Monday. [Eph. 1:22-2:3; Mark 10:46-52]

   The blind man of Jericho raised up his voice when he learned that the Lord was walking past. His wail reached the Lord; nothing surrounding the Lord could interfere with His hearing it, and the Lord called the blind man over and returned his sight. At every time and in every place the Lord does not just walk by, but is there; He governs the whole world. As human thinking would have it, this means that He has many cares; furthermore, multitudes of angels surround Him with doxologies. But if you are able to raise up your voice like the blind man of Jericho, nothing will stop your wail from reaching the Lord; He will hear and fulfil your petition. It does not depend on the Lord; He Himself is near, and all that is necessary for you is already prepared in Him; now all that is wanting is you. Manage to raise up your voice to the measure of the Lord’s hearing, and you will immediately receive everything. What then is this measure? Faith, hope, devotion to God’s will. But even these measures have their own measures. What then should these measures be? Ask the one who has prayed and received what he requested; he will say to you: “I prayed about this and about that and I received according to my request; now I need this, I have been praying and have not received it, and I know why: because I cannot in any way ascend to that measure of prayer which I had earlier.” It turns out that it is impossible to determine this measure with literal preciseness. Only one thing is definitely true, that the matter depends upon us, and not on the Lord. As soon as you reach the point where you are capable of acceptance, you will unquestionably receive.

Friday. [I Pet. 1:1–2, 10–12; 2:6–10; Mark 12:1–12]

On the day of Theophany it is shown in action that the Divine economy of our salvation is accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ according to the goodwill of the Father, in the communion of the Holy Spirit. But now, through the word of the Apostle, it is suggested to us that the salvation of each person according to that Divine economy of God happens in no other way than through the operation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,  According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 1:2). God the Father, having foreseen the man who would believe, meets him with His goodwill, and calls him to salvation through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, having called him to faith and strengthened him in it, sprinkles the believer with the blood of the Lord and Saviour in the Sacrament of Baptism. Through this, the Holy Spirit, receiving entrance into him, Himself abides in him and helps him in every way possible to provide for his salvation. Let us praise, hymn, and magnify the Most Holy Trinity, the good Maker of our salvation. Giving all diligence, let us hurry to adorn ourselves with every virtue, in the image of Him Who created and recreated us; that we not be shown to be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord, and bar ourselves from entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord (II Pet. 1:5, 8, 11) to which we are called.