·
17 Patrick,
Bishop, Missionary, Patron
of Ireland, c.460
18 Cyril, Bishop of
Jerusalem, Teacher of the Faith, 386 was a distinguished theologian of
the early Church (c. 313[1] –
386 AD). He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and
the Anglican Communion. In 1883, Cyril was declared
a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII.
He is highly respected in the Palestinian Christian Community.
About
the end of 350 AD he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled
on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of
various emperors. Cyril left important writings documenting the instruction
of catechumens and
the order of the Liturgy in his day.
·
·
19 Joseph of
Nazareth
·
20 Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne,
Missionary, 687 is 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 North East England[5] and the South
East of Scotland. After his death he became one of the most important medieval saintsof Northern England, with a cult centred on
his tomb at Durham Cathedral. Cuthbert is
regarded as the patron saint of Northumbria
·
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of
Canterbury, Reformation Martyr,
1556
·
24 Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Augustinian Canon, Mystic, 1396
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18 (all)
Gene 15:1 (NRSV)
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not
be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2
But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue
childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram
said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is
to be my heir." 4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man
shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your
heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and
count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him,
"So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the LORD; and the
LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 Then he said to
him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chalde'ans, to give you
this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know
that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three
years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove,
and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two,
laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was
going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness
descended upon him.
17 When the sun
had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed
between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to
the great river, the river Euphrates,
PSALM 27 (RCL)
Psalm 27: 1, 7 - 9, 13
- 14 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 27:1 (NRSV)
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the
stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be
afraid?
2 When evildoers
assail me
to devour my
flesh--
my adversaries and
foes--
they shall stumble
and fall.
3 Though an army
encamp against me,
my heart shall not
fear;
though war rise up
against me,
yet I will be
confident.
4 One thing I
asked of the LORD,
that will I seek
after:
to live in the
house of the LORD
all the days of my
life,
to behold the
beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in
his temple.
5 For he will hide
me in his shelter
in the day of
trouble;
he will conceal me
under the cover of his tent;
he will set me
high on a rock.
6 Now my head is
lifted up
above my enemies
all around me,
and I will offer
in his tent
sacrifices with
shouts of joy;
I will sing and
make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD,
when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me
and answer me!
8
"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, LORD,
do I seek.
9 Do not hide your
face from me.
Do not turn your
servant away in anger,
you who have been
my help.
Do not cast me
off, do not forsake me,
O God of my
salvation!
10 If my father
and mother forsake me,
the LORD will take
me up.
11 Teach me your
way, O LORD,
and lead me on a
level path
because of my
enemies.
12 Do not give me
up to the will of my adversaries,
for false
witnesses have risen against me,
and they are
breathing out violence.
13 I believe that
I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the
living.
14 Wait for the
LORD;
be strong, and let
your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
Note: Verse numbering
in your Psalter may differ from the above.
27 Dominus illuminatio (ECUSA BCP)
1 The
Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I
fear? *
the Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When
evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who
stumbled and fell.
3 Though
an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;
4 And
though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him.
5 One
thing have I asked of the Lord;
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days
of my life;
6 To
behold the fair beauty of the Lord *
and to seek him in his temple.
7 For in
the day of trouble he shall keep me safe
in his shelter; *
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his
dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.
8 Even
now he lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.
9 Therefore
I will offer in his dwelling an oblation
with sounds of
great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my
face." *
Your face, Lord, will I seek.
12 Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
13 You have been my helper;
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the Lord will sustain me.
15 Show me your way, O Lord; *
lead me on a level path, because of my
enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the hand of my
adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.
17 What if I had not believed
that I should see
the goodness of the Lord *
in the land of the living!
18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure;
be strong, and he
shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the Lord.
NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1 (all)
Phil 3:17 (NRSV)
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live
according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the
cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with
tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is
in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship
is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be
conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make
all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I
love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my
beloved.
Now Paul offers himself as an example of centering oneself in
Christ, in his sufferings. (At the time, Paul was in prison.) Observe those who
follow his (our) example! He warns against “many” ( 3:18)
who centre on other things: at the end of the age, sadly they will be
destroyed. Who are they? Perhaps self-centred people, but more likely
Christians who insist on keeping Jewish dietary laws (“belly”, 3:19)
and on circumcision: to boast in this is to glory in an organ
which should be modestly covered (“shame”). These are “earthly things”, made
obsolete by Christ’s coming. Society looks to Rome for citizenship but we look
to “heaven” ( 3:20).
