READINGS ADVENT FRIDAY 2

וִיבֹאֵנִי חַסְדֶּךָ יְהוָה — תְּשׁוּעָתְךָ כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ

Even Years: Isaiah 27:1-13

1 בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ וְעַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן וְהָרַג אֶת־הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם׃ ס
2 בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כֶּרֶם חֶמֶד עַנּוּ־לָהּ׃
3 אֲנִי יְהוָה נֹצְרָהּ לִרְגָעִים אַשְׁקֶנָּה פֶּן יִפְקֹד עָלֶיהָ לַיְלָה וָיוֹם אֶצֳּרֶנָּה׃
4 חֵמָה אֵין לִי מִי־יִתְּנֵנִי שָׁמִיר שַׁיִת בַּמִּלְחָמָה אֶפְשְׂעָה בָהּ אֲצִיתֶנָּה יָּחַד׃
5 אוֹ יַחֲזֵק בְּמָעוּזִּי יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם לִי שָׁלוֹם יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּי׃
6 הַבָּאִים יַשְׁרֵשׁ יַעֲקֹב יָצִיץ וּפָרַח יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמָלְאוּ פְנֵי־תֵבֵל תְּנוּבָה׃ ס
7 הַכְּמַכַּת מַכֵּהוּ הִכָּהוּ אִם־כְּהֶרֶג הֲרֻגָיו הֹרָג׃
8 בְּסַאסְּאָה בְּשַׁלְחָהּ תְּרִיבֶנָּה הָגָה בְּרוּחוֹ הַקָּשָׁה בְּיוֹם קָדִים׃
9 לָכֵן בְּזֹאת יְכֻפַּר עֲוֹן־יַעֲקֹב וְזֶה כָּל־פְּרִי הָסִר חַטָּאתוֹ בְּשׂוּמוֹ כָּל־אַבְנֵי מִזְבֵּחַ כְּאַבְנֵי־גִר מְנֻפָּצוֹת לֹא־יָקֻמוּ אֲשֵׁרִים וְחַמָּנִים׃
10 כִּי עִיר בְּצוּרָה בָּדָד נָוֶה מְשֻׁלָּח וְנֶעֱזָב כַּמִּדְבָּר שָׁם יִרְעֶה עֵגֶל וְשָׁם יִרְבָּץ וְכִלָּה סְעִפֶיהָ׃
11 בִּיבֹשׁ קְצִירָהּ תִּשָּׁבַרְנָה נָשִׁים בָּאוֹת מְאִירוֹת אוֹתָהּ כִּי לֹא עַם־בִּינוֹת הוּא עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יְרַחֲמֶנּוּ עֹשֵׂהוּ וְיֹצְרוֹ לֹא יְחֻנֶּנּוּ׃ ס
12 וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יַחְבֹּט יְהוָה מִשִּׁבֹּלֶת הַנָּהָר עַד־נַחַל מִצְרָיִם וְאַתֶּם תְּלֻקְּטוּ לְאַחַד אֶחָד בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ ס
13 וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל וּבָאוּ הָאֹבְדִים בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר וְהַנִּדָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַיהוָה בְּהַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ בִּירוּשָׁלָםִ׃

