·
27 Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo,
387 also known as Monica of Hippo, was an early Christian saint and the
mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in most Christian denominations,
albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the
suffering caused by her husband's adultery, and her prayerful
life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her
pious acts and life with her in his Confessions.
·
28 Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo, Teacher of
the Faith, 430 was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidiawhose writings
influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in north
Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western
Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Era
·
29 The Beheading
of John the Baptist
·
30 John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688
·
31 Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651 was an
Irish monk and missionary credited with
restoring Christianity to Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on
the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindisfarne Priory, served as its first bishop, and travelled
ceaselessly throughout the countryside, spreading the gospel to both the Anglo-Saxon nobility and to the socially disenfranchised (including children
and slaves).
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.
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: “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.
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 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]
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."
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).
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