• 30 Charles Chapman Grafton, Bishop of Fond du Lac, and Ecumenist, 1912
• 31 Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 651. Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 687 was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in what might loosely be termed the Kingdom of Northumbria in the Northeast of England.^[5] After his death he became one of the most important medieval saints of Northern England

September

• 1 David Pendleton Oakerhater, Deacon and Missionary, 1931
• 2 The Martyrs of New Guinea, 1942
• 3 Prudence Crandall, Teacher and Prophetic Witness, 1890
• 4 Paul Jones, 1941was the Episcopal Bishop of Utah (1916–1918), a socialist, and a prominent pacifist. He was forced to resign his see in April 1918 because of his outspoken opposition to World War I.
• 5 Gregorio Aglipay, Priest and Founder of the Philippine Independent Church, 1940

OLD TESTAMENT:   Song of Solomon 2: 8 - 13   (RCL)

Song 2:8 (NRSV) The voice of my beloved!

Look, he comes,

leaping upon the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Look, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing in at the windows,

looking through the lattice.

10 My beloved speaks and says to me:

"Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away;

11 for now the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away.

Deuteronomy 4: 1 - 2, 6 - 8   (Roman Catholic)

Deuteronomy 4: 1 - 2, 6 - 9   (alt. for RCL)

Deut 4:1 (NRSV) So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.

6 You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!" 7 For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? 8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

9 But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children--

PSALM 45:1,2, 6-9   (RCL)

Psal 45:1 (NRSV) My heart overflows with a goodly theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

2 You are the most handsome of men;

grace is poured upon your lips;

therefore God has blessed you forever.

6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;

7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.

From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;

at your right hand stands the queen in gold of O'phir.

Note: Verse numbering in your psalter may differ from the above

45   Eructavit cor meum   (ECUSA BCP)

1          My heart is stirring with a noble song;

let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *

            my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

2          You are the fairest of men; *

            grace flows from your lips,

            because God has blessed you for ever.

7          Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *

            a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;

            you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

8          Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *

            with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

9          All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *

            and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

10        Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *

            on your right hand is the queen,

            adorned with the gold of Ophir.

Psalm 15   (alt. for RCL)

Psalm 15: 2 - 5   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 15:1 (NRSV) O LORD, who may abide in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy hill?

2 Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,

and speak the truth from their heart;

3 who do not slander with their tongue,

and do no evil to their friends,

nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;

4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised,

but who honor those who fear the LORD;

who stand by their oath even to their hurt;

5 who do not lend money at interest,

and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

15   Domine, quis habitabit?   (ECUSA BCP)

1          Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *

 who may abide upon your holy hill?

2          Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *

 who speaks the truth from his heart.

3          There is no guile upon his tongue;

he does no evil to his friend; *

 he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.

4          In his sight the wicked is rejected, *

 but he honors those who fear the Lord.

5          He has sworn to do no wrong *

 and does not take back his word.

6          He does not give his money in hope of gain, *

 nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

7          Whoever does these things *

 shall never be overthrown.

NEW TESTAMENT:   James 1: 17 - 27   (RCL)

                                      James 1: 17 - 18, 21b - 22, 27   (Roman Catholic)

Jame 1:17 (NRSV) 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. 18 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.

