Daily Scripture Reading

Last week I put up a post about Parish Revitalization, one of the more popular of my recent posts by the way, in this post I mentioned that we need to commit to the reading of Holy Scripture on a daily basis and start to get serious about our faith.  I realized that I did not give you any ideas along that line and so that is what this post is dedicated too.

I will start with the practice that I use and go from there.  This is not designed for you to use any of these suggestions and before starting any Spiritual Discipline you should consult your Spiritual Father.

Each day I begin with the readings appointed for the day from the lectionary.  There are several sites on the Internet that you can use for this.  The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is one and the Orthodox Church in America is another.  Remember that your parish calendar may not be the same as some take what is called the “Lukan Leap” just before Advent starts.

After that I read my cell rule.  As a monastic I have a prayer rule called a cell rule.  This is the rule that I try, not always successfully mind you, everyday.  It is an obedience that was given to me by the Bishop when I was tonsured.  I read one chapter from the Gospel, two chapters from the Epistles, and one Kathisma from the Psalms, more on the Kathisma in a minute.  With this cycle of readings one will complete the Gospels at the same time as one completes the Epistles, and one can read through the Psalms very quickly.  This rule is based upon that of the Cell Rule of the monks at the Optina Monastery.

Along with the sites on the Internet there is an application for the iPhone and iPad that brings the daily readings right to your phone, all you need to do is click on the app and away you go.  In our modern busy lifestyle we need all the help we can get and thanks to the folks at the Internet Ministries Department of the GOA we have this great use of modern technology.  It also works on the Android and the best part is, it is FREE!  Also on each day is the lives of the saints for that day, another great thing to read and meditate on each day.

To close out this post I will list below the Kathisma or the division of the Psalms.  It is pretty simple and a great way to follow the Psalms.  I read one of these each day.  I will also list the division of the Psalms for each day as well.  There are far more to read and you will get through the entire book of Psalms in one week this way.