Our bodies, now mortal, will enter eternal life in a changed form,
to achieve union with Christ ( 3:21).
Per Psalm 8,
the Messiah will be sovereign over all (“subject to himself”); Christ is the
Messiah. Do not deviate from the true faith! ( 4:1).
The abrupt change of tone and content at 3:1b suggests that this segment is from a later communication of Paul. [ NJBC]
3:12-14:
Though righteousness is God’s gift, Christians are not relieved of the
obligation of serious effort towards being godly. [ NOAB]
3:12-14:
“goal ... prize ... heavenly”: Paul is thinking of Greek foot races; the “goal”
is their finishing post. The word translated “heavenly” literally means upward.
Winners were called to ascend a podium to receive a “prize”,
i.e. a “crown” (4:1).
[ NOAB] [ NJBC]
3:13:
“Beloved”: literally brothers.
3:13:
“forgetting what lies behind”: i.e. leaving behind past achievements. [ NJBC]
3:14:
“heavenly call”: Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“... the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and
with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up
in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be
with the Lord forever”, and in Romans 5:2:
“... we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”.
3:15:
“mature”: In 1 Corinthians, Paul distinguishes between immature and mature
Christians. In 1 Corinthians 2:6 he
writes: “... among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of
this age or of the rulers of this age ...”. In 1 Corinthians 14:20,
he urges members of the community to grow spiritually: “... do not be children
in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults”. See
also Hebrews 5:13-14.
[ JBC]
3:17:
“join in imitating me”: Paul also invites imitation of him in 4:9;
1 Thessalonians 1:6;
2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9;
1 Corinthians 4:16.
He is able to do this because he himself is an imitator of Christ: he advises
in 1 Corinthians 11:1:
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”. [ JBC]
3:18:
“enemies of the cross of Christ”: Comments uses the
interpretation in NJBC. By
preaching the necessity of circumcision, the “enemies” deny the efficacy of the
Cross, thus voiding Christ’s costly self-sacrifice: Paul writes in
Galatians 2:21:
“I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law,
then Christ died for nothing”. However, NOAB does not consider these
people to be those who expect Christians to adopt Judaic practices by being
circumcised, “those who mutilate the flesh” ( 3:2). CAB says that the “enemies” are
likely those who do not wish to make the Cross the centre of the Christian
message. See also 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:2; 11:26.
3:19:
“destruction”: In 1 Corinthians 1:18,
Paul presents the paradox of the Cross: “For the message about the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the
power of God”. [ JBC]
3:19:
“belly”: This refers to zeal for Jewish food laws or to selfishness in general.
In Romans 16:18,
Paul writes: “... such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own
appetites”. [ NJBC]
3:19:
“their glory is in their shame”: To boast in circumcision (vv. 2-3)
is to glory in something which one modestly covers: Paul writes in 1
Corinthians 12:23:
“those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater
honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect”. [ NJBC]
3:19:
“earthly things”: In Galatians 4:9,
Paul asks those who are tempted to desert the faith and the Way: “Now, however,
that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn
back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be
enslaved to them again?”. [ JBC]
3:19:
It is also possible that the “many” see Paul’s imprisonment as a setback in
their social status – in the context of the residents of Philippi. [ CAB]
3:20:
“our citizenship is in heaven”: We already have it! The Greek word translated
“citizenship” carries with it the notion ofbeing active as a citizen.
See also Galatians 4:24-27 (the
allegory of Hagar and Sarah) and Ephesians 2:19 (“...
citizens with the saints ...”). [ NJBC]
To CAB, Paul’s use of the word
“citizenship” indicates that his opponents see his imprisonment
as a setback in terms of their status in society.
3:20:
“it is from there ...”: In Acts 1:11,
after the Ascension two messengers from God tell the disciples: “This Jesus,
who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you
saw him go into heaven”. See also Acts 3:21;
2 Timothy 4:1.
[ CAB]
3:21:
“that it may be ... glory”: In Romans 8:23,
Paul speaks of waiting for “adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. 1
Corinthians 15:49 says
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the
image of the man of heaven” and 15:51 “...
we will all be changed”. See also Romans 8:19-21, 29-30;
2 Corinthians 5:1-5;
Colossians 3:1-4.
