reading through Genesis and Proverbs)
Genesis 17:1-9 (Vespers, 1st reading)
- 1
- When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
- 2
- “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
- 3
- Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
- 4
- “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
- 5
- “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
- 6
- “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
- 7
- “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
- 8
- “Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
- 9
- And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
Proverbs 15:20-16:9 (Vespers, 2nd reading)
- 20
- A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.
- 21
- Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.
- 22
- Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.
- 23
- A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
- 24
- The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.
- 25
- The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow.
- 26
- The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant.
- 27
- He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.
- 28
- The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
- 29
- The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- 30
- The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.
Proverbs 15:20-16:9 (Vespers, 2nd reading)
- 20
- A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.
- 21
- Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.
- 22
- Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.
- 23
- A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
- 24
- The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.
- 25
- The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow.
- 26
- The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant.
- 27
- He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.
- 28
- The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
- 29
- The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- 30
- The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.
Conclude your time with God by taking 5 minutes to sit quietly and pray the Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me the Sinner.”
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