The Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentius, Eugenius, Mardarius and Orestes (284-305); the Holy Martyr Lucia, the Virgin (284-305)
Nativity Fast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read
Ephesians 6:10-17; Luke 21:12-19
“For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”
Perhaps we are afraid when we walk out of Church about how to give adequate testimony to the experience we received. The experience of the liturgy sometimes defies adequate expression. Most of our experience requires serious reflection before we can begin to package it into understanding and testimony. As T.S. Eliot tells us in his Four Quartets, “We had the experience, but we missed the meaning.”
Today’s Gospel gives us consolation and an idea about how to get the meaning. It will be provided for by the Lord. This doesn’t mean some direct divine inspiration; we need to do our part as well. The prokeimenon chanted at the ordination of a reader is Psalm 48: “My lips will speak words of wisdom; understanding will be the theme of my heart.”
The reader is able to chant this psalm with confidence because he has dedicated himself to the study of the Word of God. Regular contact with God’s word is the way we open ourselves to Jesus’ assurance to give us a mouth and wisdom. This experience gives us the capacity to follow God’s law and articulate ineffectively. Familiarity breeds confidence.