Wealth - Week 4: Friday

Ecclesiastes 5:9-16

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
 Nor he who loves the harvest, with its abundance.
 This also is vanity.

In the abundance of good things


They who eat them also increase,

But what virtue does the owner have from them,

Except to see them with his eyes?

The sleep of a servant is sweet,

Whether he eats little or much;

But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
 There was a sickness I saw under the sun:

Wealth kept for its owner to his hurt.

That wealth shall perish in painful distraction,

And he begets a son;

But there is nothing in his hand.

As he came from his mother’s womb,

Naked shall he return, to go as he came;

And he shall take nothing from his labor

That it may go with him in his hand.

This also is a painful sickness,

For as he came, so shall he go;

And what is his gain, for which he labored for the wind?
 All his days are in darkness and sorrow

And in much anger, sickness, and gall.

Commentary

St. Ambrose

Ecclesiastes sees that riches are kept for ill by one who possesses them, for their loss causes great anxiety. Indeed they are lost, for they are left here and can be of no advantage to one who is dead. And so, the dead man felt anxiety in regard to them and could not find rest; he left what would bring him shame and did not take with himself what he could keep.

Wealth - Week 4: Thursday

Proverbs 11:27 (OSB)

He who trusts in riches, this man will fall,

But he who helps the righteous, this man will rise.

Commentary

Bede the Venerable

He who does not think of the future because he is longing for present goods will finally be lacking in both. But they who do good deeds in the present for the hope of future rewards will justly receive that for which they hope.

Wealth - Week 4: Wednesday

1 Corinthians 10:14, 21-22

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Commentary

St. Cyprian of Carthage

You are afraid that your wealth may fail. You may have begun to do some good generously from it, yet you do not know, in your wretchedness, that your life itself may fail, and your salvation as well. While you are anxious lest any of your possessions be diminished, you do not take notice that you yourself, a lover of mammon rather than of your soul, are being diminished. While you are afraid lest for your own sake you lose your estate, you yourself are perishing for the sake of your estate.

Wealth - Week 4: Tuesday

Luke 12: 22-26, 29-31

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?”

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Commentary

St. Cyril of Alexandria

“Consider,” he says, “the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.” ... Through the birds and the flowers of the field, he produces in you a firm and unwavering faith. Nor does he permit us at all to doubt, but rather he gives us the certainty that he will grant us his mercy and stretch out his comforting hand, that we may have sufficiency in all things. It is, moreover, a very wicked thing that while those who are in bodily slavery depend on their masters as sufficient to supply them with food and clothing, we do not put our trust in almighty God, when he promises us the necessities of life.

Wealth - Week 4: Monday

Matthew 6:19-24 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Commentary

St. Augustine of HippoIf someone does something with the intent of gaining earthly profit, that one’s heart is upon the earth. How can a heart be clean while it is wallowing in the mud? On the other hand, if it be fastened upon heaven it will be clean, for whatever is heavenly is unpolluted. A thing becomes defiled if it is mixed with a baser substance, even though that other substance is not vile in its own nature. Gold, for example, is devalued by pure silver if mixed with it. So also is our mind defiled by a desire for the things of earth, although the earth itself is pure in its own class and in its own order.

Time - Week 3: Saturday

Matthew 25: 1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.


Commentary

St. Augustine of Hippo

What is “midnight”? It means the moment when you are least aware.

Time - Week 3: Friday

Ephesians 5: 15-21

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Commentary

St. John Chrysostom

When Paul says “the days are evil,” he does not mean that they are created evil or that they are by their very nature evil. Rather he says this of the troubling events that occur in time. We are in the habit of saying, “I have had a terrible day.” But that does not imply that the day of itself is intrinsically terrible. Rather it refers to what has occurred in the day. Some of the things that occur in it are good, as they are enabled by God. Some are bad, because they are brought about by evil willing. Therefore it is we humans who are the authors of the evils that occur in time. Only on this basis are the times called evil.

