The Essence of the Office

This post follows on the other on the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving to complete my thoughts on the Essence of the Office.

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The essence of the Daily Office must be found on one hand in Paul’s exhortation for Christians “with gratitude in your hearts [to] sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Col 3:12), and, on the other hand, to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). The two central themes here that we must keep before our eyes are the idea of the use of songs and poetic praises of God and also continuous prayer springing from deliberate acts of periodic prayer. As we consider the Daily Office and its various parts and acts, we will return time and time again to these two basic principles that form its foundation.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

The Anglican mystic Evelyn Underhill (†1941) in her book Worship reinforces the poetic character of the Daily Office and the significance of that quality:

Liturgical worship shares with all ritual action the character of a work of art. Entering upon it, we leave the lower realism of daily life for the higher realism of a successive action which expresses and interprets eternal truth by the deliberate use of poetic and symbolic material. A liturgical service should therefore possess a structural unity; its general form and movement, and each of its parts, being determined by the significance of the whole. By its successive presentation of all the phases of the soul’s response to the Holy, its alternative use of history and oratory, drama and rhythm, its appeals to feeling, thought, and will, the individual is educated and gathered into the great movement of the Church. . . . Nevertheless since its main function is to suggest the Supernatural and lead men out to communion with the supernatural, it is by the methods of poetry that its chief work will be done. . . . [P]oetry still remains a chief element at least in the Daily Office, which is mainly an arrangement of psalms, canticles, and Scripture readings. (Worship, p. 119)

She goes on to remind us of the interpretive errors that occur when we attempt to read poetry literally and miss its deeper sense and direction. As she sees it, poetry in the liturgy has three main purposes:

(1) It is the carrying-medium of something which otherwise wholly eludes representation: the soul’s deep and awestruck apprehension of the numinous. . . .

(2) It can universalize particulars; giving an eternal reference to those things of time in and through which God speaks to men. . . .

(3) It is a powerful stimulant of the transcendental sense . . .

All these characters of poetry are active in good liturgy, and indeed constitute an important part of its religious value. Moreover, poetry both enchants and informs, addressing its rhythmic and symbolic speech to regions of the mind which are inaccessible to argument, and evoking movements of awe and love which no exhortation can obtain. It has meaning at many levels, and welds together all those who use it; overriding their personal moods and subduing them with a grave loveliness. (Worship, p. 120)

Great art—great poetry—is that which can capture our minds and hearts, and suffuse reality with a new light, a new perspective. It helps us see our ordinary, everyday world as not so ordinary, and cracks open everyday reality to help us see the beauty, the glory, and the wonder that is concealed therein. It helps us see new possibilities; it helps us see grander movements.

This is my best perspective on Scripture: it invites us into a different way of seeing the world and our relationships within it. It invites us to experience the whole cosmos arrayed around the throne of God as portrayed in the heavenly throne-room depicted in Revelation 4-6, and leads us to speculate about what it means to live in a world where justice, mercy, and loving-kindness are fundamental guiding principles. We are invited to recognize our own world transformed and suffused with the light of God and to function as mirrors, lenses, and crystals, reflecting—focusing—diffusing—the divine light, casting it through our facets upon the world and people around us.

The Office with its language of poetry reminds us and orients us to this level of understanding and reflection. Too, it can help us get beyond a literalism and dogmatism that can either frustrate or limit our sense of the holy and the divine. The Athanasian Creed can be a hard pill for many to swallow. On one hand, it’s chalk full of complicated and philosophical technical terms. On the other, it ends with a declaration of damnation containing a certainty that seems to arrogate to itself a judgment properly left with God alone. The Episcopal Church has never been comfortable with it; Bishop Seabury (†1796), the first American Episcopal bishop, wrote that he was never convinced of the propriety of reading it in church, yet did want to include it along the same lines as the articles of faith to show that we hold the common faith of the West. Indeed, the 1979 revision is the only American prayer book to include it. Especially as modern people, we don’t know what to do with it—but the monks did! They sang it as a canticle complete with antiphons at Sunday Prime, the poetic and musical setting potentially subverting its dogmatism and softening its philosophical formality in song.