19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

  h/t Montreal Anglican

This book is an exhortation to conduct befitting Christians: who are aliens in a world which has become evil, and are also heirs of God’s relationship with Israel. The author cautions them (v. 16): “Do not be deceived, my beloved”. The very “act of giving” (v. 17) is what matters, not the size of the gift. God, “the Father of lights”, gives the “perfect gift”: in Genesis 1:14-18 he gave the planets and stars, which vary in position and brightness (“shadow”, v. 17) in the sky, but God’s love and goodness to us are never diminished. He created according to his own intent; he now gives us the new creation, i.e. baptism (“birth”, v. 18), into the gospel (“word of truth”), his saving revelation fully expressed in Christ. Why? So that we may be forerunners (“first fruits”) of all humans in offering ourselves to God. So (v. 21) cast aside worldliness, and welcome the faith received (“implanted”) at baptism, a faith that can save you from the evil in the world. But this “word” (v. 22) is not just to be heard but also to be done: baptism places ethical demands. To be a hearer (v. 23) but not a doer is like looking in a “mirror”: it reveals blemishes; the hearer sees them, but then forgets them (or ignores them): he or she does nothing to correct the deficiencies. But those who “look into” (v. 25) and “persevere” with the gospel (“the perfect law, the law of liberty”) are doers, are “blessed” for following God’s ways.
Now v. 19: doers have three characteristics: they are “quick to listen” (so do not “deceive themselves”, v. 22), “slow to speak, slow to anger” (v. 19) – sinful and prolonged anger is not striving for the integrity (“righteousness”, v. 20) demanded by God. Vv. 26-27 offer a practical application: “care for orphans and widows”. If our “religion” is all talk, it is “worthless”; it must include caring actively for others. Also, we must keep a detachment from the world.

I think James is related to Old Testament wisdom in many ways. What matters in one's lifestyle is “right living”, “right action” (orthopraxy) in relation to the rest of the community (including those outside the church, presumably). This is to live the gospel as an agent of God's mercy to the world. Caring for widows and orphans is “true religion”.
There is perhaps an echo of Isaiah 55:11 here, too. “My word ... shall not return empty, but shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The gospel as word is not simply to be heard but to be enacted, so that the word may accomplish God's purpose.
I think there is a distinction between acting on one's own in response to the command of God, and acting as an agent of God's word, by God's strength. V. 17 makes this clear. “Every generous act of giving ... is from above.” In other words, it is not us who give but God (in us, or through us).
Luther considered James a “straw epistle”, mainly I suspect because it deals so much with orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy. Luther's emphasis was on justification by grace through faith, but James says (rightly I think) “show me your works, and I will see your faith.”. [Alan Perry]
Verse 17: “Father of lights”: Two documents from the first century speak of the “prince of lights”: 1QS (Rule of the Community) 3:20 and CD (Damascus Document) 5:18. 1QS 3:20 says: “In the hands of the Prince of Lights is dominion over all the sons of justice; they walk on paths of light.” CD 5:17-18 says: “... For in ancient times there arose Moses and Aaron, by the hand of the prince of lights ...”
Verses 18-19: These verses depend on a baptismal liturgy. See also 1 Peter 1:22-2:2.
Verse 18: “In fulfilment of his own purpose”: Unlike the blind forces that give birth to sin. V. 14 says: “one is tempted by one’s own desire, being enticed and lured by it.”
Verse 18: “first fruits”: The first part of the harvest was to be offered to God: see Leviticus 23:10; Numbers 15:21; Deuteronomy 18:4. Paul uses “first fruits” in two senses:

• in referring to pioneer converts (see Romans 16:5 and 1 Corinthians 16:15, where the NRSV translates the Greek as “first convert(s)”), and
• gifts of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:23).

In James, it appears that the author and his readers have already experienced divine birth, which is ultimately destined for all humans.
Verse 19: “quick to ... slow to anger”: These admonitions are common in the Old Testament and in the Qumran Literature: see Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Proverbs 14:29; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3; Sirach 5:11-13; 20:5-8; 1QH (Qumran Hymns) 9:34-37 ( Vermes: 1:34-37). [NJBC]
Verse 22: ^†NJBC says that this verse is a summary of the book. It is like Romans 2:13. Christianity as a religion of deeds is characteristic of James. For this notion in the gospels, see Matthew 7:24-27 (and parallels); Luke 8:21; 11:28. For the Old Testament background, see Deuteronomy 4:5-6, 13-15; Ezekiel 33:31-32. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: “law”: James lacks the distinction between law and gospel; rather he qualifies the word law when he uses it. This is like the spirit of Matthew 5:17-19 (the Sermon on the Mount). “Perfect law” is usually a Jewish description of Mosaic law, but here the term is applied to the gospel. [ NOAB]
Verse 25: “blessed”: The happiness of the person who does God’s will. Psalm 1:1-2 says: “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord ...”. See also Matthew 5:3-11 (the Beatitudes). [ NOAB]
Verses 26-27: See Matthew 25:35-36. [ NOAB]
Verse 27: “Father”: Psalm 68:5 speaks of God’s fatherly care of widows and orphans. [ JBC]
Verse 27: “orphans and widows”: They are the natural objects of charity in the community. See Deuteronomy 27:19; Sirach 4:10; Acts 6:1. [ JBC]

