January 2: Daily Readings & Quotes

Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus

We must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord; rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea--- for in this lies the test of faith.

- St. Basil The Great

Today's readings are:

Genesis Chapter's 3-4

Mark Chapter 1:14-28

 

1

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"

2

The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;

3

it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"

4

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!

5

¹ No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."

6

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

7

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

8

² When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9

The LORD God then called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"

10

He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."

11

Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"

12

The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me--she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."

13

The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

14

Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.

15

³ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel."

16

To the woman he said: "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master."

17

To the man he said: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, "Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life.

18

Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field.

19

By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return."

20

⁴ The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

21

For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments, with which he clothed them.

22

Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what is bad! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever."

23

The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken.

24

⁵ When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

 

1

¹ The man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."

2

Next she bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.

3

In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil,

4

while Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

5

but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.

6

So the LORD said to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen?

7

² If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."

8

Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9

Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

10

The LORD then said: "What have you done! Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!

11

Therefore you shall be banned from the soil that opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12

If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."

13

Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear.

14

Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight."

15

³ Not so!" the LORD said to him. "If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold." So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.

16

⁴ Cain then left the LORD'S presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17

⁵ Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Cain also became the founder of a city, which he named after his son Enoch.

18

To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael; Mehujael became the father of Methusael, and Methusael became the father of Lamech.

19

Lamech took two wives; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second Zillah.

20

Adah gave birth to Jabal, the ancestor of all who dwell in tents and keep cattle.

21

His brother's name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.

22

Zillah, on her part, gave birth to Tubalcain, the ancestor of all who forge instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

23

Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my utterance: I have killed a man for wounding me, a boy for bruising me.

24

If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

25

⁶ Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth. "God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said, "because Cain slew him."

26

To Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to invoke the LORD by name.

 

 

14

After John had been arrested, ⁸ Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

15

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

16

⁹ As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.

17

Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

18

Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

19

He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets.

20

Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

21

¹⁰ Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.

22

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

23

¹¹ In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;

24

¹² he cried out, "What have you to do with us, ¹³ Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

25

Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"

26

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

27

All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."

28

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.