Monday (33rd). [I Pet. 2:21–3:9; Mark 12:13–17]

 The Apostle now points out to us the hidden man of the heart (I Pet. 3:4) as the object of our most careful concern and care. We are to adorn ourselves through the formation of this man within ourselves. What is this hidden man of the heart? It is that man which forms in the heart when only good dispositions and feelings come to dwell therein. Examine these dispositions and feelings, and you will see the face of the man hidden in the heart. Here are those dispositions! As His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3), and on your part, giving all diligence, writes Saint Peter, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love (II Pet. 1:5–7). In a similar fashion Saint Paul lists the inner good dispositions of the Christian heart: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5:22–23). Also: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ... and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts (Col. 3:12–15). Bring together all of these goods into one spiritual body with its various members, and you will see the divinely beautiful face of the hidden man of the heart. You must fervently establish the same in your own heart.

Wednesday. [II Pet. 3:1–18; Mark 13:24–31]

The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (II Pet. 3:10). A thief in the night sneaks up when he is not expected. So will the day of the Lord also come when it is not expected. But when He that cometh is not expected, no preparations are made for meeting Him. Lest we allow such negligence, the Lord commanded: Watch: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matt. 24:42). Meanwhile, what are we doing? Are we watching? Are we waiting? We must confess that we are not. Some at least await death, but scarcely anyone awaits the day of the Lord. And it is as if they are right. Our fathers and forefathers waited, but the day did not come. Since we do not see anything, why should we think that it will come in our days? Thus, we do not think; and do not wait. It will not be a wonder, if with such a disposition as ours, the day of the Lord falls upon us like a thief. We shall be like the inhabitants of a city which the head of the province promised to visit in the near future. They waited for him an hour, waited another, waited a day and then said, “I suppose he’s not coming,” and went home. But as soon as they departed and gave themselves over to sleep—he appeared. It will be the same with us—whether we are waiting or not, the day of the Lord will come, and it will come without warning. For the Lord said: Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away (Mark 13:31). But is it not better to wait, lest we be caught by surprise? For we will not get off without paying.

Tuesday. [II Pet. 2:9–22; Mark 13:14–23]

If any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not (Mark 13:21). Christ the Lord, our Saviour, having established upon the earth the holy Church, is well pleased to abide in it, as its head, enlivener, and ruler. Christ is here, in our Orthodox Church, and He is not in any other church. Do not search for Him elsewhere, for you will not find Him. Therefore, if someone from a non-orthodox assemblage comes to you and begins to suggest that they have Christ—do not believe it. If some one says to you, “We have an apostolic community, and we have Christ,” do not believe them. The Church founded by the Apostles abides on the earth—it is the Orthodox Church, And Christ is in it. The community established only yesterday cannot be apostolic, and Christ is not in it. If you hear someone saying, “Christ is speaking in me,” while he shuns the [Orthodox] Church, does not want to know its pastors and is not sanctified by the Sacraments, do not believe him. In him is not Christ, but rather another spirit appropriating the name of Christ in order to divert people from Christ the Lord and from His holy Church. Neither believe anyone who suggests to you even some small thing alien to the [Orthodox] Church. Recognize all such people to be instruments of seducing spirits and preachers of lies.