GOSPEL:   Mark 7: 1 - 8, 14 - 15, 21 - 23   (all)

Mark 7:1 (NRSV) Now when the Phar'isees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Phar'isees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles. 5 So the Phar'isees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" 6 He said to them, "Isai'ah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

"This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.'

8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."

14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."

20 And he said, "It is what comes out of a person that defiles. 21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Mark has told us that Jesus has gained an audience among the common people, who have sought sustenance and have responded to his compassion in healing. Now we hear of his opposition to the legalism and pickiness of the Pharisees. They are “from Jerusalem”, so represent official Judaism. Mark’s note (vv. 3-4), written for Gentile readers, explains that Pharisees consider the “tradition of the elders” to be binding, as are the laws of Moses. (They wished to extend the laws of ritual purity, which once applied only to priests, to all Jews, thus making all people priestly.) Rather than answer the question (v. 5), Jesus calls them phonies. (In Greek, hypokrites were actors who masked – hid – their faces.) He quotes Isaiah 29:13: their religion is empty; they “hold to human tradition” (v. 8) rather than the Law. Then vv. 14-15: Jesus says that what you eat (“going in”) is immaterial, but what comes out does matter: it is from the very being of a person that “evil intentions” (v. 21) and actions come. (The “heart” was seen as the source of will and not just of emotions.)

The parallel is Matthew 15:1-20.
This passage stresses the central importance of the purity of food and food containers for all Jews, but especially for Pharisees (meaning “pure ones”) and scribes, i.e. those responsible for showing the relevance and specific requirements of Mosaic law. Jesus appeals to Isaiah to show that what matters most is personal dedication to God and his will, rather than formal – often evasive – conformity to legal precepts. The real sources of evil are not ritual pollution from without, but corruption within the human heart - the seat of will, and not merely of emotions (as we think today). [ CAB]
Verse 2: “defiled”: The issue is not one of hygiene, but rather failure to follow traditional Jewish practices of ritual purification. [ NJBC]
Verse 3: “tradition of the elders”: The Pharisees claimed traditions in which the great leaders of Israel formed a chain back to Moses, i.e. unwritten law, aural torah (later recorded in the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud.) [ JBC]
Verse 4: In Matthew 23:25, Jesus warns: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence”. See also Luke 11:39. [ NOAB]
Verse 5: In Galatians 1:14, Paul tells us of his early zealousness for the Law. [ NOAB]
Verses 6-7: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 29:13: This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and they honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men, [ BLXX] but note that there are differences. NOAB hypothesizes that Mark used a collection of (inexact) quotations from the Septuagint. [ NOAB]
Verse 8: “human tradition”: The Pharisees and scribes would have argued that they were making practical and concrete teachings that were not clear in the law. [ NJBC] Also, the aural torah formed a protective wrapper round Mosaic law, thus making it most unlikely that a Jew would commit a serious sin by transgressing the Law itself.
Verses 9-13: Jesus illustrates his point by speaking of “Corban” (Greek: korban). A child could, per the aural torah, declare possessions to be korban, i.e. an offering to God. He still enjoyed the use of them. At that time, the Commandment to “Honour your father and mother” was interpreted as giving parents a right to a child’s possessions. Making possessions korban circumvented a child’s obligations to his parents under the Law. Some later Jewish teachers agreed with Jesus. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “defile”: Defilement rendered one unfit to share in public worship. See also Acts 10:14-15 (Peter’s vision) and 1 Timothy 4:3.
Verse 16: Most important manuscripts omit this verse.
Verse 19: “Thus he declared all foods clean”: “Clean” here means ritually clean. The question arises: if Jesus was so clear about food laws, why was the issue debated in the early Church? See Galatians 2:11-14 (Paul rebukes Peter at Antioch); Romans 14:14-20; Colossians 2:20-23; Acts 10:14-15. [ NJBC]
The answer, I think, is that the comment “thus he declared” is Mark's commentary on Jesus' statement. Given that Mark was written after the events recorded in Acts (notably Peter's vision), perhaps Mark is here finding in the words of Jesus justification of the ultimate decision to relax the dietary laws.
Oddly enough, if that is the case, then Mark is acting in the way the Pharisees operated! In other words, he is establishing in the new oral tradition (i.e. the words of Jesus) that there is a teaching validating a new interpretation of the written Law. The Pharisees believed in a two-fold Law, one written and the other oral. This latter law is chiefly what separated them from the Sadducees. [Alan Perry]
Verses 21-23: For other such lists of vices, see Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 1:29-31; 1 Peter 4:3; Wisdom 14:25-26. Many of the elements were common in the Greco-Roman world and in Judaism. See 1QS (Qumran Rule of the Community) 4:9-11. [ NJBC]
1QS 4:9-11 says:

“... to the spirit of deceit belong greed, frailty of hands in the service of justice, irreverence, deceit, pride and haughtiness of heart, dishonesty, trickery, cruelty, much insincerity, impatience, much insanity, zealousness about wrong things, appalling acts performed in a lustful passion, filthy paths for indecent purposes, blasphemous tongue, blindness of eyes, hardness of hearing, stiffness of neck, hardness of heart in order to walk in all the paths of darkness and evil cunning. ...” [ Martinez]

·  24 Saint Bartholomew the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

·  25 Louis, King of France, 1270 (also in the Philippines, alternative commemoration for Charles Henry Brent)

·  27 Thomas Gallaudet, 1902, and Henry Winter Syle, 1890

·  28 Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430. Moses the Black, Desert Father and Martyr, c. 400 was an ascetic monk and priest in Egypt in the fourth century AD, and a notable Desert Father.

·  29 John Bunyan, Writer, 1688 was an English writer and baptist^[1] preacher best remembered as the author of the religious allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.

·  30 Charles Chapman Grafton, Bishop of Fond du Lac, and Ecumenist, 1912

OLD TESTAMET:  1 Kings 8: (1, 6, 10, 11) 22 - 30, 41 - 43   (RCL)

1Kin 8:1 (NRSV) Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.

10 And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23 He said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 24 the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. 25 Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, "There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.' 26 Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.

27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! 28 Regard your servant's prayer and his plea, O LORD my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, "My name shall be there,' that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive.

41 "Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42 --for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm--when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, 43 then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.

Joshua 24: 1 - 2a, 15 - 17, 18b   (Roman Catholic)

Joshua 24: 1 - 2a, 14 - 18   (alt. for RCL)

Josh 24:1 (NRSV) Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to She'chem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:

14 "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Am'orites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Am'orites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

PSALM 84   (RCL)

Psal 84:1 (NRSV) How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul longs, indeed it faints

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O LORD of hosts,

my King and my God.

4 Happy are those who live in your house,

ever singing your praise. [Se'lah]

5 Happy are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

6 As they go through the valley of Ba'ca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength;

the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! [Se'lah]

9 Behold our shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed.

10 For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than live in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

he bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does the LORD withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts,

happy is everyone who trusts in you.

84  Quam dilecta!  (ECUSA BCP)

1          How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *

     My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of

                              the LORD;

     my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

2          The sparrow has found her a house

and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *

     by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,

     my King and my God.

3          Happy are they who dwell in your house! *

     they will always be praising you.

4          Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *

     whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.

5          Those who go through the desolate valley will find

                              it a place of springs, *

     for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.

6          They will climb from height to height, *

     and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.

7          Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; *

     hearken, O God of Jacob.

