Office of Readings

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord was addressed to the prophet Haggai as follows, ‘The Lord of Hosts says this: Ask the priests for a decision on this question, “If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his gown and with this fold touches bread, broth, wine, or food of any kind, does such food become holy?”’ The priests answered, ‘No, it does not.’ Haggai then said, ‘If a man made unclean by contact with a corpse touches any of this, does it become unclean?’ The priests answered, ‘Yes, it does.’ Haggai then spoke out. ‘It is the same with this people,’ he said, ‘the same with this nation as I see it – it is the Lord who speaks – the same with everything they turn their hands to; and what they offer here is unclean.

Keep in mind and recall to the brethren those days of old, how we read in the Old Testament that God’s beloved patriarchs and his firstborn, Israel, “passed from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another”, awaiting the promise and not despairing. Moses too, and Aaron and all the prophets of God endured men’s persecution, for their trust was in the Lord. In the New Testament we read how the great Shepherd of the Sheep and Head of the whole church, Jesus Christ, was crucified by the Jews and his disciples scattered. Later dispersed throughout the entire world, they and their followers after various tribulations received the crown of martyrdom. They did not forget those words of comfort which are addressed to us too as His sons, in the epistle to the Hebrews: “My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him, for whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth and he scourged every son he receiveth,” so brethren and helpers in Christ, in the words of the same epistle “Let us also who have so great a cloud of witnesses over our head run with patience the race that is set before us.”