Genesis 1
The Creation
1 In the beginning God made heaven and earth.
2 The earth was invisible and unfinished; and darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
4 God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water”; and it was so.
7 Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament.
8 So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared.
10 So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth.” It was so.
12 Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth. God saw that it was good.
13 So evening and morning were the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven for illumination to divide day from night.
15 Let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Let them be for illumination in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth.” It was so.
16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
17 God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth,
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 So evening and morning were the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters bring forth creatures having life, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of heaven’s firmament.” It was so.
21 Thus God made great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on earth.”
23 So evening and morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: the quadrupeds, the creeping things, and the wild animals of the earth according to their kind.” It was so.
25 So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things on earth according to their kind. God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.”
27 So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them.
28 Then God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that sows seed on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 I also give every green plant as food for all the wild animals of the earth, for all the birds of heaven, and for everything that creeps on the earth in which is the breath of life.” It was so.
31 Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good. So evening and morning were the sixth day.
Psalms 1
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the way of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome;
2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by streams of waters, That produces its fruit in its season; And his leaf shall not wither, And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 Not so are the ungodly, not so, But they are like the dust the wind drives from the face of the earth.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the judgment, Nor sinners in the counsel of the righteous;
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalms 2
1 Why do the nations rage, And the people meditate on vain things?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers gather together Against the Lord and against His anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their bands, And cast away their yokes from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh at them; The Lord shall mock them.
5 Then shall He speak to them in His wrath And trouble them in His anger,
6 “But I was established as King by Him Over His holy hill of Zion, Declaring the Lord’s decree.
7 The Lord said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You;
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall shepherd them with an iron staff; You shall shatter them like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 And now, O kings, understand; Be instructed, all you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear And rejoice in Him with trembling.
12 Lay hold of His instruction, lest the Lord be angry, And you perish from the righteous way When His fury shall be quickly kindled. Blessed are all who trust in Him.
Proverbs of Solomon 1
To Know Wisdom
1 The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, Who reigned in Israel,
2 To know wisdom and instruction, And to understand words of discernment;
3 To receive both subtlety of words, And to understand true righteousness and upright judgment;
4 So as to give astuteness to the simple, And both perception and understanding to a young man;
5 For a wise man who hears these things will be wiser, And the man of understanding will gain direction.
Matthew 1
The Genealogy of Jesus
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.†
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
The Virgin Birth of Christ
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:†
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
Hi Fr. Alexis. i appreciate all you do by way of these podcasts! I notice you are not reading with expression now on day one of 2021 and it sounds a bit robotic and rote. Is that done as a change from last year? I particularly appreciated your natural reading voice that you used last year.. I know its more orthodox to be monotone, but I think this way detracts from the sense of humanity that helps the writing come to life and go deep into our being.
So happy you have been listening Alyson. Sorry you felt the reading was different but actually it was the same as 2020. My introductory words were new and concluding words were new. Hopefully it will feel better for you in the future. Happy we are journeying together.
Thank you Father! Happy New Year!