Author: admin

“Beware! God loves children.” Matthew 18:1-6

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Love and debt.” Romans 13:8-10

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Only forgiveness heals the pain of sin.” Psalm 32:1-7 (antiphon: v. 1)

Blessed Are the Forgiven

32 

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.

2 

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.

4 

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 

I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 

Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.

7 

You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Why would you warn the wicked?” Ezekiel 33:7-9

7 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“…your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11–19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Are you in step?”  Galatians 5:16–24

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“The vigilant life.” Proverbs 4:10–23

10 

Hear, my son, and accept my words,
    that the years of your life may be many.

11 

I have taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

12 

When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
    and if you run, you will not stumble.

13 

Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your life.

14 

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.

15 

Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.

16 

For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

17 

For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.

18 

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

19 

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble.

20 

My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.

21 

Let them not escape from your sight;
    keep them within your heart.

22 

For they are life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their flesh.

23 

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Take up your cross in faith.” Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“God overcomes evil with good.”  Romans 12:9-21

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“The difference between a place and person.” Psalm 26 (antiphon: v. 8)

8 

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.

Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2 

Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.[a]

3 

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

4 

I do not sit with men of falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.

5 

I hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.

6 

I wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O Lord,

7 

proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your wondrous deeds.

8 

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.

9 

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 

in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12 

My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Glory be to the Father and I to the Son* and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,  is now, and will be forever. Amen.

8 

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen