29 Catherine of Siena, Teacher of the Faith, 1380 , was a tertiary of the Dominican Order and a Scholastic philosopherand theologian who had a great influence on the Catholic Church. She is declared a saint and a doctor of the Church.
·
30 Pandita Mary
Ramabai, Translator of the Scriptures, 1922
·
2 Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the
Faith, 373 His on-again-off-again episcopate spanned 45
years (c. 8 June 328 – 2 May 373), of which over 17 encompassed five exiles,
when his episcopate is replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors. Athanasius was a Christian
theologian, a Church Father, the chief defender of Trinitarianism against Arianism, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century.
·
4 English Saints and Martyrs of
the Reformation Era
FIRST READING: Acts 8: 26 - 40 (all but Roman Catholic)
Acts 8:26 (NRSV)
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south
to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Ga'za." (This is a wilderness
road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court
official of the Canda'ce, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire
treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated
in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isai'ah. 29 Then the Spirit said to
Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." 30 So Philip ran up to
it and heard him reading the prophet Isai'ah. He asked, "Do you understand
what you are reading?" 31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone
guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the
passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep
he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb
silent before its shearer,
so he does not
open his mouth.
33 In his
humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe
his generation?
For his life is
taken away from the earth."
34 The eunuch
asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about
himself or about someone else?" 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting
with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they
were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said,
"Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" 37
38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch,
went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of
the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no
more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azo'tus,
and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all
the towns until he came to Caesare'a.
Acts 9: 26 - 31 (Roman Catholic)
Acts 9:26 (NRSV)
When he [Paul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and
they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
27 But Bar'nabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them
how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus
he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them
in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke and argued
with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. 30 When the
believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesare'a and sent him off to
Tar'sus.
31 Meanwhile the
church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up.
Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it
increased in numbers.
Baruch 3: 9 - 15, 32 -
4:4 (alt. for C of E)
Bar 3:9 (NRSV)
Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;
give ear, and
learn wisdom!
10 Why is it, O
Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,
that you are
growing old in a foreign country,
that you are
defiled with the dead, 11 that you are counted among those in Hades?
12 You have
forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
13 If you had
walked in the way of God,
you would be
living in peace forever.
14 Learn where
there is wisdom,
where there is
strength,
where there is
understanding,
so that you may at
the same time discern
where there is
length of days, and life,
where there is
light for the eyes, and peace.
15 Who has found
her place?
And who has
entered her storehouses?
32 But the one who
knows all things knows her,
he found her by
his understanding.
The one who
prepared the earth for all time
filled it with
four-footed creatures;
33 the one who
sends forth the light, and it goes;
he called it, and
it obeyed him, trembling;
34 the stars shone
in their watches, and were glad;
he called them,
and they said, "Here we are!"
They shone with
gladness for him who made them.
35 This is our
God;
no other can be
compared to him.
36 He found the
whole way to knowledge,
and gave her to
his servant Jacob
and to Israel,
whom he loved.
37 Afterward she
appeared on earth
and lived with
humankind.
4:1 She is the
book of the commandments of God,
the law that
endures forever.
All who hold her
fast will live,
and those who
forsake her will die.
2 Turn, O Jacob,
and take her;
walk toward the
shining of her light.
3 Do not give your
glory to another,
or your advantages
to an alien people.
4 Happy are we, O
Israel,
for we know what
is pleasing to God.
Genesis 22: 1 - 18 (alt. for C of E)
Gene 22:1 (NRSV)
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And
he said, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." 3 So
Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his
young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering,
and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On
the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said
to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over
there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." 6 Abraham took
the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself
carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac
said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am,
my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the
lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God himself will provide
the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on
together.
9 When they came
to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the
wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the
wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill {Or [to
slaughter] } his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven,
and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12
He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I
know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son,
from me." 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by
its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering
instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place "The LORD will
provide"; {Or [will see] ; Heb traditionally transliterated [Jehovah
Jireh] } as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be
provided." {Or [he shall be seen] }
15 The angel of
the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By
myself I have sworn, says the LORD: Because you have done this, and have not
withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make
your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on
the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18
and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for
themselves, because you have obeyed my voice."
PSALM 22: 25 - 31 (RCL)
Psalm 22: 25 - 27, 29 -
31 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 22:25 (NRSV)
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay
before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall
eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him
shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts
live forever!
27 All the ends of
the earth shall remember
and turn to the
LORD;
and all the
families of the nations
shall worship
before him.
28 For dominion
belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over
the nations.
29 To him, indeed,
shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall
bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live
for him.
30 Posterity will
serve him;
future generations
will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim
his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has
done it.
Note: Verse numbering
in your psalter may differ from the above; verse numbering in Roman Catholic
Bibles is one greater than the above.
22 Deus, Deus meus (ECUSA BCP)
24 My
praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I
will perform my vows in the presence of those who
worship him.
25 The
poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek
the Lord shall praise him: *
“May your heart live for ever!”
26 All
the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to
the Lord, *
and
all the families of the nations bow before him.
27 For
kingship belongs to the Lord; *
he
rules over the nations.
28 To
him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down
in worship; *
all
who go down to the dust fall before him.
29 My
soul shall live for him;
my descendants
shall serve him; *
they
shall be known as the Lord’s for
ever.
30 They
shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
the
saving deeds that he has done.
SECOND READING: 1 John 4: 7 - 21 (RCL)
1Joh 4:7 (NRSV)
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves
is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for
God is love. 9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only
Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not
that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning
sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought
to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God
lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know
that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14
And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior
of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God,
and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has
for us.
God is love, and
those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been
perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment,
because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever
fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
20 Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters,
are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen,
cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is
this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
H/T Montreal
Anglican
In earlier chapters, the author
has stressed two signs of fellowship with God: faith in Christ and love of
fellow Christians. In vv. 1-6,
he contrasts the work of the Holy Spirit with that of other supernatural powers
(working through false teachers): the Holy Spirit inspires confession of who
Christ really is: he has come from God, to be truly human. The author has told
his Christian readers: you “are from God” (v. 4).
Our passage can be summed up in three words: “God is love”
(vv. 8, 16).
This love originates in God; this is the kind of love we have for each other.
Being lovers, we are God’s children and we love him (v. 7).
If we don’t actively love, we don’t know God – because the very nature of God
“is love” (v. 8).
God’s greatest expression of love for us, the Church, was sending “his only
Son” (v. 9)
into the far-from-perfect “world”, thereby giving us a path to godly living
(“atoning sacrifice”, v. 10).
God took this initiative, this action restoring us to unity with him. So we
have a duty to love “one another” (v. 11).
It is only through Christ that we can see the Father (v. 12a).
The flip side is: if we love our fellows, God (love) is “in
us”: fraternal love completes (“is perfected”, v. 12)
God’s.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is proof that we and God are
inter-related (v. 13).
Part of this is witnessing and believing who Christ is (v. 14).
Being thus in love has a consequence: we need not fear
judgement at the end of the era; fear and “punishment” (v. 18)
are incompatible: God’s “love casts out fear”. We are called to love both God
and are fellows; it is impossible to love our fellows and not God, or God and
not our fellows (vv. 20-21).
. This section takes up the
second part of the double commandment. [ NJBC]
Verses 7-12: Christ has shown us God’s love. Love distinguishes the person
who “knows God” from the one who does not: see also 2:4-5; 3:1, 11.
Christ’s death in expiation of sin is again invoked as the example of the
obligation that Christians must follow. 3:16 says:
“We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay
down our lives for one another”. [ NJBC]
Verse 9:
“revealed among us”: Not only is God’s love revealed to the Christian in Jesus,
but it can also be said to be revealed “among” the Christian community, which
now has life through that love. In John 5:26,
Jesus says “‘For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the
Son also to have life in himself’”. See also John 6:57 and
1 John 5:11.
[NJBC]
Verse 12a: “No one has ever seen God”: This statement also appears in John 1:18.
[ NOAB] This is a general maxim
that the Johannine tradition had employed to insist that only Jesus reveals the
Father. See also John 5:37; 6:46.
[ NJBC]
Verses 13-18: The Holy “Spirit” (v. 13)
testifies that “Jesus” (v. 15),
God’s “Son”, has revealed his “Father” (v. 14)
as love. When his love is “perfected” (matured) in us, “fear of judgement” is
allayed: 2:28 says
“... abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not
be put to shame before him at his coming”. See also 3:21.
[ NOAB]
Verses 13-16a: We know God’s love through the Holy Spirit. [ NJBC]
Verses 16b-21: Our confidence: abiding in God’s love. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: “Love has been perfected ...”: 2:5 says
“... whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached
perfection ...”. [ NJBC]
Verses 19-21: Love originates in God. Failure to love is visible evidence of a
breach with the unseen God, and a violation of his commandment. [ NOAB]
Verses 20-21: The double commandment is also found in 3:23.
The need for fraternal love on the part of one who loves God is also found in
Matthew 25:40.
[ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 15: 1 - 8 (all)
John 15:1 (NRSV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every
branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to
make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I
have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot
bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you
abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I
in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever
does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches
are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my
disciples.
In our reading, he probably has in mind the judgement on Judah in
Isaiah 5:1-7:
God has lovingly prepared a vineyard for the people, but the vines yielded
“wild grapes”, so God destroyed the vineyard. In John, God is the “vinegrower”
(v. 1),
Christ the vine, and members of the Church the fruit. Jesus says that he is the
“true” (godly) vine, the one of whom Isaiah spoke. He is the Father’s agent.
Followers who are ineffective will be cut off, but those who are productive
will be aided by God’s power (v. 2).
V. 3 may
allude to Jesus’ washing the disciple’s feet: in 13:10,
he tells the disciples that they are now clean: they have been cleansed by
his revelation of God. Shared life with each other and with God is the basis
for being fruitful (v. 5b).
Leaving this community ends productivity, and leads to destruction and
damnation (“thrown into the fire”, v. 6).
If they remain in unity with him, whatever they ask in prayer will be granted
(v. 7).
God’s power and authority are shown forth (“glorified”, v. 8)
in the bearing of fruit, doing in Christ’s name. The disciples
represent Jesus in the world.
This section takes up
the second part of the double commandment. [ NJBC]
Verses 7-12: Christ has shown us God’s love. Love
distinguishes the person who “knows God” from the one who does not: see
also 2:4-5; 3:1, 11.
Christ’s death in expiation of sin is again invoked as the example of the
obligation that Christians must follow. 3:16 says:
“We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay
down our lives for one another”. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: “revealed among us”: Not only is God’s love
revealed to the Christian in Jesus, but it can also be said to be revealed
“among” the Christian community, which now has life through that love. In
John 5:26,
Jesus says “‘For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the
Son also to have life in himself’”. See also John 6:57 and
1 John 5:11.
[NJBC]
Verse 12a: “No one has ever seen God”: This statement
also appears in John 1:18.
[ NOAB] This is a general maxim
that the Johannine tradition had employed to insist that only Jesus reveals the
Father. See also John 5:37; 6:46.
[ NJBC]
Verses 13-18: The Holy “Spirit” (v. 13)
testifies that “Jesus” (v. 15),
God’s “Son”, has revealed his “Father” (v. 14)
as love. When his love is “perfected” (matured) in us, “fear of judgement” is
allayed: 2:28 says
“... abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not
be put to shame before him at his coming”. See also 3:21.
[ NOAB]
Verses 13-16a: We know God’s love through the Holy Spirit. [ NJBC]
Verses 16b-21: Our confidence: abiding in God’s love. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: “Love has been perfected ...”: 2:5 says
“... whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached
perfection ...”. [ NJBC]
Verses 19-21: Love originates in God. Failure to love is
visible evidence of a breach with the unseen God, and a violation of his
commandment. [ NOAB]
Verses 20-21: The double commandment is
also found in 3:23.
The need for fraternal love on the part of one who loves God is also found in
Matthew 25:40.
