The “continuous reading” of Genesis, Isaiah and Proverbs has its origin at the time when Lent was still the mainpre-baptismal season of the Church and Lenten services werepredominantly catechetical in their character, i.e., dedicatedto the indoctrination of the catechumen. Each of the threebooks corresponds to one of the three basic aspects of theOld Testament: the history of God’s activity in Creation,prophecy, and the ethical or moral teachings.
The Book of Genesis gives, as it were, the “framework” of the Church’sfaith. It contains the story of Creation, of the Fall, andfinally that of the promise and the beginning of salvationthrough God’s Covenant with his chosen people. It conveysthe three fundamental dimensions of the Church’s beliefin God as Creator, Judge, and Savior. It reveals the rootsof the Christian understanding of man as created in the”image and likeness of God,” as falling away from God, andas remaining the object of divine love, care, and ultimatelysalvation. It discloses the meaning of history as the history of salvation leading to and fulfilled in Christ. It announcesthe mystery of the Church through the images and realitiesof the People of God, Covenant, Ark, etc.
Isaiah is thegreatest of all prophets and the reading of his book duringLent is meant to reveal once more the great mystery ofsalvation through the sufferings and sacrifices of Christ.
Finally, the Book of Proverbs is the epitome of the ethicalteachings of the Old Testament, of the moral law andwisdom—without whose acceptance man cannot understandhis alienation from God and is unable therefore even tohear the good news of forgiveness through love and grace.
Lessons from these three books are read daily during Lent, Monday through Friday: Genesis and Proverbs at Vespers, and Isaiah at the Sixth Hour. And although Lent has long ago ceased to be the catechetical season of the Church, the initial purpose of these readings keeps its full significance. Our Christian faith needs this annual return to its biblical roots and foundation for there can be no end to our growth in the understanding of Divine Revelation.
The Bible is not a collection of dogmatic “propositions” to be accepted and memorized once for all, but the living voice of God speaking to us again and again, taking us always deeper into the inexhaustible riches of His Wisdom and Love.
There is no greater tragedy in our Church than the almost total ignorance by her members of the Holy Scriptures and, what is worse, our virtually total indifference toward them. What for the Fathers and Saints was endless joy, interest, spiritual and intellectual growth, is for so many Orthodox today an antiquated text with no meaning for their lives.
It is to be hoped, therefore, that as the spirit and significance of Lent are recovered, this will also mean the recovery of the Scriptures as true spiritual food and communion with God.
~Adapted from Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent
