·
1 Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, 1637
·
2 Channing Moore
Williams, Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910
·
3 Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East,
1552 Born in Javier (Xavier in Navarro-Aragonese or Xabier in Basque), Kingdom of
Navarre (in present-day Spain), he was a
companion of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits who took vows of poverty and chastity at Montmartre, Paris, in 1534.[3] He led an
extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time
and was influential in evangelization work, most notably in India. The Goa Inquisition was proposed
by St. Francis Xavier
·
4 John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760 A polymath whose fields
of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, and music, he is said by
some sources to have served as a Chief Administrator to the Muslim caliph of Damascus
before his ordination.[6][7] He wrote
works expounding the Christian faith, and composed hymns which are still used
both liturgically in Eastern Christian practice throughout the world as well as in western Lutheranism at Easter.
·
5 Clement of Alexandria,
Priest, c. 210 was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. A convert to Christianity, he was an educated man who was
familiar with classical Greek philosophy and literature. As his three major works demonstrate, Clement was
influenced by Hellenistic philosophy to a greater extent than any other
Christian thinker of his time, and in particular by Plato and the Stoics.[4] His secret
works, which exist only in fragments, suggest that he was also familiar with
pre-Christian Jewish esotericism
and Gnosticism.
·
6 Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342
·
7 Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397
OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah
2: 1 - 5 (all)
Isai 2:1 (NRSV)
The word that Isai'ah son of A'moz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come
the mountain of
the LORD's house
shall be
established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be
raised above the hills;
all the nations
shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples
shall come and say,
"Come, let us
go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of
the God of Jacob;
that he may teach
us his ways
and that we may
walk in his paths."
For out of Zion
shall go forth instruction,
and the word of
the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge
between the nations,
and shall
arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat
their swords into plowshares,
and their spears
into pruning hooks;
nation shall not
lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they
learn war any more.
5 O house of
Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of
the LORD!
PSALM 122 (all)
Psal 122:1 (NRSV)
I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go to
the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet are
standing
within your gates,
O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem--built
as a city
that is bound
firmly together.
4 To it the tribes
go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for
Israel,
to give thanks to
the name of the LORD.
5 For there the
thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the
house of David.
6 Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem:
"May they
prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within
your walls,
and security
within your towers."
8 For the sake of
my relatives and friends
I will say,
"Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of
the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your
good.
122 Laetatus sum (ECUSA BCP)
1 I was
glad when they said to me, *
"Let
us go to the house of the Lord."
2 Now our
feet are standing *
within
your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem
is built as a city *
that
is at unity with itself;
4 To
which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the
Lord, *
the
assembly of Israel,
to
praise the Name of the Lord.
5 For
there are the thrones of judgment, *
the
thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray
for the peace of Jerusalem: *
"May
they prosper who love you.
7 Peace
be within your walls *
and
quietness within your towers.
8 For my
brethren and companions' sake, *
I
pray for your prosperity.
9 Because
of the house of the Lord our God, *
I
will seek to do you good."
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans
13: 11 - 14 (RCL, Roman Catholic)
Roma 13:8 (NRSV)
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to
wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became
believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the
works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in
the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness,
not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Then vv. 9-10:
if we love our neighbours, we will treat them as the Ten Commandments (“the
law”) requires: this flows naturally out of our love for them, e.g. we will not
offend them by adulterous behaviour, etc. This is why “one who loves another
... [fully satisfies] the law” (v. 8).
Now Paul tells us another reason why ethical behaviour is
important for Christians. We know that we are living both in the present and in
the age which is after the first coming of the Messiah and before the second:
“salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers” (v. 11).
Paul expresses it in terms of night and day: we should awake, pass from
darkness to light, from evil to good. The image of armour is also found in
contemporary Jewish writings about the end of the age; in 1 Thessalonians 5:8,
Paul tells us that the “armour of light” (v. 12)
is faith, hope, love for each other, fidelity, uprightness, etc. “Let us live”
(v. 13),
he says, as if the Day of the Lord is already here, “honourably”, not in ways
that harm ourselves and our neighbours. Rather, let Christ be our armour, and
let us not give in to the temptations of the flesh. (In baptism, we have
already “put on”, v. 12,
Christ, but life in Christ is something that grows with experience. As we grow
in the faith, we are more and more able to resist sinful opportunities.)
Verses 1-7: In the previous chapter, Paul has said that Christians have no right to punish; here he says that the state does, and all people must respect this right. He holds that the Roman state (even under Nero!) is, on the whole, just and beneficent. His view reflects Jewish teaching (see Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3) and is also found in 1 Peter 2:13-17; 3:13. He has insisted that salvation is entirely a loving and undeserved gift from God, so some may have claimed that he was encouraging unethical conduct. In 6:1-14, he vigorously rejects this view. [ NOAB]
Up to the time when Paul wrote Romans, there had been no official
persecution of Christians living in Rome, but internal strife in the Jewish
community (which included Christians), probably between Christians and
non-Christians, was settled by the emperor Claudius’ expulsion of Jews from
Rome. Paul probably knew of this, but he still insists on the general
principles Christians must have towards civil authorities, especially when
these authorities are pagans. His basis for resolving the issue is the
principle enunciated in Proverbs 8:15 (“By
me [God] kings reign, and rulers decree what is just”) and Matthew 22:16-21 (“...
‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God
the things that are God’s’”). [ NJBC]
Verse 1:
“authorities”: This may include not only the state itself, but also the angelic
authorities standing behind the state. The same Greek word is found in
Colossians 1:16;
there it clearly means angelic authorities; however Luke 12:11 uses
it of civil authorities. [ BlkRom]
Verse 1:
“instituted by God”: As part of God’s bringing order to the world.