[ NJBC]
John 15:1-8
Verses 1-27: In presenting the pattern of the Christian
believer’s life, Jesus defines three dimensions:
- Vv. 1-11:
the believer’s relationship to Christ: “abide” (v. 4)
- Vv. 12-17:
the relationship of believers to one another: “love” (v. 12)
- Vv. 18-27:
the believer’s relationship to the world. [ NOAB]
Has the original order
of the Gospel been changed at some time in the distant past? That this chapter
opens abruptly suggests, along with other clues, that it has. If this chapter
originally followed immediately after the account of the Last Supper, and if
the original account included an account of the institution of the Eucharist
(now in the discourse in Chapter 6–
see especially 6:53-58),
then the reference in v. 1 to
the “true vine” would have followed closely on that to the bread of life, and
its eucharistic reference would have been unmistakable. [ BlkJn]
Verse 1: “I am”: This is one of seven sayings which
begin “I am” and are followed by nouns (e.g. “the light of the world”,8:12,
“the door for the sheep”, 10:7).
The absence of parallel passages in other gospels, their occurrence in Hellenisticreligious literature,
and the fact that these sayings embody some of the most characteristic themes
of this gospel, all suggest that these are not strictly sayings of
Jesus but of a Christian prophet speaking in his name. [ BlkJn] It is also noteworthy
that the exact Greek phrase occurs in the Septuagint translation of
Exodus 3:13-14,
where God answers Moses inquiry as to what his name is with ego eimi ,
I am. [ CCB]
Verses 1-11: As “the true vine”, Jesus is the true Israel,
fulfilling the vocation in which the old Israel had failed. [ NOAB] For Israel as a vine or
vineyard which God has planted, see Isaiah 5:1-7 (the
Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard); Isaiah 27:2ff;
Jeremiah 2:21; 12:10ff;
Ezekiel 17:5; 19:10-14;
Psalm 80:8-16.
Jesus may well have these texts in mind. [ BlkJn]
Jesus’ (and John’s)
audience knew much more about viticulture than most of us do today. Viticulture
was very labour-intensive, requiring constant care. Growers even moved to the
vineyards before and during the harvest. Pruning is important in increasing
yield. Drastic pruning is performed on vines which do not produce grapes. The
wood of a vine is useless: it can only be burnt. Wine and grapes were an
important export. Israel recognized the vine as a gift from God. For knowledge
of viticulture, see Ezekiel 17:7-10.
Verse 1: “the vinegrower”: Jesus used the imagery of
the present allegory, for a different purpose, in Mark 12:1-12.
[ BlkJn]
Verse 2: “bears fruit”: This is a familiar image for
living the Christian life: in Romans 7:4-6,
Paul writes: “... you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that
you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order
that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful
passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for
death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive,
so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the
Spirit”. See also Colossians 1:6, 10;
Mark 4:14-20 (the
Parable of the Sower). [ BlkJn]
Verse 3: “cleansed by the word”:Recall Jesus’ words
in 14:23:
“‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we
will come to them and make our home with them’”. [ BlkJn]
Verse 5: “bear much fruit”: In Galatians 5:22-23,
Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”. The
fruit-bearing of the new Israel, i.e. the Church, springs from union (actual
incorporation) with Christ. [ NOAB]
Verse 6: “thrown into the fire”: In Matthew 3:10,
John the Baptiser warns some of those who come for baptism: “Even now the ax is
lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”. See also 13:30.
The idea that the ungodly would burn after judgement is found in other
contemporary literature, e.g. 2 Esdras.
Verse 7: “my words abide in you”: This is another way
of saying “keep my commandments” ( 14:15, 21),”keep
my word” (14:23, 24).
[ BlkJn]
Verse 9: For the love of the Father for Christ, see
also 3:35; 10:17; 17:23-24, 26;
for the love of Christ for the disciples, see 13:34; 15:12.
[ BlkJn]
Verses 10-11: You will achieve unity with Christ and a
loving relationship with him by being obedient to his will; being in unity is a
joyous experience. Note 4:35-36:
“Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you,
look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is
already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower
and reaper may rejoice together.”
Verse 10: For Christ keeping his Father’s commandments,
see also 8:28-30 and 14:31.
In 14:31,
“I love the Father” corresponds to “abide in his love” here. [ BlkJn]