Odd Years: Ruth 2:14-23

14 וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גֹּשִׁי הֲלֹם וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן־הַלֶּחֶם וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקּוֹצְרִים וַיִּצְבָּט־לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר׃
15 וַתָּקָם לְלַקֵּט וַיְצַו בֹּעַז אֶת־נְעָרָיו לֵאמֹר גַּם בֵּין הָעֳמָרִים תְּלַקֵּט וְלֹא תַכְלִימוּהָ׃
16 וְגַם שֹׁל־תָּשֹׁלּוּ לָהּ מִן־הַצְּבָתִים וַעֲזַבְתֶּם וְלִקְּטָה וְלֹא תִגְעֲרוּ־בָהּ׃
17 וַתְּלַקֵּט בַּשָּׂדֶה עַד־הָעָרֶב וַתַּחְבֹּט אֵת אֲשֶׁר־לִקֵּטָה וַיְהִי כְּאֵיפָה שְׂעֹרִים׃
18 וַתִּשָּׂא וַתָּבוֹא הָעִיר וַתֵּרֶא חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־לִקֵּטָה וַתּוֹצֵא וַתִּתֶּן־לָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הוֹתִרָה מִשָּׂבְעָהּ׃
19 וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵיפֹה לִקַּטְתְּ הַיּוֹם וְאָנָה עָשִׂית יְהִי מַכִּירֵךְ בָּרוּךְ וַתַּגֵּד לַחֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה עִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר שֵׁם הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי
20 עִמּוֹ הַיּוֹם בֹּעַז׃
וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לְכַלָּתָהּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַיהוָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ אֶת־הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַמֵּתִים וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ נָעֳמִי קָרוֹב לָנוּ הָאִישׁ מִגֹּאֲלֵנוּ הוּא׃
21 וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה גַּם כִּי־אָמַר אֵלַי עִם־הַנְּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־לִי תִּדְבָּקִין עַד אִם־כִּלּוּ אֵת כָּל־הַקָּצִיר אֲשֶׁר־לִי׃
22 וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי אֶל־רוּת כַּלָּתָהּ טוֹב בִּתִּי כִּי תֵצְאִי עִם־נַעֲרוֹתָיו וְלֹא יִפְגְּעוּ־בָךְ בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר׃
23 וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד־כְּלוֹת קְצִיר־הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים וַתֵּשֶׁב אֶת־חֲמוֹתָהּ׃

Even Years: St. Irenaeus, Treatise against heresies, Book 5, ch. 19
Ἐμφανῶς οὖν εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐλθόντος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτὸν βαστανσάσης κτίσεως τῆς ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ βασταζομένης, καὶ ἀνακεφαλαίωσιν τῆς ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ γενομένης παρακοῆς διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ ὑπακοῆς ποιησαμένου, καὶ τῆς ἐξαπατήσεως ἐκείνης λυθείσης ἥν ἐξηπατήθη κακῶς ἠ ὕπανδρος παρθένος Εὕα διὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἥν εὐηγγελίσθη καλῶς ὐπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἡ ὕπανδρος παρθένος Μαρία. The Lord came visibly to his own domain, and was sustained by his own creation which he himself sustains in being. By his obedience upon a tree he reversed the disobedience shown because of another tree. The seduction to which the betrothed virgin Eve had miserably fallen victim was remedied by the truth happily announced by the angel to Mary, another betrothed virgin.
Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη διὰ τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ ῥήματος ἐξηπατήθη ἵνα ἐκφύγῃ τὸν Θεὸν παραβᾶσα τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, οὕτως καὶ αὕτη διὰ τοῦ ἀγγελικοῦ ῥήματος εὐηγγελίσθη ἵνα βαστάσῃ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπακούσασα αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ· καὶ ὡς ἐκείνη ἐξηπατήθη εἰς τὸ παρακοῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως καὶ αὕτη ἐπείσθη ὑπακοῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα τῆς παρθένου Εὕας ἡ παρθένος Μαρία γένηται παράκλητος As Eve, seduced by an angel, turned away from God by disobedience to his word, so Mary, receiving the good news from an angel, bore God in her womb in obedience to his word; and as Eve had been led to disobey God, so Mary was persuaded to obey him. Thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.