After speaking of the eight individual hours that formed the Daily Office in the West, Underhill draws them together and unites them with their purpose:

The complete Divine Office, then, . . . is best understood when regarded as a spiritual and artistic unity; so devised, that the various elements of praise, prayer, and reading, and the predominately poetic and historic material from which it is built up, contribute to one single movement of the corporate soul, and form together one single act of solemn yet exultant worship. This act of worship is designed to give enduring and impersonal expression to eternal truths; and unite the here and now earthly action of the Church with the eternal response of creation to its origin. It is her “Sacred Chant,” and loses some of its quality and meaning when its choral character is suppressed: for in it, the demands of a superficial realism are set aside, in favour of those deeper realities which can only be expressed under poetic and musical forms. (Worship, 124-5)

The more we sing of the Office, the more in touch we are with these melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of which she speaks. Yet, even if we are reading it alone in our rooms, we can still find the cadences there.

On a purely literary level, we can go through the Office step by step and note the presence of the poetry and music at every step. The psalms form the heart of the office. We respond to the Scripture readings with canticles, most of which are infused and inspired by the psalms—or songs like them. The suffrages themselves are verses of psalms recombined and related to one another in new ways. The collects and prayers speak in the language of the psalms and Scriptures.

As we pray the Office and sing it—whether aloud or in our hearts—we are incarnating the Pauline injunction to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God and to one another. As its poetry becomes more deeply a part of us, as these songs become more fully implanted within our hearts, they leads us to a more beautiful lens for locating God at work in our world.

To Pray Without Ceasing

This notion of having the songs and psalms implanted in our hearts and consciousness leads us in to the second principle, to pray without ceasing. If we wish to learning the meaning of this phrase, we must turn our eyes to the Desert Fathers and Mothers for it was they who devoted their entire efforts to live its meaning.

The fourth century was a tumultuous time for the Church as Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 meant an end to persecution and brought with it a tacit sign of imperial favor. (Christianity wouldn’t actually become the official religion of the empire until 380 under Theodosius.) While the easing of restrictions against Christianity brought in a wave of converts—some no doubt embracing it for political gain—this same easing equally triggered a crisis of spirituality. For decades, Christian authenticity had been bound up with martyrdom; fidelity to the way of the cross was identified with the willingness to die a martyr’s death. With martyrdom at the hands of the authorities no longer an option, where was an earnest Christian to turn?

The answer came in the form of the desert. Christians who sought to embody the commands of Scripture sold their possessions, renounced family life, and sought lives of prayer and austerity in the deserts, either on their own or in the company of like-minded souls. This way of life, which would flower into monasticism and feed the church spiritually for centuries to come, was popularized by bishops and theologians who wrote inspiring accounts of the lives of simple men and the spiritual riches they uncovered. The great bishop Athanasius (†373) penned the Life of Antony which chronicled the life and spirituality of one of the earliest desert saints and spread word of the movement across the Greek-speaking world. Not to be outdone, the ascetic and scholar Jerome (†367), living in a monastery in Jerusalem, wrote a number of lives that sought to supplement (or replace) the Life of Antony, bringing knowledge of the desert life to the Latin-speaking church. The first great systematic works of Western Christian spirituality, John Cassian’s (†435) Institutes and Conferences, were written for the benefit of his monastery in Gaul, containing remembrances of his youthful spiritual dialogues with heroes of the Egyptian and Palestinian deserts.

As we sift through the literature of the early monastic movement and the desert saints who founded it, we come back time and time again to this injunction to “pray without ceasing,” to praying of some form of the Daily Office, and a fundamental belief that the use of the Office was the key to praying without ceasing. The characteristic pattern of desert life is captured in a brief description of how Antony lived:

The money he earned from his work he gave to the poor, apart from what he needed to buy bread, and he prayed often, for he learned that one should pray to the Lord without ceasing. He also listened attentively to the Scriptures so that nothing should slip from his mind. He preserved all the Lord’s commandments, keeping them safe in his memory rather than in books. (Life of Antony 3, Early Christian Lives, p. 10)

Note the way that work, prayer, and memorization of the Scriptures are interconnected here. This way of life is further clarified by an episode where a desert hermit was disputing with a group of uber-pietists called the Euchites or Messalians concerning prayer without ceasing:

Some of the monks who are called Euchites went to Enaton to see Abba Lucius. The old man asked them, ‘What is your manual work?’ They said, ‘We do not touch manual work but as the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing.’ The old man asked them if they did not eat and they replied they did. So he said to them, ‘When you are eating, who prays for you then?’ Again he asked them if they did not sleep and they replied they did. And he said to them, ‘When you are asleep, who prays for you then?’ They could not find any answer to give him. He said to them, ‘Forgive me, but you do not act as you speak. I will show you how, while doing my manual work, I pray without interruption. I sit down with God, soaking my reeds and plaiting my ropes, and I say, “God have mercy on me; according to your great goodness and according to the multitude of your mercies, save me from my sins [Ps 51:1,2].”’ So he asked them if this were not prayer and they replied it was. Then he said to them, ‘So when I have spent the whole day working and praying, making thirteen pieces of money more or less, I put two pieces of money outside the door and I pay for my food with the rest of the money. He who takes the two pieces of money prays for me when I am eating and sleeping; so, by the grace of God, I fulfill the precept to pray without ceasing.’ (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, p. 120-1)

This blend of piety and practicality is found throughout this early literature. The life described is one filled with basic manual labor—weaving ropes or baskets made from the leaves of the desert palms or scratching out subsistence gardens from the rocky soil—suffused with constant prayer. Indeed, the Egyptian monks in particular were famous for prayers that were “brief but frequent.”

The prayer recited by Abba Lucius is an adaptation of the start of Psalm 51. Reading through the Life of Antony and the description that Athanasius gives of Antony’s struggles in spiritual travail, a pattern emerges. At a great turning point in Antony’s life, during a struggle with demons that left him both physically and spiritually battered he retained his faith and focus by ceaselessly chanting, “If they place an encampment against me, my heart will not fear” (Ps 27:3). When people came from the cities, hoping to find him dead, he would pray verses from Ps 68:1-2 and Ps 118:10. Throughout the literature, the words of the psalms are constantly appearing through their prayers and discussions. In truth their whole conversations are shot through with Scripture, but consistently the psalms predominate. In fact, the Egyptian “brief but frequent” prayers that appear in the corpus are almost always drawn from Scripture and the psalms. One of the works of Evagrius of Pontus (†399) consists entirely of one-liners from Scripture to be used for prayer in a host of situations organized in relation to the eight vices identified by the desert monks.

For these monks—many of whom were illiterate—Scripture came through hearing. Preeminently, Scripture was heard and memorized in the Daily Offices. The foundation of the Office gave them the words they needed to meditate in the midst of their work and to truly pray without ceasing no matter what they were doing.

Perhaps the preeminent connection between the Scriptures, the psalms, and praying without ceasing comes from the second conference on prayer recorded by John Cassian. Abba Isaac says that the whole goal of the monastic way of life can be summed up like this: “This, I say, is the end [goal] of all perfection–that the mind purged of every carnal desire may daily be elevated to spiritual things, until one’s whole way of life and all the yearnings of one’s heart become and single and continuous prayer” (Conferences 10.7.3). Cassian’s companion Germanus asks how this sort of focus can be achieved. The reply from Abba Isaac is that there is one particular formula for meditation that can secure this result:

The formula for this discipline and prayer that you are seeking, then, shall be presented to you. Every monk who longs for the continual awareness of God should be in the habit of meditating on it ceaselessly in his heart, after having driven out every kind of thought, because he will be unable to hold fast to it in any other way than by being freed from all bodily cares and concerns. Just as this was handed down to us by a few of the oldest fathers who were left, so also we pass it on to none but the most exceptional, who truly desire it. This, then, is the devotional formula proposed to you as absolutely necessary for possessing the perpetual awareness of God: ‘O God, make speed to save me; O Lord, make haste to help me’ [Ps 70:1]. (Conferences 10.10.2)

Yes, this is the line that is used as a verse and response to open each of the prayer offices. No, that’s not an accident.

