·        9 Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880

·        13 John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher of the Faith, 407 ,^[5] Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority^[6] by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities.

·        14 Holy Cross Day

·        15 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258  was bishop of Carthage and a notable Early Christian writer of Berber descent,^[3] many of whose Latin works are extant. 

·        16 Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle of the Picts, c.432  is a Christian saint first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedications to him in those parts of Scotland with a Pictish heritage, 

·        16 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, Tractarian, 1882

OLD TESTAMENT: Proverbs 22: 1 - 2, 8 - 9, 22 - 23   (RCL)

Prov 22:1 (NRSV) A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common:

the LORD is the maker of them all.

8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

9 Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

23 for the LORD pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Isaiah 35: 4 - 7a (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)

Isai 35:4 (NRSV) Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

""Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you."

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

PSALM 125 (RCL)

Psal 125:1 (NRSV) Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds his people,

from this time on and forevermore.

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest

on the land allotted to the righteous,

so that the righteous might not stretch out

their hands to do wrong.

4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

and to those who are upright in their hearts.

5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways

the LORD will lead away with evildoers.

Peace be upon Israel!

125   Qui confidunt    (ECUSA BCP)

1               Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, *

     which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.

2               The hills stand about Jerusalem; *

     so does the Lord stand round about his people,

     from this time forth for evermore.

3               The scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the

                              land allotted to the just, *

     so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.

4               Show your goodness, O LORD, to those who are good *

     and to those who are true of heart.

5               As for those who turn aside to crooked ways,

the Lord will lead them away with the evildoers; *

     but peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 146: 7 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Psalm 146   (alt. for RCL)

Psal 146:1 (NRSv) Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortals, in whom there is no help.

4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;

on that very day their plans perish.

5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD their God,

6 who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed;

who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the strangers;

he upholds the orphan and the widow,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD!

146   Lauda, anima mea   (ECUSA BCP)

1               Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, O my soul! *

     I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

     I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

2               Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *

     for there is no help in them.

3               When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *

     and in that day their thoughts perish.

4               Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *

     whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5               Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *

     who keeps his promise for ever;

6               Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *

     and food to those who hunger.

7               The Lord sets the prisoners free;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *

     the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

8               The Lord loves the righteous;

the Lord cares for the stranger; *

     he sustains the orphan and widow,

     but frustrates the way of the wicked.

9               The Lord shall reign for ever, *

     your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

     Hallelujah!

NEW TESTAMENT: James 2: 1 - 10 (11 - 13) 14 - 17 (RCL)

                                    James 2: 1 - 5 (Roman Catholic)

Jame 2:1 (NRSV) My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

h/t Montreal Anglican

The author has exhorted his readers to “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers” ( 1:22) of the gospel. He has taken caring for widows and orphans as an example. Now he expands on the responsibility of Christians to the disadvantaged. He challenges his audience: is your “favouritism”, your partiality, consistent with belief in Christ, who in his glory makes nonsense of distinctions based on status? He gives an example (vv. 2-3): if a stranger “comes into” your worship “assembly” don’t you offer him a better seat if he is well dressed? You judge by appearances; you discriminate. But, he says (v. 5): remember Jesus’ preference for the poor; they will have faith and inherit “the kingdom”. Your conduct is the opposite of God’s! (v. 6a) Perhaps he addresses the poor in vv. 6b-7. We are baptised into Jesus’ name in baptism; his name is “invoked” over us. To discriminate against the baptised, God’s people, is to “blaspheme” Christ’s character and “name”.

Then v. 8: the readers will fully comply with God’s law, “the royal law” revealed by Christ, if they keep the commandment Jesus called the “greatest and first” (Matthew 22:38): to “love one’s neighbour as yourself”. You break the law if you show “partiality” (v. 9), discriminate. Failing to love in any way makes one totally “accountable” (v. 10, literally: guilty). V. 11 is an example from the Ten Commandments.

Make the commandment of love, that gives freedom, your guide to conduct (v. 12). The person who fails to show compassion in life will be shown “no mercy” (v. 13) at Judgement Day, but one who is kindly will be treated compassionately. Then v. 14: what sense is there to claiming to “have faith” (freely accepting God’s saving revelation) if you don’t do God’s will? Claiming such will not save you! For example (vv. 15-16), words alone do not suffice when material help is needed. V. 17 summarizes: faith must be living, accompanied by actions, else it is useless.

Verse 1: “brothers and sisters”: Literally brothers . This term is used often in this letter. Adopted from Judaism, this was a normal form of Christian address. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “favouritism”: Partiality is a translation of the same Greek word, prosopolempsia. Romans 2:11 says: “For God knows no partiality”. Prosopolempsia is the gracious act by which someone lifts up a person’s face by showing him a favour; it is not found in God. See also Job 32:21; Luke 20:21; Mark 12:14; Matthew 22:16; Acts 10:34 (Peter’s speech at Cornelius’ house); Ephesians 6:9. [ CAB]

Verse 1: “glorious Lord”: Literally: our Lord of glory . [ JBC]

Verses 2-4: This example may not allude to a particular incident. Such examples are characteristic of the rhetorical style of the diatribe. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “assembly”: literally synagogue. [ NOAB] The author begins his exhortation ( 1:1) with “... To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion”. Yet this is clearly a Christian document as can be seen by the allusions to Jesus’ teachings. Perhaps his first readers were Jewish Christians. [ NJBC] This may be the only place in the New Testament where the word synagogueis used with reference to the Christian assembly.

Verse 3: “seat”: In Matthew 23:6, Jesus says of scribes and Pharisees: “They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues”. See also Mark 12:39; Luke 11:43; 20:46. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “distinctions”: In Romans 3:22-25, Paul says that there is no distinction between Jewish and Gentile Christians. [CAB]

Verse 4: “become judges”: Paul cautions against judging others in Romans 14:4, 10-13.

Verses 5-13: These verses present arguments against partiality.

Verse 5: Jesus states God’s preference for the poor in Luke 6:20 (the first Beatitude). See also 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. [NOAB]

Verse 5: “chosen the poor in the world”: This may refer to God’s choice of Israel, an idea suggested by Job 30:25; Psalm 34:6 and Isaiah 25:4. [ CAB] The Old Testament idea that God specially cares for the poor (see Psalm 35:10) and gives them messianic blessings (see Isaiah 61:1) is also prominent in the Qumran literature: see 1QM (Qumran War Scroll) 13:14: “Your mighty hand is with the poor! ...” [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “promised”: The concept of divine promise, with the ideas of election and inheritance, as well as the response of being live towards God, are the very basis of Old Testament and New Testament theology.

Verse 6: The author seems to address both the rich and poor. The oppressive rich are considered as a class, characterized not only by wealth but also by oppressiveness and impiety, in terms reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets: Amos 8:4says “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land”. See also Wisdom of Solomon 2:10.

Verse 6: In view of v. 7, the author is probably thinking of religious persecution, as well as social and economic. [ NJBC]

Verse 7: “excellent name”: Christ’s character and fame. See also Philippians 2:9 (“the name that is above every name”) and 1 Peter 4:14. [ NOAB] Or it may mean God’s name: see Deuteronomy 16:2. [ CAB] To have someone’s name “invoked” over one is to be designated as belonging to that person. It dishonours Jesus’ name to persecute Christians baptised into his name. See Acts 2:38 (Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost). [ NJBC]

Verse 8: The quotation is from Leviticus 19:18. [ NOAB] Jesus quotes this verse in preaching about the kingdom: see Matthew 22:39. Jesus said that this is the “greatest and first” commandment: see also Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27. Paul wrote that loving one’s neighbour as oneself is the fulfilling of the law: see Galatians 5:14 and Romans 13:9. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “royal law”: Because it comes from God, the ultimate sovereign, it is royal. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: The balance between sin, the law and transgression seems to be in harmony with Paul’s more elaborate development: see Romans 4:15; 5:13-14; 7:7-21; Galatians 3:19. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: This is implied in Matthew 5:18-19 (the Sermon on the Mount) and Galatians 3:10: “... all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law’”. It is also found in rabbinic and Stoic traditions. [ NJBC]

Verse 11: The quotations are from Exodus 20:13-14. [ CAB]

Verse 12: “judged”: Judgement linked with love of one’s neighbour is also found in Matthew 5:22, 25; 7:1-2; 25:31-46. [NJBC]

Verse 12: “law of liberty”: See Romans 8:2 (“law of the Spirit”); 1 Corinthians 9:21 (“God’s law ... Christ’s law”); Galatians 5:13-14; 6:2 (“the law of Christ”). A spirit of joyful dedication to God’s law is also expressed in Psalms 1:2; 40:8 and in the Qumran literature. James lacks the distinction between the law and the gospel, showing rather than affinity with the spirit of Matthew 5:17-19 (part of the Sermon on the Mount): “‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’” That he does not refer to the Mosaic law seems indicated by the qualifications “perfect”(see 1:25) and “of liberty” (see also 1:25), as well as any emphasis on the fulfilment of ritual prescriptions. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: “mercy triumphs over judgement”: This echoes the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:15; 18:23-25 (the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant); 25:41-46. This teaching is also found in the Old Testament and in the apocryphal wisdom literature. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “faith but do not have works”: Faith without works is a sham, and cannot save one from judgement: see Matthew 25:31-46. [ NOAB] In Galatians 2:16, Paul writes “we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ”, where “the law” is Mosaic law (e.g. being circumcised and eating kosher food), while here “works” are caring for the disadvantaged. Paul would agree with James, for Paul wrote: “the only thing that counts is faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6), i.e. we should have a working faith, one that does.

From Galatians 2:11-12, “James” appears to have insisted on Christians keeping the Law. Further, James 1:1 says that this letter is written by “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (i.e. by analogy with various Old Testament religious leaders called servants, someone in authority in the Church) “to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (i.e. from Jerusalem). So it appears that this letter was written by the head of the Church at Jerusalem, usually thought to be James the Lord’s brother, a Christian who insisted on Christians keeping Mosaic law. Either the author of James is not the Lord’s brother (for, while the term “the law” appears in this letter, it nowhere means Mosaic law) or James of Jerusalem was not as strict as Paul presents him as being.

Verse 14: To judge by this passage and by 1:3, 6; 2:1, 5 and 5:15, James means by “faith” the free acceptance of God’s saving revelation. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “works”: i.e. the obedient implementation of God’s revealed will in every aspect of life. [ NJBC]

Verses 15-16: 1 John 3:17 asks: “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?”. See also and Galatians 5:13. [ CAB]

Verse 17: James opposes living faith with dead faith. [ NJBC]

GOSPEL: Mark 7: 24 - 37 (RCL)

                  Mark 7: 31 - 37 (Roman Catholic)

Mark 7:24 (NRSV) From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-the demon has left your daughter." 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

In Galilee, Jesus has challenged official Judaism over the authority of non-biblical traditions and has taught that ritual purity is irrelevant. He now travels to the coast (“Tyre”), a largely Gentile area. The “woman” (v. 26) is Gentile by birth and of non-Jewish origin; she seeks healing for her daughter who (at least in contemporary understanding) is possessed by evil. In Jesus’ statement (v. 27), the “children” are presumably Jews; Jewish writers sometimes referred to Gentiles as “dogs”. Jesus says that he comes principally to Jews, but note that both Jews and Gentiles are at or near the table. The woman’s witty retort (v. 28) shows that she has faith in him: there is a place for non-Jews in God’s plan. Jesus accepts her claim (v. 29). The daughter is completely cured (v. 30).