Πάντα οὖν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακεφαλαιούμενος, ἀνεκεφαλαιώσατο καὶ τὸν πρὸς τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἡμῶν πόλεμον, προκαλεσάμενος καὶ νικήσας τὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ αἰχμαλωτίσαντα ἡμᾶς καὶ πατήσας αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλήν, καθὼς ἔχει ἐν τῇ Γενέσει εἰρηκέναι τῷ ὄφει τὸν Θεόν· Καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς· αὐτός σου τηρήσει κεφαλὴν καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν. Christ recapitulated all things in himself, including our war against the enemy. He challenged and defeated him who in the beginning had taken us captive in Adam, and he crushed his head in accordance with God's words to the serpent in Genesis: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he shall lie in wait for your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.
Ἔκτοτε γὰρ ὁ ἐκ γυναικὸς παρθένου μέλλων γεννᾶσθαι καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ προεκηρύσσετο τηρῶν τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ ὄφεως, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σπέρμα περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας τὸν νόμον τῶν πράξεων τεθεῖσθαι ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ᾧ ἐπήγγελται. From that time on, he who was to be born of a virgin in the likeness of Adam was foretold as the one who would lie in wait for the serpent's head. This is the descendant to whom Paul refers when he says in his letter to the Galatians: The law of works was in force until the coming of the descendant to whom the promise had been made.
Σαφέστερον δὲ ἔτι ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἔδειξεν ἐπιστολῇ, οὗτως εἰπών· Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλῆρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός. Οὐδ᾽ ἄν γὰρ δικαίως ἐνικήθη ὁ ἐχθρός, εἰ μὴ ἐκ γυναικὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁ νικήσας αὐτόν. Διὰ γυναικὸς γὰρ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκυρίευσεν, ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ἑαυτὸν ἀντιστήσας τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ. Paul is still more explicit when he says in the same letter: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. The enemy would not have been defeated fairly if his vanquisher had not been a man born of a woman, because it was through a woman that he gained mastery over the human race in the beginning, and set himself up as our adversary.
Διὰ τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἑαυτὸν Υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ὡμολόγει, τὸν ἀρχαίον ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖνον, ἐξ οὗ ἡ κατὰ τὴν γυναῖκα πλάσις ἐγένετο, εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακεφαλαιούμενος, ἵνα, ὥσπερ δι᾽ ἀνθρώπου νενικημένου κατῆλθεν εἰς θάνατον τὸ γένος ἡμῶν, οὕτως πάλιν δι᾽ ἀνθρώπου νενικηκότος ἀνέλθωμεν εἰς ζωήν. That is why the Lord proclaims himself the Son of Man, who recapitulates in himself that first man from whom the race born of woman was formed: as by a man's defeat our race fell into the bondage of death, so also by a man's victory we were to rise again to life.

Odd Years: Cyril of Alexandria, On Isaiah (Lib 3, t 1: PG 70, 593-594)
Ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην αὐτῷ, ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην οἱ ἐρχόμενοι, τέκνα Ἰακώβ. «Βλαστήσει, καὶ ἐξανθήσει Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἡ οἰκουμένη τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ.» Ὡς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπειρηκότων τὴν εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Σωτῆρα Χριστὸν ἀγάπην τε καὶ πίστιν, ὡς ἀπολακτίσαντος μὲν τοῦ ἠγαπημένου, μεταστήσαντος δὲ τὴν κλῆσιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ περάτων τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν σαγηνεύοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, ὁ μακάριος προφήτης τοῖς ἁπανταχόθεν λαοῖς σοφὸς προαναφαίνεται σύμβουλος, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτούς· «Ἀποπεφοίτηκε μὲν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ πρωτότοκος,» ἀρνεῖται τὴν πίστιν, δεδυσσέβηκεν εἰς τὸν λυτρωτήν· ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐρχόμενοι, τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οἱ μέλλοντες ἥξειν κατὰ καιρούς· ἥξειν δὲ δὴ πάντως ὡς ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς, ἐξ ἀμαθίας Ἑλληνικῆς εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ὄντος Θεοῦ, ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν εἰς δικαίωσιν· ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην αὐτῷ, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τὴν ἀρχαίαν καταλύσαντες ἔχθραν, εἰρηνεύσωμεν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Let us make peace with him, let us who are coming make peace. Jacob will put forth buds and Israel will blossom, and the whole world will be filled with his fruit. Like a wise counsellor the blessed prophet spoke before the event to the nations who are coming from all sides. It seems as though he foresaw that the Jews would refuse to give Christ, the Saviour of the world, their love and faith, that the people God loved would prove recalcitrant, that Christ would send his call to the Gentiles instead and through his holy Apostles would now be spreading his nets to catch men from the very ends of the earth. And so, in the name of these Gentiles who are coming, the prophet says: Israel has abandoned its Master, the firstborn has grown recalcitrant. Israel is denying its faith and has apostatised from the Redeemer. But as for us who are coming, or who will be coming when the time is ripe —whose coming is nothing less than a passage from darkness into light, from pagan ignorance to the recognition of him who is truly God, from sins to justification— let us make peace with him. Let us destroy the ancient enmity and live at peace with God.
Ἀνῃρημένης γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ κατηργημένου τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ οὐδενὸς ὄντος ἔτι διακωλύοντος, τοῦ διϊστάντος καὶ χωρίζοντος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ, συναινέσωμεν τοῖς αὐτοῦ θεσπίσμασιν· ἀκολουθήσωμεν οἷς ἂν βούλοιτό τε καὶ λέγοι, ὑπαγάγωμεν τὸν αὐχένα τοῖς Εὐαγγελικοῖς κηρύγμασι· ποιήσομεν γὰρ οὕτω τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην. Τοιοῦτό τί φησι καὶ ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν κεκλημένοις· «Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Sin has been done away with and Satan rendered powerless; no longer is there anything to stand in our way, to set us at variance with Christ or to separate us from him. Let us then accept his revelation, obey his every wish and word, and bow before the Gospel preaching, for thus we shall make peace with him. Paul also in his great wisdom says to those called from among the Gentiles: Being justified by faith we enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Παρακαλέσας τοίνυν τοὺς ἐρχομένους, περὶ ὧν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Δαβίδ· «Ἀναγγελήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ γενεὰ ἡ ἐρχομένη,» μεθίστησι τὸν λόγον ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἁγίους ἀποστόλους ὅτι κατακτήσονται τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, ἐννενοηκὼς, ἤτοι μεμαθηκὼς διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀνασκιρτᾷ τρόπον τινὰ, καί φησιν ἐκ πολλῆς ἄγαν τῆς περιχαρείας· «Τέκνα Ἰακὼβ βλαστήσει, καὶ ἐξ ἀνθήσει Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεται ἡ οἰκουμένη τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ.» Γεγόνασι μὲν γὰρ ἐξ αἵματος Ἰακὼβ, ὃς μετωνόμασται καὶ Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ θεσπέσιοι μαθηταί. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξ ἠοῦς εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν, κέκληται πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ πληθὺς, καὶ καθάφησι τῆς προφητείας ὁ λόγος, ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ οἰκουμένη τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τίνος ἄρα; Ἢ δηλονότι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τῶν ἐξ αἵματος Ἰσραήλ. Καρποὶ γὰρ ἱδρώτων ἀποστολικῶν οἱ πιστεύσαντες· χαρὰν δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ στέφανον ὁ θεσπέσιος ὠνόμασε Παῦλος· καύχημα γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ δόξα τῶν ἁγίων μυσταγωγῶν οἱ δι' αὐτῶν σεσωσμένοι. After exhorting those who are on their way to Christ, the prophet turns to the holy Apostles themselves. Realising, or rather having learned through the Holy Spirit, that they will win the whole world for God, he almost leaps for joy and overwhelmed by gladness he cries, The children of Jacob will put forth buds; Israel will blossom, and the whole world will be filled with his fruit. The Lord's inspired disciples were born of the blood of Jacob whose new name was Israel, but from the rising of the sun to its setting through all the world their voice has gone out, and their words to the ends of earth. The multitude of the Gentiles has been called to knowledge of God. The prophecy is coming true, for the whole world has been filled with fruit. Whose fruit? Why, surely, Israel's; in the sense that the fruit is borne by those who are the descendants of Israel. Christian believers are the fruit of the Apostles' toiling. Paul was inspired to call them his joy and his crown; for truly the holy men who initiated us in the faith have cause for boasting and a title to glory in those who through their work have reached salvation.

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