John Cassian makes the explicit connection between the Daily Office and the continuous prayer of the Egyptian monks in his other big book, the Institutes, but he does so by framing it in the midst of one of the disputes about monastic practice. By the end of the fourth century, there were two major centers of monastic practice—the deserts of Egypt and the deserts of Palestine. They had different ways of praying the Daily Office. The Egyptian model was the same in format as what appears to have been done in many of the early cathedrals of the period—one public service in the morning and another in the evening. Twelve psalms were sung, then there was a reading from the Old Testament, then one from the New Testament. That was it for the day. The Palestinian model was to gather more frequently. Jerome, writing from his monastery in Bethlehem, advises this:

Further, although the apostle bids us to ‘pray without ceasing,’ and although to the saints their very sleep is a supplication, we ought to have fixed hours of prayer, that if we are detained by work, the time may remind us of our duty. Prayers, as everyone knows, ought to be said at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, at dawn and at evening. . . . We should rise two or three times in the night and go over the parts of Scripture which we know by heart. (Letter 22. 37)

and instructs the parents of a young virgin dedicated to the church to train her in the same way: “She ought to rise at night to recite prayers and psalms; to sing hymns in the morning; at the third, sixth, and ninth hours to take her place in the line to do battle for Christ; and lastly to kindle her lamp and to offer her evening sacrifice” (Letter 107.9).

The Egyptians responded rather harshly. One characteristic response comes from the Egyptian-trained Epiphanius:

The Blessed Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, was told this by the abbot of a monastery he had in Palestine, ‘By your prayers we do not neglect our appointed round of psalmody, but we are very careful to recite [the prayer offices of] Terce, Sext and None.’ Then Epiphanius corrected them with the following comment, ‘It is clear you do not trouble about the other hours of the day, if you cease from prayer. The true monk should have prayer and psalmody continuously in his heart.’ (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, p. 57)

Thus, he suggested that by having more set hours of the day, the monks were neglecting this continual prayer of the heart and instead were satisfied only to pray when the clock told them it was time to do so. Frankly, this is kind of a cheap shot. An argument could equally be made that since the Palestinian monks were hearing the psalms more, they had better opportunity to memorize them and keep them always in their hearts—but the (Egyptian) sayings don’t see fit to give us the Palestinian abbot’s response!

In light of this argument between the two parties, John Cassian tries to take a middle path. After explaining the Egyptian system, and before talking about how to pray the day hours, he says this:

For, among [the Egyptians as opposed to the monasteries of Palestine and Mesopotamia] the offices that we are obliged to render to the Lord at different hours and at intervals of time [i.e., the day offices of Terce, Sext, and None] to the call of the summoner, are celebrated continuously and spontaneously throughout the course of the whole day, in tandem with their work. For they are constantly doing manual labor alone in their cells in such a way that they almost never omit meditating on the psalms and on other parts of Scripture, and to this they add entreaties and prayers at every moment, taking up the whole day in offices that we celebrate at fixed times. Hence, apart from the evening and

Morning Prayer for 6/22/2025

Proper 7

(Commemoration of Alban, Martyr, c. 304)

Rite I (Traditional language)

Rite II (Contemporary language)

Include Traditional (extra-BCP) Options

Remove Traditional (extra-BCP) Options

Use Lesser Feasts & Fasts 2018 Kalendar

Use House Kalendar

Pre-Office Angelus [+][-]

V. The Angel of the Lord announced to Mary
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord
R. Be it unto me according to your word

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelled among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

R. The angel of the Lord announced unto Mary;
V. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

R. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
V. Be it unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

R. And the Word was made flesh:
V. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
We beseech Thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that we who have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of His resurrection, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Phillipians 1:2

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Phillipians 1:2

Confession of Sin [+][-]

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear this holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Silence may be kept.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

V. Lord, open our lips.
R. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

V. O Lord, open thou our lips.
R. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

Venite Psalm 95:1-7; 96:9, 13

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; *
let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.[+][-]

For the Lord is a great God, *
      and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth, *
      and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it, *
      and his hands prepared the dry land.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.