Time - Week 3: Thursday

2 Peter 3: 8-10

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Commentary

Eusebius of Emesa

Scripture says that human life is short and full of trouble, but you belong to the unseen and eternal one. And a thousand years are like a single day, or even like a watch of the night. It is during the fourth watch that those who are entrusted to guard it are divided, and it was during that watch that the Lord came to the holy apostles. If he has spoken this way about a thousand years, it is clear that the lifespan of a man is extremely short. The day of the Lord is like a thousand years, and yet it is undivided. No one lives for a thousand years, but no one has known a full day of the Lord either.

Time - Week 3: Wednesday

James 4: 13-17

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.


Commentary

St. Augustine of Hippo

Restoring health for a time to a man’s body amounts to no more than extending his breath for a little while longer. Therefore it should not be considered of great importance, because it is temporal, not eternal.

Time - Week 3: Tuesday

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 
 A time to give birth And a time to die;

A time to plant And a time to pluck what is planted.

A time to kill And a time to heal;


A time to pull down And a time to build up.

A time to weep And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn And a time to dance.

A time to throw stones And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace And a time to refrain from embracing.
 A time to seek And a time to lose;


A time to keep And a time to throw away.
 A time to tear And a time to sew;

A time to keep silent And a time to speak.
 A time to love And a time to hate;


A time of war And a time of peace.


Commentary

St. Basil the Great

It is necessary to bear in mind that for certain other tasks a particular time is allotted, according to the words of Ecclesiastes: “All things have their season.” For prayer and psalmody, however, as also, indeed, for some other duties, every hour is suitable, that, while our hands are busy at their tasks, we may praise God sometimes with the tongue (when this is possible or, rather, when it is conducive to edification); or, if not, with the heart, at least, in psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles, as it is written. Thus in the midst of our work we can fulfill the duty of prayer, giving thanks to him who has granted strength to our hands for performing our tasks and cleverness to our minds for acquiring knowledge.

Time - Week 3: Monday

Mark 13: 32-37

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Commentary

St. Augustine of Hippo

The end of all things is concealed from us. For in the end of all is the end of each, and in the end of each is the end of all [on the last day]. Whereas this time is uncertain and always in prospect, we may advance day by day as if summoned, reaching forward to the things before us and forgetting the things behind. For who, if they knew the day of the end, would not disregard the interval? But if ignorant, would they not be more ready day by day? It was on this account that the Savior said: “Watch; for you do not know when the time will come.”

Entertainment - Week 2: Saturday

Psalm 100: 3-6

I have not set any lawless thing before my eyes; I hated those who commit transgressions; a crooked heart shall not cleave to me; as for the evil man who turned away from me, I did not know him. He who secretly slanders his neighbor, this one I chased away; the one with an arrogant eye and insatiable heart, with this one I did not eat. My eyes were on the faithful of the earth, so they might dwell with me; He who walks in a blameless way, this one ministered to me.

Commentary

Bede the Venerable

We are taught by their testimonies that “it is God himself and not we ourselves who made us”—not only to be human beings but also to be holy and blessed human beings. If by the gift of his grace we pursue him eagerly, always with a pure and untiring heart, he will be propitious toward all our iniquities, according to the promises made to our ancestors.

Entertainment - Week 2: Friday

1 Kings 19: 9-12

Behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” And Elijah said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord Almighty since the children of Israel have forsaken You. They tore down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” Then He replied, “Go out tomorrow and stand on the mountain before the Lord; and behold, the Lord will pass by, and before the Lord, a great and powerful wind will be rending the mountains and shattering the rocks; but the Lord will not be in the wind. After the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord will not be in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there will be a fire, but the Lord will not be in the fire. After the fire, there will be a sound of a gentle breeze, and the Lord will be there.”

Commentary

St. Augustine

No Christian could say that he is without troubles…Why? For as long as we are still in the body, we are in a journey toward God. However good things are, we are still away from our home. No one could love travel and love his home at the same time. For whoever loves his home, his journey would seem tough and troublesome. Here we labor and grieve; but there, we shall find comfort with no limit, and love with no anxiety.