8          Behold our defender, O God; *

     and look upon the face of your Anointed.

9          For one day in your courts is better than

                              a thousand in my own room, *

     and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God

     than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

10         For the Lord God is both sun and shield; *

     he will give grace and glory;

11         No good thing will the Lord withhold *

     from those who walk with integrity.

12         O Lord of hosts, *

     happy are they who put their trust in you!

Psalm 34: 15 - 22   (alt. for RCL)

Psalm 34: 1 - 2, 15 - 20   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 34:1 (NRSV) I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,

and rescues them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,

and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD rescues them from them all.

20 He keeps all their bones;

not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil brings death to the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one greater than the above.

34   Benedicam Domi   (ECUSA BCP)

15  The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *

 and his ears are open to their cry.

16  The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *

 to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17  The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *

 and delivers them from all their troubles.

18  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted *

 and will save those whose spirits are crushed.

19  Many are the troubles of the righteous, *

 but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.

20  He will keep safe all his bones; *

 not one of them shall be broken.

21  Evil shall slay the wicked, *

 and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22  The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *

 and none will be punished who trust in him.

NEW TESTAMENT:   Ephesians 6: 10 - 20   (RCL)

Ephe 6:10 (NRSV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

h/t Montreal Anglican

The author now concludes his letter. Earlier, he has prayed that his readers may come to know the power of God operative in the resurrection and exaltation of Christ to heaven, and in his victory over the forces of evil. The Church participates in that victory; its members know something of this power in their conversion: a resurrection from a fatalism that viewed the world as continually declining towards evil.
Now the author tells them that they must learn to rely on that power: they are to equip themselves with “armour” (vv. 11, 13) provided by God, as they oppose not people (“blood and flesh”, v. 12) but the malevolent forces (“rulers ... authorities”) which control them. The metaphor of the soldier is from Isaiah; here he is girded with “truth” (v. 14) and integrity (“righteousness”); his “shoes” (v. 15) give him firmer footing for (paradoxically) proclaiming the “gospel of peace”. His faith will protect him against attack from the devil (“the evil one”, v. 16). He accepts “salvation” (v. 17). He has one offensive weapon, given to him by the Spirit, “the word of God”. Persistent prayer, prompted by the Spirit, is his aid in interceding for fellow Christians (“saints”, v. 18). In vv. 19-20, the author asks his readers to pray for him that he may be given a gift of the right words in telling of the “mystery”, God’s age-long purpose, now disclosed, to call both Jews and Gentiles to share in Christ’s saving action. Paul is (like) a prisoner awaiting trial (“in chains”) yet is able to tell the good news “boldly” and freely.

5:21-6:9 concerns conduct in the Christian household – in an ancient culture. The basic ideas are mutual respect with honesty and a considerate attitude towards others. The head of the household is subject to the same authority (Christ) as other members of the household.
Verse 10: “be strong”: In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul urges members of the church at Corinth: “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong”. [ CAB]
Verse 11: “wiles”: or stratagems – a combination of tactical shrewdness and ingenious deception.
Verse 11: “devil”: The word diabolos occurs only here and in the Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament. Paul usually uses satanas . [ JBC]
Verse 12: “rulers ...”: See also 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; Colossians 2:15; Romans 8:38; Revelation 12:7-9. [ CAB]
Verse 12: “blood and flesh”: mere mortal beings. [ NOAB] The REB has “human foes”.
Verse 12: “spiritual forces”: The REB has “superhuman forces”.
Verse 13: “whole armour of God”: This is God’s own armour. Isaiah 59:17 also uses a military metaphor: “He [ Yahweh] put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle”. See also Isaiah 11:5. Another literary precedent is Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. [ JBC] Paul uses this metaphor in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. In Wisdom 5:20, Yahweh carries “stern wrath for a sword”. [ CAB]
Verse 17: “sword”: In Hosea 6:5, Yahweh says: “... I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light:. See also Isaiah 11:4; Revelation 1:16; Hebrews 4:12. Revelation 19:15 also identifies the sword with the word of God. [ CAB]
Verse 18: “keep alert”: Literally awake. This is part of early catechetical teaching (also found in 1 Corinthians 16:13, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 3:2; 16:15) which had its roots in the teaching of Jesus: in Mark 13:33, he advises: “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come”. See also Luke 21:36.

GOSPEL:   John 6: 56 - 69   (RCL)

                    John 6: 60 - 69   (Roman Catholic)

John 6:56 (NRSV)  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Caper'naum.

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Jesus has said that he is divine and the living bread. Now he says that partaking in the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, establishes a lasting relationship, a community of life, a mutual indwelling, between him and the believer. “Living Father” (v. 57) reminds us of “living bread” (v. 51): the Father sent the Son to give life, and the life the Son has is the Father’s, given to the Son; this type of relationship is extended to the partaker in the Eucharist. This bread is “from heaven” (v. 58) as was manna (“which your ancestors ate”), but it is much more effective: it is the eucharistic sacrament of life. Jesus now leaves the “synagogue” (v. 59).
Many of his followers find “this teaching” (v. 60) “difficult”, i.e. offensive: eating flesh is repugnant; he offends Jewish belief by claiming to be “from heaven” (v. 58) and to give life (only God can do that). Jesus says (v. 62): if you can’t accept these things, seeing me ascend to heaven will really confound you. I speak spiritually, not literally (v. 63): “it is the spirit that gives life”, is the life-giving factor. Humanity, even Christ in human form, is “useless” without the spirit. Jesus’ words link life with spirit. Some, he says, do not believe, so the Eucharist is nonsense to them (v. 64). Belief in him is a gift from the Father (v. 65). This leads many to desert him (as later many left the Church, v. 66). Jesus offers the twelve the chance to leave him (v. 67). Peter replies on their behalf: we are on the way to knowing you, for we already believe in you; we know why you came (v. 69).

Even as the life of the Son and the Father are one ( 14:10, 5:21ff), a life they in turn share with the Spirit ( 1:32ff; 15:26), in the Eucharist the Christian receives the shared life of God himself. [ JBC] Partaking in the Eucharist establishes a communion of life between Christ and the believer (see 1 Corinthians 10:16).
Verse 63: “gives life”: In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul writes: “it is written, ’he first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit”. Recall John 3:6: “What is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the Spirit is spirit”. Only a person born of the spirit will be able to accept the truth of Jesus’ words. Recall 1:4: “in him [“the Word”, the Logos] was life, and the life was the light of all people”. The word is the principle of life. Here, in the context of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, words means not just what Jesus said at the Last Supper but all he said in expounding the meaning of his life and in evoking faith. [ BlkJn]
Verse 64: See 5:38; 6:37; 8:25, 46-47; 10:25-26.
Verse 65: Ephesians 2:8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”. [ NOAB] John the Baptizer speaks of the Father eliciting faith: “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven”. See also 6:37. [ BlkJn]
Verse 65: “I have told you”: i.e. in vv. 44ff.
Verse 66: “turned back”: The Greek phrase, apelthon eis ta opiso, occurs again in 18:6, where it is used of the soldiers who recoiled from Jesus when he presented himself to them in Gethsemane. The parallel is no doubt intentional: in both passages, the self revelation of the Christ repels unbelievers. [ BlkJn]
Verse 67: “the twelve”: John assumes that the reader already knows who “the twelve” are. BlkJn sees all except “the twelve” deserting Jesus. John gives little emphasis to the Twelve.
Verse 68: In the Synoptic gospels, Peter’s confession shows that the disciples have begun to perceive Jesus as Messiah; in John, Jesus is the Messiah from the start. Here Peter echos v. 63b.
Verse 69: “Holy”: Elsewhere in John, this word refers to Christ’s mission (“sanctified” in 10:36; 17:19; etc.). BlkJn notes that “the Holy One of God” is a messianic title.
Verses 70-71: Though Jesus had chosen the Twelve, his choice did not guarantee their faithfulness. [ BlkJn]