After a circuitous journey through Gentile territory, Jesus heads towards Galilee (v. 31). A man with hearing and speech problems is brought to him. (Laying on of hands (“hand”, v. 32) is known only in the Qumran, Dead Sea, literature and in the Church.) In doing the miracle, Jesus uses two symbols, one for deafness and one for speech. He touches the man’s tongue with spittle (v. 33). Jesus communes with the Father, is moved with compassion (“sighed”, v. 34) and orders the healing. The cure is immediate and again complete (v. 35). In v. 36a, Jesus hopes to avoid a partial understanding of him (as a miracle worker) but the good news spreads. The people’s words:

·  allude to God’s satisfaction with creation (v. 37b, Genesis 1:31) and

·  show that the Kingdom of God has begun: v. 37c is a quotation from a section of Isaiah on Israel’s glorious future.

The kingdom of God has already begun!

The parallel is Matthew 15:21-31.

3:8 says that some of the crowd who followed Jesus were from “the region around Tyre and Sidon”. [ NJBC]

Verse 25: “bowed down at his feet”: A posture of supplication. See also 3:11 and 5:22-23 (a leader of the synagogue, before Jesus). [ NJBC]

Verse 27: Paul writes that “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith” came “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (see Romans 1:16). [ NJBC]

Verse 27: “dogs”: The Greek word is actually a diminutive meaning puppies. Perhaps Jesus softened the derogatory designation. [ NJBC]

Verse 28: The woman’s answer amounts to the dogs get their due . For the image of eating scraps beneath a table, see Judges 1:7. [ NJBC]

Verse 29c: Either Jesus healed at a distance or he knew she had already been cured. For Jesus’ other healings of Gentiles, see Matthew 8:5-13 (a centurion’s servant); Luke 7:1-10; John 4:46-54 (an official’s son). These healings also appear to happen at a distance.

Verse 31: “Decapolis”: A federation of ten Greco-Roman (Gentile) cities, most of which were east of the Jordan, including Damascus. Geographically, Jesus’ route makes no sense: he goes north from Tyre to Sidon (some 40 km or 25 miles), then heads east. The Decapolis stretched from Damascus in the north (90 km, 55 miles, east of Sidon) to Philadelphia in the south (180 km, 110 miles, south of Sidon). A cluster of cities of the Decapolis were south and east of the Sea of Galilee, some 90 km (55 miles) south of Sidon. So in going to Sidon, he would be retracing his path if he were going to any city of the Decapolis other than Damascus. So why is his journey reported like this? This is a mystery. A scholar suggests that Mark locates Jesus in Gentile territory as much as possible, because the church for which he is writing is Gentile. It is also possible that Mark did not know the geography of the area.

Verse 32: In v. 35, the man speaks “plainly”, so I suspect that he had a speech impediment (as the NRSV says) rather than being dumb. This would imply that he was not totally deaf. Jesus takes him “aside in private”: while this may be part of the messianic secret (see vv. 24, 36), I believe it is more likely connected with the man’s impediment: one with such a condition becomes extremely nervous when he or she is the centre of attention in a gathering. Jesus did not usually heal “in private”, for fear of being accused of working magic. On this interpretation, the prophecy quoted in v. 37 is fulfilled, but not precisely.

Verse 32: “hand”: Strangely, the Greek word is in the singular. Mark usually uses hands: see 5:23; 6:5; 8:23. [ NJBC]

Verse 33: “spat”: One usually spat to curse someone: see Numbers 12:14-15; Deuteronomy 25:9; Job 17:6. CAB says that Jesus action violated ritual purity laws (but he does not explain how).

Verse 34: “Ephphatha”: As elsewhere, it appears that Mark preserves the words Jesus actually spoke. The word is Semitic, possibly Aramaic. [ NJBC]

Verse 37: Isaiah 35:5 says that at the end of time “ the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped”. [ CAB]