O come, let us worship and fall down *
      and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God, *
      and we are the people of his pasture
      and the sheep of his hand.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
      let the whole earth stand in awe of him.
For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth, *
      and with righteousness to judge the world
      and the peoples with his truth.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: O come, let us adore him.

Venite Psalm 95:1-7

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.[+][-]

For the Lord is a great God, *
      and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
      and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
      and his hands have molded the dry land.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The earth is the Lord's for he made it: Come let us adore him.

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

Traditional language psalms

Contemporary language psalms

Monthly psalm cycle

Lectionary psalm cycle

Psalm 107: Part I Confitemini Domino

O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

¹  O GIVE thanks unto the LORD, for he is gracious, *
      and his mercy endureth for ever.
²   Let them give thanks whom the LORD hath redeemed, *
      and delivered from the hand of the enemy;
³   And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west; *
      from the north, and from the south.
⁴   They went astray in the wilderness out of the way, *
      and found no city to dwell in.
⁵   Hungry and thirsty, *
      their soul fainted in them.
⁶   So they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, *
      and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷   He led them forth by the right way, *
      that they might go to the city where they dwelt.
⁸   O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness; *
      and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!
⁹   For he satisfieth the empty soul, *
      and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
¹⁰   Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, *
      being fast bound in misery and iron;
¹¹   Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord, *
      and lightly regarded the counsel of the Most Highest;
¹²   He also brought down their heart through heaviness: *
      they fell down, and there was none to help them.
¹³   So when they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, *
      he delivered them out of their distress.
¹⁴   For he brought them out of darkness, and out of the shadow of death, *
      and brake their bonds in sunder.
¹⁵   O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness; *
      and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men !
¹⁶   For he hath broken the gates of brass, *
      and smitten the bars of iron in sunder.
¹⁷   Foolish men are plagued for their offence, *
      and because of their wickedness.
¹⁸   Their soul abhorred all manner of meat, *
      and they were even hard at death's door.
¹⁹   So when they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, *
      he delivered them out of their distress.
²⁰   He sent his word, and healed them; *
      and they were saved from their destruction.
²¹   O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness; *
      and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men !
²²   That they would offer unto him the sacrifice of thanksgiving, *
      and tell out his works with gladness!
²³   They that go down to the sea in ships, *
      and occupy their business in great waters;
²⁴   These men see the works of the LORD, *
      and his wonders in the deep.
²⁵   For at his word the stormy wind ariseth, *
      which lifteth up the waves thereof.
²⁶   They are carried up to the heaven, and down again to the deep; *
      their soul melteth away because of the trouble.
²⁷   They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, *
      and are at their wit's end.
²⁸   So when they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, *
      he delivereth them out of their distress.
²⁹   For he maketh the storm to cease, *
      so that the waves thereof are still.
³⁰   Then are they glad, because they are at rest; *
      and so he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.
³¹   O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness; *
      and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!
³²   That they would exalt him also in the congregation of the people, *
      and praise him in the seat of the elders!
³³   He turneth the floods into a wilderness, *
      and drieth up the water-springs.
³⁴   A fruitful land maketh he barren, *
      for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
³⁵   Again, he maketh the wilderness a standing water, *
      and water-springs of a dry ground.
³⁶   And there he setteth the hungry, *
      that they may build them a city to dwell in;
³⁷   That they may sow their land, and plant vineyards, *
      to yield them fruits of increase.
³⁸   He blesseth them, so that they multiply exceedingly; *
      and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
³⁹   And again, when they are minished and brought low *
      through oppression, through any plague or trouble;
⁴⁰   Though he suffer them to be evil entreated through tyrants, *
      and let them wander out of the way in the wilderness;
⁴¹   Yet helpeth he the poor out of misery, *
      and maketh him households like a flock of sheep.
⁴²   The righteous will consider this, and rejoice; *
      and the mouth of all wickedness shall be stopped.
⁴³   Whoso is wise, will ponder these things; *
      and they shall understand the loving-kindness of the LORD.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

Psalm 107: Part I Confitemini Domino

O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy and the wonders he does for his children.

