Great Lent Devotions by Rev. Fr. Mathew (Matt) Alexander (Dallas) : Week Two Gospel & Devotionals
Second Sunday of the Great Lent
Luke 5:12-16
12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Luke 4:40-41
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
Second Monday of the Great Lent
Luke 6:27-36 Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
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A little bit ago, I was late for a bible study and trying to take every shortcut to get there in the midst of traffic, when two cars trying to make a left turn from a parking lot onto the other side of the road blocked several lanes of traffic on my side. I was a bit peeved. I got upset and laid on my horn to express my discontent to those who blocked my way. I then meandered around them to continue on my way.
Later that same day, after leaving the same bible study, I was again driving. This time in my side view mirror, I saw a car approaching that I recognized. It was dark, so I didn't wave at the person I knew. This car passed by me and began to make a left turn in a place where they shouldn't have. Upon realizing their mistake the driver quickly turned back into the lane but overcorrected and almost hit my car. This time, I did not honk my horn. Instead, I was concerned for the person I knew and actually kept an eye on them for a bit to make sure they were ok as they continued their journey.
I was not upset the second time because I had love for the person who had made the mistake. I should not have been a jerk the first time either because I should have had love for the person who had made the mistake.
It can be hard when we are the person being hated, cursed, or spitefully used. It's not fair. We want to react. The Lord is not calling us to be passive, to enable, or even ignore. His call is very active, to love, to do good, to bless. Even the act of turning the other cheek is an active response, to help the other find repentance.
Often times, it is 'hurt people' who hurt people. The answer is not more hate, more anger, more hurt, but love. Love heals wounds, stops the back and forth. When we love someone, we bear with them in kindness, we are patient with them, we seek to understand what they are going through instead of focusing on what we are going through. Our Lord gave us this love when He went to the cross when he was hated, cursed, and ultimately crucified, He responded in love and forgave, prayed for, and understood his crucifiers, when He said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." This is the love that God gives us, and we ought to pour out on others.
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“Fire is not extinguished by fire, but by water”
-Blessed Theophylact, Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to Matthew
Second Tuesday of the Great Lent
Mark 4:21-34 Light Under a Basket
21 Also, He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables, He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable, He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
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There are a lot more benefits to walking/running than just losing some pounds. There are a lot more benefits to drinking water than hydration. There are a lot more benefits to reading than increasing knowledge.
There are a lot more benefits to this journey of Great Lent than what you are expecting. You are growing. You may not see it, or feel it in the areas you are looking for, but there is a lot going on beyond your sight. The Lord and his angels are working on you.
“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how."
If you have been praying the liturgical prayers, perhaps the words that were only on your lips before, are now starting to become prayers from your mind. In time, it will descend into prayer from the heart.
Perhaps if you are fasting, you are gaining control over your desires, and not reaching for snacks every few hours, or perhaps you aren't longing for fried chicken like you were last week. Perhaps if you've been reading scripture, the words are becoming living to you. Perhaps if you've been praying privately, your prayers are becoming more focused. The silence more edifying. Perhaps if you've been living simply, you are finding perspective. Perhaps you've messed up this whole time, but in the process are finding humility. Perhaps your eyes are opening, your ears learning to listen, your hard heart is melting.
"For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head."
Perhaps you 'feel' none of this, but rest assured, things are changing. Slowly but surely you are making progress in the ways only God knows completely. The Holy Spirit is working on you, and in time you will see the harvest.
Second Wednesday of the Great Lent
Luke 11:1-13 The Model Prayer
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
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Have you ever picked up the phone, dialed a number and then quickly hung up because you needed to gather your thoughts? Or have you ever been about to meet someone, and then felt the need to rehearse what you were going to say?
Have you ever said..."wait, what do I say?" Or written a text and then deleted it and rewritten it until you got it right?
When we want to tell someone something, we focus not just on the message, but also the person we are talking to. Sometimes we ask advice from others who might know the person we want to talk to. And they'll usually give some advice describing the person general demeanor, or maybe their interests, something we have in common.
"Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray..."
I wonder why he asked this question. Did he see such a depth of prayer in Jesus that he wanted to share in? Was he just asking, "wait...what do I say?"
Jesus answers and literally gives the disciples and us words to say which we now call The Lord's Prayer. But he also continues afterward, and it's almost as if He is trying to tell us what we have in common with God. "Which of you shall have a friend..." "If a son asks for bread from any father among you..."
Jesus teaches us to pray by first giving words, then by introducing us to certain qualities of God. He is pushing us to communicate, to know whom we are communicating with.
If you are struggling with "what to say" in prayer, maybe take a minute and focus on "who you are saying it to."
Second Thursday of the Great Lent
Matthew 18:18-22
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
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Have you ever been at a dinner where two people at the table were having a fight? Sometimes it’s children fighting, sometimes it’s adults, sometimes a mix of the two, but regardless it usually goes one of two ways. Either they are arguing out loud and the rest of the people at the table are looking at each other trying to escape… or there is just an awkward silence at the table. The tension in the room somehow defies the laws of physics and makes the sound of the fork hitting the plate seem louder, and time slow down. Even casual words like, "please pass the water" seem out of place and forbidden. Either way, the whole dinner is just uncomfortable. We have this feeling in the pit of our stomach that things are not as they should be.
The same goes for God’s dining table. God invites us to a meal at His house, and we have the amazing privilege of that connection with God at the table. The only problem is that we can’t simultaneously talk with God and also fight with someone else at the table. In fact, fights mess up the entire dinner for everyone. In those moments, we wish for a day when everyone can just sit down for a nice peaceful, loving, lively dinner. Today's scripture speaks of this idea of communion, something that we celebrate every time we gather for the Holy Qurbana. If we gather together for the Heavenly meal then we are assembled in Christ’s name, and He promises to be in the midst of us.
Why not just dinner for two, me and God? Why do I have to go to church to experience God? Because, God has not designed any of us to live alone, completely separate from other people. He even says in Genesis 2:18 that “It is not good that man should be alone.” And when in that community, we agree and are in harmony with one another, just as the Trinity exists in harmony, we enter into communion with God. In that communion, Jesus promises that anything that we ask, “it will be done.” Peter immediately notices the difficulty in what Jesus has said, and asks how long he should keep forgiving a brother at the table? Jesus gives him the answer, which by the way is not 490. He’s not testing Peter’s math skills. God’s forgiven us many more times than that.