Our Venerable Father and Confessor Basil, Ascetical Companion of Procopius (716-40)
Great Fast Day 9. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 5:7-16; Vespers – Genesis 4:8-15; Proverbs 5:1-15.
Read Genesis 4:8-15
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
The Genesis story moves very quickly from the cosmic fall to the tragic reality of fallen human life. We don’t have to look far to see the consequence of the rooting of sin in the human heart—what happens when we aren’t careful to cultivate a relationship with God and aren’t vigilant of how the presence of darkness can fill the void in us when we expel the Lord. The story presents for us two brothers, Cain and Abel, and their relationship with God. Abel offers to God his first and finest, while Cain is careless and does not take seriously his offering as he gives his scraps to the Lord—he lacks faith, piety, gratitude and love. This is why his offering is not accepted. His heart is far from God. The void created within him, as he closed the door of his heart to the Lord, is quickly filled with the passion of envy, which never stands alone, but brings with it anger, resentment and rage. Cain became so blind that he thought a place exists, the field, where no one—not even God—could see his murder. He became blind to the reality that we are created to care and support one another. He became blind to the fact that sin and injustice cannot be covered up, or hidden, but rather they cry out to the heavens.