Verse 2:
“appointed”: Another translation is ordained .
Verse 3:
“rulers”: This may be a reference to an order of angels. [ BlkRom]
Verse 3:
“its”: i.e. the authority’s [ BlkRom]
Verse 4:
“God’s servant”: i.e. the state, as one who does Christ’s mission. [ BlkRom]
Verse 4:
“it”: i.e. authority, civil power. 1 Peter 2:13-14 says
“For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether
of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who
do wrong and to praise those who do right”. [ CAB]
Verse 4:
“sword”: A symbol of authority to punish.
Verse 5:
“conscience”: One has a moral obligation to observe civil laws. Paul writes
in 2:15:
“They [Gentiles] show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to
which their own conscience also bears witness ...”. [ CAB] The state, as servant of God,
must in conscience be respected by Christians, servants of God. [ BlkRom]
Verse 6:
“authorities”: i.e. civil servants [ BlkRom]
Verse 7:
“revenue”: i.e. indirect taxation, e.g. customs duties [ BlkRom]
Verse 7:
In Mark 12:17,
Jesus says “‘"Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and
to God the things that are God’s’”. See also Luke 20:25;
Matthew 22:21;
1 Peter 2:17.
[ CAB]
Verse 8:
“law”: i.e. Mosaic law.
Verse 8:
“for the one who loves another ...”: In Mark 12:31,
Jesus says “‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’”. James 2:8 quotes
Jesus. [ NOAB]
Verse 9:
“‘You shall not ...’”: Paul quotes from the Ten Commandments, i.e. Exodus 20:13-15, 17;
Deuteronomy 5:17-19 –
in the Septuagint translation.
The order is different in the Masoretic Text (which the
NRSV follows). Jesus quotes these commandments, and others, in Matthew 19:18-19.
[ CAB]
Verse 9:
“‘Love your neighbour as yourself”: Paul quotes from the Law: Leviticus 19:18 says
“...you shall love your neighbour as yourself ...”. There “neighbour” means
fellow Israelite; here Paul broadens the meaning. Jesus quotes this law in
Matthew 5:43; 19:19;
Mark 12:31;
Matthew 22:39;
Luke 10:27;
It is also quoted in Galatians 5:14 and
James 2:8.
[ CAB]
Verses 11-14: In 1 Corinthians 10:11-12,
Paul writes: “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they
were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if
you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall”.
Verse 11: Eschatology and
morality are often connected: see also Philippians 4:4-7 (“...
Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near ...”); 1
Thessalonians 5:1-11, 23;
Hebrews 10:24-25 (“...
let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ... all the
more as you see the Day approaching”); James 5:7-11;
1 Peter 4:7-11;
Matthew 25:31-46;
Mark 13:33-37.
[ CAB]
Verse 11: “time”: The Greek word kairos might be
translated (in business English) as window of opportunity. Kronos is
time as on a clock or in a calendar; kairos is God’s time.
Verse 11: “wake from sleep”: See also 1 Corinthians 15:34 (“Come
to a sober and right mind, and sin no more ...”); 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8;
Ephesians 5:14.
[ CAB]
Verse 12: “lay aside ...”: See also Ephesians 4:22-25 (“...
put away your former way of life ... be renewed in the spirit of your minds
...”); Colossians 3:8-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; 1 Peter 2:1; James 1:21. [CAB]
Verse 12: “darkness ... light”: Light and darkness are terms used in
the Qumran literature for
good and evil: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 2:7; 3:20-4:1; 1QM (War Scroll)
15:9 (“For they are a wicked congregation and all their deeds are in
darkness”). [ NJBC]
Verse 14: “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”: See also 6:1-14 and
Galatians 3:27.
Galatians 3:27 says that through baptism, the Christian has already put on
Christ. [ NJBC]
That the state was God’s servant was endorsed by many Jews and by
the early Church. [ BlkRom]
GOSPEL: Matthew 24: 36
- 44 (RCL)
Matthew 24: 37 - 44 (Roman
Catholic)
Matt 24:36 (NRSV)
"But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah
entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them
all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in
the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding
meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore,
for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if
the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was
coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken
into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an
unexpected hour.
Speaking to his followers, Jesus has
foretold the destruction of the Temple; he has told them the signs of the
coming of the end times (in terms used in contemporary literature.) In the
suffering and trials which will precede the End, society will break down, “many
will fall away” (v. 10, from the faith)
but “one who endures to the end will be saved” (v. 13). After these
events, the “Son of Man” (vv. 27, 30) will come “with
power and great glory”. This will mark the beginning of a new era, a new way of
being. Followers should discern signs of the second coming of Christ (vv. 32-35).
Verses 37-39: See also Genesis 6:5-8; 7:6-24 and
Luke 17:26-27.
In both Genesis and Luke, the Flood and the “coming of the Son of Man”, the
process is selection of the good/godly. [ CAB]
Verses 40-41: The verbs are in the present tense; thus they express vividly
the separation certain to occur in the near future. [ BlkMt] In Luke 17:34-35,
Jesus says: “‘I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will
be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken and the other left.”’.
Verse 42: “Keep awake”: BlkMt offers Watch,
meaning be continuously on the watch, spiritually and in your
lives. See also Mark 13:35;
Luke 12:40; 21:34-36;
Matthew 25:13.
[ CAB]
Verse 43: The metaphor of the coming of a thief is also found in 1
Thessalonians 5:2 and
Revelation 3:3; 16:15.
[ BlkMt]
Verses 45-51: The parable of Faithful and Unfaithful Servants also emphasizes
that Christ will return suddenly. [ BlkMt]
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