¹  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, *
      and his mercy endures for ever.
²  Let all those whom the LORD has redeemed proclaim *
      that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
³  He gathered them out of the lands; *
      from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
⁴  Some wandered in desert wastes; *
      they found no way to a city where they might dwell.
⁵  They were hungry and thirsty; *
      their spirits languished within them.
⁶  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, *
      and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷  He put their feet on a straight path *
      to go to a city where they might dwell.
⁸  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy *
      and the wonders he does for his children.
⁹  For he satisfies the thirsty *
      and fills the hungry with good things.
¹⁰  Some sat in darkness and deep gloom, *
      bound fast in misery and iron;
¹¹  Because they rebelled against the words of God *
      and despised the counsel of the Most High.
¹²  So he humbled their spirits with hard labor; *
      they stumbled, and there was none to help.
¹³  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, *
      and he delivered them from their distress.
¹⁴  He led them out of darkness and deep gloom *
      and broke their bonds asunder.
¹⁵  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy *
      and the wonders he does for his children.
¹⁶  For he shatters the doors of bronze *
      and breaks in two the iron bars.
¹⁷  Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *
      they were afflicted because of their sins.
¹⁸  They abhorred all manner of food *
      and drew near to death's door.
¹⁹  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, *
      and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁰  He sent forth his word and healed them *
      and saved them from the grave.
²¹  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy *
      and the wonders he does for his children.
²²  Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
      and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
²³  Some went down to the sea in ships *
      and plied their trade in deep waters;
²⁴  They beheld the works of the LORD *
      and his wonders in the deep.
²⁵  Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose, *
      which tossed high the waves of the sea.
²⁶  They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; *
      their hearts melted because of their peril.
²⁷  They reeled and staggered like drunkards *
      and were at their wits' end.
²⁸  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, *
      and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹  He stilled the storm to a whisper *
      and quieted the waves of the sea.
³⁰  Then were they glad because of the calm, *
      and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.
³¹  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy *
      and the wonders he does for his children.
³²  Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people *
      and praise him in the council of the elders.

Psalm 107: Part II Posuit flumina
³³  The LORD changed rivers into deserts, *
      and water-springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴  A fruitful land into salt flats, *
      because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.
³⁵  He changed deserts into pools of water *
      and dry land into water-springs.
³⁶  He settled the hungry there, *
      and they founded a city to dwell in.
³⁷  They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, *
      and brought in a fruitful harvest.
³⁸  He blessed them, so that they increased greatly; *
      he did not let their herds decrease.
³⁹  Yet when they were diminished and brought low, *
      through stress of adversity and sorrow,
⁴⁰  (He pours contempt on princes *
      and makes them wander in trackless wastes)
⁴¹  He lifted up the poor out of misery *
      and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.
⁴²  The upright will see this and rejoice, *
      but all wickedness will shut its mouth.
⁴³  Whoever is wise will ponder these things, *
      and consider well the mercies of the LORD.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

O that men would therefore praise the LORD for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy and the wonders he does for his children.

Psalm 66 Jubilate Deo

For all the world shall worship thee, sing of thee and praise thy Name.

¹  O BE joyful in God, all ye lands; *
      sing praises unto the honour of his Name; make his praise to be glorious.
²   Say unto God, O how wonderful art thou in thy works! *
      through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies bow down unto thee.
³   For all the world shall worship thee, *
      sing of thee, and praise thy Name.
⁴   O come hither, and behold the works of God; *
      how wonderful he is in his doing toward the children of men.
⁵   He turned the sea into dry land, *
      so that they went through the water on foot; there did we rejoice thereof.
⁶   He ruleth with his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: *
      and such as will not believe shall not be able to exalt themselves.
⁷   O praise our God, ye peoples, *
      and make the voice of his praise to be heard;
⁸   Who holdeth our soul in life; *
      and suffereth not our feet to slip.
⁹   For thou, O God, hast proved us; *
      thou also hast tried us, like as silver is tried.
¹⁰   Thou broughtest us into the snare; *
      and laidest trouble upon our loins.
¹¹   Thou sufferedst men to ride over our heads; *
      we went through fire and water, and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
¹²   I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings, and will pay thee my vows, *
      which I promised with my lips, and spake with my mouth, when I was in trouble.
¹³   I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices, with the incense of rams; *
      I will offer bullocks and goats.
¹⁴   O come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God; *
      and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.
¹⁵   I called unto him with my mouth, *
      and gave him praises with my tongue.
¹⁶   If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart, *
      the Lord will not hear me.
¹⁷   But God hath heard me; *
      and considered the voice of my prayer.
¹⁸   Praised be God, who hath not cast out my prayer, *
      nor turned his mercy from me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

For all the world shall worship thee, sing of thee and praise thy Name.