[NOAB]
3:21:
“make all things subject to himself”: An allusion to Psalm 8:6 (“You
have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things
under their feet”), a verse that to Paul tells of the messianic reign of
Christ. See also Ephesians 1:22;
Hebrews 2:6-9;
1 Peter 3:22.
[ NJBC]
4:1:
“joy and crown”: Paul asks rhetorically in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20:
“For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his
coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!”. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL: Luke 13: 31 - 35 (RCL)
Jesus has predicted his suffering, death and resurrection to his disciples; he has called on them to “take up their cross” (v. 23), has warned that those who hear the gospel but fail to trust in it will be condemned, and has promised that some present will see the kingdom of God. Now he and the inner circle of disciples ascend “the mountain” (v. 28). In Luke, Jesus always prays before an important event.
An aura of unnatural brightness is linked with mystical
appearances in Exodus and Acts; “dazzling white” (v. 29)
is a symbol of transcendence. In Jewish tradition, both “Moses and Elijah”
(v. 30)
were taken into heaven without dying. Jesus’ agenda is in accord with the Law
and the prophets; he is doing God’s will.
“Two men” also appear at the resurrection and at the ascension.
Jesus’ “departure” (v. 31, exodos in
Greek) is his journey to Jerusalem and his passage from this world. Peter
clearly doesn’t understand; perhaps he thinks he is witnessing a super Feast of
Tabernacles (“dwellings”, v. 33)
– a time when the whole city was brightly illuminated. The “cloud” (v. 34)
is a symbol of God’s presence; the words from it recall Jesus’ baptism, and add
“listen to him!” (v. 35).
They refrain from telling anyone what they had seen in order to avoid premature
curtailing of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
Verses 31-32: “Herod ... that fox”: Herod Antipas is also mentioned in 3:1, 19-20 (the imprisonment of John the Baptizer); 9:7-9; 23:6-10 (Pilate sends Jesus to Herod and is questioned by him). He had already had John the Baptist put to death. Luke contains criticism of Roman social order. [ NJBC]
Verse 32: “today and tomorrow, and on the third day”: NOAB says that Jesus did not mean
“third” literally; rather, he means a short and limited time. The NRSV
translates the Greek literally, but BlkLk translates
it as day by day, and one day soon. He says that there is an
Aramaic idiom behind the Greek which does not refer to two actual days but to
an indefinite short period followed by a still indefinite, but certain, event.
This idiom is also at work in Hosea 6:2:
“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that
we may live before him”.
Verse 32: “finish”: The same Greek word is found in John 5:36 (“complete”); 17:4, 23; 19:28;
Hebrews 2:10; 5:9.
It signifies the perfection of Christ’s redemptive mission. [ JBC]
Verse 33: “today, tomorrow, and the next day”: As a sequel to his
interpretation given for v. 32, BlkLk suggests that the meaning
may be every day.
Verse 33: “it is impossible ...”: NOAB says that this is bitter
irony. For the motif of the rejected prophet, see Nehemiah 9:26-31.
[ NJBC]
Verse 33: “prophet”: In 4:24-27,
Jesus says “... no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown ...”. In 7:16,
when Jesus restores a man to life, those gathered proclaim: “‘A great prophet
has risen among us!’”. In 7:39,
a Pharisee argues that Jesus is not a prophet. In 24:19,
on the road to Emmaus, Cleopas speaks of Jesus as “a prophet mighty in deed and
word before God and all the people”. [ JBC]
Verse 34b: Comments: of efforts not recorded in the
gospels : Luke 4:44 says:
“So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea”; however,
the text is uncertain. In some manuscripts and in the parallels (Matthew 4:23 and
Mark 1:39), Galilee appears
rather than Judea. If “Judea” is correct, this is the only express
mention of Jesus’ early ministry in Judea outside the Gospel according to John.
[ NOAB]
Verse 34: “hen”: An image of loving care and protection. [ NJBC]
Verse 35: “your house”: The Old Testament background seems to be
Jeremiah 22:1-9 where house means the
king’s household of leaders. [ NJBC]
Verse 35: “Blessed ...”: See 19:38 (Jesus'
triumphal entry into Jerusalem) and Psalm 118:26 (“Blessed
is the one who comes in the name of the Lord ...”).
At the time, this psalm was ascribed messianic significance. [ JBC] Zechariah 9:9 says:
“ Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your
king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”.
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