Entertainment - Week 2: Thursday

Proverbs 4: 19-28

My son, give heed to my word and incline your ear to my words, that your fountains may not fail you; guard them in your heart; for they are life to those who find them and healing for all their flesh. Keep your heart with all watchfulness, for from these words are the issues of life. Put away from yourself a crooked mouth and remove unrighteous lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight forward, and let your eyelids assent to righteous things. Make straight paths for your feet and direct your ways aright. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left, but turn your foot from an evil way; for God knows the ways on the right hand, but those on the left are perverse; and He shall make your paths straight and guide your steps in peace.

Commentary

St. Athanasius the Apostolic

Living thus, let us watch constantly and, as it is written, keep our heart with all watchfulness, for we have terrible and crafty enemies, the wicked demons, and we wrestle against them, as the apostle said: “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness on high.”

Entertainment - Week 2: Wednesday

Matthew 5: 29-30

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

Commentary

St. Jerome

If your soul begins to slip, how much more the body, which has a greater tendency to sin. In other words, in the right eye and the right hand of one’s siblings and wife and children and relatives and neighbors, an emotion is indicated. If we perceive they are an obstacle to us in contemplating the true light, we must cut off those parts. Otherwise, in our desire to profit from others, we may perish for all eternity.

Entertainment - Week 2: Tuesday

Philippians 4: 8-9

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Commentary

Marius Victorinus

“These things,” he says, “do.” And above he says “think about” these things. He adds “do” to show that these things are not only good to think about but to bring into action.

Entertainment - Week 2: Monday

Luke 11: 33-36

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Commentary

Symeon the New Theologian

What else does he mean by “the eye” than simply the mind, which will never become simple unless it contemplates the simple light? The simple light is Christ. He who has his light shining in his mind is said to have the mind of Christ. When your light is this simple, then the whole immaterial body of your soul will be full of light. If the mind is evil, that is, darkened and extinguished, then this body of yours will be full of darkness.

Idolatry - Week 1: Saturday

Psalm 113:12-17

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men's hands; They have a mouth, but they shall not speak; They have eyes, but they shall not see; They have ears, but they shall not hear; They have noses, but they shall not smell; They have hands, but they shall not feel; They have feet, but they shall not walk; They shall make no sound with their throats. May those who make them become like them, And all who trust in them. The house of Israel hoped in the Lord; He is their help and their protector.

Commentary

St. Augustine of Hippo

The peoples who worshipped the stone idols, became stones like the things they worshipped. Worshipping the senseless image, they, themselves, came to be senseless. If the idol-worshippers, foolishly worshipping irrational things, have become irrational like them; We, on the other hand, worshipping the living Creator, the whole wisdom, understanding, love, and mercy, intend to be like Him,. ... Man likens what he worships.

Idolatry - Week 1: Friday

1 Corinthians 10:14, 21-22

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?

Commentary

Ambrosiaster

St. Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to avoid any connection with idolatry, so that not only their bodies but their minds as well might be separated from it in order to destroy any form of temptation. Anyone involved in idolatry will expect something out of it. To trust in an idol is to turn away from God.

Idolatry - Week 1: Thursday

Isaiah 44:12-17

For the craftsman sharpens his iron tool, and fashions the idol with his axe, and pierces it with the awl. He works it with the strength of his arm, and will hunger and grow weak, and will not drink water. The craftsman selects his wood and stretches out his rule, and fits it with glue. He makes it like the form of a man and according to the bloom of youth, to set it up in the house. The wood he cut from the forest which the Lord planted, and the rain made it grow, so as to be for men to burn and to take some of it to warm himself. They kindle it, and bake bread for themselves; but he works into gods what is left and worships them. They burn half of it in the fire, and with the other half they bake bread for themselves. They roast meat on it, eat and are satisfied. He even warms himself and says, ‘I am comfortable, because I am warm, and have seen the fire.’ And the rest of it he makes into a carved god, and worships it and prays to it, and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god.’

Commentary

Eusebius of Caesarea

The prophet proceeds to teach that the Creator gave the forests and woods on the mountains to supply food and fuel and for the sake of human bodies. They, however, take a holm oak, an oak or a cedar that God has planted and watered by providing rain for the benefit of human bodies and use these trees to create gods.