Psalm 67 Deus misereatur

God even our own God shall give us his blessing.

¹  GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us, *
      and show us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us;
²   That thy way may be known upon earth, *
      thy saving health among all nations.
³   Let the peoples praise thee, O God; *
      yea, let all the peoples praise thee.
⁴   O let the nations rejoice and be glad; *
      for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
⁵   Let the peoples praise thee, O God; *
      yea, let all the peoples praise thee.
⁶   Then shall the earth bring forth her increase; *
      and God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing.
⁷   God shall bless us; *
      and all the ends of the world shall fear him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

God even our own God shall give us his blessing.

Psalm 66 Jubilate Deo

All the earth bows down before you, sings to you, sings out your Name.

¹  Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
      sing the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise.
²  Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! *
      because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
³  All the earth bows down before you, *
      sings to you, sings out your Name."
⁴  Come now and see the works of God, *
      how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
⁵  He turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot, *
      and there we rejoiced in him.
⁶  In his might he rules for ever; his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
      let no rebel rise up against him.
⁷  Bless our God, you peoples; *
      make the voice of his praise to be heard;
⁸  Who holds our souls in life, *
      and will not allow our feet to slip.
⁹  For you, O God, have proved us; *
      you have tried us just as silver is tried.
¹⁰  You brought us into the snare; *
      you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
¹¹  You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; *
      but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
¹²  I will enter your house with burnt-offerings and will pay you my vows, *
      which I promised with my lips and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
¹³  I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts with the smoke of rams; *
      I will give you oxen and goats.
¹⁴  Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
      and I will tell you what he has done for me.
¹⁵  I called out to him with my mouth, *
      and his praise was on my tongue.
¹⁶  If I had found evil in my heart, *
      the Lord would not have heard me;
¹⁷  But in truth God has heard me; *
      he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
¹⁸  Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
      nor withheld his love from me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

All the earth bows down before you, sings to you, sings out your Name.

Psalm 67 Deus misereatur

May God, our own God, give us his blessing.

¹  May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
      show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
²  Let your ways be known upon earth, *
      your saving health among all nations.
³  Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
      let all the peoples praise you.
⁴  Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
      for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth.
⁵  Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
      let all the peoples praise you.
⁶  The earth has brought forth her increase; *
      may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
⁷  May God give us his blessing, *
      and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

May God, our own God, give us his blessing.

The Lessons

A Reading from 1 Samuel 4:12-22

KJV

RSV

NRSV

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes rent and with earth upon his head. When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hastened and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. And the man said to Eli, "I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today." And he said, "How did it go, my son?" He who brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people; your two sons also, Hophni and Phin'ehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phin'ehas, was with child, about to give birth. And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, "Fear not, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer or give heed. And she named the child Ich'abod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head. When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man came quickly and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. The man said to Eli, "I have just come from the battle; I fled from the battle today." He said, "How did it go, my son?" The messenger replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth; for her labor pains overwhelmed her. As she was about to die, the women attending her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer or give heed. She named the child Ichabod, meaning, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

Here ends the Reading.

BCP canticle cycle

BCP canticle + Song of Zechariah

The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus
Luke 1:68-79

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *
for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *
in the house of his servant David,
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *
which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, *
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *
and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, *
that he would give us,
That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies *
might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him, *
all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, *
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *
for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God, *
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: *
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus
Luke 1: 68-79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the
shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

We Praise Thee Te Deum laudamus

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world
doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty,
thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting.

You are God Te Deum laudamus

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

A Reading from James 1:1-18

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greeting. Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Here ends the Reading.

The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, he will be killed, and on the third day be raised.