Friday. [II Cor. 11:5-21; Mark 4:1-9]

   Behold, there went out a sower to sow. Since the time that this sower went out to sow, he has not ceased to sow. In the beginning he personally sowed, then through the apostles and at last through Divine Scripture and divinely-wise teachers. To this day the word of God’s truth is being sown everywhere. Just be prepared to show yourself as good ground and without fail you will be sown. God will raise up what has been sown. How do you make yourself into good ground? With attention and study of the word of God, sympathy and love toward it, and readiness to immediately carry out what you learn. With such a mindset, not a single word will lie on the surface of your soul, but all will pass within. Uniting there with the elements of the spirit which are native to it, it will take root and sprout. Being nourished then—from above through spiritual inspirations, and from below through good desires and labours—it will grow into a tree, give flower and fruit. God Himself arranged everything around us this way, and this is why we cannot but be amazed at our fruitlessness. But all of this is due to our inattentiveness and carelessness.

Thursday. [II Cor. 10:7-18; Mark 3:28-35]

   He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness. Does it take long to fall into this terrible sin? Not long at all, for behold the sins of this nature: “great or excessive hope in God’s grace; despair or lack of hope in God’s compassion; contradicting manifest and confirmed truth, and rejection of the Orthodox Christian faith. Some add to this jealousy over spiritual gifts which a close one receives from God; obstinacy in sin and chronic wickedness; carelessness about repentance before departure from this life” (Orthodox Confession part 3, question 38). See how many paths! Begin to walk any of these and it will be difficult to return; it will carry you to a devouring abyss. Opposition to the truth begins with small doubts, arising through evil words or writing. If you leave them without paying attention to them or treating them, they will lead to unbelief and obstinacy in it. People also reach despair unnoticeably: “I will repent,” they say, and then sin. Thus it goes on several times; then, seeing that repentance does not come, they say to themselves, “So let it be, you cannot control yourself,” and then give themselves over to sin in its full power. A chasm of sins gathers; and at the same time they tolerate a chasm of opposition to the obvious calling of God’s grace. When in such a condition a person comes to the thought of improving himself, the multitude of his sins restrains him, while his opposition to grace takes away his boldness to approach the Lord. He then decides, “My guilt is too great to have it be remitted.” This is despair! Beware of the rudiments of unbelief and love of sin, and you will not fall into this chasm.