'Daily Bread'
Thursday, April 18, 2024
“When we talk to our fellow men and they tell us about their troubles, we will listen to them carefully if we have love for them. We will have compassion for their suffering and pain, for we are God's creatures; we are a manifestation of the love of God.”
― Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, ‘Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica’
Daily Scripture Reading for Thursday, April 18, 2024
6th Hour Reading: Isaiah 42:5-16
5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles,
7 to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
10 Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.
14 “I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, and I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.
Vespers 2nd Reading: Proverbs 16:17-17:17
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; he who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.
27 An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things; he purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips; a liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince.
8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it?
17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (April 18)
‘My soul , my soul’ - Kontakion of Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete sung by Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary Choir in Jordanville, NY.
Three Orthodox Christian Families Sing Let God Arise (Paschal Stichera)
ENJOY this family performance of ‘Let God Arise’ at the Saint Xenia Temple in Payson, Utah, during Bright Week 2023.
This week’s calendar reminders:
Monday 4/15: Lenten Matins 8:30 a.m. ; Stewards’ Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday 4/16: No services or events
Wednesday 4/17: Pre-sanctified Liturgy 6:30 p.m., potluck meal
Thursday 4/18: The Great Canon of St. Andrew the Crete 7 p.m.
Friday 4/19: Lenten Matins 8:30 a.m.
Saturday 4/20: Memorial Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m.; Choir practice 5 p.m.; Great Vespers 6 p.m.
Sunday 4/21: Divine Liturgy 9:15 a.m.
